Reila had been spending a while out on her own doing solo hunts for the pack. It was helping rebuild her stamina and confidence as time went on, but she was certainly feeling more lonely than anything. She was much more the type to wait for Chimera to ask her on a hunt rather than ask herself. So she just went about her duties as may have been expected of her. And she was quiet among the rest of the pack as usual.

She started gathering up some supplies on one of the smaller carts for her to pull out to the Canyon. She paused as she spotted Chimera walking through the common areas, facing him with a slight wag in the nub of her tail. She made clear eye contact with him, and hoped that he would notice her. But otherwise she wouldn't have approached him to invite him. At least not at the distance they were at.

"Reila"

As Chimera moved through his lands, he caught the gaze of Reila. The woman smiled, wagged and looked rather hopeful. He hadn't gone hunting with her for some time as he'd been quite busy working on the yacht that would be a refuge of sorts. Aside from that, he'd been avoiding the woman a bit due to Aliana's sour feelings about her. He was curious if she'd ever approach him for a hunt and it appeared she... almost would.

A hunt was proposed and Chimera agreed. He'd been working on restoring the yacht and was a little tired, but he would manage. This time he allowed Reila to pull the small, mostly empty cart as it weighed very little. On the way back, full of meat, he would be the one in the yoke.

"What do you plan on hunting today?"
"Chimera Klein"

With Chimera in suit with her, they made their way towards Bent Canyon with Reila under the yoke of the cart. That was all fine with her, she wouldn't have had it any other way. Her delighted gaze tilted towards Chimera as he asked what she had in mind for the hunt. "I was considering more gazelle, they seem to be plentiful in the area." She mentioned though without really tracking a herd nearby just yet.

They arrived in the bottom of the canyon where Reila unloaded her few supplies she brought along with her. A net that she started to tie one corner up along the scarce branches of the canyon wall and than another corner below on some dry shrubs. The net wall wouldn't be camouflaged, but that's just what she wanted. When they ran the prey through here they would corner them into the slow stream of water and then take their kill. That, or it would run through the net and that would tangle them up instead.

While she worked setting up just the first side of the net for now to get it nice and tight, she glanced up to Chimera before going back to her task. A small maybe humorous grin on her maw, "I was starting to think you didn't like me." It was a joke, and she wouldn't have expected Chimera to really even respond. But she didn't think he had anything against her at least. From their last time hunting together she was actually less fluid and comfortable around him. With not too much time away from him it was still hard for her to think she could be beautiful or desirable in his presence. She at least didn't let that fester into any harsh feelings towards him. She didn't sway her hips or flash him sultry glances this time. She wasn't trying to get that sort of attention from him today.

"Reila"

It seemed that Gazelle were going to be their target. That was fine with Chimera. The deer were small, but plentiful and their meat wasn't that bad. So the giant brute followed along, letting Reila run the show, as usual. He never had a problem with this as the hunting was her show. He was just along for support.

When Reila began stringing a net across a narrow part of the canyon, Chimera helped. She was small and he knew from experience the heights to which gazelle could leap. The man ducked low, hefting the small fae onto his back so that she could secure the netting a little higher than her own reach. He then walked her to the opposite side and did the same thing. Thankfully the net was long enough and wide enough so that their prey wouldn't be able to sneak under it.

Reila made a joking comment and the brute's mismatched ears drew back against his skull for a mere second. "No," he replied, setting the small woman back on the canyon floor. "Family issues and a new project have kept me rather busy. I've been working ceaselessly." Perhaps after they made their kill and set up for the night, he would tell the woman what was really going on. For now, they needed to focus on the hunt.

"Chimera Klein"

With Reila being pushed up by Chimera she definitely felt more inclined to say what she had said, but didn’t even skip a beat as she reached up and tied the net around the sturdy branches. Once they had the two top corners up, Reila was put down by Chimera and she finished her work on the bottom ties.

As ever, Reila held that welcoming smirk on her maw, glancing to Chimera as he explained he had some things going on. "You’re a busy man, I know that." While her movements weren’t seductive and hinting the want for his attention, maybe her tone held more of that idea. "Maybe you need to take more of a break every so often." With her, maybe. She wouldn’t say so but really all she could hope for was that even as an alpha, she wanted Chimera to have some time to relax in anyway he saw fit. Maybe he had enough time to do so, Reila just assumed with his short absence to her it was otherwise.

