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It can sometimes be difficult to tell Sentinel from tree in the Darkest parts of Deep Woods, especially if the Sentinel in question is deliberately hiding.

An old male was perching in one of the neutral trees between two territories, but it was hard to see the Sentinel at a first glance. He was sitting with his lighter chest turned towards the trunk of the tree and his head turned towards the forest.
If someone should notice the dark form in the tree they'd probably just see a tired old male resting his eyes and wings for a while. But in reality he was watching. Well... Listening. But then again, to a Sentinel, that is pretty much the same thing.

So far tonight he had overheard a fledgling having a screaming fit when his father wouldn't let him have some squirrel, he had been the witness to a quick encounter between two young lovers who thought they were alone and he had heard a companion meet an untimely end at the talons of a Sentinel that was not its owner.

It was nearly dawn, and most honest Sentinels had retreated to their roosts, but the male still listened. Now and again he adjusted the position of his head somewhat, or puffed up a little only to let his plumage sink back down again, but he did not move from his spot, nor shift his position.

"Sleeping? Pfff..." the male said and opened one eye, "Not with all the noise you are making."

He nodded towards another perch in the same tree in a silent invitation, and apparently decided that Bracken was worth enough attention for him to open his other eye too.

"Wildseed should discipline his offspring better," he said grumpily and shifted slightly on his perch, "Either that or let someone more experienced teach the little brat some manners."

The male smiled ever so slightly, apparently amused by his younger friend's eagerness to change the subject. He took his sweet time to stretch, preen an errant wing feather in place, and turn around so that his body was facing Bracken. Still blending in among the shadows, but he felt no need to actively hide anymore. He was satisfied with what he had heard tonight, and devoted his attention to his impatient friend.

"It's been a while, yes," the male said slowly, watching the Seeker with interest, "Offspring you say? Have you found a nice young lady to court?"

As long as he didn't lose his head and let it distract him from his duties completely, a female could probably do him good.

"Hmm?" The old sentinel allowed his ear tufts to rise slightly in a gesture of reserved interest, but the rest of him remained pretty much expressionless. A clear contrast to the impatient fidgetings of the younger male, which he noted with some hint of aloof amusement in his half-closed eyes.

Still so young, and so eager.

But if it wasn't about a female, then it was probably something that could prove worthy of his interest. Especially since Bracken had come to find him at such an inconvenient hour.

"Is that so?" he said, the tone of his voice calmly inviting a more thorough explanation.

"Noctua is going to the owls these days," the male responded quietly to his young companion's outburst, "Not even the ancient trees of the Deep Woods have been spared." He snorted disdainfully. "Unfortunately."

While the older Sentinel has always been well-practiced at hiding his outward emotions, Bracken knew his friend good enough be able to see how the news about the unnatural pairing affected him. The way he held his ear tufts and narrowed his eyes showed that he was every bit as disgusted as the younger male, but perhaps a bit less vocal about it.

"Who is this Wildtype, then?" the older male asked, his voice rich with badly disguised contempt, "One of those cross-bred freaks who just happens to look enough like a Wildtype to pass as one? And who is the female? There should be some dirt to dig up, there always is."

The older sentinel remained stock still for a moment, his frame, his narrowed eyes commanding a suddenly rather chilly presence. He let the silence between him and young Bracken grow portentous for a moment, and when he finally spoke it was with an unmistakable hint of disappointment in his slow, deliberate words:

"You have no names? They are your neighbours, aren't they?" He shuffled his feet and raised his feathers, only to slowly let them sink back. He looked as though he was merely making himself more comfortable on his perch, but a stray glimmer of moonlight reflected in one of his lidded eyes revealed a sharp, scrutinizing gaze locked onto the young Deep Woods.

In the next moment, the glint was gone, and the old bird heaved a slight, benevolent sigh. "I think I'd start with finding out the name of that pure-blooded Wildtype." He murmured, nodding slightly to himself but not for a moment taking his eyes off of Bracken's. "The Trapper is of little consequence: If she is who I think she is then nothing much good can be done for her, and she's got her no-good family to thank for that. But the Wildtype, now... if he really is from such a respectable old bloodline as you suspect, then why ever would he want to betray it like this? I think it could be wise to look into his... circumstances."

There was the faintest hint of a smile around the older sentinel's beak as he observed Bracken's reaction to the subtle chastisement. He could easily figure out several good reasons as to why the young male would not have bothered getting to know his neighbours better, and the impatience that had driven him to come find the older male without any proper background information to share.

Nevertheless, it was quite a lapse, and he was pleased to see that Bracken understood that too. However, what pleased him the most was the need to impress and gain his approval that became evident in the young Seeker's flustered embarrassment. That, he approved of. Very much so.

Seeing no need to embarrass Bracken further, the older sentinel looked away as well and began to idly preen his own wing. "Ah," he said between nibbles, "That should be quite enough, then. That way you can ask around a little about 'this lady's new mate,' and you won't even have to bother with being in their direct company... Much more convenient that way, isn't it?"

His tone of voice stated, rather than indicated, that he fully sympathized with anyone who would be reluctant to 'socialize' with this particular couple.

Then he looked up, and bestowed Bracken with a smile and an approving nod. "You did the right thing to come to me with this. Something really needs to be done about all these cross-type relationships as of late, and it is certainly good to know that there is someone out there who has the Clan's best interest at heart."

The old male fluffed up his feathers again, this time as an obvious gesture of feeling comfortable, and nothing more. He gave the young Seeker an almost fatherly nod and smiled with a bit more warmth.

"Certainly. You know you can always come to me. Let me know if there's anything more I can do for you - You know where to find me."

His talons scraped lightly against the wood as he prepared to turn back into his earlier position once more, but stopped himself suddenly as if struck by a notion. "Oh, that's right... do you remember that disgrace of a Medic I told you about before? The one with the white sickness, living right here, right inside Deep Woods?" He shook his head grimly from side to side, a very disapproving scowl forming on his face at the mere memory of the whole travesty.