It was time to start doing something around here, to make a name for herself and gain some recognition as a hunter. She knew she was capable; she'd been taught to catch a wide variety of prey, and her time spent alone had given her plenty of experience and opportunities to catch different species. Today, she was heading to the pond amongst the willows, her nose drawn by the fascinating, mouth-watering scents. This was a bountiful place, and she quite liked it. There were plenty of small items of prey to choose from, and larger prey would be drawn here for the

Esarosa crept to the edge of the pond, sending several large bull frogs leaping into the water - no matter, frogs would be plentiful in a pond like this. She crouched down near the edge, holding herself very still as she allowed her emerald gaze to drift around curiously. What else was here? She caught sight of movement in the water - there was lots to choose from, whether it be fish or frogs. On the other side of the pond, an elk bent down to drink and pluck at the marshy grasses. She wouldn't try to take that on by herself, instead focusing her attention on smaller critters for now - this would merely be a game of patience.

Belly down to the ground, the toes of her forepaws grazing the water, she waited. Without movement, the frogs forgot their fear and returned to the lily pads, and to the shore. One leapt up just a few feet away to her left - Esa's eyes watched carefully, and she coiled her muscles, preparing to spring. In one swift, graceful movement, she pounced and trapped the large frog under her right paw before killing it in her jaws. One down. She dropped the body in a small tuft of reeds in the mud, before going back to her place by the edge of the water where she would wait for more frogs - or perhaps get an opportunity to swipe a fish out of the pond. She knew she'd have to catch quite a bit just to give her pack mates a snack, although she did quite enjoy this game. Still, she hoped someone would join her so perhaps they could target the elk instead.

Steel had been surprised to see Esarosa at the meeting. His circle of friends was very small.. so small that it was almost nonexistent, but if he had something called friends he'd definitely consider her in it. She'd been kind to him when she'd had no reason to, when he had given her no real reason to, and seeing that she was here in Argead made things infinitely better, even if he couldn't admit it out loud. He caught a whiff of her scent as he moved among the willows, silent and solemn as always. At the very least, he had become familiar with the lands that Mithras had claimed for Argead, and he had grown slightly fond of them. Still, he felt the ache to move, to wander freely as he was accustomed to, but exploring these lands had been enough to satiate his wants for now. He caught sight of her standing at the edge of the pond, focused as she started across it. He purposefully made his pawsteps louder, not wanting his approach to be alarming to her. But, before he could get close enough to greet her, he saw he bounded into the shallows, chasing something small before grabbing it and dropping it in the mud. He'd move a handful of steps closer, his head dipping gently. "Hello," he called out a bit warily in a simple greeting.

Mithras had been planning, or hoping rather, to catch Steel in a good moment. Ever since the man had appeared at Faria's side he'd known there was something more between the two, which by extension meant there was something between all three of them. It hadn't unsettled him, necessarily, that just wasn't the right word. Something close though. Mithras knew that no matter how the young male and Faria felt about each other, he had taken care of her when Mithras hadn't been able to, and he'd never properly thanked him. Besides, Mithras wanted to get to know him better, and in his heart of hearts he hoped that one day he and Steel might even call each other friends. So, when he found the young male's trail weaving through the willows it had been an easy choice to follow.

What he found looked like a spectacle of some sort. He watched for a moment, quiet, while Esarosa captured a frog. She made it look so easy, and he was at once mortified, remembering the time he'd spent a fruitless afternoon attempting the very same thing. He smiled, tail lifting, and trotted forward. He smiled warmly at both of the other wolves. "Hello from me as well. How's the day treating you?" He hoped they weren't having some sort of private gathering, he wouldn't want to impose, and he dearly hoped they'd tell him off if that was the case. Just because he was Vasilias didn't mean he could forgo manners, after all! So he sat down with a pleasant smile and waited for one of them to say something.

