|Zenda|F|2|Herbalist's Apprentice|M: Celeste, Kirari, Venus|

Zenda felt the sunshine on her black muzzle as she twitched her nose. Eyes slowly opened, a smile on her muzzle. It was a lovely day already, and it was just starting! Her fluffy tail thumped the ground next to her as she sat up. Where was her mentor? Ears flicked back as she looked down at her paws. It was just her in the den. She felt saddened slightly, but decided that it was too good of a day to feel negative.

She stood up, and took in a deep breath of the fresh herbs around her. Her tail wagged as she repeated the names in her mind. Poppy seeds, Chamomile, Ginger, Basil, Turmeric... Voices in the camp caught her attention. She turned around, ears perked, tail wagging slightly. She loved her packmates, even if they were sometimes grumpy. Silently, she watched the grumpy Lead Hunter and his patrol leave, the Alphas and Betas as well.

Her light grey eyes fell on the pup running around camp, Venus was her name. Zenda chuckled, oh how adorable! She stepped out of the den, taking in the fresh air before heading towards the Queens. She felt bad for invading in on their conversation. "Good morning Celeste, Kirari," She smiled at the pup neatly sitting next to her mother, "Venus, I hope all is well with you both?" She asked, her eyes light in the soft glow of morning.

Zenda had always enjoyed the calm of being around Queens, they always had great stories for their pups that she loved to join in on. She'd found that the Queens were naturally the nicest wolves in the pack because of their motherly instincts. Smiling at the young pup, she waited for the Queens responses.

Jiro frowned imperceivably, his usual reserved neutrality prominent on his face. Although he wasn't the biggest fan of hanging around the grumpy Lead Hunter, entering into a competition was just asking for trouble. Should he lose, he could see himself on the receiving end of a lecture about pulling his own weight. He also suspected that Pistol wouldn't take kindly to losing either. Truly a no-win situation. "We should look for larger prey. The pack has many growing pups, so it'd be better to hunt bigger," Jiro said, closing his eyes and sharpening his other sense. They were too close to camp for his sense of smell to be of much use. The familiar scents of pine and his packmates flooded his nostrils, drowning out anything that could be considered prey. Besides, anything worthwhile would be further out.

If he strained his ears to their absolute limit, he could barely make out the soft sound of runnning water. The southern river. He didn't know why exactly, but he always loved the water. Maybe it was a bit strange for a wolf to spend his time swimming and fishing and just hanging out around the riverbank in his spare moments. Still, he wasn't ashamed of this affinity. Rather, he was quite proud of his proficiency in the water, though he rarely had a chance to show it off.

Turning his mind back to the hunt, Jiro listened for any indication of prey. Thump. There. Just at the outer edges of his range, he heard something that resembled a heavy, hooved footstep. Nothing was for certain, but it would be worth checking out. He opened his eyes at the sound of other wolves approaching. Hondo. Then Chenoa and Zero. "The more the merrier," he told them, Pistol's earlier words echoing in his mind. He wasn't sure how sincere the Lead Hunter was being at that moment, but he would have to stick by his word. "I think I'm hearing something large this way," he said, turning south. He set out in a steady jog, carefully to minimize any disturbance to potential prey.

"And yet no one else is here," he muttered, half to himself. Unlike the younger male before him, Kaido did a far better job at quelling his anger, masking it until only a hint of mild annoyance remained. "Throw your weight around all you want, pup," he rumbled, "I've been hunting longer than you've been alive." A quick glance back towards camp told him they were probably on their own. It seemed all the other Hunters and Sentinels had set off on their own patrols. Well, whatever. Turning back to the woods, he set off at a light but steady trot, an effective pace for covering distance without disturbing potential prey.

Inhaling deeply, Kaido began sniffing out a trail. At first, he was greeted only by the scent of his packmates, but as the patrol headed deeper into the forest, the smell of wolves gave way to that of prey. For the most part, he ignored the tangle of intertwining smells, failing to identify anything worthwhile. An odd rabbit here or measly squirrel there would require more energy to hunt it than it provided. The meat trail carried him northwards, a slight shift in wind carrying the scent of deer to his nostrils. Finally, something worth his time.

He found the herd in the northeastern meadow, grazing peacefully on the tall grass, blissfully unaware of the new danger but not necessarily unalert. A intimidating-looking buck with an impressive rack of antlers atop his head stood around the outskirts of the herd. He looked old too, definitely nothing to scoff at. Yet his presence was strange, especially considering it wasn't even fall yet. Oh, well. They'd have to make do. There were a few old does who seemed to have a decent chunk of experience, but it was younger ones that caught his attention. Feeling the wind brush the tips of his ears, he check his position and began making a gradual downwind approach, his eyes scanning the herd for a target.

|Sparrow|F|5|Alpha|M: Night, Raven|

Sparrow watched Night closely, nothing every small movement he did, the slight swish of his tail, he might have been happy, but she doubted it. It told her that he was engaged. She gave a small flick of the tip of her tail. She appreciated that he waited for her, something she wasn't used to, except for her love. He always waited for her. She couldn't wait until she could see him again.

"That's fine, I'd love to hunt with you." She said, giving a swift nod and following the hunter, her steps gentle on the ground. Sparrow wanted to thank him for waiting... but for some reason it seemed un-loyal to her mate. She knew it didn't mean anything, but something made her hold her tongue. She listened with the best of her abilities, her eyes flicking to every movement. She was excited to hunt. There was nothing like the thrill of the hunt. Her pack working together, united as one.

Her ears were perked, body relaxed as she glided over the moss covered ground. The moisture of the moss felt good on her paws, making her blink in enjoyment. She needed to get out more. Now she allowed Night to lead, this small patrol in his and Ravens paws, she was just along for the ride.