Sun Mote Copse in the house, in a heartbeat

When he wasn't trailing jagged mountains and scaling deadly summits, the brute instead found himself drawn to forests and fields, if only because prey was abundant in the more merciful scenery (especially now, in the height of summer). The soft grass underfoot and warm lighting of the glade did nothing for him, but Anuniaq was more interested in the various scents that wafted throughout it anyway. He sneezed several times as he pulled in air, nose irritated by the pollen that was present here, but scented a doe nearby.

With a swing of his giant head, the hunter's ears pressed forward as he slowly stalked forwards, pausing for a moment as he picked up on the distant sound of bark being torn from tree. With a snort, Anuniaq eagerly set off at a swift — as swift as he could be, anyway — lope towards the source of the noise.

The recent trip to Moonspear had opened Towhee's mind a bit to the merits of travel. She actually began considering a trek back to the caldera, just to see what had become of it, but since there was no other reason (aside from nostalgia), she didn't bother pursuing the impulse just yet. Instead, she decided to roam the areas much closer to home, since it seemed like a good plan anyway. The plateau's geography made it practically impervious to war and other threats, not to mention how full their ranks were these days, but it still seemed like a good idea to the mercenary to map out the nearby lands for tactical purposes.

She found herself in a copse due east of Heron Lake's highlands, dark fur wet from fording a small stream. Towhee roved through the trees and found herself at yet another brook, unaware that it was the same one that had forked. She decided to pause for a moment to bend down and take a drink. When she finished and lifted her head again, her orange eyes looked up- and downstream, widening slightly when she noticed the figure of a slender doe, far away enough to lack detail. It appeared to be stripping bark from a tree growing beside the bank.

Being vague about his timeline

Rueger had been quiet as she knelt next to the stream. He had spotted the doe, but being a loner, he didn't think he had a chance to take it down on his own. But, movement to his left had him reconsidering. He glanced back at the doe to make sure she wasn't looking his way before he shifted his weight and stood enough to slink towards the other wolf.

Assuming she allowed him close, he paused next to her. Together? he whispered. He knew it wasn't common for two strangers to hunt together, but Rueger was hungry enough to take on any partnership at this point.

Thanks for rescuing! :D

She observed the doe for a moment, though something—she couldn't say precisely what, just some sixth sense—caused Towhee to glance in the other direction. She startled badly when she saw another wolf there, unleashing an unwitting growl. Behind her and further along the bank, the deer quickly bounded away into the brush, alerted by the wolf's cry.

Quickly sheathing the lip that had lifted instinctively, Towhee squinted at the stranger who had unwittingly sneaked up on her. "You took me by surprise," she said in her usual wooden voice, feeling a subtle heat beneath her skin. It wasn't often that she was caught at such a disadvantage, despite her disability, and she hated when it did happen. She also despised having to explain that, "I'm deaf," in scenarios like this one, revealing her vulnerability to a perfect stranger after demonstrating how it could be a decided weakness.

You're welcome! <3

Rueger jerked back as she growled at him. He put a few feet between them, in case she decided to attack. It was obvious that he had severely misjudged the situation, and she was not happy. Well, as he watched their potential meal run away, he wasn't either. But, he turned his gaze to her with confusion.

It turned to understanding when she admitted she was deaf. I'm sorry, he said aloud, careful to move his lips so that she might know what he was saying. He sat back on his haunches, and wondered how he was supposed to communicate with her. It was obvious she could speak, so she must communicate on some level. It wasn't my intent to startle you... Or to loose your prey, he said carefully. On top of attempting to allow her to read his lips, he really didn't want to piss her off.

The stranger quickly put some space between them, which Towhee appreciated, just as she did his apology. But she shook her head and made a gesture with her foreleg even as she said, "You couldn't have known." When she mentioned her prey, she glanced over her shoulder and saw that the doe was gone. Her orange eyes then tracked back to his face as she replied, "I wasn't hunting, just observing, so no big loss."

She paused, giving him a once-over, then decided to offer an introduction. "I'm Towhee." She said nothing else, waiting to see how he'd respond.

The female seemed to calm as he retreated a bit. Since she didn't seem to want to run him off now, he sat back on his haunches. He nodded to her first statement, agreeing he couldn't have known. Still, he felt he should have known better than to be so bold with a stranger. He would remember that for the future. He was glad that she hadn't actually been hunting. He gave her a grin, Then the loss is all mine, he admitted lightly, trying to lighten the mood.

She seemed to size him up, and he focused on her face while she did so, trying to read her expression. Rueger wasn't lacking in the confidence department, and he wasn't put off by anyone giving him a once over. Nice to meet you, Towee, he replied. My name is Rueger.

She didn't follow his comment for an instant, then it clicked. "Ah," Towhee replied, ears twitching, "sorry about that." Her reaction must have been noisy, which had spooked the deer. And clearly he'd been eyeing it for lunch. Her white-smeared shoulders rose and fell in an apologetic shrug.

He offered a name and Towhee was glad because his lips were fairly easy to read. Was he speaking carefully on purpose, she wondered? "Do you live somewhere around here?" she wondered, feeling slightly more open to making nice with a stranger because of his perceived efforts. "I'm from the Redhawks pack. We live on the plateau." It was currently due west, right behind her, so she didn't turn, lest she expose her neck. Rueger seemed nice but she certainly didn't trust him.

He shook his head side to side, No worries. I didn't have a chance at it anyways, he confessed. At least not without help. Since he knew she had no obligation to help him, he didn't think it was her fault at all.

He shook his head again. No, I've just arrived in the area, he said carefully, still mindful she was reading his lips. His eyes shifted to the plateau behind her, and then back to her. That's pretty high up, he commented. Good spot to trap prey, he added, thinking they would either succumb to the wolves, or jump off the ledge.

She could see him checking out the plateau over her shoulder and Towhee puffed up a little, proud of the home she had chosen for her family, even if she didn't captain the ship any longer. "There's not much prey up there," she rejoined, "what with the ginormous wolf pack living there." She smirked. "But there's plenty of hunting around the foot, plus we've got a fully stocked lake.

The best part about it, though," she continued, changing tack conversationally, "is how easy it is to defend. We're not at war—and hopefully won't be anytime soon—but the place is pretty much a fortress." She thought of explaining their history with the Blackfeathers and why such a landmark was a perfect fit in consideration of that. But Towhee quelled her inner historian for now.

Instead, she queried, "Where're you from and where're you headed?" Though deaf, she listened in her own way (by reading his lips), then made small talk for a few minutes longer before eventually deciding it was time to return back to the plateau. She bade Rueger farewell, bracing herself for another dip in the brook as she headed home.