Thicket of Secrets A brand new trick

@Unitas @Silentium @Pacem
puppy lessons!

The border was quiet and cold as she moved along it. It was late morning already and despite the sun, hardly any warmer than the night had been. By now the frost had managed to thaw, but the dead plant life was still heavy with moisture and hung limply. She could feel the dampness seeping into the pads of her feet and continued on. Squirrels, already fattened for the winter, picked lazily through the leaves. Iopah gave them only an idle glance; she had bigger plans today. This was not an ordinary border patrol and it would not be an ordinary day for the pups. Today they would put some of their boundless energy to good use. It was high time they learned to hunt.

First, she had to find something to show them. The glint of reflected sunlight caught her eye and she rushed ahead to inspect it. It the predawn hours a group of mule had left tracks and over the course of the morning water had seeped into the depressions. Iopah crouched down to scent them and her sudden breath made the reflected light in them shimmer. The decision was quickly made, then Iopah was trotting back towards the den, looking for her students.

She was not surprised to find the main den area empty. All three were testing their limits now. Her head was thrown back in a sharp, punctuated howl for them. The sound carried easy in the thicket, echoing off the canopy over head. She leaned back, satisfied, to wait. It was a demand, but her voice was excited and wild. Just because it was a lesson did not mean Iopah wasn't looking forward to it.

The boy had always been extremely eager to go out and explore the territory. He had even dared to pass the borders and leave the Secret Woodlands land a few times because he should be out there exploring instead of being hidden and sheltered from the rest of the world. There was a small smile present on his jet black maw as the rather fluffy pup raced around the edges of the borders at faster speeds than normal. He loved to run because running seemed to push everything that was far away closer. He thought that perhaps if he ran fast enough, his father would return. That was the thing. He knew that pups tended to have fathers, but he didn’t think he had ever met his. He tried his hardest to remember if he had or not but he had come up blank. Was his father lost out somewhere?

Pacem did not have time to wonder about such things as a call emerged from the thicket. It was a call for him… but why would someone call for him? He was just a pup! It didn’t sound like his mother’s tone or voice. Perhaps it was Aideen’s voice or maybe some other packmates call? He knew it wasn’t a boy’s call either so that ruled out Miccah and Koda. He was surprised by how few wolves he had met from within the pack. He would have to fix that sometime because it was complete rubbish. He sighed as he ran towards the call with his curiosity piqued for the day. He skidded to a halt by the clearing by the den as he gave the woman there a smile. He was pretty sure that it was Iopah. He’d seen her at the meeting and so he greeted her as such, hoping that she truly was who he remembered her to be. “Heylo Iopah.” He said with a grin as he put a popping emphasis on the ‘p’ of her name. “Whatcha call my brothers and I for?” He asked with his tail wagging about.

