Blackfeather Woods dwindling

His ears cupped forward to absorb every word that Cicero said. His head bobbed along in understanding and in enthusiasm. Though not the most attentive student to teachings of culture and religion — except in those odd cases where he seemed inexplicably rooted to the spot and forced to listen — Euron was fully engaged to this subject and replied with bounce and a hearty "yup!" when his father asked if they should practice. He had to take a deep breath to steady himself and enter stealth mode.

Initially his efforts to do the best he could had the opposite of the intended effect. He concentrated so hard on moving exactly as Cicero moved and focused so much on weaving into the shadier spots of the forest that some of his natural furtiveness was lost. His graceful steps became jerkier and more plucky as he second guessed what he was doing and where he was putting his paws. The boy's brows furrowed and his ears twisted back. He could feel that he was not being properly sneaky.

He took another breath. Relaxed. His movements started to smooth out as he followed along.