Heron Lake Plateau golani

located at the northwestern part of HLP, set for early afternoon with sunny conditions!

this was her first time leaving the isle since her arrival. and thankfully there was a good reason for her journey besides just the call of adventure. recently she had been hearing the bugle of a bull elk, and any call that didn't sound like a howl or a bark meant that it was most likely prey.

iseul loved fish and certainly didn't mind rabbit. but she knew that the hooved creatures held a higher quality of meat and a bounty for all of the river isle. so when she had a free moment, the girl hopped the river and came towards the outer edge of the plateau. the lake seemingly glistened under the rare sunlight in winter, reflecting with the pure white snow that surrounded it.

at the mouth of the lake was the bull elk and perhaps a few of his cows. she could see some younger bulls, far away enough to not threaten the dominant bull, but close enough to tempt a female to wander. while it was clear with practically no trees to protect her, iseul had come to stay put behind a near rock formation. if she stayed crouching, she'd be able to stay out of sight.

He's been trailing the small group of cows for a day or so now. Observing their behaviors and hierarchy.

Given the time of year Andr knew that many of the females had already been bred and wouldn't be giving birth for another handful of months. They would produce for the next season and generation of the herd. Not his mark, but they gave him something to do and something to observe.

However, as they ventured into the Lake Plateau they temporarily joined with a bachelor group of males. Most of the males were being respectful, keeping to themselves... But there was another, a bigger one moving around acting like it owned the place.

Breeding season was well over and Andr knew elk moved in gendered herds joining together during breeding season of big migrations. This wasn't one of those times. The females wandered further way from this brooding male but he was persistent. He needed to take a hint. And Andr was prepared to give one.

He continued to slink around the outside of the herd. The wind in his favor. Pondering his next course of action.

she watches quietly as the bold male comes to harass the cow. and for a moment iseul wished that the cow would just kick up her heels and tell the bull to back up. but instead, the pacifistic animal would continue to just ignore the advances, despite the vocal upset of the young bull.

and it seemed she was not the only one a little upset by this fact, as the scent and soon the image of another comes before her. a pretty boy, one who watched the herd with an intensity that made her stir a bit. she feared that he would come to scare the herd off or attempt to hunt them on his own [something that would end most likely in failure].

so, she reveals herself to him with a snort, jadeite eyes glued on his figure. and she looks at him, then motions to the herd for a moment. she stays close to the ground. despite the fact that the wind did not reveal their scent, she knew that her figure was large enough to be seen with the elk's keen eyesight. iseul looks to the unknown man again, as if to ask

"what exactly is your plan here?"

A distant snort crept into his concentration. He waited a moment and took a mental image of the herd before glancing over toward the noise. He widened and squinted his eyes like binoculars searching for its source. Then he saw it. Not too far away was a mixed female tucked in beside a rock formation. The beautiful jade of her eyes is what captured him first, well suited for her powerful figure.

Without words, he read her body language and expression. One of confusion and questioning. He thought about getting closer but in his peripheral saw a few of the elk scanning in their direction. They hadn't seen them yet, and they were well concealed, but motion could give them away. 

He nodded softly to her acknowledging her presence. Looking at her and gently gesturing to the herd before returning to himself. He wondered if she might be trying to claim a member of the herd for herself, or asking for help.

he acknowledges her, and iseul considered moving closer to get in better earshot of the man in hopes of seeing what his intentions were. clearly, they were both curious about one another and seemingly had the same question for each other. it was certainly risky for these two to try and take on an elk on their own.

when the cow had changed where her eyes wandered, iseul basically army crawled closer to the nobleman. and when she noticed the cow come to look towards her, she'd stop. she hadn't crawled more than perhaps a few inches or so-- it would be forever until she'd reach the man without any of the elk noticing.

so, she must try her voice rather than moving closer. with the loudest whisper she can muster without disturbing the herd, she calls out to the other in a stilted manner. "hunt or watch?" if he wanted to hunt, she'd be willing to give it a try with him. but he intended to only watch, she would not spoil this herd for him. she was much too thoughtful for that.