Stone Circle She knows no limits

The air was chilly when Brynn walked from her den, stretching as she moved. She gave her thick coat a quick shake as a yawn opened her mouth wide to show her teeth and pink tongue. The cool morning promised that winter was close, and it made her feel frisky despite all the shit going on inside her head. 

With a slow pace, she began to make her way to the borders but was halted by an enticing scent. She turned her head in the direction of the aroma and quickly started moving towards it. She soon found herself not far from the forested part of their territory, and there, moving along the treeline, was large hare. Brynn watched as it moved about in a busy manner looking for things to eat. She licked her lips in anticipation as she stayed frozen, her gaze locked on the rabbit's every movement. Anytime the creature turned towards the trees, Brynn would risk moving a little closer, freezing when the rabbit would eventually turn back towards her direction. She continued this dance for what seemed like forever until she thought she was probably close enough. She tensed her muscles and waited until the hare turned from her once more. She then sprang forward, sprinting towards what would hopefully be her breakfast. The creature heard her almost immediately and scurried inside the cover of the trees. When Brynn reached the forest, she didn't stop, she weaved through the trees, her form a blur of grey and black. She was hyper-focused on the fleeing prey in front of her, adrenaline coursing through her veins and pushing her to move even faster. She was so focused on the animal in front of her that she didn't notice the broken tree branch hanging lower than it should have until it smacked her in the head as she ran into it. With a cry of surprise, she came to a skidding stop, shaking her head a few times to try and dislodge the stars from her vision. 

When she recovered somewhat from the tree's assault, she quickly looked around, hoping that no one had been there to see her run smack into a branch.

Would you mind, if this took place on the inside border between Bearclaw valley and Easthollow? Or in the vicinity? Because Nuna would not deliberately trespass, but meander around the border.

With five months of living behind her Nunataq had almost reached her adult size and proportions, but was still mastering the control over the effects of the sudden growth spurt. She was a little awkward on her feet at times and still a lot of things about the adult life were confusing and hard to understand. And yet she had grown out of the reckless piranha-state that knew no boundaries, into a young wolf, who possessed more self-control and was better at channelling her neverending energy. Play fighting with other kids was not as enjoyable now as it had been, because with the realization that the world did not end just at the fringes of Bearclaw valley, she was not only curious to learn the unknown, but also find her place in this life.

And one of the things that she liked and felt comfortable doing, was following her father's footsteps (from a distance) and walking along the borders, watching out from intruders and possible enemies. This she did diligently and dutifully and therefore she was on the inside border that divided the two neighbouring packs, when she witnessed the most peculiar sight of a wolf crashing in a tree, during a pursuit. Nuna watched the wolf recover for a safe distance and then barked loudly at the Easthollow member to find out, if she was really doing well.

No problem! Thanks for joining! :)

Brynn whipped her head in the direction of the bark. It seemed someone had witnessed her moment of clumsiness, and that someone was an unfamiliar pup. She moved towards the girl and as she closed the distance, she picked up the familiar scent of Bearclaw Valley. When she was close enough, she asked, Should you be out here on your own? She looked like an older pup, but still maybe too young to be adventuring by herself, and even though Brynn's pack was allied with the girl's pack, they still might not be too pleased to see her conversing with a stranger. 

She glanced around, looking for any signs of a nearby adult, but found none. Against her better judgement, she took a seat. I'm Brynn, she offered. What's your name? She asked with an inquisitive tilt of her head. She could at least get to know the brazen girl before making sure she got home okay.

What had Nunataq learned from Xan, while stalking him during his patrols and meetings with those rare strangers that happened to come accross Bearclaw valley? Stand tall, ears up, tail up, be brave, look confident, step forward and let them know you are big and mighty, and no one should mess with you. Nuna managed all this with various levels of success, because, while she was not afraid of the other, she was very aware of their size difference and the fact that the other was an adult. And for a wolf, who was still just a kid, the natural respect for grown-ups toned down her attempts.

Therefore she met the other with wagging tail within the same level of her body, not so much of standing tall than crouching just a little and instead of the confident gaze forward, one that was politely averted. Laurel would be proud, if she saw the girl behave as she did now. The next part about the proper etiquette was a little more difficult to carry out, because Nuna had no idea, what the other had just said, and instead, simply leaned forward to have a good look of the other and sniff as well to build a new file in her mind for this person.