As she was lining herself up to wait for her next target to get too close, her ears tilted back as the sound of pawsteps reached her. She turned toward the source and saw Steel. He greeted her warily with a small dip of his head. Esa was surprised to see him, but not disappointed. She smiled in greeting, leaving her post to face him. "So you decided to stay in Argead?" she asked, though it was obvious by his scent that he'd stayed within the territory, "I was surprised to see you at the meeting, and you were so quiet I wasn't sure if you'd stay. Good to see you Steel." Her tail waved in a friendly manner, wondering if he'd want to hunt with her again. Now that they were pack mates, they'd really have to work as a team; difficult for both, as the lone life had claimed them for a long time. Before she could say anything more, another figure made himself known; Mithras! Esa had forgotten just how big he was, and how fascinating his coat color was. She stood there blinking for a few moments, and had to give her head a little shake before finding her voice. "Greetings Mithras," she said, dipping her head to him, feeling a little nervous in his presence - it had been a long, long time since she'd had any responsibility toward an authoritative figure, "I-I'm well, just spending some time hunting. Catching some snacks for anyone who's hungry." What else was she supposed to say? Her paws kneaded the mucky ground anxiously, for once she was at a loss, not knowing what to say next. Perhaps someone else would break the silence and get her brain back on track. "Speak" "Listen" Think

Steel had felt a brief glimmer of hope bloom in his chest when he'd seen Esarosa again. There was a chance that he had a friend here, if they could even be considered friends, a friend that he could sit and talk to - or maybe just listen to her talk. Either way, it was something different from the norm, and he felt drastically less dreadful than he had just moments before. Steel would offer a slow nod to her question, hoping she'd decided to stay as well. "I did," he said, adding on a for now silently in his head. "And it's good to see you." Though a man of few words, the ones he spoke were always genuine. He was not known for superfluity with his speech and that certainly had not changed now. Maybe, just maybe, he thought to himself, things wouldn't be terrible forever. But then Mithras showed up. He didn't know how to act around him - didn't know if he could ever muster more than a word to him. He probably was a great guy, Steel knew, and he knew he was well-liked among the members of Argead. But that was the problem. Faria liked him too much. So much that she'd had his children. So much that he'd changed her life, and Steel's in turn, forever. He was quiet at his leader's approach, his gaze shifting to him briefly before casting toward the muddy ground. "It's fine," he answered succinctly, his tone vacant of much emotion at all. "Was just coming to check out the pond myself." He noted Esarosa looked a bit uncomfortable, and he eyed her again with a curious stare, before glancing at Mithras again.

Pack life was something the male was...very unused to. And quite frankly, he didn't understand why the clan decided to become a pack in the first place. They were supposed to be unbound, free to go where they pleased. Could that still be done while calling themselves members of Argead? Adding to that...he didn't like the labels. But alas, there was nothing much he could do. He had come to support Mithras, he just hoped being in a 'pack' wouldn't hamper his life in a negative way. The male trailed towards the ponds, his stomach grumbling minutes prior and decided perhaps it was time for a snack. However, as he neared the pond he picked up the scents of a few wolves. The only one he recognized was Mithras, and the other two? Not a chance.

Coming out from the trees, blue gaze found the gathered trio near the edge of the pond. Mithras' large form and abnormal coat was the first thing that caught his eye, and nearby were two that he could vaguely recall seeing at the first meeting. He frowned for a moment, he would have to fix the problem and get to know who he was living in these lands with. For now, perhaps he could see what was going on. Approaching the trio, Domino stopped a few feet away, not too far but not too close to where he would be invading anyone's personal space. "Are we having a pool party?"

To be honest... Mithras had fixated on the frog thing. Memories of his failed attempt still haunted him apparently, and he felt a sudden fiery vengeance towards the slimey creatures. He would learn how to catch them. In fact, he had so fixated on this that he didn't realize how uncomfortable he'd made his packmates. If he had, he probably would have left at once, but unfortunately for them all he had become quite distracted. He was broken from this distraction by the arrival of Domino, who asked if they were having a party. Well... Why not? "Esarosa, would you terribly mind giving a bit of a lesson on frog catching? I've always wanted to learn. If we're not imposing, that is?" He looked to Domino and gave his old friend a warm smile. They'd have to catch up sometime soon, perhaps the two of them could walk a patrol together sometime soon. He turned his gaze back to Steel, and was taken aback by the unhappiness in his eyes. Mithras was at first surprised, but understanding dawned on him relatively quickly for how typically thickheaded he was. He'd always suspected that Steel was in this pack for someone else's loyalty, but he hadn't ever felt like the other male opposed him. Now... he was forced to wonder. He frowned, and decided he'd talk to Faria about it soon. If Steel didn't like him... Well, okay. He couldn't force that. But if he was hurting or discontent he didn't want that problem to grow. Faria knew him best, perhaps she'd know what to do. Food for thought, he decided, turning his attention back to frogs. - Mithras

