Sanguine Cove The bond between father and son is stronger than glue

His young mind was brought back to the present when his father spoke again, this time in hushed tones. Their pace slowed until father and son were creeping forwards. Matos' dual color gaze looked to his father as he explained that rabbits had excellent hearing further signalling the need for hushed tones. The yearling shook his head in acknowledgement to Nash's instructions before taking a deep breath and shifting his focus forwards.

He could do this. Calming his breathing he was able to pick up the wonderful sounds of the surrounding forest. The rustling of the wind amongst the trees, the steady flow of a babbling brook, birds and other small critters going about their lives as if a mighty wolf lurked in the shadows. Following sound alone wouldn't lead him to their prize, he needed to find the correct scent. Nope that one's a squirrel. A badger wasn't it either. Ah, there it was...the delicate scent of hares. With a wave of his dark banner the boy signaled his father her was on the right path. Carefully he padded through the brush taking care to not make any loud and sudden sounds. Finally his patience was rewarded - blissfully unaware rabbits hopped about a small clearing near a great oak that towered above them all.

Nash waited while his son found the scent, and then quietly followed behind, careful to keep his paw steps light and not brush against any foliage that might betray their presence. Matos was taking the lead here, and the leader was interested to see how the boy would do. He was growing up fast... shockingly fast. Had it been the same for his parents, first with Chan and then himself and Staryn? Especially since he and his siblings seemed to have a knack for wandering off and leaving them to worry. Now having children of his own, he felt bad about his absences when he'd been so young.

Now was not the time to dwell on nostalgia, however. He needed to be present and alert for their hunt, more so when he caught sight of their prize hopping about before them. He glanced at Matos, cocking his head in an indication for the yearling to take charge and give him direction. Here was the real test.

Keeping his dual colored gaze on their prey Matos flicked his ear back to hear the approach of his father. Once he knew that his father was behind him it gaze the yearling a confidence boost. Just enough to momentarily suppress his fear. It was clear he was to lead in this hunt but this would truly be his first "hunt". Sure he had caught a few critters on his own before, but never in an organized fashion. He was glad it was with his father though. He knew even if he messed up Nash would still love him and not chastise him.

With a silent deep breath he gave himself a slight nod. He could do this. Looking over his shoulder Matos motioned for his father to circle around to the right whilst he went to the left. Matos would drive the warren to his father in hopes he could catch one and then maybe he could chase one down that got caught in all the confusion.

Once they were in their positions Matos crouched and took another silent deep breath before lunging from the brush with a ferocious snarl.

I'm just going to fade this one out here if that's okay?

Nash watched his son stalk off to find a good starting point while he himself moved to stand opposite him. He would wait patiently for Matos to take the lead, watch what he did and move in tandem. It was good for Matos to learn some leadership skills, even in just a small hunt between the two of them. Nash himself hadn't really had any until he'd had to, and while he didn't expect his only boy to be thrust into leadership in the near future, should he ever be in such a position he wanted him to be more prepared than he had been.

Matos found his place and Nash tensed, intently watching his child and the warrens, waiting. When Matos lunged, Nash was ready to spring into action to pin down a rabbit for the pair of them to share.

Everything happened so fast. He was lunging and snarling then blurs of ebony and creamy followed by spews of warm red liquid. His breath was heavy as a hare was clutched triumphantly betwixt his jaws. Amber and emerald orbs retracted from their dilated state to find his father. Matos had charged the small clearing where the rabbits went about their day blissfully unaware. They scattered quickly, some making it back into the safety of their underground tunnels while others were driven to Nash who laid in the shadows and one was perused by the Eastfall boy. Maybe just maybe they could bring more than one home. The burning in his throat became too much to supress, a cough came spewing out before the boy could place his prize on the ground. The fit continued even after his airways became free from blood soaked fur.

Working through the coughing Matos looked for his dad and eventually was able to spot him. As soon as his dual gaze landed on the Cove alpha his fluffy onyx banner began to wave crazily behind him. "Did ya get one Dad?" he called out, managing to get the fit under control. Excitedly he bent and picked up his catch and turned to Nash. "I caught one!" came out muffled as he bounded towards the man. This moment would forever live in the boy's heart.

The chase was on and Matos drove the rabbits from their warrens. Nash watched as his son went after them, herding them towards the leader even as he grasped with his jaws. He was proud, watching his boy work, having taken his advice to heart and giving it all he had. His ears flicked back for a moment of dismay when Matos began coughing, but the fit ended quickly. Would this ailment brought by the distant fires see no end? Would his children continue to suffer from its effects? He hoped it would pass quickly.

The momentary lapse didn't seem to stop Matos, though, as he caught one of the rabbits. Belatedly, Nash realized he had been so busy watching his son hunt he had neglected to catch any of the little rodents scurrying around his legs. He let out a short laugh. "You did a great job!" he said proudly. "I was so buy watching how good you were doing I didn't even think about my own. You'll be teaching everyone else soon enough." And he meant it. His only son was growing so quickly.

His lungs and airways burned from the smoke and sudden need to take in more air but the swarthy boy didnt care. The adrenaline coursed quickly through his veins and his father's words distracted him. He had done well! Matos practically vibrated with joy as he closed the distance between him and his father. Nash said he had been too busy watching him to catch his own. Placing his prize at his feet Matos' dual gaze looked back to the clearing. His father had said the trick is to catch them without alerting the others....his snarls from his memory echoed in his mind.

Sheepishly he looked back to his Dad "How, uh, are we supposed to get more if I scared 'em all off?" Sure he may have been able to catch a single one, but had ruined their chances for multiple. There was a tickle in his nose that he tried to dislodge with a snort, but even that was unsuccessful as not one. not two but three sneezes pushed their way out. Oh how he was sick of this smoke...would it ever end?

Sorry for the short post, just wanted to get this one done. Archive on yours please :)

Nash chuckled at his son, standing proud with his prize before bashfully looking back at him to ask his question. "You don't," he said, "unless you are either very lucky, or very, very patient." Neither of which he was feeling today. "It is a lesson learned, and your hunt was still successful. Why don't we head back to the lakeshore? You've earned time to rest and enjoy your catch." Not to mention the boy was still sneezing. The young ones had definitely been hit by the smoke hardest.

He tapped Matos on the forehead with his nose once before turning toward the heart of the territory. It had been a good day thus far, and he was ready to enjoy some of the afternoon with his wife.

His ears splayed to the sides as his father laughed and said you dont catch more than one hare. He let out a raspberry that along with that snort that contributed to his sneezing fit. His tail thumped at the suggestion for him to go to the lakeside and enjoy his catch. Even if it was a single rabbit that was caught he still had caught it, and it had been fun! Getting to spend this time with his dad was some of his favorite ways to spend his time. He picked up his prize and nodded with a gleeful gleam in his dual gaze. He would enjoy it and would share it with his grandmother too, hoping to make her proud like his father was.

His inky banner swept feverishly behind him as his father pressed his nose to his forehead. He grinned through his hold and bounded after his dad back toward home. This was awesome!

-FADE-