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As they grew, the whelps seemed to follow her more and more. The pups were getting better at tracking, sniffing her particular scent out from the mix of pack smells that surrounded them day in and day out. She'd made it into a game for them; the mother would rise earlier than her children and head out for the borders, hunt something smaller, and carry it along with her on her way. It was a daily activity now for the family. The pups would spend their morning tracking Naniko down, and once they finally did find their elusive mother they would be given their reward.
She stood tall in her optime form, walking the borderline with a late-born fawn slung over her shoulders. She wasn't concerned about another member ambushing her and taking her meat; she was the top bitch in this pack. It was growing later in the day, and she wondered if the pups had given up on finding her. Perhaps they'd grown tired of this daily game or had decided that they were too old for it. She set the deer down on the ground with a small groan, stretching her back. It was certainly a workout, walking with that kind of weight on her shoulders..but she was growing more used to the strain as time went on.
The Angela turned toward the packlands, yawning. It had been over a year since she'd formed Anathema, and many things had changed about it. The members were different, a few new laws had been added...and new ceremonies had been developed. She wanted to do more for the pack, to figure out ways to provide better for them...and her co-leader Alaki helped her with that. Their latest idea involved a crow alert system; the leaders were training the crows to respond to basic commands and to learn the pack members by sight. They would squawk loudly and report any unfamiliar canines to Naniko or Alaki now.
She turned back to her border duties, picking the deer back up from the ground and returning it to its place around her shoulders. Jade eyes slid over the landscape, taking in all irregularities. It took a moment for her to realize that anyone was there, her nose picking up the unfamiliar scent when the wind turned her direction. "Hello?" She called. Nothing. Naniko stepped out a little farther from the safety of the packlands and into the surrounding woodlands. "Who is there?" She looked about at eye level before turning her gaze to the forest floor. It looked like some sort of a corpse, still as it was. She approached warily, unsure if it was some sort of an act, and reached one foot out to try and nudge the individual. "Get up."