The sun was doing its job today, baking the wheat and soil to a nice earthy perfume that permeated everything, and soaking the scarf tied around Marta's brow, even under her wide brim hat. What breeze there was drifted into the shade where she leaned, bending back the hatch to one of the more stubborn traps she was getting ready to lay out on the land. It wasn't much- just enough to take her hat off and soak it in for a moment of rest.
The sharp whistle pulled her attention, but Marta already knew who it was. She knew the pitch. The length and slide belonged to one she knew well- Bear was hard to miss, even without the horse loaded with what she could see was a carcass once he was close enough. Her greeting smile faded just a touch, weighed with curiosity. It wasn't odd to see him with a kill, but something was off. She could read it in his face.
His explanation brought it all together.
"New guests, huh?" she parroted back, more of her smile dropping as she examined the deer. Unconsciously, her free hand stroked his horse's blaze. Marta looked back up to her friend. "How many this time? Where they at?"