Masai & Others

Kino and Suka were two full grown moose that were accompanied by two white tailed deer and two muntjac's. They were following a rumor that there was a deer herd around here somewhere. Kino released a bugle to announce their presence

Markia was a piebald male White tail dair and Masai was white. They came up beside the two moose..

Lastly there was Taishi and Tina two indian Muntjac's. They stood close to each other.

Axis

Axis, a chital, was on patrol when he heard a bugle erupt down the breadth of the canyon.

He hurried to check out the source of the call, slowing as he saw the amount of deer gathered together. Were they part of the herd? He tested the air, trying to discern whether they had the scent of the canyon on them.

As it smelled like they weren't, he approached cautiously, loosing a call of his own to let them know he was there and to hopefully bring other herd members closer in case the encounter turned sour. Torank's mention of that other deer herd was still on his mind.

"Hello," Axis said, stopping some paces away from the group. "What brings you here?"

Aja & Sweetbay

The red stag had heard the call, and catching no clear indication of aggression, had decided to let Axis and the other males intercept the newcomers. The lead was slowly navigating his way to the scene, but it would be some time before his cautious pace brought him to the others.

Already near the scene was Aja and Sweetbay, a young axis doe and a whitetail just a year above her. Two pair had been grazing when the bellow rolled across the hills and brought their casual chattering to a stop. Neither were keen on calling back to an unknown moose, but when Axis announced his presence, Aja slowly picked her way through the hawthorns they were grazing amongst, using the thick leaves and her own spotted fur to keep herself hidden.

"Look!" She whispered to Sweetbay, as the whitetail doe minced closer to her, semi crouched with giant ears pushed forward. "That's the new buck, I think." Aja's attention was first on Axis as he entered her line of sight, while Sweetbay's gaze had set upon the moose and their friends.

Masai & Others

Kino waited patiently. He knew it might be odd that he and suka were seeking a herd and that they come with four others. But Kino had been raised by humans and so hadn't suka. The humans had dissappeared one day and desperate for food the two stuck together not because of matng reasons but because they felt safer in this weird wild world. Masai and Markio had come across the two and had helped them cope soon followed by Taishi and Tina who were tiny. Hello, we come seekning a home that is allHe said not introducing them just yet as the other had not introduced himself as is and he had a feeling this guy might not be the leader any how. He could just be a sentry or just someone walking by.

The others patiently stood there.

Axis

Axis gazed at the strangers steadily but kept a wary stance. He recognized the muntjacs---their species---but little else. The size of the moose he found absolutely daunting. And he'd thought the red deer was huge!

He relaxed a little as one of the moose explained their reason for being there.

"Ah," he said, nodding. "Then welcome." He sounded unsure as he said that. The chital looked around confusedly, not sure what to do or who to direct them to. Torank, perhaps?

He didn't see the two does hidden in the bushes, and turned back to start towards where he'd last seen Torank.

Trying to force a bit of authority in his tone, Axis said, "This way." He'd lead them along the ridge, figuring he should probably keep them out of the canyon until he spotted Torank.

Aja & Sweetbay

Aja was on the verge of stepping out of cover, but hesitated and drew her slender hoof back and planted it firmly against the grass. Axis was moving the procession further along the outskirts of the canyon, and she did not want to interrupt him. "Lets wait, Bay." The chital murmured to her friend, getting a agreeing nod from the other.

After Axis guide the mixed group by, the two does quietly followed suite, sticking to the hawthorns and other shrubby plants to keep themselves concealed.

It wasn't a terribly long trip along the ridge before Axis would see those two antler beams cutting above the foliage and pushing aside low branches, heading in his direction. The stag stopped short himself once he caught sight of his spotted friend, and raised his head a little higher to better see over the blades of tall grass and weedy plants around him. His eyes traveled further then, rising up to take in the view of two very large ungulates.

"Greetings." His voice was firm but welcoming, while his eyes were questioning as they flicked back to Axis.

Markio and others

Markio walked with Masai. The two white tails brought up the rear of the group. Markio ears flicked back to the bushs pausing to gaze at it and snorting a bit. What was stalking them? Their smell was not coming to him. His tail went up and flicked unsure of what it might be. He continued on keeping an ear on the bushs the two were in. He eyed the other buck that appeared.

