He didn't patrol the castle perimeter too much, mostly on account that the majority of the pack resided mostly in these parts of the territories. Still, he figured he should probably patrol the castle grounds too, even though things in Auster were pretty quiet. It wouldn't do any good to be caught off guard by intruders and the like. Somewhere, Kimahri lurked in the shadows. Possibly in a tree or hidden away in the foliage. The alpha walked along the borders, marking them to strengthen the lines so outsiders would know better than to cross. Or at least...they better, else they'd face the consequences.

It'd been awhile now since they had settled in Auster, and Jade had been slowly getting used to things here. Along with a new home, she was also getting used to spending more time on her own, now that she was a bit older. Her parents often kept to themselves more, and she was tasked with keeping herself entertained. Luckily now, with autumn here and the weather far more enjoyable for her, she found herself exploring her new home more thoroughly. The castle in particular had captured her attention, and on this lovely afternoon she found herself dawn to their towering peaks. Though the walls were crumbling, worn from age and natural forces, they still stood strong and proud -- certainly more massive than anything she'd ever seen. Wonder filled her pale green eyes, wide and expressive as her head tipped back as she examined the tall structure. Her paws carried her on, though she as largely distracted, and hardly noticed at all before nearly colliding with someone. She yelped, jumping back and letting her gaze focus on the man in front of her -- Dragon, her alpha. "Oh! Hi!" The girl exclaimed, a slight smile pulling at her lips as her tail began to wave gently behind her. "Sorry, I didn't see you."

He was starting to get bored with his patrol. Auster was pretty quiet, so there really wasn't much of anything that the borders needed guarding from. He supposed he only really did it now just to have something to do. His day was about to get less boring, however, when he ran across Jade. Well...when she nearly ran into him, anyway. His tail wagged, nodding to her apology. "Hey there! How are you?" He knew pups of Esarosa and Steel by name, and had been around them when he assigned mentors, but he hadn't really actually talked to them yet. And this was an opportunity to turn that around. "Watcha up to?"


"ROAR"

Jade, honestly, hadn't spent much time talking to anyone outside her own family. She'd been part of the meeting where Dragon had assigned mentors -- hers ended up being her mom, she figured since there weren't a lot of hunters in the pack, which didn't exactly push her to work with strangers. Half the time she was busy in her own head, hardly noticing what was going on in the world around her. Especially now, as she nearly collided with her alpha, and jolted back in surprise. Her expression brightened, grin widening as she realized he wasn't angry for her lack of attention. "I'm good!" She chirped gladly, nodding as though accentuating her answer. "I was just exploring. This castle is really cool," she admitted, as her gaze roved over the structure with interest, hoping that she remembered the right word for the structure. She wondered how old it was... and how many wolves had lived to see this thing. "I'm kinda hungry though," Jade noted after a moment, tail wagging as she eyed Dragon. "I know you're not my mentor, but do you think we could maybe hunt something?" Even if they only hunted bugs she'd be pretty happy, but she figured they could take down something bigger. Her rumbling stomach hoped she was right about that.

His tail wagged, the young male smiling at Jade's response. He loved how she seemed so carefree, not a single care in the world and no weight on her shoulders. She didn't have to worry about much, except for making it to training when called but...none had been called yet. He would remedy that later, but for now he had to agree on what she said. "I know! I really liked it when I found it, there's lots of places to explore in there!" He turned his head to look at the ancient castle. He had no idea how old it was, or how it got here. Humans were well before his time, and even before his mother's time. He wondered if there were even wolves alive that had maybe seen them before, and he had no clue just how long humans had been gone.

His thoughts pulled away from that, however, when Jade mentioned she was hungry. He looked at her for a moment, thoughtful. "Of course! And y'know, if there's anything you ever want to do with me, or anyone else in the pack like hunting or something, don't hesitate to let me know! I'm more then happy to hunt with you, and I'm sure the others are willing to train you when your mother can't." He grinned and winked at her, tail set into motion as it wagged. "I could actually go for a meal too! What do you feel like eating?"

