Stavanger Bay The love of the hunt

@Verrine <3 I assume Julooke would have already told him that Thistle confirmed her pregnancy, unless you want to play it out?

Julooke emerged from the den, well after the sun had peaked over the horizon. She had been sleeping quite a bit lately, and her belly was beginning to show the telltale signs of her pregnancy. Her teats were swollen, but at least her nausea had resided and her appetite was up. It was midday, not usually her prime hunting time, but her growling stomach demanded she get something. She set out into the forest, hoping to find a nice fresh meal for her unborn babies. She wasn't as focused on her task as she normally was, instead simply roaming around quickly, her eyes and ears perked for anything she might stumble upon. A squeak had her stopping in her tracks, trying to located where the sound came from. Another one, and she had the direction pinpointed.

Slowly, she moved toward a small group of rabbits, pausing when she seen one looking around. A couple of babies were running around while Mom stood watch over them. She was diligent in their protection, but Julooke was determined to make one of them a snack. When Mom finally put her head down to chew on some grass, Julooke made a bolt for the closest baby, and it froze a fraction of a second before taking off with its sibling, running around in a frantic rush to find their burrow. It turned sharply, and Julooke tried to do the same, but she wasn't expecting her body to refused the sharp turn due to the added weight of her babies and her taunt belly. Her usually light steps were heavier and she couldn't maneuver the way she usually would. Mid-turn, her back legs slipped out from under her, causing her to slid across the ground a few feet before coming to a rest. She got up quickly, but the rabbits were long gone. She hadn't even seen where the hole was that they must have slipped into it.

With an irritated growl, she sat back on her haunches. If she couldn't catch a baby rabbit, how was she going to lead the next hunt? The thought brought her head jerking up. She wouldn't be able to! The thought made her sad and even more irritable. She huffed her displeasure, stood and stalked grumpily to the lake, her ears pinned back on her head and her gait stiff with aggravation. It wasn't like Julooke to be angry- must be hormones from the pregnancy, not that she realized it. She approached the edge of the water, lowering her head to drink some water. It was cool against her throat, quenching her thirst. Sitting back on her haunches, she debated going to the cache to get a meal. She was usually the one filling it, not taking from it. Lost in her thoughts, she sat there, looking out over the water.