Redsand Canyon combat

today, after patrol, he carried a gift with him. a ptarmigan had met its demise by his jaws, but he did no further damage to it. that would be his children.

so as he neared the den, he let out a warm sound for his family. @Towhee, @Jack Snipe and @Leona.

there was an undeniable bounce in his step today and a broad grin swept over his features as he dropped the bird at the mouth of the den.

she saw him coming. as father got nearer leona could tell he carried something with him; it hung from his teeth and swayed with every stride.

but she was nervous about leaving the den. despite being of that age, and at that milestone to finally begin exploring outside, she eyed the pooling sunlight with more skepticism than curiosity.

maxim's call thrummed in her heart; she wanted very much to meet with him. he dropped the bird and leona watched him, and it, with her nose wiggling.

There was a new scent that arrived with their father. Jack squinted from his napping place as Leona seemed transfixed by whatever it was Maxim had brought with him. The boy yawned wide before rising from his place and scooting toward Leona. He looked at his sibling while smacking his lips. Could have been the bird scent or just an attempt to make noise, it wasn’t certain. 

Jack looked to his father after a long pause. Without seeking any kind of permission, the boy approached the bird that had been dropped and began to wrestle it. His large paws smushed the creature into an awkward shape. Jack smacked his lips some more before climbing on the feathered thing and sitting down. Butt to head, just the right spot.

how odd how they developed so differently! he supposed that was the right thing though, that they would become their own independent people. it was not as if him and all of his siblings had been the same.

leona seemed hesitant to move beyond the mouth of the den into the light.

jack showed an eagerness to destroy the bird, then sit on it.

leona! he called warmly, crouching down into a bow. you can't let jack have all fun by himself! his tail waved behind him and his face crinkled with a grin.

Jack was haloed in light. Beyond that Leona couldn't see anything and that made her nervous, but Jack was not hurt; if anything he was enjoying himself. A few encouraging words from Maxim brought a bit more confidence to Leona, and she came striding out of the den with her ears swivelling.

The first thing she did was go to Jack. She probed his sides and face with her nose, and upon finding nothing amiss there, she investigated the bird underneath him. It didn't smell alive, plus Jack was straddling it pretty effectively, so she gave up on that pretty fast too.

She sneezed after, and sat down with a skeptical look upon her face.

Fun was going to be had in handfuls. Whether Leona was apart of it was another matter. 

Jack slobbered on the bird. Leona approached with a curious prod and sniff. The young boy turned to his sibling and wagged his tail. Good she’d shown up, because he was having the time of his life on top of that bird. Dad really had a knack for fun activities. 

When Leona looked uninspired, Jack whirled and then toppled to his side. He righted himself before padding toward Leona and nudging at her shoulder. He could share, for at least a few seconds.

he loved them very much. with his whole heart! he supposed he understood all the ways towhee talked about her family now. it all clicked into place and made sense. how could he not cherish these little beasts?

they even seemed to understand sharing.

this is the result of hunting! he beamed with pride, dropping down to his stomach to be closer to them and their level. are either of you curious in how to hunt?

he understood he was likely speaking a bit much, but this did not stop him either way.

The bird wasn't doing anything. Plus Jack had kind of claimed it, given the way he had it pinned beneath himself, and even at her young age Leona could understand that much.

He came away from the bird and approached her from one side, but Leona had already decided the bird wasn't worth her time and she wasn't going to change that opinion easily. Dad tried to elicit some kind of reaction too - talking about hunting, as if that should impress her.

She didn't understand much of what their father was trying to show them. Bored, now. At least Jack was there — close enough to reach for and, without warning, Leona reached for his face with her face!

Yeah, yeah, dad… hunting. Cool.

Jack was quick to move past his father’s words without giving them much thought. He yapped at his dad and waved his tail. When Leona made a lunge for his face and found his snout, he erupted in a snorting laugh. The boy pulled his head out of her grasp and then returned to looking at her with a wide smile and a wiggling rear end.

His turn. Jack chomped toward Leona with a little chuckle.

wrapping up <3

ah, well.

at least they seemed fascinated with each other, content to poke and prod at one another in play. perhaps they were not ready to hunt yet.

he decided that was okay. he would welcome the time to watch them play. young and carefree.