Post by Sohtoh on Dec 30, 2009 3:32:26 GMT -5
Starring:
Nikke - Female Adol. Bobcat
Chanson - Male Whitetail Deer
Roscoe - Male Whitetail Deer
Aspen - Female Whitetail Deer
Setting:
Maple Glade
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It's been a long couple of weeks for Roscoe. This week was turning out fairer than he thought, though he still remained melancholy due to the heat-wave weather. Though his coat was much lighter now, in color and in weight, he couldn't help but dislike the sun beating down on his back all day. Hence why he remained in the shaded comfort of the glade at this time. It was now early afternoon, which was the perfect time for a well deserved rest. He'd been up before dawn, and had scoured the eastern half of the forest already this morning alone. With a light sigh, the large male bent his front legs down, and his hind legs dittoed shortly thereafter. Though, his head remained upright. With his eyes watching dead ahead, The Prince stared off into the green hues of the forest, and soon licked his lips tiredly, not bothering to stifle his yawn, as there was no one that he had to impress at the moment. With his ears relaxed, the buck closed his eyes slowly, just wanting to rest his eyes for the moment.
"Ha ha HA!" A triumphant laugh comes from innocent little Nikke, the bobcat who never really grew out of her playful, childlike persona. She chases butterflies through the woods, bobbing in and out with expertise. As usual, she is oblivious to her surroundings. It has wound up getting her in trouble time and again, but she's made it through all tribulations without a scratch. The poor butterflies daintily float away, a giggling bobcat behind them. As the majority of them fly too high, Nikke gives up and takes a moment to catch her breath. Slowly looking around, she knows exactly where she is; she just simply hasn't been here before. Perfect logic!
The sudden outburst of laughter resulted in Roscoe's eyes shooting open immediately, his ears cupping forward at the exact same time. /Something/ is in the glade. His glade. With his eyes widened and his nostrils flaring, the Prince takes a whiff of the air, and the smell is something awkward. It's something he's familiar with, but not around this area. The scent of a predator, that's for sure. Lifting himself up to his legs once again, he plants his hooves fiercly on the ground, and cranes his head in order to search for the little beast that was intruding on his territory. It doesn't take long for him to spot the source of all the noise, and a gruff, irritated sound escapes him. The buck wishes that his antlers were sharper at this point.. but they were non-fatal, still-forming nubs at this time, unfortunately. Still, they helped to make him look bigger, and he was already on the larger side as it was. With his eyes set on the target, Roscoe let out a huff of breath, flicked his tail angrily, and lowered his head in a display of aggression. A small bobcat was easy to run off.. and so, he readied a charge.
Nikke nearly screams in surprise as the the angry call reaches her tuffed ears. She darts behind a thin tree and lowers herself in an attempt to use her natural gift of camoflauge to hide. "..." After a only a second of silence, she pokes her head up high enough to see the buck staring back at her. It wasn't a happy looking... thing... to say the least. Saying the first word in a confronting situation such has this has never been a strong point of the feline's, frequently putting her at a disadvantage to defend herself.
Roscoe was not afraid of the bobcat. This one was small, and he wasn't even afraid of large ones. Mostly, they left deer alone, escpecially ones of his size. However, there would be fawns in this area sooner or later, and better to run off the predator now then to have to worry about it later. Adults weren't targets, but fawns very well could be. With an albino doe at least accompanying the herd, and his son a liability.. yeah, the bobcat needed to get out. Glaring down at the little beast, Roscoe's hooves carried him quickly and aggressivley over to the feline, and he snorted angrily at her as soon as he was within stomping distance. "Get.. out." He said roughly, his tone low and threatening.
Already tears begin to well in her big yellow eyes as she's threatened. Nikke has to step back to even look at this tall... thing... in the eyes. "I'm sorryi'msorryi'msorryi'msorry..." Her voice dithers away, but her big paws are frozen in place. A mixture of fear and curiosity prevent her from looking away from the prince. Her unblinking eyes slowly move away from eye contact and move to examine the fur around his head and neck. But no head movement, though; she remains completely statuesque.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a better day to move everyone here. Roscoe is right. The glade of maples /is/ an ideal place. Lots of coverage. Shade. Hiding spots. She'll just have to check things out one more time to be absolutely positively sure that things are A-OK for the fawns to be here. And so here comes Aspen the doe, making her way to the glade with a somewhat placid look on her face. Things in this part of the forest are usual serene and quiet, though it doesn't take her long to assume otherwise on this particular day. A strange scent and a strange voice alerts her, causing her to pause with head and tail erect. That scent isn't deer, and it reeks of danger! Staying within the surrounding trees, she picks her way forward carefully, eyes landing first upon Roscoe, then to the furry thing near him. Bobcat! She doesn't move any closer for now, observing tensely some yards away.
