It was Springtime, and the snow continued to fall. The flurry was manageable, and Osiris navigated the midsection of Moonspear with ease. Winding along one of the several pathways, he tracked the scent of a hare—his unsuspecting target. Today, Osiris would attempt his first solo hunt; he wanted
@Hydra to join him for this achievement.
The trail lead him down the mountain, to a clearing that neighbored Firefly Glen. Though it continued through the nearby shrubbery, Osiris stilled his pursuance. The hare's scent and pawprints continued north, through the nearby underbrush.
Not wanting to continue without his mother, he lifted his muzzle skyward and summoned her, his voice edged with excitement—it was time to hunt.
The sound of her sons voice would likely always warm her heart. It was not without nostalgia that she remembered when the sound of his howl was not so deep and full, but filled with evidence of his very young age. Now he sounded much like a man, though that pleased her greatly in of itself. He had come so very far! Despite the famine, he and his siblings displayed resilience and the ability to survive in the face of adversity. As all Ostrega's ever seemed to. It made her proud.
She had been close enough to him to not take much time, though called in turn; in time, his mother could see him. He had filled out this Winter once the food had returned. Even from afar he looked large, though she knew he was still growing some. Hydra's tail waved as she approached him, chuffing and moving to close the gap between them. Hydra sensed his excitement though waited for him to fill her in.
Osiris greeted Hydra with a lick to her chin and a waving tail, unable to conceal his excitement entirely. "Mother," he breathed as he pulled from her embrace. "I believe that it is time for me to complete my first hunt, and there is a hare nearby that would be a perfect target." The trail was fresh, and Osiris was eager to follow it.
"I call you here because I wanted you here for my first hunt alone," he expressed then, drawing his tongue over his lips. "Do you have time?" Osiris asked in the next breath, wanting to make sure he wasn't pulling her for any of her essential duties.
His licks were met with the steady beat of her plume that he likely felt the effects of as it waved; she lifted her head and nosed him, nipping at his whiskers with a warm look in her eyes. He was quick to inform her, and as he explained Hydra noted much the same thing he did in reference to the trail. That he wished for her to witness this warmed her, and she hoped for his success. Osiris was a tenacious boy, one who had practiced often enough for her to imagine that if any of her cubs were to succeed in their first independent hunt it was most likely to be him. It certainly did not mean she did not think her sons any less capable, but through watching him and hearing of his lessons with her brother when they were had Hydra knew that when Osiris wanted something, he acted upon it.
Like her, she thought proudly. Dirge too, she considered with an equal measure of pride.
Did she have time? For her children, she always would. Hydra would move the stars and the sun for them, shake mountains and empty rivers! Though her affections were rarely administered now that they had grown older, she would always bear for them a mothers indomitable love. I do,
she confirmed with another sweep of her plume. Show me what you can do,
his mother encouraged then with a warm rumble, eager to see him in action.
"I do," Hydra affirmed. "Show me what you can do." Osiris nodded in reply; he wanted nothing more than to make her proud. Hopefully, the hunt would be fruitful, and they could share his winnings. He licked his chops at the thought of success, finding himself more motivated than he had been previously.
Osiris set off in the direction that the trail lead, navigating them through the woods. Every so often, he'd pause to examine the scent to ensure he was still tracking the same trail. They were near, it seemed from the smell alone, but the hare remained elusive; Osiris remained resilient in his pursuit.
The forest gave way to a clearing, and the hare was positioned not too far from where he stilled their movement. It faced away from them, digging through the snowdrift to find it's next meal, as Osiris crouched and examined it from a distance. He wanted to watch it for a moment before acting so that he could determine the best route of action.
Hydra prowled after him, footsteps silent upon the earth as she did. She hung back a degree to give him ample space to explore and do as he would, though did not follow in his footsteps. This was his task he set himself to, and she would not interrupt him during it. As they neared the end of the forest and faced the clearing, Hydra continued forward parallel to him to get a better vantage point though kept herself clear from his path.
Her eyes found it moments after Osiris, who had hunkered down; it did not notice either of them. Her son had done well in trailing it, stalking it; the ears of a rabbit were sharp, and it took skill to not be noted. While her son determined his next step, Hydra watched and waited.
The timing seemed right; the hare continued to feast, blissfully unaware of it's impending doom. Testing a step in front of him, Osiris slunk forward like a housecat. When his first experiment proved successful—as the game remained in position—he crept forward another step, and then another until ... SNAP!
A stick, camouflaged by the snow, was underfoot; Osiris felt his heart drop into his stomach as he watched the hare glance over its shoulder. Spotting the predator, it whirled and began to race away in the direction opposite of the wolves. Giving chase, Osiris pushed off in the direction of where the hare ran. There was a noticeable distance between the two, but equipped with his stamina, Osiris was in the chase for the long haul.
An ear twitched as she heard the crack that meant splintered wood. Once her son moved, Hydra sprang after him, maintaining a distance so that she could observe rather than participate. The matriarch knew he wanted control of this encounter, and so she gave it to him without assistance. Watching his pursuit was satisfying in itself, and being with him brought her immeasurable joy.
She, too, was in it for the long haul. Where he went, she followed, eyes watching the movements of the fleeing rabbit and wondering at whether or not he would be felled by her young son this day.
In an attempt to confuse the predator, the prey had begun to zoom ahead in a zig-zag formation. Moving a little too quickly, the hare tripped over itself and tumbled a few paces ahead, sending snow spraying with each impact. The hare made a mortal mistake, and Osiris sought the advantage that had presented itself.
Surging forward, he overpowered the much smaller animal with ease and ended its life with a crippling bite to the neck. Once Osiris had determined that the hare was dead, he glanced over his shoulder with a proud grin; he had succeeded ! Summoning Hydra with an excited woof, he invited to come and take the first bite—it was her right as the higher-ranked wolf, after all.
Head over heels the thing tumbled; Hydra saw the moment it was ripe for the taking, and so too did her son. She watched as Osiris overpowered it swiftly, and by then she was close enough to meet him swiftly when he called to her.
Hydra's tail wagged in rapid beats as she saw that he had killed the critter, and she bumped her shoulder against his own. Well done, Osiris,
she drawled, voice rich with the pride she felt. As he offered to her the first bite, Hydra nipped his cheek. It is all yours; I am not hungry,
having just eaten recently herself, she was more than happy to let Osiris have the whole of his prize. He had certainly earned it. Or perhaps you could show it off to your brothers and sister?
She suggested, thinking the sight of it might be a motivating thing for them to want to accomplish the same thing.
A summoning howl sounded off, and Hydra invited him along with a simple look. If he had other things to do in his day Hydra would leave him to it, though she herself turned to head toward the direction of it after answering the call. That feeling of pride did not dwindle as she moved (with, or without Osiris), thinking of the accomplished hunter her son was becoming.