Black Thorn Downs holed up at home

RE Minka you find an empty rabbit hole
@Noble
July 7th 2014, Afternoon, Partly Cloudy - 70F/21C
According to the development guide puppies may now eat real food! So the pups would now start to have knowledge of what/what not to eat. pm me if you have a problem with me pp Noble coming to the hole :)

Her children were old enough now that they could wander freely about the territory on their own without supervision, though they knew better than to go further. At least, Minka hoped they did, especially since herself and @Tokino had reprimanded @Kova for his little adventure. Still the mother always kept her eye out for anything that might interest her pups so she might show it to them later, they were always eager to learn. This was the case today when she had found the abandoned rabbit hole just passed the borders. The scent of any prey was long stale, obvious that the hare had moved on or perhaps now resided within their caches if it was unlucky. She had returned to the den in search of her cubs so she might show them the discovery but had come upon only Noble, Kova had wandered off somewhere else. It had not taken much prompting to get her daughter to her feet and moving off within the territory and soon they were at the borders. Once they arrived a small smile appeared on Minka's face as she looked down upon the dark fur of her daughter and for a moment she said nothing, deciding to turn this into a lesson. Then gesturing about with her tail she said, "Anything interesting around here?" The scent of the rabbit was stale yes, but it should still be strong enough for her daughter to pick up on, especially now that they were beginning to eat real meat and rabbit had become a staple in her diet.

Vinyonga @DA & Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

click!

Noble had simply been sitting at the entrance to the den when her mother found her. Noble had happily leapt to her feet to greet her mother, a big grin on her face as she bounced up to her.

Minka had wanted to show her something which made Noble curious as to what her mother wanted to show her. So Noble had trotted beside her mother for a few minutes while she was lead towards the borders, wide eyes glancing around. While she had explored the pack lands a little, she had not really gone in this direction before. It was then they arrived at their destination. Noble looked up at her mother when she was asked if there was anything interesting around.

Glancing around, Noble put her nose to the ground with her tail in the air as she begun to sniff around. There was something in the air that caught her interest, a scent she couldn't quite put a paw on yet it was somewhat familiar. The wolves of the pack sometimes smell of the scent, with the meat they back with them and sometimes, when Noble ventured far enough away from the den, she would catch the scent on the wind.

So distracted by following the scent, Noble nearly tumbled into the rabbit hole that her mother had brought her here to find. "Mama! I foundsa hole!" Noble scrambled towards her mother with a big grin on her face. "Smells like food!"

(This post was last modified: Jul 08, 2014, 01:32 AM by Noble.)

With pride Minka watched her daughter assume a tracking position, nose to the ground as she searched the area for what her mother had sent her for. So intent the pup had been on following the scent of the rabbit she had picked up on that she tumbled head over paws straight into the hole. Worry instantly filled the alpha and she stepped forward to check on the girl when Noble came sprinting out of the hole with a grin on her face. Comforted the tawny woman chuckled and nodded, "Do you know what kind of food lives in the hole Noble?" Once they had been born Minka had quickly and easily fallen into the role of mother, though while she had been pregnant she had worried in secret her kids would not love her, or that she would be a terrible mother.

These worries had been cemented by memories of a long ago fishing lesson with Yuka, which had ended terribly and the boy had looked at her like a monster. The bond she felt now though, talking with Noble about the hole was completely different, natural and easy. Minka felt sure that her children returned the love she felt for them, that their family was close knit and could trust each other. @Kova had already proven himself to be strong hearted, standing up for what believed in even at the face of his mother's anger, could Noble have the same quality? The mother could only hope, hope that both of her children were being raised into strong and proud individuals.

Noble scrunched up her face when asked to name the of the creatures that lived in the hole hole she had nearly tumbled into. What were they called again? It was on the tip of her tongue but she struggled to remember it. She remembered they had long ears and had fluffy fur when one was placed before her so she could be taught what they were. The name of them started with an...R? if she remembered right.

"Robbits?" Noble answered hesitantly, frowning when the word rolled off her tongue. The word didn't sound quiet right, for the creature she was being asked to name. But it sounded close to the word she was looking for.

Huffing in slight irritation, Noble scurried back to the hole, peering into it to see if it would give her any more clues. But as she stepped up to it, a memory of her mother teaching her a lesson from not too long ago came to her.

"Rabbits live in small holes, Noble. Keep an eye out for when you hunt them, for you can hurt yourself if you trip over one." Grinning widely, Noble turned back to her mother and proudly tells her the name.
"Rabbits! Rabbits live in those holes!" Hoping she was right, Noble scrambled back to her mother and sat in front of her, waiting for confirmation from her mother to know whether or not her daughter was correct. Noble hoped she was right, for she liked learning new things and liked knowing when she was right in naming things when asked.

A huge grin stretched across the tawny maw at the sight of the dark pup's face scrunching in concentration. She herself tended to tilt her head when confused or thinking deeply, perhaps this would be what her daughter did, scrunch her face. Nodding encouragingly as Noble fumbled with the word she urged her on, "Close, but not quite." Then tracked her movements as once more the bundle of energy was searching the hole, intent on finding the right word. Suddenly the dark pup was back at her paws, triumphantly declaring the name of rabbits that lived in the hole. Nodding the mother grinned once more, licking the top of her daughters head, "Very good Noble, yes rabbits live in this hole and very many other holes as well." Walking closer the tawny woman crouched down so she herself could peer within its depths.

