Stone Circle Together from Afar

for @Valette <3 tracker thread, tagging another for reference we rolled already for outcome :)

The woodland boy had tried to take it easy in the time that followed the cougar attack. Shortly after the unfortunate event, two troublesome wolves had threatened the safety of their lands once more. In the end, he had managed to chase them off but it wasn't without injury. West had done his best to keep anyone from worrying about him, the wounds ached but they seemed fine enough. He would be fine, there were others who needed the attention right now. His wounds had scabbed over in the weeks that followed and thick fur did a good job hiding the tears in his skin. Everything had become a mess, but with the upped border patrols he turned his attention elsewhere.

Despite the tragedy, there were still kids to feed. Being the food-loving wolf he was, he was no stranger to how a famine would horribly affect anyone, especially the new pups. He was forced to go through one himself and he was determined to keep them from suffering the same. Game was almost easier than patrolling for sometimes it only required him to sit still until an opportunity arose. His mother's advice never left his mind though, he knew it was just as important to watch the numbers. That's why today the male sprawled out atop the grassy hill that overlooked the herd of great beasts.

With the passing time, several young had entered the herd. Just as his mother has said, the pregnant ones offered new additions very much like their own pack. For the most part, the herd seemed to thrive, but he was able to make out one near the middle. It seemed slow, perhaps old or sick. Maybe a hunt would do the pack well, but they had also lost several adults be it to death, injury, or grief.

It had not gone unnoticed to the mother that her son had been protecting their lands and being so helpful when defending their lands. West had always been a hard worker but it showed even more. She was very proud in the man he had become. The mother wanted to check if he was alright after the attacks but she had not been able to find him in his sleeping spot or other resting places. Then she thought of what she would do and decided to check the hillside. She almost mistook him for a brown bolder at first. Then a smile tugged on her lips. "The view never grows old, does it?," she commented to catch his attention.

She sat down next to him. Perhaps it was nice for West to just go to their normal ways, not talk about the wounds he suffered. Still, she wanted West to know how much she appreciated him. Perhaps she would reward him with leading a bison hunt, something very esteemed under the hunters to lead a hunt, especially a bison hunt. She felt that West was ready for it, once all the wounds were healed. But before she would reveal that she wanted to check what he had seen until now. "Tell me what you have been seeing?," she asked him then. She valued his insights.

In his daze, the boy was almost startled to hear another speak. Maybe he had been too tense lately, but upon realizing it was just Valette he relaxed. Yeah...it's kinda relaxing. I'm still surprised they're fine here with a pack settled so close. It seemed strange to be content grazing right by your family's killers. Maybe they weren't smart enough to consider that, or perhaps it was just part of their life. Either way, it was weird and something the woodland boy couldn't quite understand.

You were right about the big ones. There are some kids now. He motioned to a spot in the inner herd. They were still young and stuck close to their mothers, but they were well enough to graze and wander like the rest of their family. There's also one that might be sick or old. It's moving kinda slow near the center. Perhaps his mother would be able to decipher which it was, all he could pick up was the unnatural gait.

Valette nodded in agreement. It was really relaxing to watch the bison. "I think that they aren't afraid. We need a big and loud hunting gang to even get them to start running or to cause some panic," she commented. Sometimes it didn't even work and they had bison charging at them. "They are our equal, sometimes we hurt them, sometimes they hurt us," she added. Luckily the bison had not resulted in anyone's death. But still, they did give a mean kick. They were nothing like deer.

"Well spotted," she complimented and then went to sit by his side to look at the herd. I see the young ones. But the sick one?"' she looked over the herd. Her hazel green eyes scanning at the prey animal. There was one in the middle but couldn't really see if it was sick or slow since it was grazing in the tall grass. However, if West had stated that, she believed him. He was becoming an avid hunter like her after all. "Did you see it run?"

West mulled over his mother's words. He had never considered it like that, but he knew what power the beasts held. His first hunt placed his scar across his brow with a mere flick of the bison's head, he couldn't imagine the damage should they choose to turn on the pack. He shuddered at the thought.

Green eyes turned back to the young, they were easy to spot, not so much the sick one. Though, maybe he had made a mistake. Heat flushed him at the realization that he hadn't tried to scatter them to confirm his theory, maybe this bison was just being slow. Ah...n—no, but it is moving slowly and close to the middle. I figured that meant it was being sheltered.

Valette nodded to her son. "Well that can be an indication but that is not always 100% certain,' she returned to him. "We could watch it over the next couple of days, or we can see if we can make them run." she offered. The female wouldn't mind stretching her legs. However, it could be dangerous if they would charge them. She eyed at the bison again. "It could be the protector of the vulnerable," she considered, which would mean it was the healthiest bison. Though she could see why West picked it, it didn't look as alert as the others.

