The foolish deer had walked into wolf territory.  The buck was young, his first set of antlers were little more than stubs.  Why it was alone and here Rudy didn’t know, nor did he need to ask why.  Rudy had taken a wide course around the animal and was now coming up from behind.  The deer would end up running towards the castle, deeper into pack land once it spotted him.  

Rudy was downwind, down low and silent in his movements.  Every time the deer raised its head to look around the wolf froze, waiting.  He wanted the chase to be short since he was alone, and the deer had lots of room to twist about.  This was a game of patience before action and Rudy was closing in.

"Rudyard Carpathius"

Lia didn’t often go into the plains that the Hallows also claimed. The castle had everything she needed, after all. But the second territory was beautiful, and boosted a wide array of herbs. It was well past time she put some effort into mapping out what was actually there.

She left the castle and made her way into the plains, coming almost face to face with an unexpected stag, which seemed just as surprised to see her, as she was to see it. It gave a snort of derision and turned, and began to race away from castle and wolf. It was young, with no great horns to boast about, but it was still a beautiful specimen. Lia’s own gem-horns glinted as she twisted her head to watch it depart.

"Speech"

Rudy spotted the collision that was incoming between deer and wolf and kept thinking she’d realize at some point, the dumb deer must have been sick or something as long as it stood there. Maybe it was just that stupid. Still, what did it say that Lia went face to face with it before realizing it also. Rudy jumped and gave chase for a few strides as it ran off but it wasn’t worth it. There would be an easier game than going after an already running stag. Rudy watched it go with a long sigh then swung his gaze to Lia.

“So, I guess your mind was on somewhere other than where you were going?” Rudy imagined no point in being angry about it. She certainly hadn’t done it intentionally, at least it didn’t look that way. “Are you alright Lia?” Might as well get those questions out of the way. One-horned wolf to another, the ways her horns glinted Rudy was guessing hers also came from the endless night and its strange works upon the land. The timing certainly made sense.

Rudyard Carpathius

Even as she watched it depart, she saw Rudy go leaping after it from wherever he had been hiding. The hunter only gave it a few strides, before he realised his prey's head start was too great. She hadn’t just startled a deer, she had thrown the hunter off his prey.

She gave Rudy an apologetic look when she glanced his way. “I have no idea how I let my mind drift so easily. I’m very sorry, Rudy” She apologised. As he asked after, she inclined her horned head gently. That, at the strange new intensity in which she could see, led to the occasional headache she was still getting over. “It’s a terrible excuse, but i’m still adjusting to these” she explained, gesturing towards her antlers.

"Speech"

“That’s alright,” Rudy was quick to forgive, “I had been planning at first to go out farther to hunt.  The stag was just lucky to find on the plains.”  Sure, he had spent a good portion of time setting himself up for it but no use crying over it now.

“Well, I’ve been mostly hunting with Fern lately but it looks like I have a new partner this time.” Rudy nodded further north, “We can go find some prey in that direction.”  Yes, he was fully aware she might not know how to hunt or have an interest in it.  Yes, it was true Rudy had no idea if she had any important plans coming up.  Rudy was use to just expecting others to go along with his plans when he did these things.  “This time let's not run face to face with the prey though, alright?” Rudy turned as if he was going to walk away with those words but he did stop and glance over at his shoulder at her curiously waiting her reaction.

"Speech"

He was very gracious about her mistake, but it would be only moments before she realised he was offering her a way to make it right. She hadn’t hunted anything bigger then a rabbit before, and it was important he knew her weaknesses before they caught up to them later down the track.

But she also wasn’t going to argue with her superiors, especially when she was in the wrong. She well knew how it would have gone down if this had happened back before she had met Artorias the first time.

“Of course, Rudyard. I’ll follow your lead. I’ll try to be more help than hindrance this time, but I don’t have any experience in hunting.” she apologised. She had promised she wouldn’t put herself in a position where she risked betraying Briar and Artorias again through her inability to fight, but she trusted Rudy to keep them safe.


"Speech"

Rudy’s mouth split open in a big grin as she agreed to follow him.  Then she mentioned minor details of her experience. “Oh well, that’s no problem.  If something comes running at you can you grab it?”  The motley wolf jogging towards the wildberry grove that would be at the end of the plains, “hmm, how are you at fighting if we got something that attacked? Or if not fighting then at least dodging maybe?”  Would something with horns be too much for her?  Rudy could work with her on rabbits if need be but that wouldn’t do much for feeding the pack unless they gathered a whole hell of a lot of rabbits.

Rudy knew well enough there were a few gaurs scattered about and by prints he’d seen the other day was willing to bet there was one hanging out in the grove.  The last thing he needed was to send Lia home injured.  It was one thing to risk a failed hunt but he wouldn’t risk her getting injured from something dumb he could prevent. “Oh, and I understand all about antlers being a distraction.” Might as well add that in.

Rudyard Carpathius

Rudy didn’t seem to think her inexperience would be a problem, but he delved further to get the full glean of it. “I have some rudimentary training in fighting. If it's another wolf I’m no good, but I could probably sink my teeth into anything else that attacked us.” she admitted. Her words made it clear this was hypothetical, and she hadn’t actually taken on something attacking her before.

From experience, she didn’t have the nerve to defend herself against another wolf. Friend or foe. Her training before coming to the Armada, and then the Hallows, had been very thorough. She hadn’t figured out how to push through the mental block of that yet. She inclined her head in understanding as he mentioned his own horns. His antlers were rather nice to look at.


"Speech"

“Hmm,” Rudy mulled over the information as they drew nearer the border and smiled as they got to the edge of the land and the grey wolf stopped, scenting something that surprised him. “Luck is in a kind mood.” Dumb deer had retreated to the protection of woods and was close enough. “We can start you on something with no real antlers to speak of and clearly with no common sense.

“We will do this in a way that shouldn’t be too hard. We go into the grove, get you to a nice hiding spot. I’m going to chase the deer straight at you. Ideally, you bite for the throat but if you can’t for any reason then get a leg. Watch out that you don’t get kicked if you have to go for the legs.” This might be easier alone in a way depending on how Lia managed but that hardly mattered. This was letting her make amends for the mistake even if she didn't need to. This was also teaching her something new, experiencing something and hopefully enjoying herself. All of these were worth a risk of second loss. Third try a charm, right?

Rudy walked to Lia, raising a paw to tap at the spot of her neck under the jaw, “You want to bite about here, rip it open best you can for a quick kill.” Rudy stepped back, “on the other hand, a bite to the leg slows it down, and then it's going to have a harder time escaping.”

Rudy glanced in the direction of the smell again, scenting for any other dangers. “Questions so far?”

"Rudyard Carpathius"

They drew near the border. The times Lia had crossed it since joining the Hallows was few and far between. She gave it the side eye as they reached it. Rudy’s words however brought her attention back to the silver wolf. She sniffed the air, and realised it too. The deer she had startled had not gone far.

She wasn’t sure how well she would manage against something as big as the deer, but she was too well trained to protest. Rudy tapped her neck, and she glanced at his paw, and then back to him. “Just like a rabbit, right?” she said, partly teasing, partly nervous. He asked if she had any questions, and she shook her head. “You drive it at me, and I take it down. Neck or leg.” she repeated back.


"Speech"