Redtail Rise ready to start

The morning of September 1st was unlike any morning Saturday’s Sunrise had ever felt. She awoke beside her sister to a chill. A light fog had rolled through the area and cold dew beaded on the forest flora.

Will each day become colder? The child wondered

You’ll see… the wise spirit alluded.

The child, now four months of age, roused and stretched. Then, she took off on a jaunt through the darkest part of the woods. There, she smelled something new…

Saturday’s Sunset’s interest was piqued and she began to track it, hungry.

it wasn't really ancelin's speed to hang out with the kids. that was the purview of augur, and augur's wife, and masque, and even lilia, he supposed. 
the anticipation of a warmer season to follow this final snow was wasted on the boy at this age. he felt at times the faint pulse of instinct and then nothing at all, a very young man still with much foolishness to outgrow.
that morning was crisp with cold air. returning from a patrol, ancelin watched as one of augur's daughters paced into the woodland, into the shadows.
unwittingly echoing the noiseless skulk of father and grandfather, the bjern kept up on his side of the trees. she seemed to be hunting, and he wondered what had drawn her away from the others, lifting his muzzle to the musky, tangled scents of the trees. there was no reason for his trailing, except curiosity and wary unwillingness to engage with the very young, out of his depths and somehow resentful for no particular reason.

Saturday’s Sunset hadn’t the faintest inkling she was being watched by the Rise’s singular Bjern. Her nostrils flared like a boar's as it took her on an erratic path. She went this way and that - a red herring, then doubling back toward a thick growth of young, skinny trees.

She moved with more curiosity than caution and suddenly a covey of ruffed grouse took flight - the very animal she had smelled. The beat of their wings created a cacophony unlike any Saturday’s Sunset had ever heard! Like a pointing dog, she froze in place and watched them fly away.

it was interesting, ancelin decided, watching how someone else approached in forested places. 
but then she was coming back toward him, and quickly; he held his breath, trying not to flinch as wingbeats filled the air. the kid seemed mesmerized. ancelin stared at her through the interlocked branches. had he ever been like that, so full of — hmm. no word for it. 
finally he stepped out of the clustered boles, shaking pine-needles from his coat and offering her a cough, "now that you know how to flush a bird, you want me to teach you how to catch one?"

Saturday’s Sunset was surprised to see the Man Who Hunted White Buffalo melt from the weave of young branches.

Redtail’s guardian, historically, had always kept his distance from the pack’s youths… and why shouldn’t he? His job as a warrior placed him in a tier different from their beloved Caru. The young girl could not forget his vicious and predatory mien, slathered in blood when hunting. She revered and respected him… so to have earned his attention gave the girl a sense of pride.

Her tail swished in a low wag as she greeted him by pressing her muzzle into his jowls. Then, she licked her chops.

Yes, show me! The spirit desired.

she respected him, and it sent dominance zigzagging through his veins. of course she did, maybe — maybe he deserved it. maybe the scars relic had left meant he was already someone.
at least to kids, even if not to himself.
"all right. well, first you have to find where they went," he told her, slipping into the shadows once more. his variegated pelt broke up the outline of his body at once, while she remained a pale little dot. but that too could be outgrown.
"look for feathers and bird poop," he told the girl, nose to the ground. he knew that the birds hadn't landed so far off; now it was up to her to find that out too.

She listened, and although she would never speak Saturday’s Sunset understood the message he conveyed.

Her richly colored amber eyes shimmered.

Pay attention, the spirit advised. There is much for us to learn.

When White Buffalo Hunter moved away, Saurday’s Sunset fell beside his haunch as she imitated his gait. She began to sniffle and snort, looking for birdsign but not really knowing what their scat smelled like.

ancelin looked too, and pointed out splashes of the birdsplatter across the tops of the grass and down upon the earth. "they poop from super high up. i bet that's why it goes everywhere," he grunted, rudimentary and brief interest in physics soon passing.
"okay, so it leads this way, toward those other trees," he told the girl, crouching in longer foliage until it swallowed his shoulders. "birds stay high. they can see you coming. so you have to learn how to blend in."
it wasn't so easy for a wolf with a pale coat and no markings to break up her body, but ancelin urged moon runner into the shadows once more. "this makes you not stand out so much. easy, slow steps."

Moon Runner paid attention when White Buffalo Hunter pointed out the chalky-colored bird droppings on the leaves. Her ears perked up, interested that their scat was so different from a mammal’s!

Then, her gaze followed his to the treetops. A conifer’s thatched branches made an excellent cover for fowl. She would remember this when she hunted next.

And then something she had never considered… When winter came, her pale pelt would be a major asset. But now, as the world became brown and the leaves fell, she stood out like a beacon. Moon Runner shook her pelt in dismay and then followed her senior into the dappled shadows.

How do I look now? The spirit wondered as Moon Runner cocked her head.

ancelin nodded at her. the patterns of dappled shadows darkened her coat well enough, ending the stark pale gleam and trading it for something more blueish. 
soft, easy steps.
the grouse were feeding on the ground, scratching dirt and grass-roots out of the way as they looked for edible greenery and insects. this late in the season, they were especially focused as food dwindled.
soft, easy.
ancelin dropped his body and prowled, waiting for moon runner as the wolves closed the distance between they and their targets.

Like a good pupil, Moon Runner mimicked her mentor’s every move. Her belly slung low as they assumed a stalking posture and crept through the dying autumn leaves and conifers toward their prey.

Moon Runner could smell them before she saw them. A strong waft of fowl, almost cone-line in distribution, hit her flared nostrils. Instinctively, she froze into a liminal stake between the stages of stalk and pounce as her big amber eyes watched for any sign of movement.

she was a quick learner, and ancelin was quietly proud. the grouse edged into sight, little twitching heads and small bobbing steps.
as the tailfeathers of a male dragged upon the ground, he glanced slowly up toward the canopy, heavy branches that would not allow for an easy flight away.
the indigo eyes rested on the girl; he jerked his chin toward them. go.
and he'd be right behind.

Going to wrap this one up!

The grouse scavenged unawares.

In her peripheral White Buffalo Hunter gave the young hunter a signal. Her amber eyes half-darted towards him. She felt his confidence. His trust.

She was quiet. Still. Barely a wisp of breath left her.

Then, she exploded.

Moon Runner thought of hunting doves with Father. He had been the one to make a kill that day. She had missed the flight fowl plenty of times. Failure had provided her with lessons. Information.

Honed, and emboldened by her mentor, Moon Runner does not hesitate to fully commit to her attack. She pounces. A loud flap of wings as the bird struggled.

Then, it is in her mouth. Feathers flew. The wings smacked her face. But she is triumphant and proud.

Look! the spirit boasts as she brought it to White Buffalo Hunter to share. Together they would sup!