Kino came to a halt when the other deer appear.Hello, I am king, this is Suka, Thats Markio and Masai, And the muntjac are Taishi and Tina, we are in search of a homehe said calmly.

Suka stayed next to her counterpart, impressed he took the lead on this despite being captvie raised.

Taishi and tina stood a little off to the side.

Axis

Axis paused as Torank came into view, stepping aside for the other deer to introduce themselves.

What was that look Torank gave him? Was he supposed to keep them where they'd arrived?

The chital remained silent and left his face stoic as he still wasn't sure what he should be doing, and so instead kept his eyes on the strangers. He noted one of them seemed keen on the bushes just below them. Was something in there?

Shifting his weight, Axis pulled his ears forward and lowered his nose as he carefully began to approach the hawthorns, legs tense in case something should spring out.

Torank, Aja, & Sweetbay

After a brief moment of silence wherein he gave the new group a quick one-over, Torank gave Axis a subtle nod, "Thank you for bringing them to my attention." He was certainly pleased with the new buck's dutifulness, which continued as Axis caught the cues given by Markio and took it upon himself to investigate the shrubbery behind the new deer.

While the chital worked on that, Torank turned most of attention to Kino, listening to the bull offer the name of his comrades and reason for being in the territory. "Kino, I'm Torank. Lead stag of the Golden Rose Canyon herd." The red deer moved forward, ears at the alert and nose working diligently to take in their scents. He didn't smell any predators, so that was a good start. "You and your friends are welcome here, so long as we can count on you and the bucks to provide security for our females and calves." Torank paused then, caution coming to his expression. Was that... human he smelled? It seemed so faint, he could be mistaken... "Where have you come from, and what brought you all together?"

In the bushes, Aja and Sweetbay watched as Markio all but blew their cover. The piebald buck had heard them, and now his keen attention had brought the new axis buck their way to investigate. Instead of slipping away and making their way back down into the canyon, Aja waited until Axis had gotten close enough before she drew her head up, large ears swiveled forward, "It's only two does, no worries."

Markio and Others

Markio listened to what was being said but his eyes stayed on the brush as the axis deer went to investigate. His tail still twitching side to side a little until the does showed themselves and then it seiest moving.

Kino could see the curiousness about his smell. I was raised by humans, They died about 6 months ago. I had no choice but to leave the safety of my home in search of food, I didn't know how to live in the wild. Being Six years old and having lived my whole life dependent on my humans I knew nothing. Suka found me about a month ago. She has been wild her whole life living a normal solitary life. Markio and Masai we happened upon being cornered by hunting dogs. I chased those bloody predators off and so we became a herd a four. Last we came across Taishi and Tina in what humans call a petting zoo. But there were no humans in site any more they had like I been gone from some time. They were the only two left alive but barely. So we became a herd of sixHe said calmly.

Axis

Axis pulled his head back as a doe's face popped up in front of him. When he saw it was another chital, he steadied his legs to not make a fool of himself, and glanced into the bushes for the other. They smelled of the canyon; no wonder he hadn't scented them. Or perhaps the musky odor of the deer with the strange antlers (the moose) had thrown him off.

"Ah...hello," he said, one ear twitching in show of his sudden nervousness. They must have come to see what the commotion was.

Axis cleared his throat and looked towards the other group, only half listening to their story. His mind was more on the herd itself; he was more than pleased to know that there were still other chital around, but at the same time he hadn't been around so many deer in so long and he was afraid he was going to show his inexperience. Not to mention the curious does and now knowing Torank to be the leader, not just a guard...it made sense now that he thought about it. It felt like everything was happening so fast; he was ready for that nap now, but it wasn't yet time, still he'd yet to find a safe spot. This whole day was going to be a big blur when he woke up.

Alhough he thought he'd steadied himself, Axis didn't realize he was starting to wobble. He felt his head go light, however, and absently scanned the horizon for somewhere to rest when all this was over---if this day ever ended. Those hawthorns didn't look too uncomfortable....