Checking to see the net was firm in its place as a wall, Reila gestured with a dip in her chin the direction they would be starting for their tracking. "Let’s go find the gazelle now."

"Reila"

Reila was very pretty when she gave him that little smirk and offered words of relaxation to him. Apparently he needed more of it. Chimera simply gave a rumble in reply and followed along behind her as she led the way towards the herd of gazelle.

More breaks would have been nice, but he simply had too much to do. Between three queens, ten children, Erystotle, two broken former slaves, the slaves in the pens, caring for the island and caring for the rest of the pack... there was little time for anything else. It wasn't often that he had time to himself, hence his project of turning the giant yacht into a relaxation pad just for himself. When he went to his queens during the night, more often than not, he simply slept. Thankfully Cerberus was getting to the age where he could take up more responsibility in preparation to one day take over Fenmyre, though that wouldn't be any time soon. Chimera wasn't exactly old, now was he? He hadn't had his fill of being a king just yet.

"Chimera Klein"

Walking out of the valley canyon, it was easy for the two to scent a small group of gazelle nearby. She only moved around in a circular motion so that they could direct the herd into the canyon.

Silence was not unknown to the pair and Reila didn't mind if they stayed that way or chatted a little. Obviously going for the hunt they had to be more quiet, so it was better than being stupid and scaring the prey away before they got there.

With her eyes on the gazelle, her head tilted up towards Chimera as if they could communicate telepathically. In this case they could, but more like it was common sense given they were both good hunters and the two had already hunted together so they knew the way each other moved. She gave him another small smile before moving around the trees of the forest and getting a different angle on the herd. Her eyes only left the prey to see if Chimera was ready for the chase.

"Reila"

As always, Chimera followed along when the bob-tailed woman decided that it was time to locate their prey. They were in no hurry so the search was leisurely. The scent and sign of gazelle was everywhere, so it wouldn't be difficult to find them at all. The duo made their way through the canyon in a big circle around where their prey would most likely be. Of course, that's exactly where they were.

Reila peeled from his side and moved around to the opposite side of the herd. It wasn't a giant herd, but it would be enough meat to last them for a time. As he waited for the fae to get into position, the big brute stretched, his spine and hips giving little pops and crackles, but nothing so loud as to startle the walking snacks that were still grazing in the field. When he looked back, Reila was in position, her blue gaze meeting his across the distance. The two-toned man nodded once. He was ready when she was.

"Chimera Klein"

Reila's gaze moved from Chimera to the gazelle as he nodded in affirmation that he was ready. Reila didn't wait too long before her quick paws leapt out from the underbrush and went to get the herd moving.

She moved into a lope, nipping at the gazelle's legs to herd them over towards Chimera where they could work together to drive them into the canyon. With her working alone for just that short time, her leg was no longer really bothering her and she was easily able to keep up with both Chimera and the little deer.

They made their way into the mouth of the canyon valley and it was smooth sailing from here. All they had to do was corner them at the trap and they would have their meals.

"Reila"

The chase was on and both canines were hot on the heels of the gazelle. The ungulates panicked and ran as they always did and it seemed as though the hunt would go off without a hitch. That was the way with them. They were a good hunting pair. Where one lacked, the other picked up slack and vice versa. Reila was built more for bursts of speed while Chimera was built for intimidation and brute strength. By the end, they would have their prey.

It was easy to keep the gazelle hemmed in when you weren't trying to capture them out of the blue. The plan was to run them towards the net and take them down there, either with the help of the net or by fang and claw. Either way, it was an easy hunt. The behemoth's powerful legs pumped as he ran along the back edge of the group. Soon at least some of them would meet their end.

"Chimera Klein"

Driving the herd into the canyon, Reila did let herself slow every once in a while at least until the net came into view and it was where she picked up her pace again. With the net being so noticeable, they were probably going to lose a couple in the herd but that was fine.

Finally reaching their destination, one of the gazelle slammed into the net that held tight from the force and she immediately went for the kill of that one. She was sure Chimera was ready for his own. And once she was down tackling the first gazelle and ripping at it's throat, another one from the herd went to jump over the high net but it didn't make it so far. With the original force of Reila's deer, it loosened up the ties on the net and caused it to collapse on this gazelle with the net getting all tangled up in it's legs. It would be over for that one once one of the two wolves found the time to do so. As long as Chimera took one himself, they would be lucky with at least three kills to take back to Fenmyre.

