There was plenty of evidence that Valeria was already hard at work. Nearly every rabbit Iopah pulled from the cache carried the yearlings scent on it as proof. The mist rose slowly as Iopah slipped under the screen of salmonberry brambles that hide her now-cramped birthing den. Her daughters had already nursed and were sleeping soundly when their mother left for her own breakfast. She was grateful, even more so that she hadn't even had a chance to thank the girl in person, but couldn't help but notice that all her offerings were small. It was a quiet morning. The only thing to move was the thinning drifts of white, a few birds sang out drowsy chords. Casting her gaze over the pile, she had to admit everything it contained was small. Everything was exactly the size that a wolf working alone could catch. Disgruntled, an ear flicked back at the realization. They were not helping each other.

Her muzzle reached out, teeth exposed to grasp a vole, when the fresh scent caught her attention. Valeria had just been here. The teeth closed down rapidly and pulled out a meal that was hastily eaten on-the-go. She licked the blood from her chops and followed after the trail her pack-mate had left. The path was not random, not to a fellow hunter. She stopped at each point where Valeria had, musing over the girl's decision to turn away from each. Finally she caught sight of ivory fur and paws skimmed over mist-dampened ground to catch up. Tail lifted comfortably while her head angled downward as she spoke. "You can ask for help if you need it." Iopah didn't expect her to work alone every day; more to the point, she didn't want Valeria to feel she had to.

Her approach slowed as the younger girl spun, brows rising at the quickness of the reply. So much for the assumption that becoming alpha would mean that she could cleanly articulate her thoughts and intentions. Gold eyes flicked over her subordinate as the girl looked away, disquieted by the conversation despite the girls obvious respect and honest answer. A pale ear angled back delicately and held for a minute before angling back towards Valeria.

She had not meant her statement to come out sounding like that; Valeria was misunderstanding her. The older woman shook her coat out, as if her idiosyncrasies were something that could easily cast off. "I didn't mean it like that... and it shouldn't work like that." She sighed, leaning back to let her gaze idly search the broken cedars. Words were hard, much more difficult and tedious than any prey. "You don't have to work alone," Iopah enunciated gently, "that's not how I want you to feel." A salmon tongue ran the inside of her mouth as Iopah searched for the right words of her own. "Pack mates should help each other." Pack life was not a one-way street with one individual working for all the others, at least, it shouldn't be.

Hunting small prey might be stress-free, however Iopah often found it monotonous. Her eyes slid sideways through the morning mist, waiting for Valeria to catch the impish nature of the gesture before speaking further. "Doesn't it get boring though?" Head tilted inquiringly as a gray-tipped tail swayed behind the cream and gray woman. The forest was silent and still, but her gaze inevitably landed in the direction of the mule deer scent from earlier. "Those deer might be more fun." 'Fun' probably wasn't the right word, but it was the closest she could come up with. Gold eyes searched back for Valeria as the older woman took a decided step in the prey's direction.

It still felt like there were some roadblocks in the conversation between them, but was quickly smoothed over. It was obvious both woman shared a common interest. Iopah watched her subordinates expression change at mention of the deer and couldn't repress a shifting of her own. It had been much too long since the Reinier woman had been in a proper hunt. She longed for the feeling of the wind in her teeth and the sight of grass blurring underneath.

The nod was unexpectedly placid, however. Iopah stilled her impatient feet and waited. In the absence of speech (which she did not seem to be mastering today), the woman tilted her head and raised a brow in a quintessential curious expression. Her tail swayed at a slightly slower beat than before with the explanation, but did not stop entirely.

"That's true," She allowed with a dip of her cream-hued skull. Caution and realism were both invaluable traits for a hunter, particularly for one who often hunted by herself. Iopah's first hunting partner and close friend died while attempting the impossible. Iopah was relieved to not have to worry about Valeria in the same way; she needed wolves she could rely on. "However you should study them, test them anyways." Sometimes there was not time in the midst of a hunt, and that previous knowledge would make all the difference. They were pack wolves and it was in their best interest to be familiar with all the large prey animals nearby.

The alpha indicated for Valeria to follow her with a gentle nod. "If you know how they'll react hunts will go better." A great many factors went into a successful hunt: the terrain, health of both hunters and hunted, and the wolves one worked with. The Reinier queen paused, lingering beside a fallen cedar and pointed her black nose at the sky. Her voice rose and fell over the Pines, calling her wolves to the hunt.

They had not gone very far when a howl came back to them from deeper inside the Pines. The alpha cut her step short, a single paw airborne, and listened. It was familiar; Iopah did not even have to wonder at the voice's owner. This was not the first time Nova had answered her query, nor the first time they had hunted together. The paw came and the pale woman turned quickly. Her excitement was palpable. She loved the hunt -the pound of hooves and paws alike and the controlled chaos of many wolves acting as one. It was in her blood, created from a desire to save her parents, but it was no less strong now. The sound of an approaching wolf set her tail to swaying. The Zamora woman was determined and loyal, Iopah had no doubt of their coming success. When the dark mother appeared, Iopah gave a contented hum.

Good, now the fun could really start. She turned to Valeria with an encouraging nudge, directing her to start tracking the scent she had located earlier. The scent was old, but the wind was low and it was easy to pick back up. Iopah stepped alongside Nova as they inspected it. It seemed to run diagonal to the border. For a moment she stopped all her planning and gazed deep into the timbers. There was something far more valuable laid in that direction. "We'll have to herd the deer away from the border." The Pines' pups were too young to have a full-borne hunt crash around their dens. She traded a knowing glance with Nova and then nodded the younger woman forward. It wouldn't be that hard, they just had to approach from the Pines' territory and the deer would scatter in the other direction.

The wind worked with them and the forest was soft under their paws. The trio of women worked quietly and efficiently, it was the prey's scent rather than words that kept them synchronized. Iopah snuffed at the earth, her pace increasing as the scent grew. They were close now. The herd of mule deer had not moved much during the wolves' conversation and ensuing approach. Soft grunts and the crunch of red-cedar needles gave their presence away.

Iopah froze, pale ears curving to the sounds. Through a patch in the foliage she could just barely see the shift of their rusty hides. The alpha stretched to press a dark nose against each of her subordinates, staying their forward movement for the moment. They could not blow this chance away by rushing into it. Her nose flared in the breeze, lifting to catch the scent of the does. They smelled healthy, but young and thus easily flustered and confused. It was something Iopah planned on taking advantage of.

When Nova glanced over, she angled her head to the east. The wind was blowing from that direction, taking away any forewarning the deer might have. Iopah prowled forward, letting a long-legged stride taking her ahead so that the hunters were spaced out. She knew the disorienting effect of having wolves appears from multiple angles. The stalk continued until something finally gave them away, but it was too late and the wolves were too close by that point. When the deer leapt away the wolves were right on their heels. The chase was over before the first doe made it into the safety of the deep forest.