Shadewood Dreams seem so real

Rye shifted his paws under him, widening his stance snd alleviating the growing static in his leg. His ears flickered between Effie and the herd as he listened for sounds from both. Occasionally his eyes would join the indecisive movements as well, he remembered what his father always told him, 'look at someone when they're talking to you' and for the most part, it always stuck with him.

Getting the jist of Effie question, Rye was drawn back to some of his earliest hunts on his own. A few times he would see male deer with shredded and bloody antlers walk past him, with pieces of flesh hanging off his head, some even had tines that were broken in half. Rye wrote it off as an exploitable weakness but never bothered to test his assumptions. "They're weakend when they got that fuzzy stuff on them. They can break in half too." He explained.

Rye understood Effie was inexperienced but he wanted her to feel involved nonetheless, her opinion matter to him, regardless if it was about the hunt or not. Plus, he wanted a little reassurance he was chosing right and Effie delivered perfectly. Rye smiled and felt the pressure relief, knowing Effie trusted him was a confidence booster and got him to trust himself a little more. "Thank you for trusting me, it l means a lot" He said sincerely. "As for what I need you to do, well, the female we want is at the back, so I'll want you directly behind her but at a distance. I'll be directly to her left pushing her towards the right. If she tries to turn around and run back, the sight of you will change her mind. Don't worry if she bolts away from me, thats what we want since I'll be the buffer between her and the herd." The herd was grazing north, while the female was grazing a tad north east. Rye wanted her to run that direction once the chaos exploded, away from the herd and into thicker forest. "Once she's away from the herd, catch up to her and go for the neck, I'll be right behind and I can get her back leg. That will be sufficient enough to bring her to the ground. After that, the deer is ours. Any questions?" His heart had been racing as he explained the plan, as if he was already running for the deer. The anxiety was kicking into top gear, Rye knew how much they needed this food and failing could spell serious trouble for them.

"Effie I'm sure you're worried about this but I trust you, I know you'll be able to do this. Also, when you finally bite down thrash around, it will help slow the deer down." Despite him worrying for her, he gave his best reassuring smile. " Dont forget I'll be right there with you. You aren't alone." Rye gently nestled his muzzle into the fur of her neck and for a moment, he held it there but soon moved it back.