Oak Tree Bend A Man's Gotta Do

for @Serach

He screamed for war as he charged, but the very last thing that Corsair had anticipated was for the large, white bird to fight back. It bit him firmly on the ear, swatting him with it's powerful wings. The boy wanted to sob, certain that the monster (it was not a bird anymore) had torn his ear clean off. Mabel would make fun of him for having one ear, his parents would give him sad, disapproving looks. He'd have to hide in shame forever. These thoughts raced through his mind as he attempted to fight the creature. His screams weren't for war anymore.

What kind of idiot dies by trying to get into a fight with a bird? The thought inspired hope in him. No one did, and Corsair Donata certainly didn't either! He was war-screaming again, and praying that no one was watching his wildly stupid attempt at another prey that he could not take by himself. He snapped at the goose's feathers, finally managing to get a good mouthful of them. It continued to bite at him, hissing its distaste for the young, over enthusiastic boy. At last the thing decided flying off was the better decision, and after another good thwack on the young boy's head, ran, and then flew, off.

Corsair was left to little more than the loud thumping sound of his heart against his chest. His fur was every which way, his ear throbbed painfully, and his eyes were glistening with almost-tears. It didn't take him long to find his bearings. Hoisting himself up as high as he could, the Donata child lifted his trophy as high as he could. While not a long-necked monster, any prize was a prize. What may have looked like a mouthful of goose feathers to another wolf was victory to Corsair. The next step was just figuring out who to boast to first. Perhaps he'd be lucky enough to find both of his siblings in the same place, and tell them how he'd single-handedly fought a large, very angry, bird.

The battle-worn Donata was on his way to find his siblings when he saw his father. Pale green eyes lit up and his tail wildly swished behind him as he leaped forward. "Dad!" he shouted, dropping his prize. He stumbled over himself, his face twisting up in a I definitely didn't mean to do that sort of look. A little embarrassed, his ears flattened and he tried to quickly pick up the feathers to show his father the whole prize. It just didn't look like that great of a victory with them all over the ground.

So sorry for the wait. Next replies should be much quicker!

"Dad!" Corsair's triumphant shout instantly tempered Serach's parental anxiety, although his pale yellow eyes looked over his son's body closely for any signs of physical harm as the Donata cub stumbled forward. The boy's fur was going in a million different directions, but that wasn't all that unusual. He otherwise looked fine, and so Serach began to breathe a little bit easier. He had heard his son's high-pitched screams and had come running, terrified that a larger predator had his son in its grasp. Corsair had found him first, and although his heart was still hammering in his chest, Serach greeted his son with a smile, albeit a little bit of a strained one.

Looking down at the prize being presented to him, Serach's smile grew less strained and more genuine. "I see you've had a successful hunt," he said, chuckling as Corsair hastily picked up the feathers in his mouth to present them. "I'm sure your sisters will be awfully jealous," he added with a wink.

no rush :'D im a little bit busy myself so prob wont be super fast w replies

The young Donata's chest swelled up with pride as his father acknowledged his hunt. It wasn't as good as it should have been, and the longer he thought about it, the more embarrassed he got. "You think so?" the uncertainty was clear in his voice. Ayla might have been impressed, but it'd probably take a little bit more than a mouthful of feathers to outshine Mabel. But with @Serach there, that meant that he probably could get something better than some feathers. He felt a spark of determination as he looked up to his father, who undoubtedly would have all of the answers to all of his questions, and then some.

"Hey, dad, are all birds so mean like that? Why do the big loud ones attack? Aren't they supposed to be afraid of us?" they were both wolves, after all, and wolves were better than any prey animal. And predator, too, but Corsair didn't know as much about them as he did the creatures that they hunted in the woods. "And, guess what, they hiss, too! Did you know they do that? Kinda like a snake, but a bird-hiss."

No worries. I got knocked on my butt by a cold, so clearly fast replies are not meant to be a thing that I do.

Had he puffed up in pride when presenting his mother or older siblings with his prized possessions? Serach could not help but wonder as he watched Corsair's demeanor change. No doubt the father had once done the same, and so when his son asked, his voice uncertain, Serach offered nothing but praises. "Of course! Wolves fail at their hunts more than they succeed, so every win we get should be celebrated," he reassured his son, his lips pulled wide in a beaming smile and his tail wagging happily at his haunches.

Of course, not all prey was created equal, and Corsair was quick to pick up on that. Nodding his head, the Bend leader settled down on his haunches, pondering for just a moment how to respond. Aponi had been through this all before, but he was still learning how to give satisfactory answers that were still age-appropriate. "Some of them," he admitted, pausing for a moment while he thought of an good analogy. "You know how we mark our borders with our scents so other creatures know we live here? Some birds, like the goose you just fought, do the same thing - they claim a little bit land as theirs and they get upset when somebody intrudes. We're bigger than they are, of course, but defending one's territory is so important that sometimes a smaller creature will face down a larger one anyway. And well," he chuckled while he gathered the words. "Wouldn't you fight back if one of your sisters tried to attack you? Of course you would. That's what survival is - fighting against anyone and everything even if the odds aren't in your favor. You'll never find prey, no matter how small, just give up when it sees you."

Nodding his head, he affirmed he knew about the hiss. "And just like snakes, they will hiss at you to warn you first. If you heed their warning, they'll usually leave you alone...most of the time."

Corsair could not imagine that all wolves, and specifically his father, failed more than he succeeded at hunting. Regardless, the thought seemed to soften the blow to his own pride. Him not taking down the full goose didn't mean that he was bad at hunting, and the Donata seemed to perk up a bit at the realization. The tip of his tail gave a light half-wag, eager to learn more from his all-knowing father.

With the way @Serach had put it, fighting didn't seem like the smart thing to do. At least not for anything that dared to be tasty. When he fought with a goose, the aim was to kill. But with his sisters? He just wanted to wear the other out so he could win. The young Donata didn't give this idea too much thought, and if he was extra lucky, would never have to consider it. In his world, all wolves got along and respected each other (though not without the playful roughhousing that he and his sisters often did). He had yet to meet anyone who thought any different, which meant that there wasn't anyone any different.

At the mention of snakes, he made a face. Unlike geese, Corsair did not like snakes, and typically gave them a wide breadth. Not that it kept them from their hissing and tail-shaking. To this day, he had not been bitten by a snake. He'd take a goose over one any day. Happy with all of his new knowledge (and not wanting to discuss snakes any longer), Corsair got up and put a paw on Serach's maw, playfully shoving him away. "Yeah, well, they better stay away from me! Because I'll hiss at them!" he attempted to hiss. It wasn't a very good hiss.

At the mention of snakes, Corsair's face curled up in disgust causing Serach to snort with amusement. He didn't disagree with his son's assessment of the slithering critters. Tail wagging as his son approached him and put a paw to his maw, the pale man opened his mouth to nip playfully at Corsair's paw. His head turned in response to Corsair's push, but he looked back in time to watch his son attempt to hiss. "You're terrifying," he teased, standing up only to lower himself down into a play bow.

Lifting his forepaws, he stamped them back down on the ground. "Want to practice some more?" he invited the younger Donata to play, his cream tail wagging happily above his back. "So the next time you run across that goose, you can show it who's boss." Serach didn't consider himself to be a particularly good fighter, but he knew enough he could teach his son a few tricks he hoped.

There are several fresh rabbit tracks in the mud. Hunt Opportunity