The protector huh? The boy squinted as he tried to observe the singled out bison for any tricks. He didn't know that there could be a protector, but were they really smart enough to fake their movements? If so he didn't give the beasts nearly enough credit. The boy pushed himself to his paws rolling one shoulder blade at a time to stretch out. Yeah ok, why not? Sounds fun! He dawned a grin as his gaze shifted from the herd to his mother.

Valette nodded. "It could be a new mom, they usually stay close to their calf," she suggested, but then again, it didn't sound that way West described it. The female grinned excitedly. It felt good to do something fun with her son. She smirked. "Yeah you are up for some running with your mom?," she teased before taking off in a trot.

She kept to a low grounded trot, it looked so smooth. The female wanted to startle the bison. She wanted to make them run. With the whole pack they could run yowling at the herd like a huge front but now they were only with two and they would not be impressed. The female looked to West, eying him that they would need to get closer.

He supposed it made sense after all wolves were the same, but wolves didn't fake weakness. He was almost positive that one was slower. What was the point of faking? Did the bison use it as a trap to lure in prey? They only ate grass to his knowledge so really it didn't make sense to him, but he chose to trust his mother.

Valette poked at the woodland boy with a tease, his own grin twisting into a smirk as she took off. He had always been competitive and if she thought her skill would deter him she'd be wrong. The young hunter was quick to follow, careful with his movements as he watched Valette for guidance. He had only hunted the beasts once and while they weren't actively hunting them now, he was well aware of the dangers he had to avoid.

Valette approached the bison with a stealthy trot. Normally she would run barking at the herd but now they didn't have the numbers. She kept low to the ground with West following in tow. She made sure to turned into the right direction, so the wind was blowing their scent away. She trotted closer and then suddenly revealed herself, snapping towards a bison. It jumped away from her and bellowed.

Others were quick to panic, while Valette was just grinning from ear to ear. She barked and yipped to any bison close, which got them running. She looked to West, so he could point out which one he meant before the bison would form a defensive circle.

The earthy boy had no troubles lowering into the tall grass as he followed after his mother. He was expecting a full-blown run so the boy ended up slowing his pace to keep behind Valette as she moved downwind. Luckily the pair were undetected until they were right before the heard. Valette was first to jump out and startle the heard, a cue that sent West lunging out to help get the herd running.

The surprise quickly filled the large beast's features, something the boy couldn't help but grin at as he started barking as well. Once the herd turned and was fully in motion, he caught his mother's glance to which he squinted as he peered through the group. Eventually, he caught sight of one near the center that was gradually falling behind and turned towards the lagging beast to draw Valette's gaze. Of course though, West would still keep some distance between himself and his target as they weren't actually hunting today.

Valette watched her son as he started to point out which one seemed injured. It wasn't hard to spot once the herd was in motion, one started to stay back and was not able to be as fast as the other. The matriarch kept the pace to keep the herd running. She noticed that some were about to turn and look to see how many wolves there actually were. They had startled them which was good, but now it was important to keep them to running.

The female noticed the bison and tried to see if there was anything physical that they could recognize this one from. To make it easier, to see if it weakened further or if it was healing. That was always the struggle. Sometimes an animal healed or felt better and then they had miscalculated the risk. This was a full grown beast so she should be careful with the other since they did have a nasty kick. Valette started to slow her pace and let them run. She had seen enough. "Well spotted," she panted as she slowed down to a trot. "I think we need to make a decision soon to hunt it, it might just be an injury that heals and then it will be tougher," she commented

wrap up here?

West would follow Valette's lead once more as he put on the breaks before slowing to a halt. The rumble of hooves slowly grew distant as the herd kept its run moving much further down the plains where they would likely stay to graze once the realization that they were safe had settled in. Allowing himself to take a few huffed breaths as he regulated his breathing, West nodded. I didn't see any wounds, but I guess that doesn't list off the possibility... So we leave them for now? Chances were he wouldn't learn much more watching them right now, especially if they were on edge. It would probably just be worth it to put his efforts elsewhere for now or go rest.

Yes! But this was like the only normal wolfy thread I have with Valette at the moment :'D

Valette nodded. "I think that would be best," she agreed and looked over her shoulder. The herd had stopped running as they realized they weren't being chased anymore. The female then turned to her son. "We will hunt them soon. I'd like you to lead the hunt, it would be good for you," she encouraged. She was not taking no for an answer. She felt it would be good for his leadership skills, if he ever happen to become a leader himself. Plus she liked to see how he would utilize the pack for a hunt like this. But she was glad she listened to her son and went to check. Since it was a good thing to catch a bison injured.

- end -