Tracking Skills

We were tracking neos last night through some woods that were not all that dense. But the ground was heavily layered with leaves and decay. Makes tracking a bit more challenging.

At one point Caitlyn, who was lead tracker at the time, said, "Shit," then said, "Sorry," then, "Look at this." I and Warin went forward to her and looked down to where she pointed.

The paw tracks she had bee following turned abruptly into boot tracks. "What the hell?" she said, shaking her head at me.

It's an old trick, switching from paws to boots to feet, and back to paws. It can throw off an inexperienced weretracker, but not one who knows what he or she is looking for.

I showed her where they, two of them, had stopped, shifted, and put on boots. I told her it was likely that they would switch to feet at some point up ahead, if we did not lose their trail, and to stay alert.

"I know, I know," she said, beating me to the punch, "The world needs more lerts."

"We've been spending too much time together," I said. She pouted at me.

We kept on, going slower, listening intently. I had my .40 out. I was watching her almost as much as I was watching the ground. She has learned well. Her skills are mounting. But she has yet to kill. There is no way to know how she will handle that when it happens, and it will happen, given our increased tempo of ops against neos. No contacts lately. But there will be.

The tracks terminated at a dirt road and tire tracks. A truck had picked them up.

On the drive back Caitlyn started talking about the weregirls. 2 in particular she likes, Lena and Wilda. Caitlyn asked if we could bring them into the pack.

"We don't even bring adult werewolves into the pack, girl, only for special visits and meetings," I said. Besides, I told her, we don't even know their situation, especially with the man, their "father."

Figuring out that situation, especially the dad, is another thing to add to my ToDo list, which is already overloaded.

I hope Caitlyn does OK in school today. I had her out late last night. But she seems tireless.