"Reila"

The net was soon evident but it was too late for the gazelle. Reila took one and Chimera took another, rows of sharp teeth cutting through the throat of the gazelle. Knowing that it would die on its own, the brute moved on to the next, catching another of the slender ungulates and dispatching it like its herdmate. This was almost too easy.

The net had fallen, trapping one of the gazelle within. The rest had already scattered, flying out of view around a curve in the canyon path. That was well and fine. They had more than enough on the few that they did kill. Chimera placed a paw upon the trapped but flailing gazelle and looked towards Reila. "Do you want this one?" If she wanted to make the kill, he would continue to hold the gazelle. If she didn't, he would kill it himself.

"Chimera Klein"

Reila finished with her gazelle to turn and see what Chimera was able to handle. Fenmyre was full with growing boys, so the more the merrier. Hunting was a big task for all of those in Fenmyre.

Chimera placed his heavy paw onto the struggling prey before asking if she wanted to take care of that one. Reila was obviously aware of the way Chimera felt about taking the kill. But she didn’t know about how he may have felt about her taking the kill. She didn’t know about his past lover, or the feelings he had been feeling about her.

She stepped forward without saying anything still with that gentle smile. Peeling back the net with Chimera holding the gazelle down she leaned down to take the gazelle’s life. She didn’t do it for his own enjoyment, she didn’t make it messy. But she figured he would be proud for the progress she had made since she washed up on the shores of Fenmyre. And that’s why she went ahead with his offer.

"Reila"

Chimera hadn't been thinking of Viper this time when he offered Reila the kill. He'd simply done so because this was her hunt. The woman seemed pleased enough with the gesture and quickly ended the gazelle's life. "Bring the cart," he instructed. It would be easier to bring the cart to them than to drag the meat to the cart.

While Reila did his bidding, Chimera gutted their kill. Soon the vultures and other vermin would smell the offal and circle down to consume it. The canyon was close enough to Fenmyre that they could easily make it back before nightfall and Chimera was of a mind to do just that. However, camping out after a hunt had become the norm for the pair and he wouldn't make the decision for both of them.

When Reila returned with the cart, Chimera began hefting the carcasses onto it, covering them with the protective tarp after and tying it all down. Only then did he look to the small woman and question her. "Would you like to camp or head back home?" If being out and having these little excursions was therapeutic for the woman, he wouldn't want to stall her growth. The decision was up to her.

"Chimera Klein"

Reila did just as Chimera asked, leaving their scene to go grab the cart that was parked outside of the canyon. It took her a few moments to return, which by that time he had gutted all the gazelle and they were ready to be loaded.

Reila helped Chimera load the kills onto the cart and strap the tarp down over top of them. She started to wash her paws and face in the stream water of the canyon as Chimera had asked if she wanted to head back or stay here. She hummed a little through her same grin, raising a brow as she looked at him, "It's been a while since we camped out." She paused for a few seconds. "Did you want to stay out?" It was meant to be an answer to his question, yes she would have liked to camp out with him again as they had a few times before. But she wouldn't build herself up for disappointment either. She still wasn't feeling the same way she had the last time they had hunted together so she wasn't going to flat out ask him to.

"Reila"

Reila brought the cart and they loaded up the gazelle. When asked if she wanted to camp out, he could see in the woman's face that she very much wanted to do so. Chimera was torn. While he wanted to camp out overnight with the bob-tailed fae, he knew that Aliana would be upset if he did so. No doubt she would wait up for him and be disappointed when he didn't return. He was King of Fenmyre and was under no requirement to cater to one of his women, but he did love her.

"We should head back," he informed the tan and grey fae. "We can move at a leisurely pace though." If she got tired, she could just jump onto the wagon. It wasn't as though she weighed much. There was a little look of disappointment on his face as he moved to slide the yoke over his head so that it settled on his shoulders. He began walking down the canyon back towards Fenmyre.

Chimera felt that he owed Reila an explanation as to the reason he wanted to return home. "One of my queens has expressed her concern about our outings." The big brute cast a sidelong glance at the little woman. "Don't take it to heart. I enjoy our time together," he informed her. "In time I'm sure she'll come to understand." He hoped that coming home to Aliana at night would reassure the clouded fae that his heart did indeed belong to her.

