Broken Antler Fen Get me some food.

Sebastian was hungry, really hungry. He tried to divide all the food evenly but him as a large male would need to eat a bit more to get himself satisfied. The male roamed his barren lands. He mourned at the loss of their lush territory which was now gone. The male let out a howl for someone that might be in the area. Now that the bugs had moved away alpha male had given everyone free roam again. Maybe he could scramble a small team and look out for some rabbits.

Sebastian was even tempted to start eating the dead bugs that littered around the grounds. He sniffed one and then picked one up. It was a crunchy taste, as soon as he swallowed it he went for another. The alpha male was going to need everything if he wanted to survive.

Brandy hadn't been far when Sebastian let out a call, and she was quick to gallop his way. She'd been on the borders where Ambrosia was last talking to her, beginning to worry.
Maybe he'd found food? The copper female was slimming down fast, her already curvy body dipping in even further. Her last rib was clearly visible, but she didn't seem to mind any of it. Hungry as she was, she'd been sustaining herself on bugs and little things like mice that came to eat the locust carcasses. When she could catch them, that is, and perhaps that was less than she'd like to admit. 
 Coming into sight of her massive alpha and slowing to a trot, she let out a low chuff of greeting. There was no prey scent as of now, but maybe they would find some elsewhere. Would the charcoal male be opposed to hunting out of the territory? Would he, too, be worried about her? It'd been about a week now, how long did her missions usually last? And why not go to the alpha first? Surely he'd be displeased.
             "You called, Seb?"

Sebastian was soon wolfing down all the bugs he could eat. The male licked them up and instantly munched on them. He was still doing that when Brandy arrived. He looked up and saw that the female had slimmed down just like him. He was a big guy and even sharing everything did not help it. He returned the chuff to her and quirked up his lips in a sad smile.

"No food it seems, I thought I could use someone for a scouting mission," he spoke. After all they needed food, and the Moose they fed on aquatic plants, so maybe they would be still around. If they had not panicked and left. If they wouldn't be there they could always check The Fishermen's Fen. The clear waters quickly showed if there were still fish down there.

Brandy giggled at the sight, realizing that their pack would slowly be becoming bug munchers one way or another. Even her precious Aduin, eventually, would eat them if no other chance presented itself. That, or they leave, and the copper female was sure nobody wanted that. She liked the fen, and would rather push through this shortage than move somewhere ELSE that they'd have to deal with it. At the mention of scouting, however, her ears wilted back. She was sure he was going to ask her about her mother in the next sentence, but it didn't come.
She might as well come clean now, even if he already knew the tawny woman had been gone. Hell, he HAD to, she'd been missing from the Cove for a week now. If not that, then even her scent had faded slightly, lost its freshness. Surely the alpha knew? She decided to mention it, and face whatever happened after his reaction. 
                "I'll help you, since Ambrosia still isn't home yet."

Sebastian frowned when Brandy said that. "She has not returned?," Sebastian asked. He knew he had send her on a scouting mission but he had the feeling that the female was resting first before coming to him, but that didn't seem the case. The young alpha frowned a bit. "That is not good? Do you think something happened?" he asked her honest opinion.

Sebastian almost wanted to cancel his mission and go search for Ambrosia. But then he had to remind himself that Ambrosia was an adult and had lived alone for a long time. He was certain, he wanted to be certain, that Ambrosia was okay. It was surely just something of a little hiccup. "If she isn't in BAF within the next few days we will go look for her. Yes?"

He didn't seem surprised she was gone, a fact to Brandy. She'd assumed her mother had told her to let Sebastian know because he'd have no idea. Maybe they'd talked about it beforehand, and Brandy was only supposed to tell him that she'd left? Suppose that's one problem out of the way, but he did seem worried that she wasnt yet home. Brandy had been freaked out for the past week, often found on the borders where she'd last seen her mother. Like Seb, she knew that her mother was more than capable of taking care of herself, but that didn't lessen the worry that something might happen. She'd never been ALONE in her travels, her daughter had always been right there. Relief washed over her at his next words, but she worried they wouldn't find a scent trail.
"I-I'm sure she's okay. Maybe she just wandered a little farther than she'd wanted?"
The cream and bronze girl sounded like she was trying to convince herself more that Seb, but she held her calm. There would be no use to panic now, when her mothers fate was not yet known.
Little did she know that Ambrosia was so, so close, and would be home before anyone had time to look. With a final nod of her slender head, the copper female fixed her lemon eyes on her alpha to await their own mission.

Sebastian looked at Brandy and slowly nodded to her. "We will be on the look out for her, I will promise you that." Sebastian then looked up through their barren lands. He hated it but at least they had enough fresh water at their disposal, for him it really helped to drink a lot of water so his stomach felt full.

