make me forget

How did one get close, without startling their prey? It seemed he had been remiss to believe he did not need to elaborate further on that. Again, Alarick wondered what was normal for someone his age to have been taught by now, and how far along he had been at this stage. It was.. rather nice, though, to teach Seri, and Al hoped that one day he could instruct a child of his own in the same way.

”Use the environment to your advantage, by keeping things like trees or shrubs between you and your prey. Remain downwind of your prey, too, so your scent is not carried to your target.  When you move, be aware of where you are stepping, to avoid generating noise. It is also possible to alter your stride, slightly, to make movement much quieter. Like this,” At that, Al paused for a short presentation. He ventured forth a few steps and then turned back, but took care to raise each limb a little further than in a normal stride, so there was less chance of them brushing against something on the ground. And when a limb was placed back on the ground, the movement was more delicate than typical, to keep any noise made to a minimum.

When he looked back again, Seri was smiling, posing another inquiry and then stating he had time. Which, hopefully, was true. Alarick did not fancy an angry or territorial parent descending upon him in a fit of rage for keeping his or her child out for too long. ”They will be less likely to, in most cases. For now, let’s get to a place where we are less visible.” With that suggestion made, he set forth quietly, scanning the immediate terrain in their area for an area that would offer optimal concealment.

A larger collection of bushes seemed adequate, and upon reaching them, Al would tentatively nose and crawl his way under the lowest hanging branches until most of his body was concealed. Once satisfied with that, he turned back so that only his nose and eyes would be visible, barely protruding from underneath the concealment, allowing him to observe the surrounding area while remaining mostly hidden. With a slight tip of the nose, he’d gesture for Seri to do the same.  

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

Seri Donata

and dreaming when they're gone

Seri for only a moment felt bad about asking so many questions… but the man seemed more than willing to answer them so he tried not to feel too bad. Surely if it were too much of a bother, then the man would tell him to bug off, right? He listened eagerly. Using the environment. He looked around. There wasn’t too much in terms of cover, apart from the bushes themselves though he supposed that was all the cover that was really needed with his size… and then scent. Downwind. He knew that one, and had been told that before in his first attempts to stalk.

“Like floating on air?” He asked curiously in reference to generating noise. It was like how birds glided, and made almost no sound… but on land. He had practiced that before. He hummed softly and watched the presentation, noting the way the paws lightly hit the ground, almost silent in their step. He doubted his mom would be too angry about this kind stranger teaching him to hunt. He liked to think he was a fairly good judge of character. They moved to a more private area, Seri making an active effort to move as quietly as he possibly could.

His nose twitched as he shifted underneath the low hanging branches on the bush, following suit as his fur quickly blended in and under the bush. “What now?” He asked softly, his voice barely a whisper as he looked around hoping there might be birds they could practice on.

Seri asked only one follow-up question after a more detailed explanation, analogizing the hunting technique to floating on air. ”Yes, it could be like that,” Alarick admitted with a moment of thought, offering an approving nod. That did seem to be an appropriate analogy and was one he would have to remember, in the future.

As they settled within the concealment of the brush, there was only one more soft question posed. ”We watch and wait, for a bit. See if anything comes our way,” Al whispered back, never pausing in scanning the area beyond their concealment. Seri, it seemed, had also taken to observation. It was.. quite something that he had taken so quickly to all of this. The level of patience and focus present within the young man did not cease to impress. Something Alarick thought he might say if the opportunity presented itself.

With each passing moment, it seemed he could begin to hear the calls of birds echoing more closely in the surrounding areas now that he and Seri had vanished from sight. And not necessarily so far over their heads as to be out of reach, either.

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

Seri Donata

and dreaming when they're gone

Seri was quite pleased with himself when he discovered that floating on air was a correct interpretation. He felt proud of himself for having properly identified what he needed to do. He’d tried to float on air before, when he was sneaking around and trying to scare his mom for fun… it had worked… at least, he thought it had, or maybe she just let him think that. He waited next to the man, nodding briefly at the mention of waiting and watching. He felt he was pretty good at both of those things. He did a lot of observing, not talking too much unless it was to bombard someone with questions.

He waited, and the more he waited, the more he heard. He could hear the sounds of the birds as they got closer and closer to the bushes that they were hiding in. His butt wriggled every so lightly, though subtle enough as to not disturb the shrubbery around them. He ears perked as he narrowed his eyes and remembered what the man had told him. He slowly started to creep forward, staying light on his paws as he tried to float on air as he had done with his mom.

His nose flooded with the scents, and he eyed one of the close creatures. His eyes glanced up, and without a second thought he pushed with his paws off the ground, his teeth aiming for one of the creatures as his teeth sank into a wing, the other flapping vigorously as Seri pulled it to the ground and pinned it there, his eyes widening in shock. It had worked. “I did it! I did it!” The creature was still flapping and trying to get away but Seri had never considered what to do next as he had never truly gotten this far while hunting.

Though most of his attention remained on observation, Al also risked an occasional glance toward Seri. The closer the birds got, the more excited the young man became. He did a good job of exercising restraint, however, until finally one landed close to the two.

And then he moved, quickly, with precision. Seri’s teeth met one of the bird’s wings to drag it down with him, pinning it there. At that, Alarick could not contain a smile, crawling out from the undergrowth as quickly as he could. ”You did! That was most impressive, Seri!” While not dead, the injured wing more or less meant the bird was done even if it managed to escape Seri’s grasp.

”You might consider killing it quickly, though, so it does not suffer,” Al offered tentatively. Creatures like birds were little else except prey to wolves like them, their lives typically not highly regarded in that sense. But that did not mean any prey animal should suffer in pain for longer than it had to.

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

Seri Donata

and dreaming when they're gone

He was still on the wings flapping as the bird tried to claw at his legs with it’s talons but to little avail. He was big enough that his limbs avoided them as did his chest. The suggestion came and Seri hummed softly, quickly delivering a killing bite. “Sorry, I forgot!” He had been really excited to see that he had finally taken down the creature. He couldn’t wait to tell his mom that he learned how to hunt birds! She would be so proud of him! “Do you want it? Or can I take it back to show my mom?” The man had taught him so it was only fair he take the bird if he wanted it.

He looked back down at the prey, taking it in as the blood slowly flowed from the neck of the creature, the body now limp in his paws. It would be a bit to heave over towards his mom, but he would do it if he could because then his mother could see with her own eyes all that he had accomplished.

Seri was quick to heed the suggestion, putting an end to the bird’s struggles with a quick bite. A short apology was also offered, which was a bit surprising, but also rather encouraging. ”No need to be.” Excitement more than justified the action, anyway. More intriguing, though, was the next question that was asked.

”That catch is yours, and for you to do with as you please. Your mom will be proud, I am sure.” Perhaps as proud as Seri was, even. Once more, Al felt happy and privileged to have been able to see and share in the excitement of this moment. ”I should.. keep going, anyway. Take care of yourself, Seri. If we meet again, maybe we can hunt something bigger, together.”

Al offered a smile and an inclination of his head at that, in case the young man wanted to leave. He could imagine Seri wanting to show off his catch as quickly as possible, and Alarick did not want to keep him from it.

-probably good to fade, i think? & thank you for a fun thread :)