The nervous apologies from the small cat are almost not even heard by Roscoe, his hooves carrying him to where he lumbers over the tiny predator before him, and huffs in frustration once or twice before he speaks up again. "You and your kind are intruders here. Get out, and stay out." His tone is just as low and even more threatening this time, as he tosses his head up in a display of the power of his crown. Though the tines were not sharp, there was still much force that would come from that skull of his. Another scent, a familiar and welcome one, wafts through his nose as he lifts his head, and those large ears swivel to the side, his peripheral vision catching eye of Aspen. His eyes do not leave Nikke though. "Stay where you are.. but don't be afraid." He said, and glared right down at the bobcat still.
By now, the sad tears slowly flow down her cheek as she stares straight up. Nikke sees nothing wrong with just wanting to play. She /hates/ it when somebody comes up and bosses her around because "she's on their land" and because they're bigger than her. Nikke doesn't care if another deer is nearby. A little temper grows in the bobcat. "I was just *playing*." She pouts, even daring to show teeth as she slowly backs away from Roscoe. "If *YOU* came to *MY* tree, I wouldn't tell you to leave!" Not exactly a fearsome statement, but the sediment is there. Never before as she ever really showed this kind of behavior. "Maybe I *will* eat all your grass now." That's the only reason she can come up with why they wouldn't want her out, and she choses words that have a little bite to them. This, however, is a dangerous thing to do. More dangerous than she realizes.
"Roscoe, I smelled something strange-!" Chanson says, bounding up to the odd pair, stopping short when he hears the bobcat's weird proclamations. Was that supposed to be a... a threat? Chanson scrunches his brow curiously. "Uh... looks like you have this under control..."
Aspen is not one to always listen to what Roscoe says. In fact, there are times when it seems as if the only thing she's willing to do is the exact opposite of what he'd wish her to do! But now is not one of those times. When her eyes meet his, there's a look of undeniable trust within them as she listens to his simple request. Stay and do not be afraid. It's easy to follow the latter as she watches him as he is now. Confident and fearless. Speaking to this fanged thing as if he were the predator and it the prey. She gives her head a subtle nod in answer to him in show that she heard and understand. He seems to have things under control, though as the bobcat speaks her eyes dart back to it, body remaining tense in preparation to flee. Where there's one, there may be others lurking. As Chanson arrives so quickly, she lifts her head a bit more, though stays put. Two bucks? Of course they don't need her in the way!
The tears from the young bobcat do not phase Roscoe at all. A predator is a predator, and in his eyes, the world would be better off, not without them, but with less of them. Especially in this area. Though, dogs and wolves seem to provide the main problems in this specific area. If he could growl, he would. Instead, his chest puffs and he appears larger again, at the defiance of the feline. Stomping a hoof threateningly, he rears up onto his hind legs and lands deceptively close to the creature's paws. If violence was required to drive her away, he would oblige. "Play elsewhere!" His voice booms, and he juts his tines up into the air once more, wanting to use them only as a last resort. Her age is kept in mind, and though he would hate to admit it, hurting a child, predator or not, would cause /some/ guilt. "This is your last warning.. go quietly, or I will /make/ you go."
The newfound attitude in the otherwise peaceful Nikke isn't put out by threats. Though she does jump into the air with a hiss as the stomp crashes down infront of her face and paw. If he were intending to crush her paw, the jumping would come much to late. Her mother would be ashamed of the behavior the feline is showing. "Ugly lanky horses!" It isn't like that should matter at all to the the male, but it's the most meaningful insult she can throw at the stubborn buck. She takes off running away, looking back once to see the three bucks. "I hate you!" Temper, temper!
"Well. That was weird," Chanson decides as he comes up next to Roscoe, watching the cat flee hastily. "She didn't even seem like she was hunting. I don't think I've ever heard a predator... ramble like that before." He glances at the buck out of his eyes. "She seemed pretty freaked, though." He was good at spotting fake tears, and those definitely weren't. Maybe she hadn't even made a proper kill yet.