Esa smiled at Steel in response to his words, before Mithras joined them. Though it was impossible to read his expression, she was glad he returned her greeting. She was a little surprised that he'd approached her at all. She was sure that she'd scared him off with her clam hunting technique. But then again, he hadn't refused to participate, and if he was here now, he couldn't have been too put off. She would have loved to blab his ear off and feed him frog legs until he was bloated, but their leader was here now, and it would be rude to ignore him. Glancing at Steel when the male finally addressed Mithras, she noticed how unimpressed he looked to see the star-wolf. Curiosity tugged at her. Why did he look like that? Unable to draw any conclusions, she looked back to Mithras, before her attention was split by the approach of another pack mate. This one she certainly didn't know, though she thought she might vaguely remember him from that first meeting. The ivory-coated male would stop near the rest of them, greeting them with a joke. Esa had to hold back a chuckle, amused. She turned once more to the Alpha male as he posed a question. Surprised by the request, she entertained it for a moment. But her emerald gaze shifted to the larger animal across the pond that she'd spotted earlier. The elk was still grazing on the shallow water plants. She looked back to Mithras. "You want to catch frogs?" she asked, tilting her head, "Not that I mind, they make great snacks of course. But I've had my eye on that-" She motioned her snout toward the elk before continuing, "-for a while now. We can catch frogs any old time. Since there's a few of us here now, I bet we could catch it. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty hungry, and I haven't had a big meal like that in like pretty much forever." Catching larger prey alone was near impossible, but they could do it if they worked together. She glanced around at the wolves gathered. "Are you all up for it?" she asked, her eyes scanning over Domino, then to Steel. Would he be willing to get his paws dirty? She hoped so. Her stomach rumbled, and she was already salivating at just the thought of a big, warm, filling meal. Finally, she'd look to Mithras again. "What do you think?" she asked him, realizing she was trying to change his plans, but unable to help herself. She wasn't one to inhibit herself often, just saying what was on her mind, and right now she really wanted that elk if these guys were willing to help her. "Speak" "Listen" Think

He hadn't realized his distaste for Mithras was so.. obvious. He didn't hate the guy, he just left a sour taste in his mouth. In his mind, it was Mithras's fault that his life had been turned upside-down once again. Things would've been better had he not shown up. Plain and simple. His gaze shifted to Domino, another pack-mate, and his cool stare examined him for a moment before returning to their alpha. He was interested in catching frogs. Esarosa must've been a rogue for awhile, he decided. She ate disgusting things.. clams from the mud and now frogs from the mud. Still, he liked her, and was willing to give her way of getting food a try. Even if it freaked him out just a bit. "Sure," he'd answer, his usual nonchalant way of confirming - as though a simple yes was too difficult for him to answer with. "But this better be less gross than the clams." Was that a smile that flashed - small, but genuine - across his lips? It was subtle, barely noticeable, but it was there. It was surprising that Esarosa had other plans, but it made sense. It would be a bit silly - but maybe amusing - for four of them to catch frogs, but if they were together, they might as well try to get a real meal that they could share with the pack. "Probably a good idea," he agreed with a slow nod, wondering if Mithras would be up for it. He was more than happy to leave the frog-catching for later.

In his excitement, Mithras had no even noticed the stag across the pond. When Esarosa motioned to it, he frowned in it's direction for a long moment. Damn it all, but she was right! The stag would make a much better target than frogs but his puplike exuberance would not fade so quickly. He would learn one of these days, or he would die trying! (*cough*) So instead of pressing it, he gave in and smiled and rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Well, if you insist!" he laughed and went on. "But perhaps I could wheedle you for a lesson in frog hunting sometime in the future?" It couldn't hurt to try, anyways. Esarosa seemed a competent hunter and he was more than glad to see her making a name for herself in the ranks. He turned to her and said "I'm in, whenever you're ready." He'd be more than happy to let her take the lead on it. After all, it was her idea, and on top of being eager to see what she was made of it had also been a while since he'd hunted with anyone other than Caia or Faria. He would likely be a bit rusty, but this was going to be Argead's first pack hunt and he was getting more excited again by the minute. Mithras looked at Steel and Domino with bright eyes, hoping they would be just as eager as he was. "Talk" "You" Think

It certainly seemed like he had walked into a very amusing conversation. And while he watched and listened to Mithras' eagerness about learning how to catch frogs, he almost laughed. Not because it was a silly idea, but the fact that he remembered Mithras was a terrible frog hunter. Not to mention, he heard from some others about his last attempt at frog hunting. Everyone knew about that! There was little that happened around the diamachi that others didn't know about, and it was both funny and annoying sometimes.

