Silvertip Mountain No one looks stupid when they're having fun

Maybe @Valette?

Adeline had taken the freedom of altering Steady's permission to grant herself the ability to leave the den site whenever she wanted. She was only supposed to leave with an adult, but now instead of waiting on them, she left the den area to seek them out. For her, it wasted a lot less time just sitting around waiting, instead using that time to go find someone who would take her on her next adventure.

This morning was no different. She up and out, using trails that had been made by the others and following it through the heart of the territory. She kept her nose to the ground, hoping to find a scent she could follow. Today, it seemed no one had been by yet. She huffed her displeasure and continued searching. Someone had to be around here somewhere.

Valette had been resting on Ezekiel's bed. She had been resting along with him, but now the male was gone to do his own things. Which was understandable for her. Valette decided to rise too and stretched her limbs. Her paw was still a bit painful but she could walk and trot just fine. The young female headed out. Not sure what she was going to do. Perhaps she would found a resting spot in the sun, or watch the herds from a distance and resting in the meanwhile

However it seemed as she was traveling through the territory she saw a small bundle move. The girl let out a chuff in greeting. "Adeline! Hello," she greeted and stepped closer to her. She had not spend a lot of private time with the girl, one that had Ezekiel thinking if he would be a good dad. Who knows. Would she a be a good mother? Her own mother was sweet and a good mother. "How are you doing?"

That someone huffed behind her and Adeline turned to see Valette. She remembered the female from the games they had played. She approached the adult, ready to ask a host of questions of what she was doing, where she was going, if she could go with her, etc. But, the wind brought a scent with it, and Adeline's ears flipped back on her head.

Why do you smell like Ezekiel? she asked, her voice accusing. Ezekiel was one of Adeline's favorite, if not the most favorite, person in the world, and the pup felt jealous that it was obvious this female had been spending time with him. Why had he not come to Adeline to play instead?

Valette did not expect such a sharp answer from the pup. The dark colored girl kept her hazel colored eyes onto the pup wondering where this came from, however, she realized that kids were probably rather possessive. Valette wasn't someone who would lie about something so obvious. "Because I was just with Ezekiel," she pointed out. "You have a good nose. Want to put it to good use? I am going to look at the deer population."

This way she might redirect some of the negativity she just showed and put her skills to a good use instead of letting the pup accuse her. The young girl tipped her head in question. She hoped the pup would agree. Valette was not someone to grow flustered that quickly, especially if it was clear by her scent that she hung out with the male.

Adeline accepted the answer easily enough. Is he coming? she asked, peering behind Valette, as if her best friend would suddenly appear. But, he was not there. Maybe he was on his way, she mused, hoping so. 

Her gaze went back to Valette as she complimented the girl on her nose. Adeline's tail wagged, and her eyes grew big as the other female admitted she was going to go see the deer, and invited Adeline along with her. Her head bobbed up and down. Yeah, I want to go! She had deer meat before, but it was always in chunks or pieces. She had never gotten to see a deer whole, let alone alive. 

Valette shook her head. "He is not," she spoke to the smaller female and then coaxed her further instead of looking around. Valette walked with Adeline, it was pretty clear that she was close with Ezekiel. And perhaps that was why he asked if he would be a good father. If they had hung out so much she would be close to him.

The darker girl lead the way to the deer. "We are going to a herd of deer on the edge of the forest," she explained. "It is important to know what your prey are doing especially if you are in a pack. I track them and see which ones are ill. So if we are going to hunt then I know where the sick or hurt deer are we can eat," she explained to the younger girl.

"Plus it is fun to watch them and learn how they communicate," she added. They were not too close yet, so they could still talk for a bit.

Adeline frowned when Valette confirmed that Ezekiel was not coming. She wanted to ask how come, but the conversation moved on to other things. Adeline was excited about going to stalk deer, and she listened intently to Valette as she explained why they were doing that.

Are we going to eat one today? she asked. As a growing pup, she was pretty much always up for eating. She was excited, though, to learn about the deer from someone who seemed to be an expert.

Valette shook her head as the trotted closer to the deer herd. "We are going to watch what they are doing. This is very important. I need to know which one is sick or injured, and if there are maybe new calves we can hunt on," she explained to the young female. "Steady told you that if we hunt we try to hunt the weak ones?," she checked.

Valette stopped and then lowered herself. They were on a ledge that looked down on a clearing with a herd of deer it it. "Tell me what you see," she spoke softly, hopefully Adeline got the hint that she had to talk softly too.