"Chimera Klein"

With Chimera saying they should head back, Reila's gentle expressions didn't change. But she did feel rather disappointed, enough that she wouldn't notice that he was feeling the same way. "Oh, okay." Chimera slipped into the yoke before she could, and she wouldn't fight him over it. She knew he liked to take that position under the full cart. He was obviously strong enough to do so, but Reila was too.

They started on the trek back to Fenmyre, pulling through the canyon and then north east from there. Reila's one ear perked towards Chimera as well as a small tilt in her chin, but she didn't pause on their walk. She hummed a little to herself, she couldn't see the problem with her and Chimera. Not only because Chimera had a trio of queens, but because nothing had really even happened between them. Reila had certainly wanted to catch his attention in more ways, but she felt like her advances just hadn't been working on him. She definitely had lost confidence in Chimera seeing her as more, but it was never something she would admit. At least not right now. "Oh, I don't know why she feels that way." And it was true. Aliana and Chimera's conversation had been private. So she couldn't know what had happened between them. She'd make her way back to Fenmyre alongside Chimera, and then they would go their separate ways as she had expected. She smiled a little more, "But I do enjoy our time together too."

"Reila"

Reila may not have known why one of Chimera's queens, he hadn't said which one, would dislike their time together, but her definitely knew why. "I mentioned just how much I enjoy spending time with you," he informed the fae walking beside him, sending her a sidelong glance as he did so. Aliana was worried and no doubt more than a little jealous of the time that he was spending with Reila. Their hunting trips felt so natural and easy that he didn't want them to end any time soon. He would have to work on ways to appease Aliana and Reila both. He would never stop loving Ali, but he didn't want his hunts and camping trips with Reila to end.

The path inclined slightly and Chimera put his weight into the cart. The wheels rolled and the beast powered on through. Once the canyon trail leveled out again, he looked to Reila once more. "Perhaps you should get to know the queens of Fenmyre. If they know you, they're less likely to feel threatened by you." Perhaps he was saying too much, but he honestly wanted the members of his pack to be happy. Putting an end to their hunting trips would make Reila unhappy. He would be unhappy as well. Continuing them without thought for Aliana would make her unhappy. They needed to find a balance.

"Chimera Klein"

Reila couldn't help the blush in her expression as Chimera mentioned again just how much he liked their time together. That was, if Chimera was even looking at her to catch it. But she didn't say anything more. She wouldn't deny, wouldn't question, she just kept the matter quiet between them. She may have been feeling a little off about him at the start of this spaced hunting trip with Chimera, but she was feeling a little better about it now. She wouldn't pester him about which queen was upset about her, but she couldn't easily guess which one it wasn't.

Reila noticed the less strain on Chimera as they made it onto more even ground. She would have been happy to pull the cart herself, but she knew how he was. She wouldn't even offer.

Her ear only perked towards Chimera as he spoke again while her paws still stayed in step beside him, mentioning that she should get to know the queens a little better. She wouldn't truly see the intent in doing so, and while she didn't really mind the attempt it was harder to keep herself open on a more personal level. Everything about her past and her difficulties was out there for anyone to know, but that didn't really make them close or friends, did it? She didn't feel that way at least. "I thought me a Dalila connected pretty well." she mentioned, though there wasn't a lot she could say about her most recent interaction with Aliana, and absolutely nothing she could say about Siren. She at least felt like her and Dalila had a good common ground to relate on. She wasn't so sure about the others.

"Reila"

The man did catch her blush and a soft huff of amusement ghost through speckled nares. There was something pure about Reila that was very refreshing in a way. He enjoyed being around her and it shouldn't have been a secret by now. He imagined she hadn't even realized until he'd admitted it aloud. That's just how she was. He liked her that way. Sweet and unassuming.

Reila admitted to having connected a bit with Dalila and Chimera nodded. "I'm glad to hear it," Dalila was very easy to get along with. The woman went with the flow. She was exactly as she appeared to be. Siren was much the same, only much sweeter and more soft spoke. It was only Aliana that was the spitfire and had the capacity to be two-faced and jealous. It was his clouded queen that he wished Reila would make peace with, but if she ended up speaking to all three of his queens, it would be all the better.

"Chimera Klein"