Unitas slunk through the shadows. His coat was the perfect shade to hide amongst the dark leaf strewn forest floor. For a few months now Unitas had kept mostly to himself. He would sneak away from his parents and pack mates in the den then go out by himself to wander the territory. Although he had wandered outside of the Thickets once or twice, the black wolf pup kept mostly to the borders occasionally leaving his own scent there. Keeping to himself was easier now because the pups were now allowed to travel further around the territory on their own. Stepping forward quietly through the undergrowth, Tas let his nose lead him towards the scent of something nice. A hare was somewhere ahead of him, and right now his attention was centered on the small creature. Growling ravenously, the dark boys belly uttered complaints as he sneaked along the forest floor towards his next meal. Unitas wasn't entirely aware of the possibilities his natural stealthiness could open up for him in the coming year. That talent could help him become either an excellent hunter or scout. Tas knew about the different roles but was unsure of what he might want to be when he grew up. It was one of the things he did want to talk to somebody about if he managed to bump into somebody while out on his adventures. Creeping forward as quietly as a mouse despite his larger size, Unitas pinpointed the scent of his prey. The bushes he stared at rustled before a small wriggling nose peered out of the undergrowth. The hare spots the dark wolf just seconds before he snaps his iron grip jaws around the creatures neck. It's short lived scream echoed around the area for only a moment as Tas kills the hare and quickly begins eating it. Hare was one of his favorites. Now that he was getting bigger and taller, Tas noticed how he was getting slower. He probably couldn't catch his favorite meals anymore if he didn't sneak up on them because hare were exceptionally fast. The dark youth licked his lips as he looked over the half eaten carcass. The creatures fur was thicker than it used to be when the temperatures were higher a few months ago. He'd noticed that his own fur had also grown thicker, and these changes made Unitas wonder about what was about to happen. He knew that something was off, but he wasn't sure just what. The hare wasn't enough to fill him, but it did lessen his hunger a bit. Before the boy was able to finish his meal a howl sounded not too far off. Pricking his ears in interest, Tas stood up from his resting place and shook out his coat. Why's Iopah calling? He wondered quietly before taking a last longing filled look at his leftovers. Then he yanked himself forward and started towards the second female. If she was calling then he definitely couldn't ignore it. Eventually the boy made his way to the lighter colored she wolf. His brother was already there, and true to form was already asking questions. Unitas approached them flashing a happy smile before allowing his tail to wag harshly back and forth. Yes he usually avoided contact with others, but that didn't mean that Tas didn't enjoy his family and pack mates. They were everything to him. "Hello!" He yipped before slipping past his brother affectionately then greeting Iopah with customary licks to the chin, cheeks, chest, and everywhere that the pup could reach.

Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

(This post was last modified: Nov 03, 2014, 02:46 PM by Unitas.)

Silentium is welcome to drop in any time
@Pacem, permission to pp them arriving at the deer tracks iopah found earlier

There was a flurry of activity just out of sight and tawny ears shifted slightly to listen. The rapid rustling of leaves as something large raced through them. It approached and Iopah's head lifted expectantly. Her tail started an idle, relaxed beat. She was in the heart of their territory, whoever this was had to be one of her family members. A narrow black separated from the trees and Iopah rose to her feet smoothly. They were too thin and wiry to be Miccah, this had to be one of the two black pups. He came to an abrupt stop and turned fiery yellow eyes on the pack hunter.

She closed the space between them to nudge affectionately at his side. "Hello yourself, Pacem." So far there had been only distant interactions with Pacem, and Iopah was very pleased to see him here. The more she knew about these three the better she could keep them safe. The pup's enthusiasm was infectious and Iopah found her tail matching his beat. "It's time for you to learn to hunt in a pack."

There was the noise of another and Iopah's head rose from Pacem to watch Unitas approach. Despite his rapidly growing body, the black pup was instantly familiar to her. This one she had baby-sat from early pup hood. She returned his greeting enthusiastically. Her nose picked up the scent of rabbit blood and she crooned approvingly. It seemed hard to believe that just months ago she'd lead this tottering little pup around the territory. If they could catch small animals they were more than old enough to practice hunting deer. She drew back and tilted her head at them playfully. "Ready to go?"

Iopah didn't want to give to much away. The lesson had already started. She wanted to see how many scents they recognized already. Her lips pulled back in an impish grinned, then she turned and started back towards the borders.

She greeted him right before his brother Unitas arrived at the scene while avoiding his direct question to her. He frowned and wondered why she wouldn't tell him. She asked if they were ready to go and so he pestered her a bit more. "Where are we going?" He asked before taking in the scents around him. If she wouldn't tell him then he'd just have to figure it out himself. That would show her! He thought that he scented prey but the smells were old... at least he thought they were old. He had never done this sort of stuff before so the uncertainties started to settle in his stomach as he started to worry about coming to the wrong conclusion when it came to what they were doing.

