Drooping Willows all smiles and dated

Hagar thought little about the changes occurring around him. It was nature's way and nothing more. Where others might have felt anxieties or excitement at what their place might be in this unavoidable cycle, he remained calm and focused on far more mundane aspects of life. There were herds to track, food to slaughter and store, grounds to mark and rival predators to discourage. If Spring were to ask anything of him, it would need to find it's place amongst these callings rather than disrupting them. When children inevitably came, these activities would be all the more crucial.

He left behind the cloying scents of the others and searched the unmarked portion of woods for freshly-used prey trails. He came across deer scat and smiled, encouraged by the evidence. Perhaps another herd was cutting through? He pressed onward, following the occasional hoofprint as it led him further south.