Sceral watched as his mother lifted herself from the ground, woofing as she did so, and the excitement bubbled within him. He wasn’t sure what making a cache entailed but that’s what this was about, wasn’t it? Learning and stuff. Gaining knowledge he could apply when he was all grown up, a big wolf. Hey, maybe that’s how you got big! By learning lots so you could look after yourself. Well, that meant the young Aesir was going to try his hardest learn lots so he could be a big wolf soon. That’s what he wanted to be. Just like dad. Just like his big, strong dad.

He wouldn’t mind being just like his mum, either; a smart and kind wolf, loving towards her family. Maybe he’d be like both of them. He hadn’t a single clue about genetics, about inheriting certain traits from one’s parents. All he knew was that Ice and Corinna were his parents and he loved them.

Corinna gently nudged at him with her nose and he trotted forwards a little, only he had forgotten “his” kill. Only when his mother stopped and turned to look at him did he realise. Whoops! A little sheepish grin found its way onto his face as he backed up to pick up the pheasant. Once it was firmly in his grasp, he once again began to scamper forwards, following his mum at the heels. They walked together and Sceral occasionally had to stop to readjust his hold on the big bird before jogging (and occasionally stumbling) to catch up with his mother. He wasn’t small anymore, and he’d only get bigger, but he was clumsy on his big paws. That, and he’d never really carried something in his mouth that didn’t fit like a stick.

Then his mother stopped and Sceral watched excitedly as she lowered her nose and sniffed around, almost dramatically. He almost tried to mimic her, though all he could do was smell the pheasant wedged into his gob. So he followed behind her, tail wagging the whole time, until mum announced they had to dig. Good! Sceral loved digging! Leaping over in bounds, like a wonky deer, he was soon drawing up next to her and getting stuck in with the task at hand. He kicked up the dirt behind him, grinning into his feathery prize.

Gone Tomorrow

Sceral followed along behind her, his grin and excitement evident spite the dead bird hanging from his mouth. He was far more adventurous than his brother Serach was, and it shouldn't have surprised her one bit that he had been eager to give caching a try. It was new, and he was always up for something different. It was a sign of his youth, and though she would never admit out loud, his mother was jealous of his adventurous spirit.

Quick to follow her direction, within a few moments, Sceral was eagerly clearing dirt away from the selected spot. The pheasant was still secure in his mouth, but if it got in the way, he was determined to not let it hinder him too much. Grinning at him, Corinna woofed to offer encouragement. Between the two of them, digging a shallow hole was easily done, and soon enough the ground was sufficiently cleared that Corinna stopped and took a step backwards. "Excellent work, Sceral," she declared after examining the hole. It was just big enough to hold the pheasant, and hopefully it's proximity to the pack would help keep any vagabonds away. "Okay, now take a look around - you'll have to remember this place, so the next time you're hungry, you can come back," Cori instructed. "The rest is really simple, we're going to bury the pheasant and then scent mark it, so anybody who wanders this way knows that it's yours." Lowering her nose back to the ground, she pushed at a pile of dirt that had accumulated behind her as she had dug the hole. Looking at her son, she smiled, ready to push the dirt over the bird once he deposited it in the cache.

Sceral followed her instructions, and soon enough, his prize had been deposited in the freshly dug hole. She showed him how to scent mark it by rolling around on top of it. Finished, the she-wolf grinned down at her son. "Remember where this is, okay? We'll come back for it later." Nudging her son's rump, Corinna urged him away from the cache and back towards the den. "Let's go, love," she urged before leading him back towards home.