Riddle Heights learn me hard, learn me right

For @Erebos. Overcast, 24F, afternoon.

THERE IS A CASTLE ON A CLOUD

Ever since she’d found that dead deer with Neha, the young wolf had been more and more interested in fresh meat. Often, she fed herself at the pack’s caches, for Phineas usually had other things to attend to. When he didn’t, her father would make sure his daughter was not wanting, but since her maternal abandonment, the Argyris had become far more independent than she’d been in months past. She simply went when she was hungry, instead of waiting around for someone to find her while she wilted. Before the snow had started falling, she’d hunted field mice among the rocks – but such tiny mammals hardly held the same appeal as a fallen buck.

Kyna wanted to hunt.

The problem was, she didn’t rightly know how. Her mother had taught her to stalk and pounce, but this really only worked on animals smaller than herself. If she craved something larger than a mouthful, and truly, the little blond did, it would require a different tactic, and that was one the girl did not know. Fortunately, she was fairly certain she knew how to obtain the information she so wished for. Lifting her dainty skull skywards, she let out a note for other members of her family. There was nothing urgent in her voice, and while she wished for her father, she supposed any adult would do. They could all hunt, she assumed, and so they should all be able to teach.

Erebos was in the middle of a patrolling trip around the borders of the pack, securing them as he did on nearly a daily basis, when Kyna's call filtered through the air and tunneled into his waiting ears. His steps drew to a halt, spectrum skull lifting to gaze in her general direction. There was no specification within her howl, merely a summons to anyone who desired to heed it, and he could not deny that this brought on a measure of curiosity within him. Yet, was it prudent for him to approach her? Perhaps he should leave the call to be answered by those closer to her. The thought itself caused his ears to swept back as he gently scolded himself under breath, "That oughta be you, Erebos."

It wasn't the girl's fault she'd been born from the wrong mother, after all, and with Aponi gone (hopefully permanently) the threat brought on by her existence was no longer a possibility. If he truly wanted to support and empower Phineas' next generation, then uncle Erebos needed to become more involved with them all. As it was, his self-imposed distance was only serving to erect a barricade between himself and the youth. The situation was far from too recondite to handle. In fact, it was quite simple, and it was time he stopped putting it all off. Decided by this line of thinking, he pressed forth, following the trail his senses laid out for him in order to find her.

As he drew close enough for conversation, he piped up in greeting, "'ey there, Kyna. What're ya up to?"

THERE IS A CASTLE ON A CLOUD

A white wolf appeared, but it was not the man that Kyna had hoped for. The girl carefully schooled her expression, not wishing her uncle to feel poorly for heeding her call. After all, no one had made him come, and while she wanted to spend time with Phineas, beggars could not be choosers. So she mustered up the best smile she could, manifesting itself in a tiny upturn of lips at one side of her mouth, and she bobbed her head in welcome. “Hello,” she returned the greeting softly, waiting for a moment for the adult to draw closer and settle himself.

As he approached, it dawned on the cub that she had little idea how to ask someone for something that was not her immediate family -- @Wren was a dear friend, and she never asked him for any favors, instead only offering her help. Ears flexed backwards as a hint of uncertainty entered her flame-colored eyes, and the girl cleared her throat softly. “I--”

Her courage was already starting to fail, and the honeyspun child shifted uneasily, glancing down at her feet as she tried to gather her thoughts. She could always just go to the cache, she thought, though such meals were not nearly as saporific as meat freshly killed, especially by one’s self. Trying to steel her nerves, the girl glanced up through her lashes.

“I-- Wanted to go on a hunt. A proper one? Would you-- Do you-- Would you mind…showing me how?”

A wild dissertation appears!

She was oddly unconfident, and he found himself growing perplexed and further curious as to what she could need. Was there something for her to be embarrassed about? Had anything happened to her? Given what he knew of his other nieces and nephews, as well as the girl's mother, it was difficult for him to think that something so shy had been sired by Phineas nor Aponi. Yet when finally she was able to spit out what it was she wanted, this seemed to be the most prevalent possibility.

A small smile alit on his muzzle. He was looking to better get to know the girl, and now she was providing him with the perfect opportunity.

"Of course," he agreed, his easy approval quite the contrast to her hesitant question. "Watcha lookin' ta hunt? Got anythin' particular in mind?" It was quite the productive way to bond, not only teaching the girl to fend better for herself, but also to assist the pack, and stocking the caches in the process. Therefor, the man was more than happy to take time away from his patrolling to fulfill Kyna's wish. And maybe, once she warmed up to him, he could get her past this stuttering approach of hers.

THERE IS A CASTLE ON A CLOUD

The offered smile did something to calm the girl’s nerves as she shuffled shyly, something similar in miniature crossing her lips. At least he hadn’t said no, she told herself – @Erebos hadn’t laughed at her, either. Her tail gave a hopeful little wag at the easy agreement, though it stopped dead at his next question. Kyna’s mouth parted in a small little ‘o’, gears visibly churning in her mind. She hadn’t thought that far in advance. Truth be told, the cub wasn’t even certain someone would agree to her request.

Uncomfortable silence fell over her for a few moments before she cleared her throat, glancing back down at her paws. “I…can hunt mice. And squirrels,” she admitted quietly, ears falling to the side. Hardly proper wolf behavior, she thought to herself. “But. But that isn’t a real hunt. So…something bigger, I guess? Maybe? If that’s alright,” she tacked on at the end, glancing up to study Erebos’ face. He was hard to read, much harder than her parents or Wren – but perhaps that was simply because he was an adult not strictly in her unit (or not yet, at least), and she had no desire to upset or offend the man with silly questions or requests.

A wild dissertation appears!

There is a deer that was killed by a lynx nearby. +10 Health