((I have no idea who any of the wolves are in the forest, but assuming that none of them are Charlotte, so.))

Charlotte froze, her paw lifted when she heard a howl filter through the trees, sending a few birds squawking and flapping for their lives. She cocked her head and her ear twitched. With a small sigh she decided to return the strange call by lifting her head up slightly.

She felt the call reverberate through her throat and spill out her mouth in a low, constant sound before ending it with a high-pitched yip! at the end.

With a small sigh, she dropped the little basket full of herbs she had been carrying around her tail and shifted, feeling the weight of her bulging stomach stretch in a familiar way. She stood carefully, left hand cradling her stomach while the other reached down for the herb basket, slipping it past her thumb onto her wrist and sliding it down to her elbow. She set off in the direction of the first call - north east, she'd wager a guess - at a steady pace, slipping through the narrow passages between trees, weaving her way under branches and over crunchy leaves as to avoid making a noise. Charlotte knew she'd be smelt out, with the vague human smell that shifted wolves give off and her pregnant state adding to that, but she still wanted to see what the call had been for.

Soon she stumbled across 2 pairs of wolves, one of the pairs were out in the open, and there were 2 in the bushes. With a quick sniff, she faintly smelt the presence of a fifth wolf, and it was a slightly familiar scent. She shifted back and her senses heightened, she recognised the fifth wolf as the sister to the chieftain of Lacrinti tribe, Letta, or Betta? Maybe it was just Etta. She hadn't dealt with the other members of most tribes; excluding the chieftain's of course. She stepped backwards slightly and sat on her rump quietly, cocking her head again as she - and the other three wolves- watched the two wolves talk, the low call from a strange wolf forgotten for now.

"Sorry, Dhev, that means you can't come," Etta jeered, smirking, "I'll see you back at the den okay?" Dhevil sighed, "Etta I can never win with you..." he shook his head and began slowly walking towards where his den was located.

Etta smiled, "Come on Rose, are you in or out?" she asked, eager to begin the hunt.

As Dhevil headed back to his den, he noticed Charlotte. He padded towards her, "Hey, Charlotte, how are the pups doing?" he gazed down at her round belly and smiled, "The third pup seems pretty far along now, if you need anything I would be happy to be of assistance to you," he remarked, politely.

Etta quietly snuck around to the front of the buck, making sure to remain out of its eye sight. She looked down, careful not to step on any leaves or sticks as she silently approached her prey. She looked at the deer and quickly shifted to anthro form, towering above the young animal. The deer took one look at her and headed towards the large boulder, where Az was waiting.

She smiled, satisfied with her role in the catch and patiently waited for Az to make the final move.

"You and your newborn will have my full protection, as soon as he or she comes along," Dhevil shot a quick smile at Charlotte, "also, if Sharme wants to come hunt or fight with me, I could show him some moves." The black wolf smiled slightly at the thought of training the younger pup. "My tribe is scarce, but we're rebuilding the best we can, whatever disease it was that struck us certainly got the best of us." Dhevil cringed at the thought of his lost family, "but I still have Etta, as much trouble as she is, thanks for asking," he shook his head.

"It was strange indeed," Dhevil sighed, "there is no need to apologize, Charlotte, there is not a lot you could have done. It came on very subtle at first and by the time anyone noticed anything strange, we began losing members," he recalled, sadly. "I would have no problem helping Sharme, seeing as your going to have your paws full rather soon," he said, cheerfully.

Dhevil's ears perked at the noise of something unfamiliar. He looked directly at Charlotte, "Did you hear that!?"

"I-I don't know," Dhevil admitted, dumbfounded, "it sounded almost aggressive or something, what do you think? No one in my tribe sounds like that," he stated, nervous as to what made the noise and where the noise came from. He knew he needed to find his sister, but he knew she was safe with Az. His main concern was discovering the source of the strange sound.

"No one to my knowledge sounds like that in my tribe, and none of the chieftains in any tribe sound like that either." She cocked her head slightly, ears still twitching. "Maybe it's a lone wolf? They aren't generally aggressive though." She lowered her snout to the ground and sniffed again. "There's only a faint smell of unfamiliar wolf around here."

Dhevil looked around, trying to get a visual of whatever the noise was. "Do you think it's worth investigating?" he questioned. Dhevil would respect whatever Charlotte's opinion was, he knew he could trust her. Dhevil had known the wolf for some time now and regarded highly whatever she had to say.

"Nice catch!" Etta smiled, taking a leg of the buck to bring back for her and Dhevil to share for lunch. "We should do that again sometime," she suggested, still smiling at Az. She had heard the noise too, but didn't think very highly of it, she knew Dhevil would figure out what to do.