Overture Downs there's more to see than can ever be seen

Attention: @Breccan and @Deshyr.
Description: Just before the land begins to fall in a gentle downward slope towards the Hollow, a meadow welcomes travelers with its warm and wide embrace. The gentle hills that make up these plains are dotted sporadically with leafy deciduous trees whose low-lying branches offer shade in the summer and shelter from the unrelenting snows that sweep across these plains in the winter. Throughout the downs stretches thin streams of water that flow down towards the Hollow. Their banks are surrounded by cattails and bulrush and simply teeming with dragonflies and fireflies in the summer.
Note: I know you're absent, Van. So join if/when you can!
Weather: 20˚ Clear throughout the day.

With @Breccan and @Deshyr flanking him, Rannoch led his children from Lost Creek Hollow and into Overturn Downs. "It's nice out, isn't it?" he observed as they walked, "Especially with all the snow that we've gotten recently." The sun was out, the sky was blue, and a gentle breeze rushed past them every-so-often. "Seems like an ideal day for a hunt, right, Breccan?" he encouraged his only son. 

It was only a matter of time until his next litter would be born, and Rannoch wanted to spend as much time as he could with Breccan and Deshyr. Hopefully, with the ideal weather conditions, they would be able to do just that—spend some quality time together.

"Super nice!" Breccan agreed with excitement. He had been anticipating this trip for some time, and was glad that his father had set aside time for himself and his sister. He was swiftly nearing the adult ranks, but he still held his dad in high regard like a young child; there wasn't anything that could tarnish Rannoch's reputation in Breccan's eyes, even the litter of siblings that would soon arrive.

When Rannoch mentioned hunting, the youth bobbed his head eagerly. His chest swelled with pride; his father trusted his judgement enough to ask his opinion on the day's conditions for hunting. The weather was clear and bright, which meant that there wouldn't be anything making tracking more difficult, like rain or snow. "What are we gonna hunt?" he asked, glancing at Deshyr and then back at Rannoch.

"It's entirely up to you and Deshyr," Rannoch replied. "I'm just here to help you all out but, I want you two to lead." He didn't doubt that his children wouldn't rise to the occasion, and he was only left to wonder how they'd go about leading a hunt. 

"Smell anything good?" Rannoch proposed.

While Breccan's opinion of their father had never wavered, Deshyr's own faltered slightly when she had seen the true extent of his injuries. It had been her first real life lesson; that none of them — not even Rannoch — were infallible. But as he healed and his stagger became a subtle limp, his wounds fading into faint scars, so too did the image of him in Deshyr's mind mend and become mighty once more.

She followed him proudly alongside her brother, looking to him as he spoke with a glimmer of anticipation in her eyes. It was up to them. It was their turn to lead a hunt! She turned excitedly to Breccan before lifting her muzzle into the breeze, picking out the scents of the meadow. "I smell..." she started, taking a moment to decipher each one. Rannoch and her brothers' were the strongest, of course, but she could make out fainter scents, too, of other wolves, birds, rabbits, and...

"DEER!" she cried, ears flying up as she started forward, oblivious that the distant scent trail the herd had left behind was days old by now.

Rannoch was putting his children in charge of this hunt, and Breccan felt a thrill of excitement and anxiety thread its way down his spine. Obediently, he began to scent the air, taking this new responsibility very seriously. His nostrils wiggled and when he didn’t smell anything immediately, he lowered his nose to the ground and prepared to begin tracking like Treason had taught him.

But he was interrupted by Deshyr’s shout. He was only mildly and briefly annoyed; he inhaled and detected the same deer odor that she had announced. The small amount of training he had had caused him to draw up short. Yeah, but hold on, he said, glancing at Deshyr as his senses and mind worked together to process the information.

The trail’s not very fresh. These deer might not be here anymore. I bet we can find something better, he said, then quickly added, but good job! He bumped his shoulder amicably against that of his single remaining sister, not wanting to discourage her.

Left to their own devices, Breccan and Deshyr began to investigate the scents of Overture Downs. Rannoch watched as his children studied the traces of wildlife, a feeling of pride overcoming him. Deshyr was the first to speak up, and eagerly he inhaled to confirm her inkling. Before he could reply, Breccan spoke up. Rannoch shot his son a thankful glance; Breccan had been kind in his commentary. 

"Yes, good job, sweetie," he praised, leaning over to nudge his daughter's cheek. "Try again. Is there anything fresher?"

Breccan was quick to correct her mistake in a knowing, calculated way and, despite his compliment and encouraging shoulder bump, Deshyr still shot him a look, ears splayed out on either side of her head indignantly. Alright then, Mr. I-Know-So-Much-About-Hunting, you find something. She accepted Rannoch's small gesture of affection with much more warmth, waving her tail at the praise.