Jade Aegir had been a bit of a dreamer ever since the day she was born. She certainly took more after her mother in that regard; she was perpetually interested in things around here, especially since the pack had moved so far from what she'd grown used to. The cold of the north had been fine, but the world here was so different and enjoyable, too. Her attention was still stuck on the castle for a long moment, roving over its tall stone walls which were littered with vines and moss. "Hmm," she hummed quietly under her breath, considering his words. Maybe someday she'd go inside of it, though it seemed a bit dangerous. Surely she could get Sterling or Coby to join her, right? Today, though, it seemed something else would come before exploring. Her stomach rumbling lightly again helped to remind her of the task at hand. "Alright," the girl agreed to his words readily, a grin forming on her lips. Though she didn't know much about this man, her alpha.. or, Drakon was what they called it here.. he seemed kind and she liked him already. It was nice to know she could reach out to him, or others, if she ever needed anything. "Ummm.." What did she want to eat? She wasn't sure. Her brows furrowed in careful thought. "I don't know what that smell is," she started, gesturing dramatically away from the castle with her snout. "But maybe that? Do you know what it is? It smells good!" Her eyes widened with obvious interest as she watched Dragon. The scent of something was on the air -- a dik-dik, though she wasn't aware of what it was, having never encountered one before -- and already she felt herself salivating as she tasted the aroma on the air again.

"Alright," He grinned, tail wagging when she responded. Hopefully this would help the younger ones open up and seek out help, or at least let them know it was okay to do so and not feel like they were alone in things, or even like they were bothering others. As a pack, he didn't think it should be a bother if someone needed help with something. If an apprentice (or even a non-apprentice) needed help with hunting or looking for herbs or even a friendly spar, then he believed they should get the help they needed to accomplish their goals. And that was precisely what he was going to do with Jade. He was going to help her hunt whatever she wanted. He waited for her to figure out what she wanted, and it seemed she would detect something on the wind. Obvious of course by the question she posed to him. He gazed in the direction she pointed at, a chuckle leaving his maw as he took a couple steps in that direction.

"Heh, have you ever seen a fawn before? Well, what you smell now is kind of like one...except way smaller. My mom said they're called Dik-dik's...weird name huh?" He grinned now at the thought of seeing Jade's reaction upon seeing one. What would she think about it? The first time he had seen the itty bitty thing he was pretty surprised and enthralled. He had no idea that deer could be that small! To him, it was like the size of a puppy almost. Pretty bizarre, he thought. "C'mon, there might be a couple of them over this way," He led her forward, though when it came down to it, he would more than likely let her try to hunt one down on her own when the time came for it.


"ROAR"

Clearly pleased at his eagerness to help her in a hunt, she beamed widely at him. She wasn't quite sure if most packs worked like this one, but she felt a bit flattered to be spending time with her alpha, knowing he surely had other things he could be doing. Happy to start hunting with him, she lifted her head to get a better whiff of the scent on the wind. Though unusual, it resembled other prey she had eaten before, and had seen her parents hunt together. Jade had generally stuck with the smaller prey until now, and was excited to get experience with something larger. "Super weird," Jade agreed with a soft giggle. It was a silly name for a prey animal, but she figured that wouldn't detract from its tastiness. She would gladly trail after him, her posture tightening as the scent grew stronger. They veered around the side of the castle ruins, heading into a thicker area of vegetation. Catching its trail, she crouched down slightly, using her nose to push some stray vegetation to the side -- catching a slight glimpse of one in the near distance. "Is that it?" Jade asked softly, eyes wide with interest. It was way smaller than she expected.

"Super weird," He laughed a little, tail wagging as he led the way towards the impossibly small deer. He wondered how it was possible that they had grown so small! Or rather...shrunk? Was it possible for things to shrink? How small were they when they were babies? He'd probably have to track some later, or maybe figure out a way to keep a breeding pair as pets. Wouldn't that be something? He chuckled a bit at the thought of a wolf keeping a prey animal as a pet...that would be way out of the ordinary, wouldn't it? And he'd probably get laughed at...his thoughts began to trail away, and for a moment he almost forgot what he was doing until Jade's voice pulled him from his weird thoughts.

He peered over a small bush, and not too far away he could see a few of the itty bitty deer-like creatures grazing. "Mhm!" He nodded as he watched them. He could never really get over how tiny they were compared to the normal sized deer they usually hunted. These things were perfect practice for smaller wolves, maybe even pups! Hey...now that was an idea! These things could be used as hunting practice for when it came time to hunt the bigger deer! They were practically the same, after all. These were just...smaller.