Nothing truly remarkable to someone who had seen a rabbit hole before, which let's face it most adult wolves had. Wide enough that a plump hare could fit through and deep enough to hide maybe two it was not overly large, speaking of only one or two rabbits who had lived within it. Roots hung from the ceiling like vines off of trees and the earth still smelled strongly of the prey, though the scent was old. The ground was littered with prints and small claw scratches, the hole had obviously been well used. Turning back around to Noble, keen to continue with their lesson the mother had more questions on the tip of her tongue. "I know they aren't here right now, but do you think they've been here recently?" She knew the answer of course was no, but an inexperienced pup such as Noble probably wouldn't.

@Minka!

Her thin chest puffed out with pride as Minka's tongue washed over her head. She couldn't have been more proud than if she'd caught the rabbit. Minka started to walk away and Noble dashed after her, eager to see and hear more. They went back to the burrow. Noble sat down and watched mother expectantly with her tail sweeping the ground widely. Whatever Minka was seeing wasn't said aloud, so the young pup followed her movement closely, looking at everything her mother did. Finally attention turned back to her and Noble straightened herself, just like a kid in the first row at school hoping to be called on.

She huffed at the question, perplexed. It was an important question, but she had no idea how to find out. Her changing eyes wandered around the forest. If they left recently then they should be close by.... Maybe she could see them still? Slowly she rose to her feet to poke her nose into the nearby undergrowth. She was right in being quiet now, but she'd overlooked the noise the two wolves had made in the past few minutes. Of course the rabbits were nowhere in sight. Stymied she chewed at her lower lip as she looked back into the den one more time. A small tuft of rabbit fur was caught in the roots. She pushed forward and shoved her nose into it. When that last rabbit had been presented to the girl she'd buried her nose into it and taken a big whiff. Just like with the last rabbit, her tongue poked out to taste the bit of fur.

Finally she pulled back out. She couldn't meet her mom's eyes. "I don't know. It smells different...." Her offered statement trailed off and she looked up hopefully at Minka.

Sorry this took so long!

The golden eyes of a mother watched the young pup carefully as she worked through the problem she had been presented with. First with pacing and nosing around the undergrowth and then with her snout and tongue against the fur of the rabbit that had been left behind. The look of guilt and disappointment upon her daughter's face made Minka's heart ache but she knew that it was only a part of her learning. If @Noble was never challenged and stimulated in her mind she would never grow into a well rounded and capable adult.

Suddenly she was encouraged by her daughters words and she nodded enthusiastically to show that the dark girl was on the right track. Moving closer to the den she took a deep inhale herself to emphasize how important their sense of smell was. Glancing at her daughter she finally spoke, "When a living creature touches anything, whether it's the dirt or trees or even other animals it leaves behind its scent. The more often it touches that thing the stronger it will smell of the animal, its why we mark our borders so often; so other wolves know that we own this land." Pausing for a moment Minka looked at Noble to make sure that the young pup was understanding everything she was teaching her.

Nodding to herself she continued, "But when the animal hasn't touched that object or place recently the smell begins to fade, like it has with this hole. You can still smell the rabbit because it used to live here and was here a lot, but now that he hasn't come back in a while the smell is getting old and eventually it won't smell of rabbits at all." Minka looked over her dark child, so interested in the world and yet still timid enough to stay near the den. So different than Kova and though she wanted her children to be safe she hoped this excursion would spark a yearning to explore the world a little more for herself. Someday she knew she wouldn't be here to help her children along, and she could only hope she will have raised them good enough for them to carry on when her time came.

The approving nod made her little chest filled and Noble watched proudly as Minka walked back to the den to continue the lesson. Her narrow black tail wanted to flail with pride, but she was trying to focus and distracted. It stirred lazily behind her as Minka started to talk. The black girl nodded, to show she was at least listening. Her mind raced along to make sense of the explanation, but when Minka inhaled deeply the girl frowned in puzzlement. Momma already knows... why she still smelling stuff? Silently she listened through the explanation, trying to understand the importance. Minka paused now to watch the intense expression of her daughter's face.

The lesson continued and Noble followed with single minded determination. There was something she just wasn't getting yet, though the girl was reluctant to admit it. "The smell is getting old and eventually it won't smell." Well, that was a neat fact. Noble's head tilted as the statement expanded. Oh! Suddenly, Noble understood. Just-there smells were strong and there-a-long-time-ago smells were weak.

And if everything left smells behind that meant.... Noble sprang to her feet and stuck her black nose into the spot her mother had just been standing. Yup, that was momma! Only a second passed while the dark girl stood there looking inordinately proud of herself, then she dashed over to a spindly shrub. It had caught her attention earlier and now she understood why. Something had touched it and then left. It took a minute for her tiny teeth to chew through the narrow branch and then she was prancing back with it, the end dragging sadly through the dirt. "Wha's this smell?"