Blacktail Deer Plateau i lie awake and watch you sleep

Huā was direct and to the point, which Nieve could appreciate. It wasn't her way—she was soft-spoken and enjoyed conversation, often willingly guiding so that the talk could continue—but when it came to hunting and getting to work, brevity was best. If nothing else, she was glad the seawolf hadn't brought up the incident from the other day. That wasn't something she was particularly keen to revisit.

Nieve was neither a good nor bad hunter. She was passable. Practice made perfect, but it wasn't a passion of hers, so she did it mostly out of necessity. Huā therefore was the authority, and true to that fact, Nieve didn't step out of line to make suggestions or otherwise guide their hunt. She fell in line with Huā and followed in silence, stepping off the path now and again to sniff at a bit of scat or an errant track. Once or twice she indicated her findings, but was otherwise mum.

That is, until they came across the raccoon's den in a hollow log. It was empty, which was unlucky for the pair, but the bandit's scent was fresh and strong—it couldn't have gone far.