Black Hat had taken the time to rest after being healed by the boy, as travel was out of the question with an injured shoulder. Once fit enough to walk, he left the bramble forest behind. Now, he was on the prowl in an open field. A menagerie of berry bushes were scattered about, and he couldn't resist the urge to pick a few as he slithered along the prairie. But mere berries would do nothing to satiate his ravenous appetite. What he truly craved between his teeth was flesh and bone.

He lowered his crown, hovering the leather of his nose over the grasses to take note of what had recently passed by. The scent of a doe and her fawn piqued his interest. If he could find the young hiding by its lonesome, as they were apt to do, it would make a fine meal. With his victim decided, the search began.

He followed its tracks, popping his head up every now and again to survey the surroundings. On one occasion of doing this, Black Hat caught a wolfess in his sights. She was a beautiful pale blue-grey like an overcast sky. He'd never seen a wolf of this shade before. Effectively allured, he decided to take a detour and strutted up to her, tail waving confidently behind him like a banner in the breeze.

He caught the tail end of her solemn musing, which he stashed away in the file cabinet that was his mind. Then, instinctively, he began to analyze: She was alone, but a pack smell still lingered in her pelt. She was either contemplating leaving or had already left; likely the latter, given what he heard her utter. If he made himself welcoming, he could persuade her to follow him. More minds and teeth were useful, and he needed useful.

Greetings, madame, He started in a velvety tone, stopping a reasonable length away. Are you out hunting as well?

She appeared pleased to see him. Good. His own smile spread into a crescentic grin in reply to hers, unnerving if not for his relaxed gaze. Any smile he gave had the potential to cause unease, but it was still more pleasant than a scowl.

I was on the tracks of a fawn, if you'd care to join me, He offered.

That's the spirit. With that, Black Hat headed back the direction from which he came, now with the pale woman in tow. Wanting to become more acquainted, he spoke up again after a few beats. My name is Black Hat. You? After she presumably gave hers, he brought his nose to the ground again to get back on track.

These are fresh. It shouldn't be far now, He murmured, lifting his head to look to Radar. The mother could be close, and she may or may not attack us. If she does, I'll distract her while you go in for the kill. Does that sound good?

He, too, found her name peculiar, as he hadn't a clue what it meant. It was probably foreign, he postulated, disappointed that it didn't sound as appealing as she looked. Ah well, you couldn't have everything. Black Hat didn't comment on it, and he was relieved she didn't ask about his.

Seeing that Radar would follow his plan, he went back to tracking. The duo moved in silence until he finally spotted it: there laid the fawn, curled up in a little spotted ball on a bed of grass. He scanned the surroundings. Finding no sign of the mother, he gestured with his snout for Radar to move in. Meanwhile, he circled around to further cut off its options of escape.

Though more steady on its feet than a newborn, the fawn stood no chance on its own. It took too long for it to flee, having been spotted lying down. But as it often turned out, the mother was not out of the picture. Hearing her child bleat out in terror, she charged forth with a fury felt only by a mother protecting her young. Black Hat was ready for her, dodging the hooves that came raining down in a panicked frenzy. He snarled and planted a nip on her flank, putting himself in the spotlight. She was left with little choice but to face him, and he was all she saw.

Through her tunnel vision, the doe hadn't yet registered that her precious child was dead. And so she gave chase in the hopes of putting an end to his pestering nips that stung like a swarm of biting flies. With the occasional encouragement, Black Hat was able to draw her further and further away from the source of her hysteria. This needed to end soon, he thought, as his shoulder was beginning to throb in protest to the abuse. At this point, he wanted to get away from her to end their little dance, but his injury was making that difficult. A lovely situation to get himself into after just getting back on his feet, really.

Thankfully, Radar came to his aid. Now, the doe was outnumbered, with two sets of teeth to deal with instead of one. With the last shred of self-preservation left in her, she fled, and Black Hat was happy to let her do so. He panted, tongue lolling from betwixt his jaws. Uncouthly, beads of drool built on its surface and fell to the ground in long strands. He sat back on his haunches, lifting the weight from his bad shoulder and allowing it to finally relax, though it still throbbed faintly. His sorry state bruised his pride, but it couldn't be helped.

Good work, Black Hat praised once he caught his breath, attempting to regain his usual composure. It was only somewhat effective. He rarely, if ever, thanked anyone for anything verbally, but his apprecation was clear enough. Is the fawn dead?

He wasn't expecting her to bring the prize to him but was pleased that she did, especially without being ordered to do so. Splendid, He complimented upon her return, mouth watering at the smell of young, fresh blood. After you, He insisted, gesturing to their dinner with his snout. Black Hat would wait for the sake of earning her trust, but he also didn't mind doing so, as he was content with letting his leg rest for a while longer.

At her inquiry, he tipped his head back to glance at the sky for an estimate of what time it was. Looking back to Radar, he explained, I'm going to find a safe place to rest here for the night. I overdid it on my leg, and I don't want to push it any further. Tomorrow, I'll look for something to put on it for infections.

He paused, looking her over. If you'd like, you can tag along with me... assuming you don't have other plans of your own. I could use an extra set of jaws. Black Hat cracked her a toothy smile that managed to be somewhat gentle. It was only then he finally slid down onto his belly and began to dig into their meal, rooting around for its entrails.