Brynn watched the girl move towards her. She seemed to be attempting to portray assertive, confident body language, and she did a fairly good job of it. That was until she got closer and her posture revealed her youth and the need to show adults respect. Brynn lowered her head and offered the girl a small smile. She had a soft spot for children apparently. She hadn't been around any before coming to Easthollow, but she had grown very fond of Valette's pups as they had grown. 

The cub didn't answer her question and she thought perhaps she hadn't heard her so she asked again, What's your name? giving the girl another smile in hopes it would make her feel comfortable enough to reveal her name.

Another string of bubbling sounds came form the other, while Nunataq looked the other in the eyes and listened with a curious expression and wagging tail. Occasionally this smart-faced-interested tactics worked and people either went on talking or backed off. Or they gave up the effort and adjusted to the means of communication that were comprehendable to the young mute wolf.

However, either because of uncertainty (because this really was Nuna's first encounter of an adult wolf that she did not know) or slight shyness, she could not keep this face for long. Therefore she leaned back and stretched thoroughly to get rid off some tension that was building up. Then she looked up again, mustered up somethin akin to a smile and barked.

It was becoming apparent that the girl either couldn't speak or couldn't understand her. maybe both. Brynn came to this conclusion because after her clear question, the pup just looked at her curiously. The girl then stretched and barked at her curiously. Brynn tilted her head a little before smiling warmly at her. She certainly was cute. 

She wondered if he child would follow her. While they were becoming acquainted, she had caught the scent of the the deer herd that sometimes moved through their territory, and she wanted to track them down and study them. She wanted to learn their behaviors during each season so that she could better predict their movement patterns. Maybe she could teach the girl something while they were out here. She stood and gave the pup a questioning look before lifting her head in the direction she wanted to go, hopefully indicating that she wanted her to follow. She turned to move and glanced over her shoulder to see if the pup had understood what she wanted.

Nunataq was a little hesitant, while she pondered over the offer to follow the other wolf. There was an ounce of natural distrust for all strangers left inside her, wariness as well, but then again her soul was so thirsty for company that was not burdened by sadness, that she soon came to a conclusion: Oh, what the hell... That's the verbal translation of, how she felt the moment she got up, shook her coat again and strode up to the lady from Easthollow and having the proud stance and aura of a person, who was about to do a very important mission, she looked up at the she-wolf and waited for her orders.

When it was clear that the girl had understood and accepted her offer, Brynn started walking in the direction of the scent trail she knew was around here, keeping her nose to the ground. Eventually, she found what she was looking for, and she stopped to look back and make sure the pup was still following. Assuming she was, Brynn lowered her nose back to the ground and began following the trail. Occasionally, she would stop and look around, sometimes changing direction a little. 

It took them a little while, but the hunter finally managed to find the herd grazing quietly among the trees a safe distance away from them. She stopped then, and lied down, not wanting the deer to see her. A breeze blew through her thick coat and the direction it came from told her they were thankfully downwind. She looked to the child then hoping to indicate that they should stay here for a little bit and just watch. She then moved her light yellow gaze back to the creatures and silently took note of their movements, ready to move accordingly.

Had Nunataq been familiar with the fairy tale "Hansel and Gretel", she would have had second thoughts about following a stranger and a trail of breadcrumbs - apologies - scents towards the unknown. But she did not, no one had really attempted to teach her that trusting strangers was not always a good thing and that you could not always trust the first impressions. Therefore she went step in step with Brynn, occasionally lowering her own head down to catch a molecule or two of that one particularly interesting thing.

And then they arrived at a clearing, the Easthollow wolf began to act all stealthy and quiet, and the momen Nunataq caught sight of deer, her previously excited expression was replaced by I have played this game before already - in fewer words - slight disappointment. She looked from the deer to Brynn and back to deer again, as if wondering, if this really was that "marvelous" prize that she had been promissed. And until she got an answer or a different offer, Nuna decided to plop down on her bum and not move an inch.

Concentrating on the herd, Brynn missed any inclination that the girl may have given that this was not her idea of fun. For a while, she lied in her spot and just watched. She took note of the formation of the herd and picked up the presence of the ever-watchful buck that must have won breeding rights this season. 

For a while they grazed and she watched, but eventually they began to move again, and Brynn slowly got to her feet to follow. She stopped when she realized the youth wasn't following and turned to look at her questioningly. We're following the herd, she said quietly with a lift of her head to indicate that the girl should follow. Then, she waited for the pup to get up, hoping she understand what she wanted her to do.

The problem with the whole - let's follow these big, brown, big animal thingies - was the fact that Nuna had not really witnessed a hunt, where the deer were the object. On those few occasions she had had venison, it had an entirely different smell (dead meat is different from alive) and hardly every had retained it's full shape. And from seeing a hoof only you can't (she couldn't at least) really make a connection that this was a part of a bigger animal and that this animal had once been alive as well.

