In his recent weeks, he had been so bound to the claim itself that ranging beyond it--even just nearby like this pings as vaguely unusual until he shakes off the rust and gets into the groove of it. The prospect of their luck already tipping favorably today matched with a potential hunt does make it easy to get motivated, especially as the trail thickens and there is no mistaking they are on a good track.

When they finally can visualize their quarry, he glanced over his shoulder to the grayscale tagalong to feel him out (an unspoken question of potential and ability with it), then ahead once again to the real prize in the open landscapes ahead. The wocha could play these odds; potentially feeding so many mouths with a take-down like this was worth a chance.

He would like to get a little closer and observe them a little longer, but he didn't like the cost of too much time that implied--not with anticipation building fast. One in the middle kept catching his eye already, moving slower than its fellows. It was too early to get too attached, and he still skimmed the group as a whole only to be pinning his stare back on that one over again. Unless the others in their small party directed his attention elsewhere, that was where he hoped to find them all converge. Willingly, and once they were all most officially on the same page, he was prepared to take this to the next step: forward.

Others failed to capture his glance after more moments, and when an opportunity arrived, he now knew where his focus would be. But anxious anticipation aside, patience still remained key--especially when he knew his personal strengths in the hunt came behind powerful bursts of speed and force. He harbored no doubts about what the commander could deliver alongside him, but the servant.. less so. He knew not to rely heavily on such an unknown between relatively few wolves already, so when they struck, it would have to be well-executed and precise.

Since he wanted a different approach and vantage point, he began to fan away from Thuringwethil and Isengrim to move wider as they collectively prepared more with each breath. Soon, he hoped, they could descend on them and get their teeth on the slowest one. Waiting too long could only expose them, but again, there was a delicate balance at play.

In a second when he was debating on edging out even wider, he opted to go carefully still to watch the deer move. A little extra shuffling around on one side had caused a ripple among the nearby others. His ears were pressed forward and he was liking what he saw well enough to take the chance. After catching the commander's glance, he nodded--ready when they were to follow up wherever the speed of this situation would be.

With the motion of the herd, he had tucked in low and hopefully as hidden as he could make himself.. but now that good chances were falling into place, he began to creep closer again. Now knowing that the commander was ready too, he got up to prepare to engage.

Yet a half-step ahead of them, something else pressured the deer into flight and he doubted it was their doing already; they had not advanced that far quite yet. But now that things were moving in a direction they were not entirely in control of, there was even less time to waste.

He gave a short boof of a bark and now launched his assault in full before this could escalate further. From his direction, he aimed to intercept the one they had been eyeing still--and noticed the other wolf he did not recognize, nor anticipate, in the midst of it all pursuing a different prize: a young doe. A good pick, a wise one too.. but the one they found was more meat, greedily enough--although who was to say they could bring it down. He drove it to the fringe of the other deer, and it had panic in its eyes already.

Dio stayed on his course still trying to get close to their pick all while being interested in the other, her progress, and whether or not the commander knew of her.. and if he ought to adjust his route yet.