Lanky...horses? Aspen's ears flit back at the insult. She's seen horses before...at a distance. She sees nothing appealing about the maned creatures, and to be called one has her wrinkling her nose. But! The bobcat is gone now, though Aspen still remains watchful for any comrades that may be lurking. With predators, one can never be too carful. But the scent remains singular. Nosing aside a wayward branch in the way, she moves forward, ears swiveling as caution and alertness still remains high. "It was young, wasn't it? It's...parents..or pack, or however it is they travel could be nearby," she says, not liking the sound of her own words.
A smug grin is given when he sees the bobcat running off, her insult simply brushed off. He knew that his species were all beautiful creatures, the subjects of much envy from what he remembered from back home. People admired their grace, after all. Just a child and her temper, he figured. Turning around to trot away apathetically, he was a bit suprised to see Chanson /right/ there. Blinking, he stopped, and cleared his throat. "Chanson." He 'greeeted' him curtly, with a short nod of his head, and then looked over toward Aspen. No fawns. Good. The bobcat didn't see them, then. Looking back to Chanson, the Lead Buck took in a breath and exhaled softly. "In .. unique cases such as this, when the perpetrator is a child.. it's always wise to simply scare them off, opposed to violent tactics." A bit of advice, and it was delivered at least kind of kindly. Taking a step away from the other buck, he blinked slowly, knowing now that he wouldn't be able to rest for quite some time. Not in the company of his herd. "Yes, she was young. But she wasn't a child.. and bobcats usually travel alone. I wouldn't worry, especially since she's the first one we've seen here in quite some time." Softening his expression, he shook his head. "Please, don't trouble yourself worrying over it. We're just as safe as we were before."
"At least she won't be back," Chanson says with a toss of his head. "A repeat offender would be a little distressing to deal with." He's seen others killed by predators before... not a good fate at all. He turns to go to Aspen's side. "All she knows is that there's a big, bad buck around here. Well. Two," he says with a bit of a smirk. "She won't be sniffing around like that anymore."
The Prince's words are more comforting than her own thoughts, and so Aspen wills herself to relax. He's right. She's never seen a bobcat here before. There's no reason for her to think that suddenly there will be a whole pack of them lurking on their lands. Hopefully. As Chanson approaches, she smiles though soon moves forward towards Roscoe. "Yes. Two big and very bad bucks," she agrees, glancing back to Chanson with a smirk before turning to their leader again. She pauses near him, quiet for a moment as she seems to consider him. "I have a feeling that if that was a full grown bobcat or even a cougar you would've acted the same way. To be a leader, I knew you had to be brave. I just didn't realize how brave you were." She smiles warmly and dips her head to him. "Thank you."
The other buck is right. If that feline knew what was good for her, she wouldn't be back. Though he didn't want to, he would attempt to kill her if things worsened. However, he did not think that they would. His warning was serious, and he had succeeded in frightening the cat away. That was the end of it, he hoped. Grinning mildly at his herd-mates, he nodded his head at the 'big bad buck' comment, not bothering to respond to it. It was a joke, and he was in no mood for jokes. He was tired, a bit stressed out, and .. well, very tired. The afternoon nap had been ruined, and now he'd have nothing to do but to press on through the western half of the forest, much like he planned on doing after that short rest. As he turns to head to the west, he sees that Aspen nears him, and he stops. Ears flicking around contently, he raises his head and blinks at her comment. Was that.. a compliment? A display of gratitude? The smile is returned, but he merely scoffs afterward. "Please, Aspen.." He begins, and shakes his head. "It is a Leader's duty to be brave, no matter the danger.. be it small as that one was, or as large as an entire wolf pack. It doesn't matter the threat, it is my duty and my pleasure to protect the herd. There's no need to thank me." Thinking things through, he sort of figured that he should've just accepted her gratitude, but forgot about it. Instead, his memory was clouded with past images of the death of his father all the sudden, the whole 'bravery' thing fresh in his mind. His eyelids lowered, as well as his brows, and he looked .. contemplative, and melancholy all at the same time all of the sudden. Picking up one hoof, he looked just above Aspen, not making eye contact with the doe, nor the buck in the background as he spoke. "The forest is waiting." A tail flick, and a swift turn of his neck, and the Lead Buck carried himself slowly and gracefully out of the area, off toward the west, where he would check up on things.. and keep particular look out for any signs of the bobcat or her comrades. Though he was certain the felines travelled alone or in pairs, it was safe to be cautious.