"Okay so shall we scout for prey? I was hoping that there might be still some moose in our territory, if not we can go to the Fishermen's Fen to try and catch some fish for the pack. How does that sound?," he asked her. Sebastian wanted to provide for his pack and now they needed the food more than ever.

The young girl nodded, perking her ears and immediatley going into hunter mode. Her yellow eyes sharpened, and as her jaws parted ever so slightly to scent they flicked towards the lake(s). She started to walk, but stopped with one russet paw in the air. She was a Hunter, but Sebastian was the Alpha. Surely, he would lead? She wasn't entirely sure where to find the moose, since Seb had put her in charge of watching the deer herds (no matter that she never got to do it before the locusts.). She was just hoping there were birds down by the water, maybe some other thirsty, unlucky creature.

Sebastian looked at Brandy when she seemed to wait. The male instantly took the lead, already becoming more natural to him. There were several places where there could be moose; Sage Bush Fields where they would often rest and Open fields where they would graze. The male instantly steered towards the latter, there might not be a lot of grass to graze but there might be some under water that the moose could eat from.

The male started a trot, figuring that Brandy would follow or speak when there was a point of interest. It didn't take him too long to reach it. The field were empty, as expected. Not only empty of Moose but also empty without grass. The male gritted his teeth and then started to look at the ground for tracks. "Can you check scents? Or maybe even tracks?," he asked, two could do more than one.

Her falter went unspoken of, and Sebastian look the lead. The copper female was quick to follow, trotting along at his flank and keeping in step with him. Brandy was quiet the way there, and her heart plummeted into her belly when there was nothing at their destination. She had little reaction time, however, before Sebastian gave her a gentle order. The charcoal male didn't look pleased, and the young girl threw herself into the work without question.
Branching off from her alpha, nose pressed to the ground to scent even better and even to watch for tracks, Brandy stalked closer to the left side of the lakes. Come on, there had to be something? She finally had a chance to show Seb what she could do, and she was determined to find something of use to him.
There!
Hoof prints, leading from the shore towards the borders. The hunter let out a chuff for Sebastian, her head swinging around to face him with an ecstatic expression plastered across her face. Her lemon eyes were bright and excited, as if she was ready to race off in pursuit already.

Sebastian watched Brandy instantly do her job, which only pleased him. He himself was going to help her too, so the male trotted in another direction, trying to see any marks left by the big animals. But he couldn't really find anything. It seemed they had left. His nose was close to the ground too, his tail up.

The large male looked up when Brandy called out for him. He trotted towards her and saw the hoof prints. It was promising even though they looked old. "Lets track it," he spoke to her determinedly. It was a possible chance that this would lead out of the territory, maybe they would find the location of all the moose.

Again, Brandy tried following his orders perhaps a bit too quick, stepping forward first as if to take the lead. Of course right away she realized her mistake, ears wilting back and pausing to let him go first. Having an alpha at all was still a little odd for her, having to OBEY someone. Sure, her mother had been firm with her but come on, she was an only child being raised by a loner. Rules weren't all that strict and life wasn't all that hard. Her punishments included not being able to leave the nest, and dominance wasn't a thing. 
    "S-Sorry."
Bran lowered her head slightly, avoiding eye contact if only because of her embarrassment of the same mistake twice. The tricolored girl had been trying so hard to please the male, but hadn't been doing so great.... At least there were no more injuries, right?

Sebastian looked surprised when the girl suddenly said sorry. The male tipped his head a bit at Brandy and then looked at how she was reacting. The male was looking at her questioningly for a moment. But then he seemed to get it. She had been walking upfront. "Brandy. It is okay. I am not a strict alpha. I know that you would listen to me or see me as your leader. This hunting and tracking is your expertise so I would only encourage you to show me what you can find," he spoke to her on a kind tone.

"If you behave in a way I won't agree on then I will tell you. Please, show me what you were tracking," he encouraged her further. After all she was a young mind, and he knew that if young minds would get constricted or filled with hatred and confusion it would not turn out well in the end.

After his initial confusion was past. Sebastian explained that he'd rather her do what she was trained to do than let someone else, even him, push her off her tracks. He even encouraged the young girl to take the lead, and with a grin the copper female did as he asked. 
Tail and ears down, but now to blend more so than submission, the yearling trotted carefully after the tracks, nose to the earth to try and catch a scent. Indeed were they old and scentless, but perhaps it would lead them to wherever the prey had gone. Confident in her steps, Brandy swerved and followed the tracks, and would until prey was found or the alpha stopped her.

Sebastian was quick to follow the girl after he had given some encouragement. The male kept his tail up but let her walk in front, there was a difference of her taking the lead and leading him right now, as silly as that might sound. He knew Brandy would not take the lead to show more dominance to him, it was how she could display her help. Sebastian was not going to limit her in that.