She wandered forward a little with her nose to the ground, realising with a slight pout that her brother was right — the trail was much too old to be of any use to them today. At their father's prompting to try again, she looked to Breccan with a tilt of her head and a slightly challenging smirk. "You got anything?"

Breccan didn’t notice the look that Deshyr gave him; even as their father spoke, he was already turning away from them with his nose to the ground, in search of something more recent.

A few moments later when he heard her ask if he had found anything yet, he shook his head. No— he started, but cut himself short in order to veer further from his companions with a sudden inhalation.

Wait, yeah. Come smell — I think some different deer passed this way a little while ago, he said hopefully, looking to Rannoch for affirmation.

Hope sparked in Breccan's eyes, and Rannoch moved to examine the detected trail. Once he was next to his son, he bowed his head and inhaled deeply. Rannoch sifted diligently through the flora and the fauna, ultimately tracing the scent of deer. 

 "You're right," Rannoch confirmed, his head lifting and his expression proud. "Great job, Breccan. You want to take the lead?"

No, came her brother's disheartened reply and the girl almost let out a huff of disappointment, before suddenly he did a 180. Oh, nevermind! He had found something! Deshyr turned on her heel from the spot she was sniffing at and galloped towards his direction excitedly, thrusting her nose to the ground once more to confirm his findings. And what do you know — the scent Breccan had picked up was much fresher than Deshyr's own.

She bit her lip in mild chagrin but let the feeling pass; they had to be a team for this to work!

Rannoch offered for her brother to take the lead and Deshyr gave an encouraging nod, tail waving behind her in anticipation. She was ready whenever he was.

Once Dad confirmed his find and invited Breccan to take point, he nodded eagerly. His only hesitation was when he looked to Deshyr -- he didn't want to steal the show from her, even though he was pretty sure he was more experienced than she was. She seemed ready to follow his lead, though, and her nonverbal encouragement bolstered his confidence.

"Let's go," he invited, and began to follow the trail, first moving slowly and then gradually picking up speed. The scent proved to be fresher than even he had anticipated; only a short time later, the deer's figures became evident in the distance. When his gaze settled on them, he halted and glanced at Rannoch for guidance.

"What's the best way to approach them?" he asked, turning back to look at the group of animals; four of them cropped the grass near the edge of a stream.

Rannoch followed Breccan's lead, matching his pace with both children. It was hard for him to believe that he was out hunting with his kids, as he felt as though they had just been born a few months prior. Although Rannoch was alarmed by how fast time was moving, he was happy to cherish these moments together.

The hunting party paused once they found the deer's silhouettes in the distance; they were in a good position to ambush their prey. "We'll want to stay upwind from them," Rannoch answered, keeping his voice low. "Do you guys know what that means?"

And then they were off! With Breccan at the helm, the trio followed the trail, Deshyr's excitement growing with every step. The travelled in focused silence, until eventually the ungulates came into view. Almost instinctively, the Frostfur crouched as they came to a stop, her tail tip flicking to and fro in anticipation. She wanted to run and grapple one to the ground, every muscle screaming at her to do so, but rationality won out. They had to go about this carefully else the entire attempt would be for nothing.

She looked to her brother first as he spoke, then to Rannoch, before nodding at his question. "Yeah," she confirmed in a hushed whisper, raising her head to test the direction of the wind. The deer's scent was wafting towards them which was a good sign; they would not yet be aware of the hunters. "Gotta take 'em by surprise."

Rannoch offered his advice and Deshyr was quick to agree and clarify. Keeping his gaze fixed on their prey, Breccan nodded his understanding. He chewed thoughtfully on his lower lip for a moment, then gave another, more decisive bob of his head.

"Okay. What if we spread out around them, kind of, so we can work together to trap one?" he suggested. Someday, he would be able to communicate all of this silently with only the use of body language; for now, though, he needed to walk through each step of the learning process.

Together, Deshyr and Breccan devised a strategy, and Rannoch withheld his discourse until they concluded their thoughts. "Very good, you two! You both are thinking like real hunters. " he praised. "Now, with our plan set, we'll want to think about the deer that we'll want to trap." Rannoch glanced in the direction of the heard, surveying their potential game—there were some prime contenders, but he'd reserve his guidance for now. Rannoch wanted for his children to work this out on their own.

"Any prime contenders?" he asked, turning his attention back to the hunting party.