Therefore she refused the invitation, by remaining seated and cocking her head to the side, challenging the adult to give her a very good reason why. Cheeky little thing, eh?

C'mon, it will be fun, she urged, knowing her words were probably useless but offering them anyway. She paired her statement with a smile and a raised eyebrow, hoping the girl would get the gist. She then walked back over to the pup and released a small, excited yip before turning and heading back towards the deer. She stopped after a few steps, and turned back to the bearclaw valley youth, an excited expression painting her face. She hoped the pup would understand now what she was trying to get across--that what they were going to do was fun. Plus it was never too early to learn how to track; it was an important skill for any wolf.

Fun? Brynn had caught Nuna's attention by taking a different approach to the situation. She was all happy and cheerful, which was something new. The girl processed the information and, though she still had some doubts (and therefore a bit of hesitation), she got up and made some tentative steps towards the older lady. Than paused. And then in three big leaps was there to stand by her side with a wagging tail and looks that travelled first from her and then to the herd in the distance.

Prove it! She seemed to express.

The girl seemed to only take a few hesitant steps towards at first, but then bounded towards her, stopping when she was next to her. Brynn grinned at the pup and started making her way towards the direction of the herd again, noting which way they had moved and mapping it in her head against the time of day. 

She took a few steps and turned to make sure the girl was still following. She seemed to be reluctant to get into this task, and Brynn wanted to make sure she still had her attention before she wandered too far. She'd hate to accidentally leave the little wolf on her own in what was probably a mostly unknown forest for her.

There was no instant reward for the thing Nunataq had done right and once again a cloud of doubt pulled over her keen and focused expression, as she eyed Brynn to either remind her, what she was supposed to do, or get other clues on, what kind of mischief was in the brewing.

The big, four-legged brown blobs still seemed as boring and uninteresting as they had moments earlier, were it not for a younger and feistier member of the herd. He caught Nuna's attention, because the young deer expressed distress and axiety in every movement. He had spotted the wolves, but lacked the experience of the older members, therefore he fidgeted, where he should have remained calm and composed.

Then it occurred to Nunataq that just maybe... the young animal was afraid of her. Them. And the more she observed him, the more worried glances were cast in their direction, and the more she was inclined to move and do something about it. But, what exactly, remained a mystery to her. Last time barging right in the middle of the herd had not been the right answer. Indra had not been too thrilled. So, what were they supposed to do?

A question to Brynn and an inquiring look accompanied it.

Brynn's attention was drawn to the juvenile deer as well. It seemed to have picked up on the predators' presence, and she quickly ran her gaze along the other members of the herd to see if they had too been alerted, but they all seemed to still be quietly grazing. 

She glanced towards the girl at her side, and she seemed to have noticed the spooked youth as well. Well, she figured they had two options here: they could call it a day and let the herd go, because eventually the others would become aware of their distressed herd member and the two of them would lose any chance at accurately tracking the herd's movement, or they could try their luck at taking the young undulate down. A deer was no easy task, even for an experienced hunter like herself. It would be even more difficult for just the two of them, not to mention her partner was still hindered by youth and probably wouldn't be the best hunting partner. Still, it might be a good learning experience for her. 

Making the decision, she lifted her head towards the startled youth, motioning for the girl to follow her. She circled around the back of the heard where the young deer was nervously glancing around, unsure of here exactly the pair was located. She gave the young wolf at her side a look as if to ask if she was ready before proceeding any further, not wanting to catch her off-guard; that would definitely kill their chances of a successful hunt.

Brynn was probably a little too optimistic about the five-month-old's level of skills and usefulness in a deer-hunt. She was barely stumbling along with finding and catching the smaller and easier game, therefore a target this big was outside Nuna's competence and could be potentially dangerous.

But there was no Indra around to tell the lady from Easthollow, what were Nunataq's grades and progress in hunting lessons, so the cub had no inhibitions about following the older wolf's orders and going step-in-step a little distance away from her. And with an excited gaze and wagging tail she looked from her mentor to the fearful deer, impatient for the fun to begin.

However, before Nunataq had got carried away a summoning call raised up in the air, coming from Bearclaw valley. She stopped, rolled her eyes and groaned. This happened every single time! But she was not yet old enough to rebel against demands of an adult. Therefore she shot a disappointed and apologetic look in Brynn's direction, then turned around and returned home.