Stone Circle a middle-aged mess, thinkin' "i feel like i'm gonna explode any moment"

AW but maybe @Valette ? <3

Easthollow is definitely different from what he's used to; if he's being completely honest, this may as well be his first stint in a pack entirely. Sunfil Grove had never been a real pack, only a dysfunctional family unit — and it's not like he'd had any idea what he was doing when he created the Sanctuary. Valette seems to know what she's doing here, and inexplicably he finds himself trusting the leader already. He just can't shake the feeling that he's going to fuck this up somehow.
So he decides to hunt — it feels a lot more like contributing now that he's not really meant to be doing anything else. The cover of the trees draws him in, muzzle low as he scans the ground for a trail. The territory is certainly scenic, and despite himself, he can't help but wonder if it's as beautiful as the place Lily found. But this is his new start — and he deserves something untainted by the past, doesn't he? So he pushes the thought away and focuses his attention externally, intent on finding something to hunt.

Valette hoped that the three new wolves were settling in well. She would expect anything from them in the first week. She could understand that joining a new pack was quite exhausting, especially when not being in good condition. Valette was keeping herself busy. She always kept her eye on the fauna in their territory. She was happy with Brynn, Ira, Ezra, Steph, and Greyback being such active patrollers. There sure were more than helped out which meant Valette didn't have to do it as often. She liked to keep busy with hunting.

Valette was walking through the forest, trying to see if their deer herd was around. They only dared to go out on the fields when it was dawn or twilight, they were far unlike the bison that roamed the plains. Usually, the pack would go for bison but it couldn't hurt to take a deer down once in a while. Valette was trying to look for any signs if they were around, instead, she found Alarian. "Oh, hi there," Valette greeted kindly.

He hears Valette's approach before he sees her, straightening a moment before the leader appears from between the trees. He dips his head as she greets him, tail swishing slowly. Hello Valette, He says, offering a smile as warm as he can manage right now. There's a dull, familiar ache starting up in his head — in the spot he's come to expect it, no less. But he has company, and no time for headaches or heart-aches or any of the other aches trailing him like lost pups. How are you?

Valette dipped her head when she was greeted. The alpha female also offered him a kind smile. "I'm good. You?," she wondered. Of course, the male didn't know about her mate that left her recently. But then again, she was doing fairly well. She had her good and bad days. It helped that she had moved her mother's bones to Easthollow. Then she could just curl against The Mother Stone in the Stone Circle and feel a bit comforted with the idea that her own mother was close and ready to comfort her. "Did I disturb you with anything?," she questioned.

He's glad to hear she's doing well, at least — she'd been kind enough to take him and his friends in, and that's enough that he's already invested in her well-being. That and, well, she's his leader now; he's never really pledged loyalty to anyone, so he's still figuring out that whole weird thing, but he knows he should care about her, at least. I'm alright, He says, and then feels a little bad for not saying good — but it's fine, probably.
He shakes his head slightly when he hears her question. No, you didn't disturb me — I was thinking about hunting, but I hadn't decided yet, It's a lie, but it's a little white lie, the kind the world needs in order to keep some semblance of order. He glances further into the forest briefly, then back to Valette, head still aching. Maybe we could hunt together?

Valette slowly dipped her head when the male spoke of being alright. She had the feeling that his departure with his previous pack, or correction, with his previous life had not been as smooth. However, she was not going to ask about it the second time they met. She felt they needed to bond more for that. The alpha female would keep her eye on the three new wolves to see if they were settling in well with Easthollow members. If there would be a clash or a lack of participation she would need to do something about that.

But it seemed that the male was more than willing to participate as he let her know that he was willing to hunt. Valette instantly dipped her head in agreement. "You've got the right girl," she grinned. "I've been working on Tracker and Deerstalker masteries," she explained to the male. She was open to maybe get some new input from the other male. Maybe he had some other techniques for tracking and even Deerstalking. Unless the male wanted to learn himself, she could be a mentor. "What would you like to hunt today?"