The large male kept his nose low too, for any clues that Brandy might miss, the trail was indeed old. it didn't take long before they reached the border. "Lets continue it and follow it," he spoke to her.

Leaving it up to you whether or not they find anything

Brandy hesitated at the border of the fen, but before shed even had a chance to ask Sebastian pushed them onward. The visible tracks grew fainter among the more firm grounds, but the yearling was easy to follow the slight indents. A scent brought her nose to the air, and she shot a questioning lemon look back at the alpha. Would they follow the scent or continue on? Were they even related?

I'd like to say that they won't find anything after all the food is scarce!

The large male followed her and tried to see any other signs that this animal would be around here. But as soon as the ground became less wet the tracks were harder to follow. Sebastian worried more about those tracks as the mountains came into view more. Soon that softer ground would probably make way for rock.

Sebastian stopped and then shook his head, they were a few paces out of their territory and he knew that loners might even be more hostile now. [b]"Brandy, this leads to the mountains. I don't think we will find anything there. Especially if there is no soft ground for tracking,"[/ooc] he spoke. The scent was old too and no once could smell that good.

It became less evident that the scent she'd picked up was moose, and the tracks in fact faded out a different direction. It wasn't long before Sebastian stopped, and Brandy halted with a sorry look back. She wasn't worried much about loners, not with her training and the fact she was accompanied by the big alpha. The copper female was more upset she couldn't find anything to hunt for the pack.
"Should we turn back, then?"
She spoke with a sigh, turning her yellow gaze towards the other, faint scent.

Sebastian looked at her with an apologetic smile and then nodded. "I'm sorry Brandy," he spoke and then turned around to where they came from. The large male gave her a quick nudge. "But! Good tracking though! You can totally use that for the tracking specialty. If you are intending to specialize in that," he spoke to encourage her. That is what he often did, encouraging.

Brandy nodded, smiling after him and giving a friendly nudge back as they went back towards the borders. His praise gave her pride a boost, but she was still cross she hadn't found anything worthwhile. Her alphas words on specialties brought other thoughts, however, and the yearling shook her head.
               "I'm thinking I like catching birds better, actually."
Tracking wasn't all that exciting for her, it was the chase and the hunt that she loved.

Sebastian nodded slowly, thinking of what she said. Birds were not an easy prey, but with so much water in their territory it did attract bugs, and those often attracted birds, and there were of course the water birds. "Impressive," he spoke. "Would you also be interested in the big game specialty?," he wondered.

Because with the moose in their territory they could use someone who had a lot of knowledge about them. He was not sure if Brandy wanted to be that person. Maybe Sebastian would take that speciality on himself. He had been a guardian for his other pack but he liked hunting better.

Sebastian wondered further, and the yearling was glad to be in his attention for the moment. Alas, she wasn't all that interested in big game. Birds were a test, and fun none the less, but there were other things she wanted to do with her life other than hunting all the time. 
         "I don't think so, not as a trade. Maybe just to know what I'm doing in a larger hunt, but not as a life choice."
What DID Brandy want to do with her life? Councelor had briefed her mind, but it had slipped from it as fast as it made an entrance. Scouting was a no, for the little female had no wish to leave her marshy home. Her entire life had been unsettled, and the feeling of a home was too precious to leave behind. Warrior was already shunned, just because she already had all the knowledge for it. Perhaps a naturalist, of sorts?
                     "I actually don't know what else I want to do with my life."

Sebastian nodded to Brandy when she explained that she liked bird's more. Such a pity. But he would respect that. He could understand that the female might not want to hunt always, some had that drive. Sebastian had to smile a bit when the female admitted that she did not know what to do with her life. "You are only 1 year old, I don't think you should know what you want," he admitted with a light chuckle.

"Why don't you try a bit of all and see what you like? Maybe caretaker? I want to be a medic, maybe you could be the one to help me?," he offered. "Or... pup sitter when the time comes Pearl and I have young," he gave her a few suggestions.

A long pause after Sebastian words settled over the pair as they walked, and Brandy's brow creased in deep thought. After thinking about it, scout sounded a little better. But her alpha's idea of caretaker and medic, beside him, seemed even better. Her friend could teach her everything! 
             "What does being a caretaker entail?"

Sebastian was glad that Brandy was interested in his suggestions. "Well as the word says you will be someone that takes care of others. You can specialize in medic, midwife and sitter. With the midwife you will help pregnant female or help out with the birth. Then there is also Sitter where you watch older kids, or medic where you tend wounds of others." He was a caretaker himself, and there was still so much to learn. He really wanted to be a medic.