Lost Lake You Grow Up in Steps

Nash did not hesitate to follow his lead, and so Chan picked up the pace. His footfalls picked through the forest expertly, instinct having molded an all-but perfected his ability to navigate stealthily. The younger Eastfall would get there too, especially now that all of his time wasn't exhausted by struggling to survive and desperately searching for lost family. It was every predator's birthright, after all.

"Something that can run but not hide," he answered without looking back, eyes and ears busy scanning for viable options. Occasionally motion would draw his attention, a blur there or snap of brush elsewhere, but all he found so far were birds and burrowing prey.

"It really varies, pack to pack, how hunts go," Chan decided he might as well softly explain some things while they looked.

"Usually it all rots down to the same bare bones of track, separate, and overwhelm. Trackin' might happen before, kind of like we're gonna do; find a herd, gauge its movement, and then go back for reinforcements. Other times, the whole pack spreads out to look."

(This post was last modified: May 02, 2021, 10:47 PM by Chan.)

Nash picked up his pace to keep up with his brother, ears perked to catch every soft word. He was determined to learn as much as he could. From behind, Nash could almost pretend he was out with his father again, following him around the territory and learning from the grizzled veteran. His chest ached.

Track, separate, overwhelm. Easy enough, Nash thought, chanting the three words in his head for a moment as if memorizing them would make him better at each task.

"But we're going to go back and tell them what we find, right?" he asked, keeping his voice soft - just loud enough for Chan to catch what he said, but hopefully not enough to carry and scare off any potential prey. He really would like to catch something and take it back, but if all they could do was report a finding, then that was better than nothing.

"Sounded like that was Al's thinking," Chan answered. "Trackings the easy part."

The forest they walked was generally thick with tree trunks, but ahead they thinned before vanishing, giving way to a medium-sized clearing. Within it, a trio of bighorns scraped at the snow and ice, grazing upon the dead grass beneath. Chan's eyes lit up, and he slowed to a stop once they were at a good place to observe without giving themselves away.

"There," he spoke softly once more, "We ain't gonna take 'em out of course, but we can use 'em to practice. It'll be easier in a herd, they're far more likely to leave each other behind, especially if there's an elder to pick off."

If they gave them trouble for it, well then Nash would be able to make some mistakes here and now instead of in front of the whole group is all.

"Make your pick, bud. Which looks the weakest to you?"

(This post was last modified: May 27, 2021, 04:36 AM by Chan.)

One more round?

Nash was inclined to agree about the steps of tracking; finding the prey had always been the easy part. He'd never really struggled with that; it was the catching the thing to eat that he struggled with. Though, obviously, he'd gotten good at getting small game, or he would have starved. In some ways he was forced to grow up very fast, and in others he still felt like he fell behind.

Social interaction, for example.

Chan was suddenly pointing out their quarry and Nash quickly dropped to avoid being spotted. He scanned the trio. Their horns looked formidable, and Nash knew even without experience that he didn't want to find out what it felt like to be kicked either. He stared at the prey animals with trepedition. None of them looked particularly old, but it had been a harsh winter and two of them looked like they might have gone a while without food. Nash picked the smaller of the two and pointed. "That one?"

Chan's own gaze was working to gauge which victim he personally would pick from the trio. When Nash spoke aloud, Chan followed his eye line to see they'd come to the same conclusion. He smiled, confidence in the younger man bolstered. He knew that the second-born would catch on quicker than his own self-esteem allowed him to believe.

"Good choice," he commended, still speaking in a hushed voice, "now let's try to separate it."

Chan would give little more advice unless Nash really resisted him; this part was best learned by simply doing rather than explaining.

Chan seemed confident in him, so Nash would try to be confident in himself. He was just glad he had someone he could trust, here and now, to help him without judging him too harshly. He settled himself in, only to prick up his ears when Chan suggested they try and separate their mark.

okay, Nash thought, twitching his tail and nodding. He glanced at his brother with a smile. "Let's go!"

FADE