"ROAR"

Huh. How strange this little creature was. She was still growing used to living in these strange lands, and wondered how many other things she had yet to learn. Jade wondered if there were other animals that looked like ones she knew from her old lands, only smaller here! Were the wolves smaller too? No, that was a silly thought, she decided. With narrowed eyes she regarded the small creature, tail wagging gently behind her slender frame. "So, how do we take one down?" The girl asked in a whisper, looking up at Dragon with curious eyes. She didn't want to alert the herd to her presence and scare them off. Having to try to chase them down sounded like a lot more work. "I've only hunted small stuff before. I mean, these are small, but.." Not quite as small, that was all. Her nose wrinkled in careful thought as she studied the scene. "If we run at them, won't they hear us and run off? Or can we run faster than them?" A grin teased her lips. She figured she could let her instincts take over and figure it out, but she had Dragon's company for now and was happy to take advantage of his advanced knowledge.

He watched them, almost mesmerized as he was lost in his thoughts about how ridiculously small they were. When Jade asked him a question though, he pulled from those thoughts and glanced down at her for a moment before he looked back up at them. That was a good question, though if they were similar to normal deer then he figured they could be taken down like one, right? "Oh, we're definitely faster than them. I've seen 'em run before, and they're not as quick as wolves." Did that answer her question? An idea began to brew in his mind, and it took a moment to figure out how they would do this. Maybe if they tried to herd them to a good spot, they could take one down easy! It was worth a shot, maybe a less dense area of the woods around the castle...maybe if they herded them towards the courtyard at the back of the castle? Once there, there was nowhere for the little deer to go unless they were magically able to scale walls. His tail began to slightly wag at the prospect of hunting one of these, and then eating a couple of 'em! Yeah, that sounded great! "I've got an idea! I'll herd them towards the courtyard, and you can go on ahead of them or on one side so we can keep them going one way. They're small enough that I can keep them going in one direction, if any try to slip past I think I can herd it back with the rest. Green eyes wandered over the small herd. He picked out one or two he might want to try and catch. They were nice and plump, eyes bright and he figured it would be good exercise and practice to hunt down something healthy as opposed to a sick one. Alright, he got the plan down. Now to put it in motion. "Pick out one you might want, because we're about to start, k?" He gave her a few moments to pick out her potential tenderloin before he slunk over behind the herd. Crouching down, he glanced over at her and nodded, indicating he was ready. Moments later, he crashed through the brush and began to put the plan into motion as the dik-dik startled and began to run. "Speech"

Dragon, thankfully for her, answered her quickly enough. She was young and still quite curious - though she wasn’t sure even age would quench her thirst for knowledge. He verified that they were faster; good, they wouldn’t be able to outrun the hunting duo, then. While she wasn’t opposed to a challenge by any means, she didn’t want the hunt to be too difficult either. Hopefully it fell somewhere in between the two. Either way, she was ready! Already she felt excitement coursing through her veins as Dragon answered her eager inquiries. He seemed to have a plan, which he shared with her, and she found her smile growing again. He’d push the creatures toward the courtyard, while she herded them on the side to keep them going in that direction. Perfect. Jade’s gaze searched the group of them from afar, searching for the one she wanted to take down. None of them seemed particularly easier than the others.. She couldn’t find any that were visibly sick or unwell, so she eyed one that tended near the back of the group, deciding it might be easier to take down a straggler. Nodding, she slunk down a bit further and padded after him. She watched keenly as he headed toward the back of the group, and she swung around the side, hoping they could angle the herd into the courtyard to begin their hunt for real.