Unfortunately, they would not be eating a deer at this particular time. Adeline's ears flipped back in displeasure, as they usually did when she got an answer she didn't want. But, she was learning from Valette, and she went with it. The older female said they needed to know which ones were sick or injured. Adeline had never been either of those, though soon, she would learn what a disadvantage it would be to be hurt. 

She shook her head side to side. No, I've mostly caught tiny stuff, and I didn't think it mattered if they were weak or not, she said. She mimicked Valette's posture, and put her body low to the ground as the deer came into view. She couldn't stop her tail from wagging. They're huge! she said, her voice a whisper, but the awe still coming through. She didn't realize that they were so big. Look at that one! He's got huge... stick... thingies on his head! He stood out against the others as he raised his head high to look around. There are six smaller ones, plus him. They're mostly just grazing, she said, keeping her voice low.

Valette nodded softly. "With small animals it helps too, especially fast rabbits. With Mice it might be less easier to see," she admitted. She did like that Adeline was hunting so much already. It reminded her a bit of her younger self. The girl quirked up her lips into a smile.

Valette chuckled softly. "They are, that is why we need a whole pack to hunt one down," she explained to the girl. "Those are Antlers," she explained. "See how some look soft and some others don't? If you see the soft velvet around it they are not done developing yet. When the velvet comes off those sticks are really hard and really painful. A deer can impale you at the front and kick you at the back," she explained.

"Now there are more males around because as soon as the leaves turn brown their mating season will start. Only the males have those antlers and they will fight each other with. It is extra important to watch those males, because some are old and get very exhaust from fighting, so much so that they can't run very far. That is where we come in," she hummed.

One ear turned to Valette as she spoke, and one remained forward as Adeline watched the deer herd. Her gaze searched for the soft antlers, as Valette mentioned, and realized that they did look different from the others. Her eyes widened when she was told of the dangers of the deer and the injuries they could inflict. Wooow, she said softly.

Valette then explained the importance of watching the males, as they tended to get tired after fighting. Then we catch them and eat them? she asked excitedly, her tail wagging behind her. What about the ones with no antler? Do we eat those, too? she asked, wondering if they were off limits for any reason.

Valette smiled at how impressed she looked. "Well we try, it isn't always the case that we manage to catch them. These animals are really strong, that is why we hunt with a pack, the pack can be just as strong because of their numbers," she explained. She remembered when she was this young and taken interest in hunting. It was cute to see.

The young female nodded. "We eat both, all types of deer! These a mule deer, and quite common. They are bigger than the white tailed deer, you can keep them apart from the white under their tail." she explained. "But it is best to go after the babies, because they are easier to grab. The mothers are dangerous though, trying to protect them."

Valette explained the reason why the pack hunted in larger numbers to take down the animals she had her eyes on. She imagined in her head, herself older, and running with the pack, trying to take down one of the deer. It seemed exhilarating, even just imagining it. 

She listened as the older female then explained the difference between these deer, and others called white tailed deer, and why it was easier to go after babies. She did her best to make a mental note of that. Can we chase them? she asked in a whisper. She really wanted to feel what it was like to run after one.

"No," she instantly spoke in return to Adeline when she asked if they could be chased. After all she didn't want to disturb them and the girl could get a kick in the head if she didn't watch out. Valette didn't want to be responsible for that. Definitely not. "We are watching them, so the point is not to chase them yet," she spoke in a more friendly matter and quirked up her lips.

"Do you see one that looks ill or has a wound?," she asked then to keep the pup busy. It was important to see what was going on with the herd, tiny details. So they could use that to their advantage.

A deep frown marred her features as Valette gave her a stern no. It was not a word Adeline was used to hearing. The pup understood why the adult had said no, especially after a reminder, but that didn't make Adeline want to chase them any less. But, she did stay where she was, her eyes glued to the grazing deer.

At Valette's question, Adeline looked even closer at the deer, this time taking a few moment to watch each one of them. At first, she really didn't see anything that would make her think one might be sick or injured. Then, a doe seemed to misstep. That one there, to the left of the group. She has a limp? Adeline questioned, her gaze going to Valette.

Valette looked at the herd of deer and tried to spot one with a limp to perhaps guide Adeline. But the pup seemed to have keen eyes of her own. The young female quirked up her lips in pride. "Let me see," she spoke and studied the deer. The animal was moving minimally, which could be a sign that she was hurt, not wanting to move.

