A few deer length down from the last of the young bull elk Rannoch traveled with, the young stag walked along the edge of the wall. He carried his head low to avoid much of the overhead brush that grew in with the summer season. He wasn’t ready to start rubbing his antlers yet. They were still growing and covered in velvet.

With many eyes and many ears there wasn’t much that slipped past the notice of the small herd, and as the eldest of them broke off to start grazing in the fields here the rest of them followed suit. Of course, Rannoch lingered a little farther behind. He remained closer to the wall they had been following out of the sparse pines. With summer the sturdy gray stones were covered in heavy mosses and seasonally growing plants that sent theirs roots into the cracks and crevases. Rannoch sniffed curiously at a few of them, wondering if they might be tasty.

The Wall / afternoon/ sunny and warm

"Speech"

She'd had a very busy morning and now sought for somewhere quiet to relax, maybe even have a short nap before something likely drew her away again. The group was fairly large, and they were always off hunting. The snares she had made to catch smaller prey could only help out so much, and not to mention all the other things that needed to be done as well. It barely left her time to slip away during the day to meditate in peace and connect with the old gods like she wanted to. But they were her family, so she'd make do. Iðunn hopped up onto the wall where it had crumbled away slightly, pacing down the length until she found a spot to lay on and bask in the sun. It was a warm day, but not too warm for her liking, and she spread out her limbs to get settled, her icy blue gaze staring out at the small group of young bull elk. One was a bit further from the group, and seemed larger than the rest, different-looking, even. How curious. She observed with half-lidded eyes, only paying enough attention that if one of them got curious she wouldn't suddenly get a pair of antlers to the face.

Rannoch sniffed at the tender green leaves before opening his mouth and stripping the stem of all of them. He chewed for a moment, unsure of the flavor, maybe he was better off returning to the grass. The stag swallowed the leaves and left them to ruminate before he chewed it later. Cloven hooves carried him a few meandered steps down, sniffing at the mosses and lichens. Finally catching the first whiff of her scent.

The young Irish elk snorted in alarm at first hint, which put the rest of the common elk on guard as eyes searched for their enemy. No one fled until the culprit was spotted, and even then most of the animals went back to grazing as a few kept an eye on the still wolf. Rannach knew she was alone, for now at least, he wondered if she was scouting for a hunt. He couldn’t take his emerald eyes off of her.

She was perched up on the main feature of these lands. The huge stone wall was tall enough in parts that even a great deer such as him could not leap. She chose an appropriate perch if she wanted to watch them, or stay out of their way. Rannach stomped a huge hoof, wondering if he could get her to leave.

"Speech"

The snort of alarm had her eyes opening fully, one ear twitching forward as some of the bull elk scuttled further away, even as majority of them went back to grazing, now keeping a close eye on her where she lay. That was fine by her, as she had no intent on chasing them about that day, but the same couldn't be said if any of her cousins showed up. Iðunn resisted the urge to roll her eyes as the largest of the bull elk stomped a hoof threateningly at her. She eyed it with a calm expression, even though there was still a curious glint in her eyes at its strange appearance. It seemed like it was some sort of protector for the group, and given its immense size in both body and antlers she could understand why. "Don't worry, I'm not here to hunt you," she said in an even tone at the bull elk, her thick Swedish accent marring some of the pronunciation of her words. She took care to not make any sudden movements as she settled more on her side, really stretching out her legs for maximum comfort where she lay upon the wall. Iðunn wouldn't stick around for too long regardless, for the warmth of the sun was nice for now, but very soon the heat would become too much and she would seek out a cooler spot to rest. If the bull elk group moved on by then that was fine by her, as she had no interest in picking a fight with a bull elk today. Perhaps her cousins would be more daring, but she preferred to go for the cow elk, or even a calf if the season was right for them. It was far too easy to get gored on a pair of antlers, and she did not want to play healer unnecessarily.

Rannoch had no intention of chasing after the wolf, he couldn’t begin to reach that high on the wall. She knew she had been seen though, and his emerald gaze didn’t leave her. Even if his antlers weren’t fully formed for fighting yet he still had incredibly hard and sharp hooves. Getting tangled under his four limbs meant serious injury, and death if the deer could manage it. He wasn’t so worried about one wolf, against a herd of young elk she stood no chance, but if she had her pack in the shadows to back her up this could have been a dangerous set up.

Then she spoke to him. Something no predator had ever done before, he’d always thought they were senseless killing beasts. Not capable of thought beyond instinct, yet here she was coherently speaking to him. That startled him far more than her presence did. He could do little but believe her words as she lay back, revealing her belly to the warm sun. He wasn’t going to convince her to go anywhere fast.

"You speak.” His voice was deep and curious but his youth was as apparent as his ignorance. The young stag tilted his heavy head curiously as the thought struck him. If a wolf could speak, what other creatures could? The small vermin of the grasses? The birds above his head? The predators that hunted his kind for sustenance?

"Speech"

She hummed softly under her breath as the strange bull elk spoke back, seemingly surprised at her ability to speak. Had he never come across a non-elk that spoke to him before? Well if that was the case, she'd try and give all her fellow predators a good rap, even though she would just as easily hunt him for the very meat on his bones if she was hungry enough and her cousins were nearby. But such was the circle of life. The creature seemed very curious of her now, but she could tell it was still wary, as it should be, and she angled her head to be able to look at him without everything being sideways. "Just as you do," Iðunn said simply, eyeing the still-forming antlers covered in velvet. When they were fully grown they would be a magnificent pair, sturdy and pointedly sharp. To be honest they would be a great addition to their camp, and she had half a mind to ask if she could take them once they fell out. But perhaps that was pushing it a bit far, considering he'd never spoken to a wolf before. While she didn't often talk to herbivores, it happened now and again, and now she was quite comfortable with the idea of it. "Are there any questions you'd like to ask a wolf?" She prepared herself for a myriad of questions to be thrown her direction by the young bull elk, hoping he would satisfy his curiosity sooner rather than later so she could try to get a quick nap in before the day became too hot.

Rannoch had never believed the kind who hunted him could have much brains when their bloodlust was so thick. Why couldn’t they just enjoy the greenery as the elk did? He had always been able to commune between deer, but there hadn’t ever been so much as a stoat that he’d spoken to. The thought couldn’t be explored too deeply as he caught her eyes upon him again. He could practically see her mind moving behind her eyes, and being on the receiving end of a stare like that made him uneasy.

She looked at him and asked if he wished to question a wolf now that he had her before him. Emerald eyes watched her cautiously while cone like ears swiveled on their axis, alert for any threat or reason to flee. Always on constant vigil. Her relaxed state made it obvious in just appearances in this moment how different the two of them and their species were. "Do you ever feel guilt? For those that die, so you may live?” He asked softly, his young naivety obvious in his question and the look in his verdant gaze.

"Speech"