Blackfoot Forest The greatest adventure is there if you're bold

@Nunataq perhaps?

He'd been tracking a wounded deer for the last couple of days.  He'd been out exploring when he'd come across the scent -- the festering scent had pulled him in like a moth to a flame.  Mal was a dappled vulture in a sense, shadowing the creature he couldn't kill on his own.  If he followed it long enough, maybe it'd just fall over dead and save him the trouble or be so weak that he could just pick it off.  But how long would that take?  Hell if he knew.

Now here in the forest, he lingered at the edge of the shadows, creeping forward as he watched his prey.  Each limping step it took was maybe one more step towards easy food.  Was it strange that he was lurking about on this gloomy day basically guarding what would hopefully be his food?  He lay down in the fragmented light that managed to work its way down to the forest floor on such a gloomy and dampish day for a few minutes -- the deer had stopped to graze.  This section of the Teekons definitely had more packs than most, so he was a little wary about being discovered.  He could do with some luck.  He could wait.

Deer were very inconvenient source of food - they promised plentiful, but they were hard to take down. And they were jerks as well, in Nunataq's past experience with them. Therefore, when yet another BBQ/steak-house, crossed her path (or rather she crossed it's path) with nature calling out to that inner-beast of hers to finish the job and take, what was hers, the girl stopped and thought long and hard.

She was hungry - the god of hunters had not been generous to her today or the day before - and she stared at the injured creature, eating it whole in her mind, savouring every little piece of it. Still the reality reminded her that even in it's sick and injured state, this was above her league. With a sigh, she moved around it, while sending looks full of regret and want in the animal's direction, she did not notice the other wolf in the vicinity.

It had drifted away from him and Mal had let it roam.  After following it this far, he knew the deer wasn't going to wander too far.  Stretch, laze about.  It was very exciting stuff.  He was, after all, just waiting for a feast if it came to that, and if he didn't have a reason to use his energy, he'd keep it to himself.

Except there came another wolf. And eyeing his prize.  Bristling a bit, Mal stretched and got to his feet, starting to slink forward so he could hopefully tell her off without startling the deer, not really wanting to go chasing after it unless he had to.  Hey! he hissed, That's mine, don't get any ideas.  Mal wasn't approaching super aggressively or anything, but he probably did look kind of unhappy about her presence.  First thing on the list was to establish the deer was his, then maybe he could see if she wanted to help and he'd maybe share then.

Nunataq snapped around and her keen gaze set on the noise-maker the instant he addressed her. She studied him in a cold and calm demeanor and kept her posture and mental-presence just above neutral. So that the other guy realized that he should not be throwing words freely in her presence. According to her she had not breached any canine courtesy rules - he, on the other hand, was deemed annoying and confusing. Which was not a good start. However, Nunataq was open to disliking him even more, if he gave her a reason.

She bared her teeth and growled in response. Bugger off, you fool!

What was wrong with this chick?  Serious attitude problem with her.  If she wanted some of it, then the smart thing would have been to apologize and offer to help.  But she wasn't doing that.  Thus she was obviously screwed up in some way and needed her head examined.  Mal was feeling a good deal less charitable now as he slowly moved to try and be between her and his claimed prey.  If she was that weird, he wasn't gonna get too close.  Are you deaf? I've been following that deer, it's mine.  Mal was frustrated with her already, sure, but he wasn't glaringly aggressive or anything.  This was all facts, after all.  His deer, he just hadn't written his name on it yet.  His slow movement and hushed words were to not startle the deer, but given how long he'd taken to follow it and how easy its scent was to track... He'd be able to find it again as long as someone else didn't eat it.

To be honest, it is silly to divide and deal the deer that is still alive and walking in the forest. Even if it's the supposedly as easy kill as this injured fellow here. It would have been a lot easier for them both, if they happened to speak the same language - in that case they could have found a common ground and terms of agreement. Now, however, Nunataq had the least clue, what the guy was implying or what he wanted from her at all. Which did not improve her opinion of him.

She was about to have her say in the matter as well, when her expression changed - while Mal was busy instructing her, what she should not be doing, the deer - on the other hand - had noticed both him and her and was looking directly at them. Though it was unlikely that anything would happen, Nunataq began to retreat cautiously.

Since he didn't have eyes in the back of his head, he wasn't aware they'd been spotted.  So as she started to back away, Mal thought she finally came to her senses, snorting, That's what I thought.  He turned back around to go find a spot to sit closer to the deer, but apparently he'd done so a little too quickly for the wounded deer's nerves.  He'd only been following this thing how long, after all?  Long enough to make it a little paranoid.  It awkwardly bounded away, maybe two gazelle-like leaps before it unevenly hobbled off as fast as it could.

He gawked, jaw agape before a moment passed and with an anguished, Aaaugh, he realized he was gonna actually have to try to keep up with it for a while rather than just leisurely stroll along after it.  Dismissing the other wolf's existence entirely (he had more important things to do, and assumed she wouldn't be following), he started trotting off to where the deer had just stood to pick up its scent.  The great thing about being a lone was that he could follow that deer wherever it went.  The great thing about that particular deer was that by being injured, it was way easier to track than most others -- it left a pretty obvious scent trail.  As long as it didn't wander into someone's territory, at least.  As long as he was able to find the odd snack along the way, he was going to keep following that deer until it fell down and died.

I think that Nuna is not the best candidate for Mal's pack at the moment. Thank you for the thread and see each other in winter, I guess?

Thankfully the situation did not escalate and rather than teaching the two young wolves a valuable lesson, the deer took the opposite path and hobbled away. The speckled jerk of a wolf went after it without a second glance in Nunataq's direction. She memorized the fellow's face, put it on the "Not Welcome!" list and left for Bearclaw valley. Though there too had been a visitor one too many for the girl's liking, they had the common courtesy of not coming in her sight at least.