Axis, consumed by weariness, collapsed into the bushes.

Torank, Aja, & Sweetbay

Aja's large, brown eyes were mostly for Axis at this moment, with her ears keeping partial attention on the gathering of strangers. "I'm Aja. And my friend, Sweetbay."

At the prompting, Bay's inquisitive gaze fell back on the chital, and she openly commented, "Oooh, look at that. He's wounded...! Uh oh, Aja-" Both does watched with widening eyes as the poor buck finally succumbed to exhaustion, his legs no longer able to support his weight. They saw the glaze in his eyes as his sense reeled and he blankly scanned the horizon. The pair attempted to move forward, to support the male, but his weary legs finally buckled and down he went in a soft crash amongst the ragged green leaves of the hawthorns.

Aja was at his side first, leaning her slender neck to nudge his face, while Sweetbay stepped gingerly around to his other side, looking for any obvious maladies. "I think he's just exhausted." The axis doe murmured, half speaking to her friend, and half to Torank, who'd shot a startled look to the trio when the buck went down. "We'll look after him, he needs a rest."

Somewhat assured by the attentive does, Torank put his trust in them as he focused back on the new group. "It's good to hear that you were all able to escape the clutches of the two-leggers, and have found companionship with your fellow cervids." The stag relaxed a little, now knowing that faint stench of human did not bring any threat with it. It was an old banner that would soon be replaced by that of the Golden Rose Canyon. "You'll find remnants of the humans' structures in our land, but they are old and decaying. With the help of you, we'll have even more eyes and ears to keep our herd safe from them, should they try and enter our land again. And it sounds like you know how to fight their dogs, Kino? That's good; as I've told Axis, I don't expect you to stand and fight if your instincts tell you to flee, but it is good that you both know how to handle the predators if backed into a corner."

Kino

Kino had never hated the humans. Truth was if it hadn't been for the humans he'd be dead. Not to say there aren't bad humans but my humans saved my life. If it weren't for them I would of died, my mother was killed by a pack of wolves while dozing off. he said calmly. He did know there were bad humans.There were others though , they came and kept looking at me with an evil glint.He said. My humans always chased them off Maybe thats what killed his humans, he would never know. Yes we will fight if we need to. He said calmly.

Makrio ear was back on the three by the bush.

Torank, Aja, & Sweetbay

Aja and Sweetbay dutifully kept guard near the exhausted buck, splitting their keen attention between him and this group of newcomers, all while grooming the poor fellow and ridding him of any pesky ticks that were buried beneath his spotted fur.

Torank was pleased to see that this group was alert and cautious of their surroundings, a trait that was sometimes dulled a bit with captive folk. He was also curious to hear Kino's take on the two-leggers, and didn't immediately counter the bull's views. Carefully, he answered the larger cervid, "There are some humans that don't seem interested in preying on us, and a rare few more than show altruism towards our kind. But don't let that lull you into a false sense of security - treat every human as a wolf before anything else, and you'll live much longer." Torank had heard of such humans in this valley, though he preferred to play it safe and keep clear of their kind entirely.

The stag shifted his weight and turned his nose to the wind, checking to make sure no predators or other dangerous were nearby while they had one of their own down and vulnerable. Picking up nothing, he swiveled his head back to the group, looking primarily towards Kino and Suka. "There is another bull here, a white-coated moose named Mortar. He spends part of his time at the Marsh and the Scar, but he is a part of our herd."

Kino

Kino listened calmly.I understand that much. I only trusted my humans, never any that came to visit. They knew that they were the only ones who could get near me or i'd attack. I still have some instincts. he said calmly. Suka ears perked up at mention of a nother bull moose.

Torank & Others

"That's good to hear." Torank seemed satisfied with Kino's understanding of the humans, "I would suggest that you and the others spend time with your new herdmates here, to awaken and strengthen your natural instincts. The rut will begin in a few weeks for many of us, and that always coincides with increased hunting from the humans and their dogs."

The stag didn't miss the way Suka's ears perked at the mention of Mortar. Looking her way now, he addressed her interest, "If you'd like to meet him, I can have one of our scouts lead you to him. As I said, he spends more of his time out of our lands."