Nikke - Female Adol. Bobcat
Chanson - Male Whitetail Deer
Roscoe - Male Whitetail Deer
Aspen - Female Whitetail Deer
Setting:
Maple Glade
------------
It's been a long couple of weeks for Roscoe. This week was turning out fairer than he thought, though he still remained melancholy due to the heat-wave weather. Though his coat was much lighter now, in color and in weight, he couldn't help but dislike the sun beating down on his back all day. Hence why he remained in the shaded comfort of the glade at this time. It was now early afternoon, which was the perfect time for a well deserved rest. He'd been up before dawn, and had scoured the eastern half of the forest already this morning alone. With a light sigh, the large male bent his front legs down, and his hind legs dittoed shortly thereafter. Though, his head remained upright. With his eyes watching dead ahead, The Prince stared off into the green hues of the forest, and soon licked his lips tiredly, not bothering to stifle his yawn, as there was no one that he had to impress at the moment. With his ears relaxed, the buck closed his eyes slowly, just wanting to rest his eyes for the moment.
"Ha ha HA!" A triumphant laugh comes from innocent little Nikke, the bobcat who never really grew out of her playful, childlike persona. She chases butterflies through the woods, bobbing in and out with expertise. As usual, she is oblivious to her surroundings. It has wound up getting her in trouble time and again, but she's made it through all tribulations without a scratch. The poor butterflies daintily float away, a giggling bobcat behind them. As the majority of them fly too high, Nikke gives up and takes a moment to catch her breath. Slowly looking around, she knows exactly where she is; she just simply hasn't been here before. Perfect logic!
The sudden outburst of laughter resulted in Roscoe's eyes shooting open immediately, his ears cupping forward at the exact same time. /Something/ is in the glade. His glade. With his eyes widened and his nostrils flaring, the Prince takes a whiff of the air, and the smell is something awkward. It's something he's familiar with, but not around this area. The scent of a predator, that's for sure. Lifting himself up to his legs once again, he plants his hooves fiercly on the ground, and cranes his head in order to search for the little beast that was intruding on his territory. It doesn't take long for him to spot the source of all the noise, and a gruff, irritated sound escapes him. The buck wishes that his antlers were sharper at this point.. but they were non-fatal, still-forming nubs at this time, unfortunately. Still, they helped to make him look bigger, and he was already on the larger side as it was. With his eyes set on the target, Roscoe let out a huff of breath, flicked his tail angrily, and lowered his head in a display of aggression. A small bobcat was easy to run off.. and so, he readied a charge.
Nikke nearly screams in surprise as the the angry call reaches her tuffed ears. She darts behind a thin tree and lowers herself in an attempt to use her natural gift of camoflauge to hide. "..." After a only a second of silence, she pokes her head up high enough to see the buck staring back at her. It wasn't a happy looking... thing... to say the least. Saying the first word in a confronting situation such has this has never been a strong point of the feline's, frequently putting her at a disadvantage to defend herself.
Roscoe was not afraid of the bobcat. This one was small, and he wasn't even afraid of large ones. Mostly, they left deer alone, escpecially ones of his size. However, there would be fawns in this area sooner or later, and better to run off the predator now then to have to worry about it later. Adults weren't targets, but fawns very well could be. With an albino doe at least accompanying the herd, and his son a liability.. yeah, the bobcat needed to get out. Glaring down at the little beast, Roscoe's hooves carried him quickly and aggressivley over to the feline, and he snorted angrily at her as soon as he was within stomping distance. "Get.. out." He said roughly, his tone low and threatening.
Already tears begin to well in her big yellow eyes as she's threatened. Nikke has to step back to even look at this tall... thing... in the eyes. "I'm sorryi'msorryi'msorryi'msorry..." Her voice dithers away, but her big paws are frozen in place. A mixture of fear and curiosity prevent her from looking away from the prince. Her unblinking eyes slowly move away from eye contact and move to examine the fur around his head and neck. But no head movement, though; she remains completely statuesque.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow will be a better day to move everyone here. Roscoe is right. The glade of maples /is/ an ideal place. Lots of coverage. Shade. Hiding spots. She'll just have to check things out one more time to be absolutely positively sure that things are A-OK for the fawns to be here. And so here comes Aspen the doe, making her way to the glade with a somewhat placid look on her face. Things in this part of the forest are usual serene and quiet, though it doesn't take her long to assume otherwise on this particular day. A strange scent and a strange voice alerts her, causing her to pause with head and tail erect. That scent isn't deer, and it reeks of danger! Staying within the surrounding trees, she picks her way forward carefully, eyes landing first upon Roscoe, then to the furry thing near him. Bobcat! She doesn't move any closer for now, observing tensely some yards away.
