Lessons of the Hunt

Subject: Lessons of the Hunt Wed Mar 16, 2016 9:58 am

Balthier approached the location Jewel was describing, looking ahead as far as he could see, as there was no point yet in crossing to the middle of it all and scaring all the rabbits away. It was time to test their mettle. He glanced to Jewel, silently asking if she wanted to do the honors of explaining why they were here, as she was the one to suggest the younglings start learning to hunt with this warren. He wondered how Zola and Lance would do. They were siblings, but it didn't mean they knew how to cooperate. Blood meant nothing when it came to compatibility, but if they fought, then they'd just have to learn how to deal with it. Hunting a rabbit alone was far more difficult than in pairs, and he was fairly certain they'd learn teamwork before being able to hunt alone.

Speaking of them... he turned to look at the pups. Zola was sitting by his side, waiting for someone to say or do something. He had no doubt she wondered what they were doing. Her nose twitched, as Balthier almost wished he could hear her train of thought. She was an interesting pup, and he was curious as to how she'd grow.

Subject: Re: Lessons of the Hunt Tue Mar 22, 2016 1:40 pm

Jewel caught Balthier's gaze and gave him an acknowledged nod. She glanced to the pups and cleared her throat to get their attention. "Look across the meadow. Though we do not live directly in her cradle she holds many treasures for us as you both have seen before. Crickets, frogs, mice...she calls the deer for us as well as making home for other prey. Do you see what she has gifted us here? Can you smell it?" She asked the pups curiously. The scent of rabbit was heavy from here, they had picked this direction to approach for a reason. The wind carried the warren's scent right to them. "Ahead you will find one of the meadow's many gifts. We are here today to see what you both will be able to make of it." She smiled and it shined in her two tone eyes.

Glancing at Balthier she flicked her tail happily and continued. She remembered this right of passage for herself and her brothers. "You have hunted crickets but rabbits are different. They will cry warning with a thump of their feet and send all prey that can hear it into their burrows. Stealth is a key. Their hearing is keen, their eyes sharp, and quick their feet but I have faith in you both."

Turning over the conversation to Balthier she hadn't given them a clue to whether they should work together or not. It would be interesting to see the choices they made. Whatever choices they did make would tell of what areas of their upbringing that needed more tending.

Subject: Re: Lessons of the Hunt Sat Mar 26, 2016 11:56 pm

She turned her attention to Jewel as she spoke. Zola turned her head, taking a longer, deeper inhale, scenting the air, trying to figure out what was living here, not that she could have missed it. It was a scent she'd smelled, but never got too close to while alive, until perhaps today, it seemed. Burrows? She looked beyond, looking at the terrain more closely, as if trying to see the entrances. She looked around at everyone, then back to Jewel and Balthier. Was that it, then?

Balthier had to hide a grin. It was going to be interesting to see what the younglings would do. "Yes. Do your best. As Jewel said, they are swift, and notoriously timid. I will second the idea of being stealthy. Jewel and I won't leave the area." He looked between his charges, trying to predict some of their actions. Most would be excited and jump right into the hunt. A mistake, as this prey have a nearby escape route, unlike deer who need to outrun the wolf. If startled, the pups would soon learn it was difficult to get rabbit out of their homes while their presence was felt. That is also a challenge in itself, tricking a rabbit out of their home.

Zola's eyes narrowed in thought at the lack of information. Jewel had said stealth is a key. What did that mean? Was it a slip of the tongue, or was there more than one key? They were being left with only a little information... she looked to Lance, gesturing her head some distance away, but not near enough to the warren that they'd be detected. She wanted to talk to him to see what his thoughts were before jumping to conclusions.

Subject: Re: Lessons of the Hunt Wed Mar 30, 2016 10:30 am

Excitement bubbled in Lance's every step. He bounded close to Jewel on their way to the meadow, auds pushed forward, listening intently. He cocked his head as she explained that all before them was a gift, speaking of an invisible and omniscient "she". He wondered who "she" was until they came to a stop. He nodded at Balthier's words. "Stealthy," he repeated in confirmation. "Got it."

They had to be stealthy, stealthy, stealthy. Slinking along in the grasses, he paused. What did stealthy mean? Why did adults have to talk so weird? He huffed and caught Zola's eye, gesturing for him to come near. He loped towards her. "So... Got any plans?" he asked, the tip of his cinnamon-brushed tail wagging. His brow furrowed. "Balthier and Jewel said that we had to be stealthy, but I dunno what that means..."

Subject: Re: Lessons of the Hunt Mon Apr 04, 2016 1:02 am

Zola always felt weird in this situation. Normally, Lance took the initiative on things, but apparently, even he realized this wasn't a situation to just leap first. Once Lance understood as much of the situation he was willing to be patient enough for, he normally took off again. She'd take as much advantage of this time as possible.

"Weren't you listening to our lessons? Stealthy means we have to be unnoticeable in all senses, especially smell, hearing, and sight. We have to be... invisible to the rabbits." She pouted, saying, "But there's something they're not telling us. Jewel said, exactly, 'stealth is a key.' She never mentioned more than one. We don't know how to be hidden like the adults, so how can we hunt something that's going to find us? Uncle Balthier made it sound like the rabbit already think we're here and will run at anything that moves."

She looked at a rock on the ground in thought. It didn't seem fair. They wouldn't put them in an unfair situation like this for no reason... And she didn't know what would work until she tried it. But what if she scared the rabbits while making a move? Then what? She tried to think back to everything she was taught. Even personal stories Balthier had been willing two share as example pieces, since there weren't many. Then she thought back to when the pack returned from a hunt... Could there be anything from those times that might give her a hint?