Were they learning how to scavenge with the winter months fast approaching? Were they learning to hunt so they could eat fresh food? Something told him that whatever it was, it involved food. That ruled out lessons in fighting to be a guardian as well as healing lessons. Plus, Koda would have taught the guardian lessons right? His own mother probably would have taught the healing lessons herself or Aideen would have as the pack healer. Yes, Iopah was teaching and she was a hunter, which meant it would involve food. The swarthy boy followed the adult to wherever she was heading while he tried to guess at what they would be hunting. "We're learning how to hunt aren't we? Where is Silentium?" The questions would pester through to the real world from his mind as his entire body buzzed with excitement.

Unitas stood on tall energized black legs as he craned his head to the side looking towards Iopah. Soon his teal eyes flick to his brother Pacem as Tas's dark sibling asks where they were going. Unitas nods exuberantly in agreement with his brothers query. Then the dark wolf shifts his weight back and forth from right to left fore limb rather impatiently. "Yeah where are we going Iopah?" Tas echoed his brothers question before turning in an excited circle and then forcing himself to sit. It looked like the dark male had ants crawling over his fur with how much he fidgeted around over the ground. Unitas was always happy whenever he was around others, he could never quell that happiness. At the mention of Silentium, Unitas finally did begin to slow his movements. Their ginger brother had been rather ambitious as of late; asserting himself in situations that Tas had never seen SIlentium be assertive in before. He didn't care much, because one way or another Unitas would get the chance to play a joke on their brother and make everyone laugh. Even if that meant taking Silentium down a peg or two on the invisible ladder. It always came to fun and games where Tas was concerned. He gave submission to those who asked for it, doled out dominance whenever possible, and practiced his tricks and jokes on everybody. Though he had yet t get the chance to include Iopah in his games. Perhaps she would be his next target?

Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

@Pacem + @Unitas, think we can try for skill points? we need 6 posts/character actively tracking/hunting

They started out. One pale wolf focused on their path, two leggy pups focused on everything, and endless questions. They were full of boundless energy, which was good, they just needed to learn to focus it a bit. Passing under a curtain of shriveled ivy she turned to look at Pacem, nodding approvingly. A sharp little lad, answering his own questions and then jumping onto a new topic in the same breath. She shrugged at Pacem's last question, not horribly worried by the quiet boy's absence. By now the difference between the ginger boy and his brothers had resulted in some segregation between them. She wondered exactly what they thought of their larger brother. Her eyes slid over slyly to watch Pacem as she answered him, "Maybe Koda is teaching him to hunt now. Your brother has already learned to be quiet when tracking his prey." They were old enough to allow some gentle teasing, she felt her tail sway in amusement. She didn't know she was dabbling in the same game that Unitas was considering at the moment.

They boys continued, seemingly at the distraction of their surroundings. The borders were almost in sight now and her nose lifted to sent the air without comment, waiting for them to either notice or not. No change since she'd been here just an hour ago: the lesson was going to continue. When Unitas slowed she slowed with him. He wanted to know where they were going. Her head cocked to the side as if contemplating the question and she came to a stop, glancing down to confirm her placement. "That depends on where you think those tracks lead."

A slender muzzle indicated the now-soggy tracks just in front of her. "I'll follow and answer your questions. Then she settled to her haunches, clearly waiting for them. She wasn't sure if this was how they taught pups to hunt in Relic Lore. It was how she had learned, and it had worked just fine for her. They would have to follow this singular trail though the maze of tracks in the thickets and then scent after it when they reached the thick, cushiony grass of the meadow. If they didn't get it, then they could try again tomorrow. They needed hunters for the coming winter and Iopah was determined to create a small army of them.

"Speech."

When Iopah nodded with approval towards him, Pacem felt his heartbeat rise a bit in a matter of excitement. He loved being right. She spoke, noting that Silentium knew how to be silent, and he fought back a chuckle to go with the smirk he had planted on his muzzle. She instructed Unitas and himself to take the lead and so the young adventurer pushed ahead as he crept across the ground. He followed the tracks left by scent and small marks in the ground that could be considered tracks. His bronze eyes focused as he pushed towards the tracks while remaining silent. His ebony fur gently blew against the wind which kept his scent away from whatever prey it was he was following - that brought another question.