Overly eager to set the hunt in motion, Deshyr almost began to move away at Breccan's suggestion that they spread out, though paused at Rannoch's words with a happy wag of her tail. Right, deciding which deer to focus on would be useful. She looked back to the herd attentively.

Immediately, her hungry gaze went to the biggest of the herd, though she quickly second-guessed herself as she watched it move powerfully across the earth, its frame dwarfing the other deer. Hmm, maybe not. Instead, she gestured at a younger looking deer who was beginning to stray a little too far from what she guessed was its mother. "Maybe that one?" she queried, tilting her head at both Rannoch and her brother.

Rannoch asked a crucial question: which deer would they be targeting? Breccan was examining them closely when Deshyr piped up, indicating her choice with her words and the movement of her head. He looked in the direction that she was pointing and found that she had selected one of the smaller deer that had managed to put a bit of distance between itself and its peers.

He nodded. "Yeah, I think that one, since it's small and it's not right in the middle of the group," he agreed, glancing at Rannoch. They were getting closer to beginning the actual hunt, and his heart rate began to quicken in anticipation.

Deshyr was the one to single out a tinier, separated deer, and Rannoch nodded in approval as Breccan spoke. "Good choice," he whispered, keeping his eyes on their prey for a moment longer. 

"Alright, we got our plan and our target. Now, all we have to do is start the hunt," Rannoch prompted, feeling his first inkling of anticipation. "Let's go and get 'em."

An astute observation from her brother, and then the call to action from her father, and they swung into action. Let's go and get 'em. Deshyr needed no further prompting; she was already ten paces away from them the second the words left Rannoch's maw. She stayed low and quiet, slinking through the grasses with her gaze locked onto their target, keeping in mind the direction of the wind. She would never forgive herself if she messed this up.

Pausing mid step, the girl looked over to wherever her father and brother were, repositioning herself so all three surrounded the singled out deer. From here, they could begin closing in.

And with that, it was decided. Rannoch expressed his approval and then urged his children onward; Deshyr was quick to move, and Breccan was right behind her. For a few paces he followed her, then he fanned out in the opposite direction, moving away from his sister and father so that they could form a wide circle around the deer.

The only sounds he heard were the faint rustling of the grass beneath his feet, his own soft exhalations and his heartbeat thrumming in his ears. The deer continued to graze unwittingly as he and his partners crept closer. Then, the targeted deer lifted its head, ears swiveling, and...

Want to roll for success? I'm good with whatever! :)

Then, the targeted deer lifted its head, ears swiveling, and... began to examine it's surroundings warily; something had spooked it. Rannoch remained at his vantage point with his breath held as he glanced at his children. He couldn't help but wonder what they'd make of this obstacle, and he deferred to their decision as to what they should do next. Rannoch silently urged them to collaborate them with a nod—they'd need to act fast if they wanted to take down the deer.

Deshyr let out a small gasp as the deer suddenly snapped to attention, raising its head and scanning its surroundings like a radar dish; something had alerted it. Then her own ears swivelled as she heard the sound of worried snorts and footfalls, and she turned to see the rest of the herd begin to move off hurriedly, their target quickly following after them. They had lost the element of surprise.

And so too did Deshyr lose her cool. Leaping out of the underbrush with a loud, "GO, GO!" the girl gave chase, panicking the young deer even further as it raced to rejoin the safety of the herd.

It had all been too good to be true -- in the blink of an eye, circumstances changed, and their perfect target was lost. The deer became aware of the presence of the wolves and began to move away, taking their intended quarry with them. It hastened after its kin, further instigated by Deshyr's sudden rush towards it.

Breccan didn't fault Deshyr for her action, though; rather, he joined her. Caught up in the heat of the moment, he leaped to follow her as she darted after the herd. It seemed like the best option -- there was no way to continue their sneak attack, and he didn't want to just stand and watch the deer depart. So he galloped alongside his sister in pursuit of their prey, although said prey had a head start and it didn't seem likely that the young wolves would catch up.

Breccan and Deshyr resumed the hunt, despite the unfortunate outcome; Rannoch was convinced that they had lost their game. Despite his outlook, he trailed after his children. He would be there if they needed him, but, for now, he watched as they chased after the deer. 

Although the majority of Rannoch's attention was on Breccan and Deshyr, he also kept an eye on the herd, just in case any of the others became a threat to his children.

Concluding <3

Predictably, Deshyr and Breccan were not successful in their last-ditch effort. The deer were simply too fast for the young, inexperienced hunters, and Breccan eventually pulled up short when he began to run out of breath. He was disappointed, but he was still exhilarated as he turned back towards his father; they hadn't caught anything, but it had been fun!

With this learning experience tucked into his belt, the aspiring hunter returned home with his family.