Subject: Re: Lessons of the Hunt Tue Apr 05, 2016 8:45 am

Lance's paws dragged in the dirt as he walked alongside his sister, nodding and thinking hard. She was always so much better at putting words together when he felt tangled in their web. He was a wolf of action. He thought about the stories Balthier had told about hunts, or about the kills that his mother and father would bring back for him when he was a young pup, but that wasn't enough to go off of. "If the rabbit already knows we're here, and we can't stay hiding..." he said, tossing the words around in his mouth. "Maybe... That's it?"

Two-toned eyes suddenly sparked with epiphany. "Zola! I got it! You stay here and get ready, okay?" he said with a yip, and bolted ahead before he could get an answer from her, his excitement taking hold. He bounded through the grasses, following his nose to the staunch scent of hare, and veered off in a circle. He stopped short when he knew the rabbit was right in front of him. He could sneak up on it, even after he had already torn through the meadow, and he shrugged. "I don't need stealth," he muttered underneath his breath, and charged with a wild, coyote-like howl.

The rabbit's eyes went wide at the sight of the wolf, ears as straight as tree trunks, and sprinted in the other direction. Lance laughed and chased after it, shouting, "I hope you're ready, Zola! Here it comes!"

Subject: Re: Lessons of the Hunt Tue Apr 05, 2016 10:13 pm

Zola looked nervous as she watched Lance, wondering what he was going to think of. She didn't doubt her brother- it was just that sometimes his ideas might be reckless out of his spontaneity. He was thinking. She know he was. She didn't know what, but she hoped she would be filled in on the details befor-

She whined in protest as Lance just dashed off, ears flattening on her head, not daring to call out after him in fear of startling a potential target. What was she getting ready for? How was she supposed to get ready when she didn't know what she was getting ready for? She curled up, trying to ensure she remained hidden. This can't be good. What is he thinking? She wanted to know, but didn't at the same time.

Her ears shot up when she heard Lance and looked up, jaw almost dropping seeing his mad charge. She settled for holding back a groan as it clicked on what Lance must have meant. She didn't have to look to know that the other rabbits would be safe. Forcing herself to calm down, she crouched on all fours, staying low to the ground so she wouldn't be seen. Lance had to be the only one for the rabbit to notice, else it'd change direction. Jewel said they were quick on their feet. If it saw her too soon, it'd change direction before she could do anything. Too late, and it would have already passed her by. She had to wait... a bit longer... longer...

She surged forward, head low to the ground, jaws closing around flesh. Too focused on the actual killing, she stumbled with her steps, but managed to remain on her feet and kill it. She lowered their prize to the ground, watching the life liquid drain out of the carcass. Wagging her tail in victory, Zola waited for Lance to come up before trying to tackle him, saying, "You dummy! You didn't tell me what you were planning! How could I have been ready?"

Subject: Re: Lessons of the Hunt Wed Apr 06, 2016 9:50 am

"Aww yeah, way to go sis-- Oof!" But Lance was sent tumbling onto his back as Zola dropped the carcass and tackled him instead. He shrugged and rolled his eyes. "Hey, to be fair, even I didn't know if that was gonna work. I just had to try it, okay? Now get off me!" His front paws pushed against her chest as she hovered over him. "I mean, we did it, right? We got the rabbit," he said, looking at the small, dripping thing that would contain the most delicious of meats. He poked his head up to look over the grasses, wondering if Jewel and Balthier had been watching. "Let's go show 'em our prize."

Subject: Re: Lessons of the Hunt Thu Apr 07, 2016 11:24 pm

Balthier watched their interaction, trying to guess what they were discussing. Zola had pulled Lance to the side, as if not wanting to be overheard. He couldn't help but chuckle, wondering out loud, "I wonder if he interrupted her before she finished talking." It was interesting, how different they were.

It looked like Lance was separating from his sister, and he wondered what the exact reason was. It almost appeared as if Zola was just as surprised as he was. After a moment, he turned to Jewel, about to say something, until he heard a loud commotion. That was... oddly expected but unexpected simultaneously. An brow raised in Jewel's direction, as if silently asking if she could explain what just happened. Apparently, pure opposites who seemed to work well enough together. He was curious to know the whole conversation, though...

Zola got off with a giggle, pleased at catching him off guard. He was physically more sturdy and stronger than she was, so catching him off guard was one of the few ways to have a chance of tackling him properly. Satisfied with her payback, she replied, "Yeah. Do you think they'll be surprised?" She looked around at the field. There were no other rabbits in sight. It seemed like they were right about that. At least they didn't have to figure out how to get the rabbits to come out of hiding. She turned her head in the direction she thought the adults were, wondering if they'll make an appearance, or they'd have to try to track them down.

Subject: Re: Lessons of the Hunt Wed May 18, 2016 5:38 pm

Jewel stayed silent sure that her siblings were going to figure things out. They were intelligent pups and she held them in high regard not just because they were blood. She glanced at Balthier and gave him a knowing grin. She remembered the days of her first real hunts....first mice and rabbits and then her first deer. The thrill of it still gave her flutters churning in her stomach...good ones, excited ones. She took a deep breath and moved slightly to get a better view giving a soft chuckle at Balthier's comment. "Probably...knowing those two." she smiled and then watched the events as they played out.

They separated, smart move, save for the fact that Zola looked as confused as they were in the moment. Her ears picked up the loud commotion and she shook her head with a chuckle. "Well with that they have scared everything else to hiding." she said. "Do you think they caught one?" She asked Balthier and would wait for the pups to track them down. They weren't that far from where they had left them after all. Her tail wagged slightly in anticipation of her siblings. She hoped despite the noise they would be successful. "We will have to teach them to silence if they ever want to catch more than one at a time."