Track watchers

While hunting for the food in The Depths, it would be extremely easy to leave the trails leading back to one's settlement, giving an opportunity for a great feast to any predator that would want to follow it. To prevent it from happening, each hunting team comes with a track watcher, a person skilled in hiding any clues that would endanger their tribe.

Hiding the trails

There are many ways the track watchers do their job, each coming with its pros and cons.

• Natural way - Those track watchers use more natural methods such as brushing the footprints, using the modified clothing that won't leave them, and using plants or animal parts (both to lure or scare away) to throw off the predators.
• Chemical way - The way chosen by track watchers with scientific minds and the right equipment. Those track watchers hide the trail by using chemical concoctions that can hide the scent, overwhelm the senses or even cause hallucinations to anything that inhales them.
• Elemental way - Elemental Crystals can be used in many different ways to hide either one's presence or their trail. Shadow Crystals can completely conceal them. Air Crystals can blow away the scent and footprints. Water Crystals can wash off the blood from the carried carcass. Earth Crystals can open up or close off certain corridors, leading predators on a wild-goose chase. With enough creativity and experimentation, any Element could be used to protect one's tribe.
• Way of the Song - A way available only to those gifted by The Tree and those with deep pockets. There are a few Songs it taught to people that can help hide a group of people, so someone who already can Sing could learn them from Song Recorders or simply buy devices made by them. With strong enough devices, one could even completely hide the settlement from the sight of the creatures.

Cooperation with guides

Whenever a guide leads someone to one of the tribes of The Depths, they first have to contact one of the track watchers. This is done so that they don't lead more than just visitors to their destination. This is why some of the guides learn the trade of track watchers so they can spare themselves the bother.

Thankless job

While the job of a track watcher is very important for the people living in The Depths, when done rightly, one doesn't really see the results. People from tribes protected by real pros can live mostly peacefully. They start to doubt if they even need a track watcher at all. It's not unusual for the holder of this job to hear that they're good-for-nothing loafers.
There's been at least one case of someone getting so annoyed with that, they've left their tribe, leaving it to its fate.