June 7 - 12, 2023
Researcher's Notes
Early Spring (Month 1)
Alpha Tariel moved the pack north at the start of spring and it was perhaps one of the fastest shifts in territory I've ever seen the pack make. On better occassions, the pack might have been stuck near a den while their newest generation grew large enough to travel long distances, but with Kai recently lost and no pups on the way, perhaps Tariel took advantage of the spring bounty to make the change. Why she chose to move north, I can't say--the pack has been in their southern range since she joined--but I do know packs that can survive in the northern ranges tend to grow larger, faster. Perhaps the tundra was a region she was more familiar with when she was young?
I saw no sign of Fang during the move, although I admit the pack covered ground so quickly I didn't get many sightings of them. Moving camp and surveilance equipment has certainly been a chore but I do enjoy the tundra for the wide-open spaces and easy viewing. I'll continue to keep an eye out for Fang in hopes she's simply trailing along behind the pack but if she stays gone for too long I may not be able to consider her part of the pack anymore.
Mid Spring (Month 2)
The cough that Levon carried into spring is spreading more noticeably among the pack now. Last month it was moving slowly, from Levon, who recovered, to Alpha Tariel, but I wasn't too worried with only one pack member sick. A cough is more of a nuisance to them, after all. This month, however, there are now three pack members sick, including poor Levon again. They aren't recovering as quickly as I would expect them to in spring and I can't help but wonder if the stress from the move has anything to do with it. I suppose we should count ourselves lucky it's a cough and not the flu (I hope I haven't jinxed them).
In other news, I spotted Fang again this month! And she isn't alone--she's got two pups in tow! I think it's safe to assume the pups are the reason for her disappearance though which male they belong to I could only guess. I'm not sure whether she only had two, or whether she's lost some along the way, but she certainly didn't use the pack den to birth them and has presumably been keeping them fed on her own which are both impressive feats to overcome.
Now it appears she has followed the pack north which leads me to believe she's ready to rejoin them, however she continues to keep her distance. She may sense the illness in the pack, or is waiting for a time when they are better fed (hunting has not been going well this month) to make them more open to accepting the pups. I'm certainly curious to see how this unfolds--the pack once did very well with a lot of members to support it, however after Alpha Kai's loss, Alpha Tariel may be less than welcoming to pups that aren't her own.
Late Spring (Month 3)
The cough continues to linger among the pack this month and Elene appears to be suffering from an infection from a wound she received a couple weeks ago. Hunting has gone a little better this last month--Beta team only failed one hunt--however they are not skilled enough to take down the size of prey they were catching in the southern regions and so, despite success, the pack always seems to remain hungry. Illness doesn't help, of course, and I've noticed a few of the younger pack members starting to lose a bit of weight.
Fang made her move last week, bringing her pups and a peace offering (the remains of a porcupine she'd hunted on her own) to the pack. Most members remembered her and were accepting of her presence and curious about the pups, but I did not see any sort of 'official' meeting between Alpha Tariel and Fang or the pups. Certainly the alpha is aware of their presence, but there's no obvious acceptance or rejection of the three. They haven't been chased away, but they haven't integrated into the pack, either. I'm curious how this will turn out--Fang has done quite well on her own and the pups seem strong despite poor circumstances, but she is on the older side and perhaps the pups would have a better chance of survival if they secured a place within the pack.
Thanks for reading!