Mountain goats. They were tough, rugged, and, despite their size- which was smaller than a deer- they could really move on the mountainside. On the flat plains they wouldn't have had a chance against wolves, but on more difficult terrain they had the advantage of being nimble and clever-footed, and could run at their own top speed even on the sheer mountainside. Thus, the horned herbivores generally stayed in the safest place- the more difficult the terrain, the more likely they were to find safety. But with the swift push of cold, the mountain grass had begun to shrivel and die. Fewer nutrients were to be found and what little green grass there was they cropped up and gobbled down greedily. This meant, of course, that they had to stay on the move.

But the season was not right for hunting them- Sagacity watched with envy as the horned prey freely moved about their homelands, knowing that this was rutting season and it would be foolish to take them down. Thus, she turned a blind eye to the accessible prey, and found herself tracking a very small band of deer along the lower slopes of the mountain.

Sagacity had been tailing them, scouting them along the mountainside when she realized that they were moving much more frequently. And she knew that at some point, they would need to come down into lower pastures to graze- it was only a matter of time. So, under a grey sky and soft drizzle of rain, she tailed the herd of mountain goats along the mountain's edge, using her silver pelt to blend in with her surroundings and the wind to mask her scent, she watched with pleasure as they carefully picked their way down the slope. These deer were simply passing by, but having lived in the Lore, they were already used to the sound of a wolf's howl. So she kept her distance, and once she was absolutely sure they were headed to a grassy cirque- a bowl-shaped, miniature valley carved out of the mountainside where they would be on relatively flat ground, she pulled back and with a voice low and calm, she called out to her packmates. It was not a high, loud call which would've spooked the herd- but nevertheless, to a wolf's ears, the message would've been perfectly clear.

The hunt was on.

It would be a turkey shoot, if it all panned out correctly. With the deer in the cirque, they could easily be surrounded. They wouldn't have the tough footing to give them an aid- they'd be on grassy, flat ground, perfect for an ambush. Sagacity's heart beat like a raven inside her chest- they were going to eat, and they were going to eat well.

A hunt.

The voice of his mother normally would've made the boy turn his ears back slightly, but not this time. All grudges were forgotten and the sullen boy's ears pricked. A hunt. For once, he was not far from his mother's location, though he hadn't even realized that she'd been in the area...Otherwise he might've strayed farther. Her voice was low and calm, but singing with anticipation. The boy said nothing but stopped for a moment, torn between the need to belong and participate, and his stubborn wish to be left alone and continue brooding. But hunting was his interest, and he knew that if he wanted to contribute to the pack and become a hunter, he couldn't miss out on this. Even if it was his mother's hunt.

He picked up a lope and found himself forgetting about his moody thoughts and becoming more excited. He hoped he would be allowed to participate...Though he knew the likelihood of that was very slim. Either way, he'd get to watch, and in the future he could use whatever he'd seen the other adults do to help himself in a hunt. Plus he felt fairly sure that Crowe, his idol, would likely show up. He didn't much care about any of the others- simply because of the phase he was going through- though part of him hoped that Nova might show up, so that he'd have company watching the hunt.

When he found his mother, there was no prey in sight. He could smell the deer, but couldn't see them- she'd moved away from the area, wherever they were, so that the wolves could gather, talk, plan and then make a move. He felt awkward, given that the two of them were alone, and approached with his tail low and ears flattened, albeit somewhat reluctantly. He still had to show his mother respect, even if he couldn't afford her much affection. He nudged her jawline and for a moment, the little boy inside of him- the little boy he'd been trying so hard to ignore- wished to stay by her side, apologize for being an idiot, and revel in her nurturing ways...But instead he pulled back and sat down. "Hunting deer?" He asked, having nothing else that he could think of to say to his mother.

Look Out!

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +7 Health

What Sagacity had hoped for, was for a few adults to show up so that they could take advantage of the prey opportunity. She was patient, but knew that after a certain period of time, it meant that no other adults were going to show up- they were either busy or out of earshot, or had no interest in a hunt. She waited quietly, occasionally making a move forward to check on the location of the deer- by scent, not by sight- before moving back to her original location, hopeful that someone would have shown up.

She shouldn't have been surprised that Mercy was the first to arrive- she knew he enjoyed hunting, though she still thought him too young, inexperienced and small to try and hunt deer. He would learn by watching, though, so she welcomed him with a nod. Their duo became a omnium-gatherum with the arrival of Aponi- yet another pup. She was disappointed in her packmates for not taking advantage of the hunt, and knew that there was little she could do with two children, and she could not bring down a deer on her own. Even trying, and having the two pups herd the deer in her direction would be risky, and would be an energy waste on the behalf of all of them.

She happily received Aponi's affectionate greeting, and offered the girl a fond growl and nibble to her cheek. It had been nice, having the two girls around; though they were Naira's daughters, Sagacity loved them all the same. Naira was like a sister to her, and she too had taken Mercy under her wing. Together they'd raised all three children, though now as they grew older it became obvious enough that there was a rift between them. Nova and Mercy seemed to get on fine, but Aponi had a very strong personality- she was so much like her mother- and the other two seemed at a loss with how to interact with her. She was a top dog, an alpha female- they would have to learn what it was like to automatically be inferior, or to challenge for superiority. Sagacity didn't mind; she liked all three of them for their uniqueness.

"Let's go track them for a bit," She said. She knew that hunting was now no longer an option- unless at least one other adult showed up- but they could use the practice for sure. "I want to see how close you two can get to them without startling them." She smiled; some friendly competition- while she knew it might aggravate the rift between the two of them, they'd have to learn one day how to live together. And they'd have to tolerate each other for the time being.

She led them out and headed off toward the herd, keeping a low profile and walking as softly as she could. She paused, though, when the scent of blood caught her attention, and after gesturing for the pups to follow her, he began trailing the scent of that instead. "Something's been killed," She said, quietly. "We'll tail the herd later...Race you to the kill!" She said in an energy-filled whisper before she took off, daring the pups to try and pass her- without going at her top speed, so as to allow them a chance.

Well great. Wasn't this just the best day of his life.

It would've been better if at least one other adult had showed up- then maybe he would've been allowed to help in the chase, just maybe...The adults could've made the kill, but at least he would have had the opportunity to chase the deer toward whoever was going to make the kill- or even just chase them for fun, while the adults concentrated on one deer. He could've done something, or so he thought, had another adult arrived. But they didn't. Had it been Nova he would've accepted the fact that a hunt couldn't happen- but this wasn't Nova.

This was her ugly, evil, mean sister.

Of course, the boy's views of Aponi had been tainted, but only because of the way she treated Nova. He could take her abuse- he didn't enjoy it, but he could tolerate it. But the way she treated her sister wasn't right; Nova was a princess too. He knew he was a nobody- an adopted bastard, someone who wasn't supposed to exist- but Nova was a somebody, who deserved to be treated like a somebody and he couldn't stand the fact that Aponi tortured her sister and seemed to enjoy doing so. He tried to keep his face as plain as possible when Aponi made a disgusting display of affection toward his mother. He had to look away. When he turned his head back, he looked only at his mother, to avoid the shocking cruelty he always found in Aponi's.

He nodded, trying not to be too disappointed that they couldn't go hunting. He fell behind, allowing Aponi to take her place alongside his mother should she choose to do so. His mom seemed to like her, which didn't do miracles for his relationship with Sagacity. He liked the prospect of a challenge- and set his mind to beat her. No drama, no mindgames- he was just going to be better at this than her. But then the game changed- his mother caught the scent of a kill which had already been made and challenged them to a race.

He didn't even look at Aponi- he simply ran.