lately the paradigm of silkie's habit to play chase has begun it's naturally shift from playful to predatory. he's a hunter by nature, of course, but anything that he classifies as food running from him automatically ignites his desire to hunt. it's an unlucky chipmunk that has his attention this morning as silkie chases it through hougeda, winding through the tunnels that take him deeper into the pack's communal denning area. lucky for the young dragonling he doesn't slam into anyone on his hunt. eventually the chipmunk, in it's disorientation and fright corners itself and silkie unapologetically uses his prey's confusion to his advantage. he seizes the opportunity by lunging forward and trapping the frightened animal between his too-big-for-him paws.

silkie doesn't let it suffer. he makes quick work of it's death and gulps it down, drawing his salmon pink tongue across his jowls afterwords. it's only after the adrenaline from the hunt begins to fade out of his system does he realize that he's panting. he presses his side against the rough, cold stone and takes a moment to catch his breath. eyes scanning the small cavern, silkie takes note of the stalactites that hover like the sharpened teeth of some ancient beast high above him as begins to contemplate the task of finding his way back to the main chamber of hougeda.

common sense tells him to just follow his scent back the way he'd came because he doesn't particularly remember each and every turn he made while hunting the chipmunk. he'd been too focused on the chase and much less concerned on what sort of labyrinth the frightened woodland creature was leading him into. it was a good first thought, except there are a lot of others scents at work besides his own. the scents of drageda's adults that travel the tunnels, the salt scent of the sea that's ever present stronger down here than it is in the main cavern of hougeda; and then there's the sharp tang of wet rock and mildew that grows naturally on the damp rock.

not to mention the natural inclination to give into his own curiosity. he's already deeper than he'd been before and there's an itch to explore.

he contemplates for a moment longer, visibly hesitating before he starts to follow his own scent trail back towards the main chamber. he doesn't particularly want to get lost ( or even more lost ) and he doesn't want to get into trouble. he'd got what he'd been after, in the end and there was no real reason for him to linger. he turns a corner and gives a startled noise as he comes face to face with a familiar face. "nomi!" silkie exclaims in surprise, but is genuinely pleased to have run into her ( because, hey, that eliminates the potential for getting lost ). he peeks around her to glimpse at hush, who, like his name implies never says much. silkie wasn't yet able to put together that he was mute and instead just runs with the assumption that the older male is just shy ( something that silkie isn't ).

"guess what! guess what! guess what!" silkie bounces from paw to paw, butt wiggling with the wags of his tail as he grows eager to share his news with her. "i caught a chipmunk!" he crows proudly. "i'd show you but...but i ate it." he loses some of his gumption then, shoulders slumping ever-so-slightly as he frowns. does it even count then if he doesn't have something to show for it? would she still believe him? surely she would because she was his nomi and because he wasn't generally in the habit of fibbing.

silkie shoots another quick glimpse in hush's direction before his attention quickly snaps back to thuringwethil as his nomi presses her muzzle to his and sniffs. for some unknown reason to silkie, it elicits a small, stupid giggle from him. "i do! i do!" silkie partially crows and partially insists. he's quiet for a few moments, gaze flicking between the two adults before he looks back to thuringwethil, a plea heavy in his gaze. "i wanna hunt somethin' else." he declares apropos to nothing. "come on!" and without further ado silkie clambers eagerly further into the tunnels, trusting that the two adults will follow him and assist him on his new quest.