Stay still. You move your tail too much.

"Shut up, Dottie," she whispered, breath stirring the dirt beneath her muzzle.

You're the one that needs to shut up. Every bit of prey for a mile is going to hear you.

Lily growled softly, muscles twitching as she watched the rabbit root around the base of the tree. The darkness of the Bracken Woods was to her advantage; her inky pelt blended in, if she stayed in the shadows, and by the time she pounced, it would be too late.

But maybe Dottie was right--maybe she was too loud. She drew in a snuffling breath, which unexpectedly echoed through the forest, and she saw the rabbit's ears perk up, its beady eyes wide in alarm. Silently cursing herself, she went still as a statue, waiting for another few long, agonizing moments for the creature to settle down.

It never really did, and Lily grew impatient. With a fleeting prayer to no god in particular, she pounced, her lithe form a dark blur. But the rabbit, on guard, had anticipated this attack, and fled, and although Lily gave a hearty chase, her clumsy paws were no match for its swiftness.

"Shit!" she exclaimed, as the dusky animal burrowed back underground, and she was left with nothing to show for her efforts.

Be quiet!

"Shut up, Dottie!" Lily chided her sister's voice, which rang mockingly through her head every time she tried to hunt. It was as if she'd never left the prairie.

A voice disturbed her from her tantrum, and Lily spun around, a reluctant smile coming to her face as she spotted Korei a few paces away. "Erm, hi, Korei," she greeted, shuffling her paws. Shaking out her pelt, she trotted over to give her friend a friendly nudge to the shoulder, if she'd allow it, then stepped back, scowling once more.

"I just am terrible at hunting! No matter what I try, I can't catch anything," she lamented, shaking her head. "My sister Dottie tried to teach me, a couple times, but I'm just rubbish. None of her lessons ever helped."

She heaved a ragged sigh. "What sort of wolf can't hunt? I feel quite useless, honestly." Thus having vented, she sat back on her haunches, blowing out a long stream of air. In, out, she coached herself, slowly calming down. In, out.

"How are you?" Lily asked nonchalantly, wanting quite suddenly to change the subject.

"She gave me so many lectures, sometimes I feel like I hear her, in my head, barking orders at me. You know?" Lily asked Korei, tilting her head interrogatively. "Everything I do, I swear I hear her judging me." Even now, her slightly shrill voice was a tiny whisper in her ears; Lily flattened them for a moment, then they sprang aloft as she brightened at her friend's suggestion.

"That's an excellent idea, Korei!" she exclaimed, doing a little sort of dance in place, wagging her tail in excitement. She gave the girl a keen look, eager for her first lesson. "How do you want to start?" She was completely clueless how one gave a lesson on hunting, besides standing by and nagging, as Dottie had done. Lily had always felt bad for her sister's future children.

She inhaled deeply, trying to figure out whether she'd scared off all the game or if there was still a chance for them to go home with something in their jaws. There were scents here and there, but nothing strong; maybe Korei was better at sniffing out prospects.

Lily got the distinct impression that Korei thought she was a bit of a nutter, hearing voices in her head, but she let it slide, not wanting to explain further. Instead, she seized upon the opportunity for a lesson, listening intently to what Korei had to say next.

"I was hunting rabbits earlier; there's a den over there," she responded, gesturing toward the hole with her nose. "As for beavers. . .don't those live near water? They build their homes on rivers, I'm pretty sure." She didn't know if she'd ever seen a beaver before. Daddy's tales had conjured up images of burly brown creatures with flat tails; he was such a vivid storyteller that he often blurred the lines between reality and fantasy, in her mind.

"I'm fast enough to catch them, but I'm too loud," Lily lamented, looking back at Korei again. "Can you teach me how to be sneaky?" She eyed her friend curiously. She wondered how Korei was able to sneak about in here with that pelt of snow. Surely she'd stick out like a songbird in a barren tree?

"Oh, okay," Lily responded, a bit put out. If Korei wasn't the best teacher for this, then who would be? She thought about approaching Alarian, but she didn't want to look like an idiot in front of him, not more than she already had. Perhaps Lanawyn would be a good, non-judgmental tutor. Though she hadn't seen much of the woman, lately. . .

"Well, what have you learned?" she whispered, crouching low to the ground. She knew their volume was too loud, if they ever wanted these rabbits to emerge from their hiding places. Their aromatic smell wafted towards her, teasing her nostrils with how bloody close they were. A stroke of good luck, and one big pounce, and she'd have the creature in her jaws.

"Excellent," Lily responded, grinning. She didn't know much about hunting tactics, but that plan seemed sensible enough. "Can you sneak up behind it, so I can watch and learn?" she asked, tilting her head in polite inquiry. She might be loud, but she was fast. . .perhaps fast enough to catch the critter before it got away for good.

Patience was not her strong suit; it never had been and it never would be. But if she wanted to eat, patience was something she'd have to learn to acquire, at least in some small measure. She looked forward to Bracken's first big hunt. She'd heard whispers here and there about the pack banding together to take down big game, but no specific plans had been made as of yet.

Lily smiled and gave a nod in response, crouching low as she waited for Korei to sneak up behind the den. She raked the earth with her claws, black pads outstretched. Her stomach rumbled slightly audibly, and she frowned, gritting her teeth.

God forbid my angry, empty belly gives me away.

She kept her eyes locked on the entrance to the rabbit hole, anticipating the moment of truth.

There it was. Small and timid, its little nose wrinkled as it tried to ascertain the threats that lay around it. Swallowing, Lily drew up her hindquarters and prepared for the moment of truth. Gritting her teeth, she pounced, a black shadow from the brush, landing just short of the rabbit.

It squealed, and meant to flee, but this time, she was too quick. Her forepaws grasped its back end and she drew it back towards her, wrapping her jaws around its neck. Just a crunch!--and the creature lay limp and dead on the ground, spine severed by her teeth.

"Oh, my god! I did it!" Lily exclaimed, heedless of the noise that probably scared the other rabbits in the area away. She licked the blood from her chops, bounding toward Korei. "I actually managed to catch something!" Her tail wagged excitedly, and she nuzzled her friend's shoulder, gratitude swelling up in her heart.

"Thank you so, so much, Korei," she purred, grinning from ear to ear. "You've done it. You've taught me to hunt."

The two girls squealed together as young, giddy women should--not to stereotype or anything--excitedly bumping against each other. Finally, Lily calmed down, bending her head to nose the rabbit she'd just killed. In a way, she felt kind of bad--like, she'd never really killed anything herself before, and she felt somewhat responsible for taking a life, even if it was just a little rabbit.

Then again, she ate all the time things that others had killed. . .so it would kind of make her a hypocrite to turn her nose up at meat now.

"Let's take this to the cache," Lily decided, picking the animal up between her jaws. "Thaah agehh, Koeeei," she mumbled through a mouthful of meat, hoping the girl would take her meaning through at least the grateful look she shot her. She began to stride purposefully in the direction of the cache, filled with pride and a newfound confidence.

Finally, she was a hunter. Of sorts.