Blacktail Deer Plateau HOW TO NOT BE SEEN

@Aliac! Ready for that hunting practice thread?

Grayday now considered himself fully recovered. He'd braved the taiga and made it Easthollow with two pups to care for - even if Engel had had to help him a bit. His other four senses seemed to be compensating once more, and while he'd never get back to the hunter that he'd been, he'd found that he could still provide for his family and keep 'watch' over the borders if he truly put his mind to it.

That day, the leader was ranging his territory on the trail of the local herd, his steps as sure as they'd been before the loss of his eye. His ears stood tall atop his head, and his tail swept idly against his hocks, brushing the frost off of bushes and brambles as his passed. But, although his stride was confident, he was silent as well. The deer that he stalked were blind to him in all ways, while he was blind to them in only one.

The male slowed as he drew nearer to the herd, lips curled and nostrils flared. Their numbers were steady, and the scent of gravid does was already detectable to the leader's fine nose.

The young white pelted female crouches down as her pur white fur blended into the snow as she too saw the heard of deer. She observed them as she tries to pick out the weak and slow ones but instead she see's Grayday. She quietly makes her way to him, ever so careful not to spook the deer or make their presence known.

Also detectable was the scent of Aliac, a recent joiner. While her scent told him she was in the area, he didn't know exatly how close until he felt her presence nearby. His large, anvil-shaped head swung blindly in her direction, his tail giving a half-hearted twitch in greeting.

"'lo," he said, his voice a quiet rumble, more felt than heard. One doe lifted her head and looking in his direction, but soon went back to grazing with her fellows. "Come to watch the herd?" he asked when she'd moved a few paces further away.

Aliac lowers her body and see's the same doe lift her heaad at the noise. She is careful to stay as quiet as possible as she speaks. "Yes." She say's simply. The young she-wolf was walking through the plateau when she had caught the scent of the herd and decided to go over and investigate it.

Although he'd not expected to have a long conversation, something about Aliac's response struck him as rather rude. He was a male accustomed to being shown deference in all things, at least upon his own plateau, and felt that Aliac had not given him the proper acknowledgment. If she'd not seemed so respectful at the borders, the male might've done more than give a disagreeable grunt in response.

He supposed watching deer must rate higher on her priorities than greeting her packmates. This was not necessarily a bad thing, but it still put the male out of sorts.

Sensing that further conversation would not be desired, the male began to move away so that Aliac could watch in peace.

Aliac felt as though she had done something wrong, what that was however she did not know. She intended to find out. She followed him and bowed her head at the alpha. "Is there something wrong?" Her question sounded as if a child asked. She lacked pack expiririence so she knew not what to do.

The male kept moving, one ear flipping toward Aliac to acknowledge her words. He wondered if he'd misread the situation, but either way, his brief flare of irritation was easily soothed by her innocent inquiry.

"No, you're fine," he replied in a low voice. "It didn't seem as though you were searching for company," he added, feeling the need to assure her that he wasn't brushing her off due to dislike or disapproval.

"I thought you were trying to be quiet and I didn't want to spook the herd." The white furred yearling remembered the last time she had done that when she was a lone wolf. It had been a moose herd instead and she had spooked them which resulted in her almost getting trampled.

Grayday made a noncommital sound at the back of his throat, perhaps in agreement but more probably in mild contrition and slightly less mild embarassment. He didn't know why he was so moody lately. Maybe not being able to see faces clearly contributed to that.

The male padded further from the spot where they'd met, gesturing Aliac along with a tip of his muzzle. Cirumnavigating the herd, he crouched low in the brush and pointed his nose into the wind.

"She's gravid," he said in a hoarse, whispery voice. "That's... six, I think. Doe season is over. We'll hunt only the bucks and the yearlings until they drop their whelps."

Aliac followed Grayday and was careful to keep quiet as she did so. She lowered herself and listened to him speak as he did the yearling listened carefully to the knowledge he had. "Alright." She said in aggreement.

Grayday shot Aliac another look, wondering what her problem was before he remembered that she'd not been very talkative at the borders, either, or during their tour of the territory. In the past, he might've been okay with that, or even glad, but at the moment it sort of irritated him.

"You don't talk much, do you?" he said to her, trying to figure out why this was.

The yearling sighed. "I'm sorry you all have been so kind and I just don't want to mess this opportunity up." Aliac had been trying to hard to make a good impression on everyone and it had been hard.

Grayday's expression warmed somewhat as Aliac's fears sent him straight into Dad Mode. "It's not a job interview," he softly, a chuckle escaping him at the thought. (He didn't really know what a job interview was, and probably said something that a wolf would relate to a lot better that his player just couldn't be bothered to think of at the time.) "We're supposed to be a family. Worry more about getting to know everyone, and less about impressing them," he suggested.

Family was something that the yearling wasn't very accustomed to but it made her feel happy when Grayday had said it, she gave a happy smile. "Thank you and I will." Enthusiasm laced the white wolf's voice as her tail swayed back and forth.

Closing this up!

Grayday held back a sigh when this did not get any more words out of her. She was just a shy one, he decided, or possibly a not-very-smart one. Only time would tell. For now, though, he began an entirely nonverbal stalking lesson, not wanting to seem uninviting after having given his little spiel.

Hopefully, she would open up more in time. It might be worth it to shove her and Raid together, the male mused.