The nervous apologies from the small cat are almost not even heard by Roscoe, his hooves carrying him to where he lumbers over the tiny predator before him, and huffs in frustration once or twice before he speaks up again. "You and your kind are intruders here. Get out, and stay out." His tone is just as low and even more threatening this time, as he tosses his head up in a display of the power of his crown. Though the tines were not sharp, there was still much force that would come from that skull of his. Another scent, a familiar and welcome one, wafts through his nose as he lifts his head, and those large ears swivel to the side, his peripheral vision catching eye of Aspen. His eyes do not leave Nikke though. "Stay where you are.. but don't be afraid." He said, and glared right down at the bobcat still.
By now, the sad tears slowly flow down her cheek as she stares straight up. Nikke sees nothing wrong with just wanting to play. She /hates/ it when somebody comes up and bosses her around because "she's on their land" and because they're bigger than her. Nikke doesn't care if another deer is nearby. A little temper grows in the bobcat. "I was just *playing*." She pouts, even daring to show teeth as she slowly backs away from Roscoe. "If *YOU* came to *MY* tree, I wouldn't tell you to leave!" Not exactly a fearsome statement, but the sediment is there. Never before as she ever really showed this kind of behavior. "Maybe I *will* eat all your grass now." That's the only reason she can come up with why they wouldn't want her out, and she choses words that have a little bite to them. This, however, is a dangerous thing to do. More dangerous than she realizes.
"Roscoe, I smelled something strange-!" Chanson says, bounding up to the odd pair, stopping short when he hears the bobcat's weird proclamations. Was that supposed to be a... a threat? Chanson scrunches his brow curiously. "Uh... looks like you have this under control..."
Aspen is not one to always listen to what Roscoe says. In fact, there are times when it seems as if the only thing she's willing to do is the exact opposite of what he'd wish her to do! But now is not one of those times. When her eyes meet his, there's a look of undeniable trust within them as she listens to his simple request. Stay and do not be afraid. It's easy to follow the latter as she watches him as he is now. Confident and fearless. Speaking to this fanged thing as if he were the predator and it the prey. She gives her head a subtle nod in answer to him in show that she heard and understand. He seems to have things under control, though as the bobcat speaks her eyes dart back to it, body remaining tense in preparation to flee. Where there's one, there may be others lurking. As Chanson arrives so quickly, she lifts her head a bit more, though stays put. Two bucks? Of course they don't need her in the way!
The tears from the young bobcat do not phase Roscoe at all. A predator is a predator, and in his eyes, the world would be better off, not without them, but with less of them. Especially in this area. Though, dogs and wolves seem to provide the main problems in this specific area. If he could growl, he would. Instead, his chest puffs and he appears larger again, at the defiance of the feline. Stomping a hoof threateningly, he rears up onto his hind legs and lands deceptively close to the creature's paws. If violence was required to drive her away, he would oblige. "Play elsewhere!" His voice booms, and he juts his tines up into the air once more, wanting to use them only as a last resort. Her age is kept in mind, and though he would hate to admit it, hurting a child, predator or not, would cause /some/ guilt. "This is your last warning.. go quietly, or I will /make/ you go."
The newfound attitude in the otherwise peaceful Nikke isn't put out by threats. Though she does jump into the air with a hiss as the stomp crashes down infront of her face and paw. If he were intending to crush her paw, the jumping would come much to late. Her mother would be ashamed of the behavior the feline is showing. "Ugly lanky horses!" It isn't like that should matter at all to the the male, but it's the most meaningful insult she can throw at the stubborn buck. She takes off running away, looking back once to see the three bucks. "I hate you!" Temper, temper!
"Well. That was weird," Chanson decides as he comes up next to Roscoe, watching the cat flee hastily. "She didn't even seem like she was hunting. I don't think I've ever heard a predator... ramble like that before." He glances at the buck out of his eyes. "She seemed pretty freaked, though." He was good at spotting fake tears, and those definitely weren't. Maybe she hadn't even made a proper kill yet.