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He can't help but return Valette's smile at hearing her words; it's just... nice to see someone so enthusiastic about something. Deerstalker — that sounds impressive, He says — and he means it. He's always been fond of hunting, but generally too intimidated by larger animals to even want to send his pack after one. To be fair, pretty much everyone at the Sanctuary had been fairly small. I usually focus on smaller prey, but — if you don't mind, maybe you could teach me some about hunting deer?
It'd be easy enough to stick with what he knows and prefers, he thinks, but this whole thing has been the opposite of easy — and that'd been the point. It'd have been easy to stay with his pack (with Delight), too — but he's learned the hard way that the easiest thing to do is often the worst. So, yay for learning new things. Or something.
Ugh, he's gonna fuck this up.

Valette chuckled at his comment. To her, it didn't sound that impressive. She was used to hunting large game, it had always been part of her life. She was used to living in a pack that would take down big game. So she continued the tradition. Plus, the big animals often lived in packs like them. It was quite fascinating to her, how they lived while being in danger for most of the time. "It is something I have grown into really," she explained to the male. Though, it didn't explain her fascination for the hunt and how herds were interacting.

"Alright, but you will have to promise me to teach me how you track small game next time," she stated. She could expand on her tracker skill. With large animals, it was easier to find them. The dark-colored female was used to seeing prints in the ground, or scents, however, it was easier to spot marks of a deer than to say of a rabbit in her opinion. Valette turned to the male. "We have a deer herd when it is dawn or dusk they are often out in the plains to graze. During the day, they are often in the forest. It depends on their location how you hunt them," she explained. "They are very different from bison as the bison don't run as quickly, while a deer flees at every little sound," she stated.

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He's actually kind of pleased that she wants to know about hunting small game — it's nice to know he might be of some use. Of course, He agrees easily, nodding. Then he turns his full attention to the alpha's words, trying to swallow back his frayed nerves. What she says makes sense to him, based on what little he knows about deer; he knows absolutely nothing about bison, so he decides to just take her word for it on that. Bison are... bigger than deer, right? He frowns slightly, knowing they're talking about deer right now but unable to withhold the question. I'm not sure I've ever seen one.

Valette instantly nodded when Alarian asked about bison. They were most definitely bigger than deer. "Oh yes," Valette spoke with a firm nod. 'They are probably out on the plains. We can have a look at them if you like," she offered. She was curious to see his reaction. What would Alarian think when seeing the bison and how big they are.

"They are massive, you can't miss them and their head is very different from a deer. Their shoulders are the highest point of their bodies," she explained. Now she thought about it, bison did look very different from deer.

He hesitates only for a beat when Valette offers to take him to look at the bison, nodding after his moment of indecision. Sure — lead the way, He says, offering a smile to mask the internal battle between apprehension and irritation with himself. Valette's description does little to soothe his nerves, though he hides it well. He's just not very fond of large animals — particularly massive ones. So they're... hunchbacked? It sounds sort of ridiculous — actually, that does help a little. Maybe if he just doesn't take them seriously, he won't think too hard about the possibility of being trampled.

Valette dipped her head and then turned towards the plains. It would be easy to see them there. She just had to go to the edge of the forest. The female thought about Alarian's words. She then nodded. "Yes! They are," she then agreed with him. Valette quirked up her lips as the approached the edge of the forest. She could already see the giants graze. "Well, there they are," she spoke and moved her muzzle to the dark shapes grazing.

want to wrap up here? <3 thank you for the thread!

Her agreement draws a smile to his features as he follows her, trying and failing to picture such a creature. When the bison finally come into view he halts, ears perking. She'd been right; they are massive. And hunchbacked. They look ridiculous, He can't help the observation, stifling a laugh. Then he adds more seriously: And a lot more dangerous than deer. He'd never have sent the Sanctuary after one of these — but maybe Easthollow, with its larger population (lol), fares better against these creatures. He can't say he's looking forward to seeing it happen, though, honestly. Mostly because that means he'll have to participate.

Yes I will wrap it up

Valette watched as the male tried to hide a laugh. She didn't think it was that funny but she could imagine that the male thought that the prey animal was weird. "Yes, very dangerous. If you have to treat any injuries it will be most likely from hunting them," she admitted to him. "Now that sounds terrible but we don't always have injuries," she explained. She did expect Alarian to participate one day. "You will see one day, but these are the bison at least." She spoke. They were wonderful creatures.

- fade end -