Fool's Gold Chasm widow's gift

"'Course I do," she assured him. A note of a chortle came from his throat as she nudged him. Good. The confidence was still there and it was more than he could have anticipated.

As her gaze went to the underbrush and the bit of forest huddled around the rabbit warren, he fell quiet. Then, she shook her head. He, in turn, canted his to one side as he listened to her confession. His tail gave a low wag as he took a moment to assess the moment at hand. He had assumed that hunting and catching were one and the same. Inwardly, he frowned at himself. Why and when had he come to that conclusion?

His eyes met hers instead of returning to the glade. The corners of his mouth still fostered the upward turn of a grin. He wanted Enera to have every opportunity he could give her, "You ready to catch one?"

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

had a dream so big and loud

JUMPED SO HIGH I TOUCHED THE CLOUDS

Adelard didn't seem to mind that she hadn't actually had the experience he was looking for and something tight inside her loosened, just a little bit. When and why had she been worried about that? She could do more now than she could as a pup and he'd never thought of her as a burden - right? There was no reason he would now. Not even if he needed to her pick up a little slack to help take care of his real children...

She was saved from this spiral by his grin and quiet question. She returned the expression, if a little forced, and nodded. She was ready. She was ready to prove that she could be a grown-up too.

...That, and she was hungry.

Turning his attention back to the warren, he crouched low and motioned with his nose and tail for her to follow. In the lowest whisper he could manage, he stated without even looking back at Enera, "Just focus. Find one, keep on its tail. They won't last in this heat."

He stalked forward, his elbows and knees bent as his whole body became as tense as a coiled spring. When he stopped again, he kept Enera on his right. As soon as he saw a pair of long ears or the flash of a fluffy white tail, they would be off and everything was going to be chaos. "One more thing," his words were merely air from his throat, "I'll go this way, you go that way. Whenever you're ready, just go. You can do this."

A small smile for encouragement before setting his sights back on the forest before them. For a time, he waited for Enera, just in case she saw something he didn't. He tried for a while to focus on both ends of the connected burrow before targeting only the left. He missed the emergence of an older hare beyond his peripheral vision. However, he saw its mate pop her head up at the opposite end.

He cast a quick glance at the yearling before springing out into the glade... Whether they caught one or two or not, Adelard hoped the experience would be enough no matter what the outcome.

         

ADELARD

heat stroke, bring the fire black smoke, I take it higher

had a dream so big and loud

JUMPED SO HIGH I TOUCHED THE CLOUDS

Dad was keeping his voice quiet, hardly a whisper loud enough for her to catch the words as they slunk forward into the glade. She kept her ears pricked, not only to catch anything else he might say but to listen for the sound of rustling in the grass. She nodded at his direction and waited, tensed beside his own tensed form. She could do this. She could catch a prize.

She saw the pair the same time Dad did, glancing at him briefly before they both sprang into action. She raced after her chosen hare, adrenaline and excitement coursing through her. She was already gaining on it, the scent of its terror thick in her nose - a scent that drove her to run faster, paws pounding against the earth. She was so close now... Enera reached out, intending to snap her teeth around the hare's body and bring the chase to a close, but it turned at the last second and her jaws closed on empty air. She fumbled, but managed to turn and resume the pursuit.