Lanky...horses? Aspen's ears flit back at the insult. She's seen horses before...at a distance. She sees nothing appealing about the maned creatures, and to be called one has her wrinkling her nose. But! The bobcat is gone now, though Aspen still remains watchful for any comrades that may be lurking. With predators, one can never be too carful. But the scent remains singular. Nosing aside a wayward branch in the way, she moves forward, ears swiveling as caution and alertness still remains high. "It was young, wasn't it? It's...parents..or pack, or however it is they travel could be nearby," she says, not liking the sound of her own words.
A smug grin is given when he sees the bobcat running off, her insult simply brushed off. He knew that his species were all beautiful creatures, the subjects of much envy from what he remembered from back home. People admired their grace, after all. Just a child and her temper, he figured. Turning around to trot away apathetically, he was a bit suprised to see Chanson /right/ there. Blinking, he stopped, and cleared his throat. "Chanson." He 'greeeted' him curtly, with a short nod of his head, and then looked over toward Aspen. No fawns. Good. The bobcat didn't see them, then. Looking back to Chanson, the Lead Buck took in a breath and exhaled softly. "In .. unique cases such as this, when the perpetrator is a child.. it's always wise to simply scare them off, opposed to violent tactics." A bit of advice, and it was delivered at least kind of kindly. Taking a step away from the other buck, he blinked slowly, knowing now that he wouldn't be able to rest for quite some time. Not in the company of his herd. "Yes, she was young. But she wasn't a child.. and bobcats usually travel alone. I wouldn't worry, especially since she's the first one we've seen here in quite some time." Softening his expression, he shook his head. "Please, don't trouble yourself worrying over it. We're just as safe as we were before."
"At least she won't be back," Chanson says with a toss of his head. "A repeat offender would be a little distressing to deal with." He's seen others killed by predators before... not a good fate at all. He turns to go to Aspen's side. "All she knows is that there's a big, bad buck around here. Well. Two," he says with a bit of a smirk. "She won't be sniffing around like that anymore."
The Prince's words are more comforting than her own thoughts, and so Aspen wills herself to relax. He's right. She's never seen a bobcat here before. There's no reason for her to think that suddenly there will be a whole pack of them lurking on their lands. Hopefully. As Chanson approaches, she smiles though soon moves forward towards Roscoe. "Yes. Two big and very bad bucks," she agrees, glancing back to Chanson with a smirk before turning to their leader again. She pauses near him, quiet for a moment as she seems to consider him. "I have a feeling that if that was a full grown bobcat or even a cougar you would've acted the same way. To be a leader, I knew you had to be brave. I just didn't realize how brave you were." She smiles warmly and dips her head to him. "Thank you."
The other buck is right. If that feline knew what was good for her, she wouldn't be back. Though he didn't want to, he would attempt to kill her if things worsened. However, he did not think that they would. His warning was serious, and he had succeeded in frightening the cat away. That was the end of it, he hoped. Grinning mildly at his herd-mates, he nodded his head at the 'big bad buck' comment, not bothering to respond to it. It was a joke, and he was in no mood for jokes. He was tired, a bit stressed out, and .. well, very tired. The afternoon nap had been ruined, and now he'd have nothing to do but to press on through the western half of the forest, much like he planned on doing after that short rest. As he turns to head to the west, he sees that Aspen nears him, and he stops. Ears flicking around contently, he raises his head and blinks at her comment. Was that.. a compliment? A display of gratitude? The smile is returned, but he merely scoffs afterward. "Please, Aspen.." He begins, and shakes his head. "It is a Leader's duty to be brave, no matter the danger.. be it small as that one was, or as large as an entire wolf pack. It doesn't matter the threat, it is my duty and my pleasure to protect the herd. There's no need to thank me." Thinking things through, he sort of figured that he should've just accepted her gratitude, but forgot about it. Instead, his memory was clouded with past images of the death of his father all the sudden, the whole 'bravery' thing fresh in his mind. His eyelids lowered, as well as his brows, and he looked .. contemplative, and melancholy all at the same time all of the sudden. Picking up one hoof, he looked just above Aspen, not making eye contact with the doe, nor the buck in the background as he spoke. "The forest is waiting." A tail flick, and a swift turn of his neck, and the Lead Buck carried himself slowly and gracefully out of the area, off toward the west, where he would check up on things.. and keep particular look out for any signs of the bobcat or her comrades. Though he was certain the felines travelled alone or in pairs, it was safe to be cautious.