He was focused on the small herd in front of him, paws drumming on the ground as the tiny deer tried to scatter. Luckily, Jade had managed to come along the side, thus keeping the herd going one way. Though a couple of them managed to slip past the duo, the rest of them were racing towards the courtyard just like he planned. He practically towered over the group, his shadow falling over them and his head down as teeth snapped at their heels. He was sure they'd be able to snag a couple of them, perhaps one for her and one for him, maybe if they were lucky they'd be able to snag one more for later, but his sole focus at the moment was getting them where he needed them to go. It wouldn't take long for the pair to corral their quarry. Once there, Dragon slowed his pace a bit so they wouldn't scatter when they reached the end of the line. This was it. This was the moment they'd been waiting for. He cast a quick glance over at Jade as she kept up with them, and with a grin he turned his attention back to the herd as he veered off towards one of the dik-dik that had strayed off. "Now's our chance!" He called out, the earthen male tailing the one he had his sights on. He had no doubts that Jade wouldn't be able to take one on her own, and even if the herd decided to turn around, they'd have to try and get past the two wolves at their backs. With the wall in front, and a narrow path behind them, there was no way they could get by without casualties. With that thought in mind, his paws pounded the earth with a quick burst of of speed as he tailed the one he was after, his paw quickly striking out and bopping his prey on the rump which caused it to falter for a moment. But that was all he needed to get in and make the killing blow. Teeth shot forward, snapping closed around the dik-dik's small back. With a quick bite, the flailing thing had breathed for the last time as he felt the spine snap in his mouth. "Speech"

Most of her attention was focused on searching for the creature she might want to take down. One seemed a bit smaller than the others, probably a bit younger, too. It seemed a good bet, she thought to herself. Her brows furrowed in intense concentration as the group of prey started to scatter. Luckily for them, a few got overwhelmed in their sudden rush to flee and headed toward the courtyard, just as they had intended. The others seemed adamant on fleeing, forgetting their companions in the fray entirely. She barrelled forward beside him, happy to feel the sudden rush of adrenaline pumping through her veins. It made her feel more alive than ever, hunting with someone at her side, and she marveled at the feeling, briefly losing focus before her mind returned back to the task at hand. She slowed just momentarily as she watched Dragon lash out at one with his paw before his jaws closed on the animal's back. Her head swung back forward, her own jaws unhinging to snag one of the dik-dik's back limbs, sending it tumbling forward, before she spun around to close her muzzle around its neck. The bite was quick and without much effort, and she was soon rewarded with the taste of warm blood. Jade shook her head vigorously with the animal's neck in her mouth, wanting to make sure the deed was done before making the creature suffer. Only when she was certain in her victory did she release her tight grip, flashing Dragon a bloody grin.  "That was super awesome!" The girl exclaimed, her tail wagging behind her as she got a better look at the one Dragon had taken down.

Green eyes flashed towards the movement of a smaller body as Jade raced past, chasing down her own prey. The little deer he had caught dangled limply in his mouth, the male following Jade as she went on ahead. It didn't take her long to make one stumble before she made the kill, the girl grabbing it and giving it a good shake before looking at him, a bloody grin on her face. "That was super awesome!" He couldn't help the muffled laugh that tried to slip past his mouthful of prey. His tail wagged as he approached her, the dik-dik dropping from his mouth, "Congratulations, Jade! How does it feel to make your first kill?" Was it her first? He wasn't sure. Maybe her parents had taken her out hunting at some point, but at least, if anything, she had made her first Dik-dik kill! Pleased with their catch, he flopped onto his belly, placing his catch in between his paws. He would wait for her to start eating before he did, a reward for her efforts! Meanwhile, his mind began to think about what to do. She was an efficient hunter, she learned fast, was enthusiastic, and all around a pleasure. How was her training going? He hadn't heard too many calls for training, so maybe he could do something about that...but first, he'd wait for her to eat her fill before saying anything. Walk, "Talk" Think

Though it wasn't exactly her first kill ever, it was definitely her first kill of anything substantial. Though she'd gotten pretty decent at hunting down things like rodents and the occasion bird - though those were much trickier - she'd never caught anything quite like this. The rapid wagging of her tail showed her appreciation of the lesson and the joy she found in hunting with Dragon. "Feels great!" Jade chirped in simple answer, lapping some blood from her jowls. The taste made her stomach rumble greedily, as she realized just how hungry she really was. Taking Dragon's distance from the kill as a silent sign for her to eat her fill, she flopped down to her stomach and started to tear in, head shaking side to side as she tore into the dik-dik's flesh. It didn't take long for her to consume enough to feel sated, at which point she pulled back, leaving the rest for Dragon - and probably the scraps for the birds.