Though that hadn't been the only reason Irit had failed to act, had failed to attack the pride member. The shock of having Hussan so close and almost solid beside had triggered a need to be with him that had to battle the will to keep her daughters alive and well. The Mother Instinct had won out, but not without price. Irit had been so drained, it had taken her a full day to be able to leave the den again. And she'd only left because she knew the girls needed for, the trap needed respringing, and she couldn't allow herself to starve or the inner battle would have been in vein.
As it was, Hussan was very unhappy with her. She could see and feel his agitation. Irit hated seeing like that. She wanted to sooth him. To calm him. To rub herself against his side and feel him. But not yet. The girls still needed to be taught to hunt and survive on their own before she could even think that. And they wouldn't be surviving on their own with that pride around. So it was time to get inventive. New traps to set up and in different areas.
Irit would have to be extra careful herself when she went out hunting, because almost all of her hunting ground was going to be littered with some kind of trap. And the ones that she was working on today were not pretty. Holes in the ground, spikes at random angles, twig lattices and foraged fallen foliage carpeting. Tedious, but worth it.
Thalion