Valette's hazel eyes watched her and as she moved it seemed that she had indeed something that was hurting. "Very good, that one is indeed in pain. So when we go for a pack hunt now we know that we can at least go to this herd and know that there will be a deer that we can hunt."

Valette began looking herself, and Adeline's gaze went back to the doe she thought was injured. Her tail began to wag when Valette confirmed that she was, indeed, limping. When do I get to be apart of a hunt? she asked. She hadn't even had the chance to watch one, let alone participate. 

What do we do now? she asked next. They had watched the deer, and caught signs that one was injured, which was what they came to do. Adeline, always looking for the next thing, wondered what it would be.

Valette looked at Adeline. "Well you watched a few times right?," she asked to be sure. She was soon to be five months right? So she should start joining in with the pack hunts. Perhaps Steady was too protective of her. "Well you should be already part of the hunt. Only running with us though, hunting can be very dangerous," she explained to the other.

"Now we know that there is a deer here with an injury. We can go tell Steady and perhaps have a pack hunt later these days," she explained to the youngster.

Adeline shook her head side to side. No, but Ezekiel and Grayday have taught me some, she confessed. Her ears perked when Valette said she should already be part of the hunt. Do you think Uncle Steady will let me? she asked. She was eager to be included. Little did she know, her first hunt would teach her many lessons.

Great! she said, a little too loudly, though she didn't realize it. She was excited to go and tell her Uncle what they had been up to, hoping he would be proud of them. Her tail wagged and she smiled as she turned to go, assuming that's what they were doing.

Valette looked at the youngster. It was good she showed initiative to hunting and being busy. "Good, but hunting small game if very different than big game. With big game you need to work together otherwise it goes wrong," she explained to the pup. Her question was valid. And if she was really honest she didn't know if Steady would let her.

"I think he should because it needs to be part of your development," she pointed out. "You should tell him that the next time he says no," she chuckled and then smiled at her. The herd was instantly alarmed by the pups excited bark. Valette paid no heed to it seeing that they were done looking for now. "Let me bring you home," she hummed.

Adeline nodded as Valette explained these bigger animals needed more than one wolf to take down. But, she was young, and the imagine in her mind still consisted of only herself killing one of the beasts. Well, maybe Valette was there, too. I will so tell him that! she exclaimed stubbornly. She wanted to hunt, and hunt she would.

She groaned as Valette said she would take her back. Why were the adults always trying to take her back to the den site? She was so sick of that area, and could care less if she ever seen that part of the territory again. Instead of getting up and following, she plopped down on her side in an overacted display of rebellion. She did not want to go back.

Valette stopped when she realized that the youngster wasn't following her. The dark colored female raised her brow when seeing the rebelling nature. She then wanted to just continue walking. Let the youngster be, after all she was 5 months now. "I guess you don't want to hear more about hunting then...," she commented with a shrug and started walking.

If the girl couldn't be left alone in the territory then there was something seriously wrong with this pack and raising their young. Valette had the idea that Adeline did want to learn and she was still a social animal. Valette hoped she had sparked the other's interest though.

Valette paused, but then continued walking away, and for a second, Adeline thought the female was going to leave her there. But, then Valette mentioned hearing more about hunting, and Adeline's ears perked up. Wait! Yes I do! she said quickly. Her body was up off the ground an instant later, and she bounded over to Valette to catch up with her.

Tell me, she pleaded as they walked. Adeline would try to get as much information out of Valette as she could before their fun came to an end.

Valette was pleased that she managed to get the pup to go with her. Her plan worked. She just needed to have Adeline be interested in something for her to follow her. "Well do you know how we hunt deer?," she asked while they walked.

She was not sure what Adeline already knew about the hunt and what types of roles there were. After all each wolf had their own task to do while they were hunting, it all had to be coordinated.

Valette asked the youngster if she knew how to hunt deer, and Adeline looked thoughtful for a moment. She really hadn't been taught yet, and aside from what Valette had told her about needing more than one wolf to do it, she really didn't know anything. But, she didn't want to say that.

Her serious mood turned to play when she suddenly she reared up on her hind legs in an attempt to bring her front legs down on Valette's shoulders. Like this! she said excitedly. She wasn't trying to tackle the older female, but simply mimic what a wolf might do to a deer, minus the sinking teeth into flesh part.