With the impending arrival of Nina's puppies the Woodlands seemed to become overrun with waiting wolves. Coal was glad that everyone was so unified about the whole deal, and the loss of Hollow and rise of his close friend Miccah hadn't caused too much upheaval, but the crowded territory and constant activity could sometimes be suffocating. He wanted something new, something that would draw his attention away from all the issues going on back home, and that was why he now walked leisurely through the fields without much care at all.
Around the huge wolf the grass was beginning to regain some of its length it had lost over the winter, and was already attracting the browsers who liked to feast on the tender plants. Every now and then a spooked doe would leap from the grass, its belly round with unborn twins, but Coal ignored them. Alone a hunt was hopeless, even considering his great size, and the peaceful beasts had nothing to worry about from the traveling pack-wolf. Coal enjoyed seeing them run though, and paused each time so watch them flash their little white tails and bounce through the fields.
To amuse himself Coal took off after a young pregnant doe, baring his teeth and growling to announce his presence. The deer's eyes rolled back in fear as she ran for her life, and the Bielski chuckled as he slowed to a trot and then back to a lazy walk to let her flee. For a moment he regretted not bringing Aideen with him to make the afternoon perfect, but he was sure the red female would be busy working towards her role as medic. Coal smirked. She was so much more diligent than he, yet somehow it was Coal who held the second ranking position below Miccah. Aideen deserved the spot. No, she deserved better. She deserved everything.