As Esarosa mentioned something about a stag, Domino's gaze found what she was talking about. How could he miss that? He supposed he was too caught up in the frog scene he hadn't been paying attention. And as the others voiced their agreement to hunt it, he looked first to steel, then to Mithras and then lastly to Esa before nodding. "I'm in." His blue gaze returned to Mithras then, a mischievous smile touching his lips as his eyes twinkled with the same mischievous gleam. "Don't croak on us, Mithras." He saw the opportunity for the joke, and took it. No matter how terrible of a joke it was.

Esarosa tilted her head toward Steel, the first one to speak up and agree to hunt with her. He gave a simple answer to confirm his participation - she was sure that was all he would say, but he surprised her when he added more. "But this better be less gross than the clams." Was that a small smile gracing his normally sullen expression? Her emerald gaze looked to his red eyes. She, of course, would smile widely in return, glad that he would come along for this hunt. "I promise, it won't be anything like hunting for clams today," she said with a wink. She stared at him for a few moments longer, then turned to Mithras. He looked a little disappointed that she'd suggested larger prey instead of frogs, but he wouldn't oppose her; in fact, he was quite good-natured about it, for which she was glad. Wagging her tail, she listened as he agreed to hunt the stag across the pond, but still hoped to get a lesson in frog hunting at some point. She couldn't say no to that! "Of course, Mithras!" she said, nodding her head vigorously, "Hunting frogs is great fun! I can definitely show you!" It felt odd to her to be needed, to actually be called upon to help out with something. Maybe she could actually be useful around here after all. She hadn't expected things to go well after joining a pack, but so far she wasn't regretting anything. Now she turned to Domino. He, too, would voice his agreement to hunt with them. "Great!" she exclaimed eagerly. Looking to Mithras, she realized he was waiting on her to lead the way. She tried to straighten up and look like she was in charge - her eyes drifted to the elk as she took a moment to think things through. She'd never led a group hunt before; she'd hunted all sorts of prey on her own, and as a youngster she'd participated in numerous small group hunts, but she had never been in charge before. Still, she was ready to give this a try, and she felt confident that she could do this. She had many reasons, but one stood out in particular - she had a rival, and she had vowed to outrank the other woman in any way possible; and if she could succeed in this hunt, that would be her first step. Her gaze turned back to the hunting party. "We should split up a bit," she declared, looking to Mithras first, "Perhaps you can act as a decoy at first, give us a chance to disappear into hiding. The stag will have its eye on you. Keep its attention until we're ready, but don't spook it too soon - I'll get it running when the time is right. Just inch your way closer until we're ready." His interesting coat color would give them an unusual advantage here. Then she looked to Steel and Domino. "If you two sneak around that way," she nodded her head to the right of the pond, "You can wait to ambush it. I'll head around the other side of the pond and set myself up to be on its heels, and I'll try to steer it towards you. It's easiest to get them when they're panicked and running blind. Once it's running Mithras, catch up and help us take it down." Had she been thorough enough? She was sure she knew where the animal would run, her strategy seemed sound in theory. She dearly hoped her strategy would hold up in practice. She'd wait a few moments, in case anyone questioned her or had suggestions. Then she went to move into position. She headed into the growth where she would be hidden, making a wide circle to the left of the pond. Keeping low, her legs bent and tail held by her hocks, yet not low enough to rustle the undergrowth, she crept along until she was at the far side of the pond. She moved until she could see the rear legs of the elk. Her movement slowed further, inching her way closer as she waited for the others to get into position and ready themselves for the action. "Speak" "Listen" Think

Steel hadn't noticed the stag either - but truthfully, he hadn't been paying much attention, either. He hadn't expected anyone else to show up, but they had, and he had no idea how the afternoon might pan out now. His gaze was fixed on Esarosa for a long moment, wondering what she had planned; she had always struck him as a competent hunter, and he was most certainly not the best, so it would be interesting to see what they might do now. Mithras was eager to join them, as was the white-furred male with the black facial markings. Steel would nod as well in agreement, ears perking as Esarosa began to speak up.  She was ready to lead the hunt, and he was willing to follow her lead. Split up, don't spook it, then charge when given the signal. Easy enough, and they would certainly get a good meal out of it. He and Domino would go around one side. He hardly waited for her to finish before setting off in that direction, his movements staggered and careful as he headed toward the stag. He and Domino would be the first to attack once Esarosa and Mithras pushed it toward them. He would ready his stance as they crept forward a bit closer, ears flattening as his eyes widened, waiting for any sign of movement so he could preemptively ready himself to strike.