Sanguine Cove backwards charm

Broken Clouds
62.51 ° F, 16.95 ° C

It had seemed easy.

Valley had secured a new home and now she sat even comfortable within their ranks! Yearlings ran amuck beneath her, but only seconds and leads stood above her. Something about it filled her with a sort of...nervous energy. The need to further prove her words.

So despite the soft smog in the air that late morning, she had begun a hunt. Hot on the trail of a marmot. She remained crouched upon a slope, watching as the chunky beast sunned itself. Soon they would go to hibernate, which meant the pickings might be best now when they were thickly prepared for it.

She tensed, prepared to pounce...

(This post was last modified: Aug 07, 2023, 06:43 PM by Valley.)

A newcomer had joined their ranks. Aquene had not had the opportunity to fully acquaint herself with the woman, and so she sought her out now, a smile on her features as she followed the woman’s scent… it would not take long to find her, still nestled within the territory as she moved and prepared to pounce. Aquene remained silent, seeing that she was lost in concentration, focused solely on what was in front of her.

And so, the alpha would wait for the woman to pursue her prey, her tail drifting from side to side in a slow wag. She was downwind, so she did not know that the other woman would notice her right away… only time would be able to tell in the end.

Aquene Slayer

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Valley had been focused on the task.

Instead she had her attention split by a fresher scent too. One that she now wore among her own coat now. Had the marmot noticed too? It seemed restless suddenly and stirred in a way that suggested it would no longer be an easy target.

Quick to plunge between stones and dirt to find its home and wait out the beasts.

That was not the impression Valley wanted to leave on her new leader.

"Sorry."

This called out as her head lowered and ears flattened. The image of submission before Aquene. One of two things she had said she would do, she had failed at!

Her cheeks burned hot with ripe embarrassment.

She felt bad when she saw the marmot squirm and run away before the woman could take it down in a hunt, a frown on her features. She hadn’t intended to ruin her hunt… as she saw it, she had. “No need to apologize… I am sorry I disturbed your hunt.” Though she was an alpha, in charge of the pack… she took more of a maternal role with them all.

She focused less on dominance, and more on care… but perhaps her litters had softened her to that… or perhaps it was her nature as a healer.

“I just wanted to see how you were settling in with the pack.” She wondered if the woman had a chance to meet anyone, or if she had come across anything of interest she wanted to inquire upon.

Aquene Slayer

"It's okay."

Because it had to be, right? Aquene was the leader and Valley still needed to carve out a spot. Even it felt like she (in her eyes) already stood in a very important spot. What if a second fell ill? Would they soon turn their eyes upon Valley for support? Her ears stood up tall once more in silent contemplation.

"It is very nice here." Her tail waved softly behind her. "I am ready to prove myself." The wiggle of her tail picked up softly and the tentative smile upon her face showed she meant nothing malicious with such a statement.

It was only an excited fact.

She would insist it was okay, and Aquene would frown for a moment. She didn’t want to know that it really was, even though the woman said it was… still it was done. What was done, was done. She spoke of it being nice, of proving herself and she offered a soft smile to the woman that she hoped would set her at ease.

“You already have.” She assured her, the smile and wiggle of the tail telling her all she needed to know. She had ruined the woman’s hunt, but she held little doubt that the cache would begin to fill quite soon.

“I actually wanted to talk to you about something like that…” She stated for a moment as she rested back on her haunches. “How would you feel about doing a few lessons with my daughter, teaching her how to hunt… nothing too major, and I’ve already begun to teach her the basics… but I am a healer by trade, and I am sure there are nuances even I fail to achieve.”

Aquene Slayer

Already?

Valley did not think she understood. She had simply showed up! Yet she had no want to speak up against the good opinion the lead woman held either.

"I can teach her without the danger of a hunt." Her tail swayed softly behind her as she came down a few levels from the rocky slopes. "I can teach tracking and trailing, the way the scents blow." Her features crinkled with a smile for a moment before it softened once more.

"She has the want to be a hunter when she grows?"

It was not so unusual a thought. Yet she also knew that perhaps being a healer would be more fascinating! Valley had not a lick of knowledge of the plants that grew.

Aquene’s approach to leadership was unorthodox, of that she was well aware. It was different from how both her father and her uncle had led. It was different from Aleister led as well. She looked at wolves and saw potential… she saw their place in the pack as earning their position, and their work in the pack to be a continuation of that dedication.

There was relief when the woman assured her that she could work with the girl. “It would be greatly appreciated… I’m capable of hunting, but I’m afraid I do have more of a nose for herbs than the fauna that feed on them.” She added with a twinkle of amusement. It was not her specialty. Her own focus was well-documented within the pack.

“I do not know. She is still quite young, but I want her to nurture all of her interests… be it hunting or healing or fighting or chasing her tail.” Briefly she thought to the ways she had failed her eldest, or any of her middle children. She sought to ensure Eclypse had a good life, unmarred by tragedy as it had with her siblings.

Aquene Slayer