MERCY get your things, we're leaving when the morning birds are singing, we're sailing. Though Mercy had straightened under his mother's subtle glance, his back bowed and his legs bent when Naira joined them. His tail swept back and forth happily between his heels, dusting the ground and his ears trembled lightly. He was very fond of her and brimmed with excitement, seeing her here- in action. He trusted that his mother knew what she was doing, but he was all the more impressed that he'd get to see Naira interrogate a newcomer. She came in between himself and his mother which the boy didn't mind at all, and he licked her chin a few times to show his respect. When he looked back at Veronika, it was with an illuminated gaze; wasn't his alpha awesome? Of course, the boy was even more impressed when Naira decided to test the newcomer by going on a hunt. Mercy forgot himself for a moment and in his excitement, bounded forward, nearly blundering into his mother as he did so. He immediately side-stepped, lowering his body and grinning in apology. His mother moved forward, as did Naira, and he trailed behind them for a moment, until he decided to settle back, alongside Veronika. He figured he probably shouldn't bother her with conversation- it probably wasn't the thing to do, with a stranger, when she hadn't proved herself to the pack yet. He didn't notice any pain she might've been in, though every now and again he'd cast a glance her way and offer her a small, encouraging smile. The boy wasn't even paying much attention to the task at hand until his mother addressed him. His head lifted in surprise, and then he quickly lowered it and began to swerve this way and that along their path, behind the alphas and making sure not to cut Veronika off, as he tried to decipher how many scent trails there were. He wanted to impress his mother, Naira, and the newcomer. It was important for him to answer correctly- Sagacity, he thought, was trying to show the newcomer that the pack was a group of trained elites; he'd have to live up to the legacy. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#fefefe;">"There's definitely a buck with them," He said, and was quite pleased to actually see the shape one of its cleft hooves left behind on the ground. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#fefefe;">"Decent-sized fella." He said. He wasn't going to try and guess how many points the buck had- that'd be going too far. But the hoofprint was of a decent sized, so he guessed it was at least a few years old. Bucks were the easiest to scent, anyway- they had a much more pungent odor. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#fefefe;">"Couple of older does, a younger doe...Or two," He said, and focused on one area in particular, before he spoke again. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#fefefe;">"Two that might've been this year's fawns? I think that's it." He said. <b style="font-family:georgia; color:#fefefe;">"Six and a buck?" Mercy knew well enough not to include the buck in the list of potential kills. A buck- unless it was young, injured or foolish or old- was not their ideal prey. So he left the buck as an addition, rather than suggesting that it would be one of the ones considered for slaughter. |
table by mimi |