He would have been shocked if Mabel had turned down his offer to chase the deer - his daughter was ever the spitting image of her mother's fiery and adventurous personality. If there were ever a sign that something was wrong with Mabel, it would be an unwillingness to explore the world around her. Waiting for the herd to settle back down again - having been startled by her exuberant affirmative - he nudged her head and whispered, "Go!" when it was time.

With no hesitation, Mabel burst out from underneath the protection of his body and leaped towards the deer. The animals closest to them bleated out in surprise and began to run in fear. Serach's own paws kicked into gear and he chased after Mabel, watching her and the scattered herd closely to make sure that nothing went awry.

When his daughter got a little too close to a braver buck, Serach was quick to intercept the pair. Even as Mabel tripped on own paws, Serach was there bristling and snarling at the buck in a serious warning that he'd better warn. The buck shook his antlers at Serach once, but then took after his family and away to safety.

Turning, Serach approached Mabel, nudging her ear with his snout while she picked herself up off the ground. "Well done," he congratulated her, his smile beaming and his tail wagging, choosing not to comment on her accident. "You just herded your first deer, sort of." He chuckled and nudged her back towards the direction they had come. "Next time, I'll show you how to separate out one from the herd and how to herd it towards the rest of the pack so we can hunt it."

What bumps and bruises that might have resulted from Mabel's fall were seemingly not serious. She was smiling and wagging her tail, and with the sounds of the deer herd fully retreating behind them, Serach felt his own body begin to relax as they began the walk towards home. Laughing loudly in response to her question, he couldn't help but think back fondly on his own memories of learning how to hunt. There were certainly times where he had not been smarter than the deer, that's for sure. "We've certainly got sharper teeth than they do," he reaffirmed. His sides still shaking a bit with residual laughter, he continued, "We are generally smarter, yes. But that doesn't mean the deer aren't. So you have to promise me that when you're hunting, you don't underestimate them." It was easy to forget sometimes, when the thrill of the hunt grabbed hold of your entire being and rational thinking basically disappeared.

She seemed to understand, but it would be a lesson worth repeating as she and her siblings became more involved with their pack hunts. But for now he was content to see her happy and proud of her accomplishment for the day.