With the tones of a whisper, Pacem asked his first topic related question. "Miss Iopah, what is it that we are hunting exactly?" He couldn't tell the difference between elk and deer and goat but he could tell the difference between large and small prey. He shot a quick glance back at her as his question set into the mood of the training exercise. He knew that later he would have to go and find Silentium and see if they brother wanted to go over what Pacem and Unitas were learning now. Perhaps he'd go and visit his mother too and see if she could teach him a thing or two about healing. Hunting was far more fun than healing but Pacem would be a fool to think that he didn't need to know at least the basics.

Unitas wasn't too happy with the answer Iopah gave him. It wasn't a real answer that explained things. Thinking that she wasn't going to just give him the information he needed, Unitas simply kept his muzzle shut and looked to see what his brother was doing. As soon as Iopah said that she would follow Pacem shot forward to investigate. Not wanting to be outdone by his equally dark brother, Unitas picked up speed to catch up. Before passing his brother by Unitas nibbled on his brothers tail. Then dashed forward along the deer tracks to keep out of reach from his possibly annoyed brother. Hunting big stuff by their tracks just wasn't turning out to be very fun. He would rather chase the little things that tested his speed. Distracted by a bird flitting across his vision, Tas slows to a stop and gazes in the direction that the bird had flown. He saw a bright yellow flash of color flit to another tree before hopping onto a branch directly in view of the wolves. It was a cedar waxwing, but due to its small size the young black wolf quickly lost interest. You couldn't catch the silly little birds so there was no use in looking at them all day long. Instead he turned to look at the trail once more and sniffed the cloven tracks left behind. He couldn't tell whether the scent on them was fresh or whether they were old. However Unitas could tell that they were headed closer to their own territory. He noted the way the tips of the hooves were and nodded proud of himself for knowing that much. "Speech"

Dawnthieves.de - Table by PuppyThief

Namara will be on absence and has asked us to skip Pacem this round, @Unitas

As expected, neither hesitated in taking over the lead. Iopah stepped back to allow them, watching each candidly as they passed by. They continued forward and the huntress fell into step just behind them, letting golden eyes flick from one to the other as their tendencies surfaced. This was a learning experience for all three wolves. By watching them now, the adults would be able to give each tasks suited to them in a real hunt. Pacem started out careful and deliberate while Unitas rushed ahead, leaving the other two behind.

There was a moment of seriousness, head lifted high as she followed the energetic boy with her gaze. It bothered her to see Unitas race away like that. This might only be a lesson, but there was real danger in what they were learning to do. Terrible things could, and had happened before, she had seen them happen. Just before he went out of sight something caught his attention. Iopah saw the flitting bird and let her ruffled fur smooth flat.

"What are we hunting?" Pacem had asked.

Iopah turned to the studious boy, glad at least one had the patience for tracking. "It is a mule deer." She added softly, glancing up to see Unitas finally look down at the tracks. "They all have different tracks, and smells, and places they like to stay. It's too much to explain it all." Her head shook in amusement, even for someone with precise control of their words it was difficult. "The best way to learn tracks and scent is to follow every animal." Everything was fair game to Iopah. If they could track and kill it, then it was on the menu.

Up ahead, Unitas started to veer back to their own territory. The huntress glanced ahead to confirm the change in direction, then chuffed low to Pacem in encourage as she started to lope towards his brother. They were too far apart; she couldn't speak to Unitas without raising her voice loud enough to startle the prey they tracked. Even if the distant child didn't have questions, she wanted to keep a close eye on him as they approached the deer.

(This post was last modified: Mar 29, 2015, 11:11 PM by Iopah.)