Blackfeather Woods Into the woods

@Damien @Cicero @Potema Daddy!Burke will show them how to hunt! :D (I just wanted another baby thread, okay XD) 

Burke was starting to realize how often he was at Meldresi's den. When he joined he only dreamed of even entering it. Now it was almost a common thing to be around the den of the priestess. Somehow he had become the teacher of her young. Possibly because he was always calm of mind and not as mentally crazy as some in their pack. Burke did like that Meldresi showed so much trust in him. This were her young after all. The only thing that was a bit troublesome was that he was a bit big to fully enter the den. He pushed his head into the den, it was quite early. His nose sniffed if they were there first and then his pale eyes glanced inside the den. "Damien, Cicero.. up, now. Hunting lesson starts. You should have been outside already," he spoke on hushed tones. He didn't want to wake Meldresi, which might would happen since Burke's head was half in her den. 

"Potema you are welcome to join too if you want," he offered. He had not really bonded with her since it was more the boys he had been training. He killed in front of Damien already. A sad coywolf. Damien seemed to love that. And he had taken Cicero on a spying lesson. Well now Burke would take the bunch along for some food and hunting lessons. He really hoped they were starting to eat by themselves by now. He really didn't feel like feeding them from his mouth, but if that had to be done, so be it. 

To Burke's luck, the pups were eating more and more solid food, and had entered their period of rapid growth as they passed three months of age not long ago. Cicero was lazing around the den with whatever siblings were there, unaware of their visitor until his words rang out. When Cicero heard Burke's voice, he quickly pushed himself to his feet, casting his siblings a last glance before galloping outside. He walked up to Burke and licked Burke's chin, utilising what respect his raising and instinct had taught him.

"Burke hi-hi," Cicero greeted his teacher, and he looked briefly at the den's mouth before turning back to Burke. Since he had been inside the den dozing when Burke had called, he hadn't caught that they were going hunting, so he asked, "What's Cicero doing today?" And then patiently waited for his siblings for about two seconds, before getting distracted by his tail and rolling onto the ground while he wrapped his front paws around his own tail, batting the ground around it.

Potema was grooming her fluffy white pelt, cleaning the spots that she left pure white and leaving the mud-stained ones alone. They were her temporary dyes until her mother deemed her worthy. She maintained their structure well, for a three-month-old. But her morning grooming was interrupted by a stranger. A stranger to her at least. She frowned at his gray-masked face, though Cicero greeted him cheerily. "Who're jou. Where hun'ten?"

Alright. Burke could be cool, Damien would admit it, but waking him up? Seriously? Didn't he know Damien could get pretty damn dangerous when awaken abruptly? Well.. He would know now. Damien opened his left eye, still curled up between his mother's legs, and shot a zombie-like angry look at the grey beast. "I wanna sleep!" the boy moaned turning his head away from the outside bursquely and buried it in his mother's fur.

His tantrum lasted for a few seconds in which both his ears peeked back curiously at the enthusiastic squeaks of his siblings. They caught his attention, and eventually his interest started growing. It had always been there, though, he liked hanging out with Burke, but there was a whole new thing to consider in the big equation. He would have to make a decision between going out to do something cool with Burky, or staying back and keep warm and cozy with mommy. His little head started turning around slowly, discovering one of his eyes with which Damien looked over at his siblings' joyful reactions. "What are we goin'a hunt?" the pup questioned half-growling.

Burke was pleased to see Cicero being so eager. He couldn't help but grin a bit when Cicero liked him like that. That was a very good sign. Burke liked to be greeted like that, somehow. It made him feel respected. "We are hunting today." He nosed through the pup's fur in greeting and then his eyes fell on Potema. "I am Burke. Teacher and mentor. You would do well to follow my lessons because it learns you how to hunt," he explained. The immense male towered over the youngsters. Damien of course was a grumpy ball of fur, which Burke didn't really pay attention to. He would have eager students in his class and if Damien wants to become a warrior he would also learn to feed himself. 

"As a super spy.." Burke looked at Cicero. "And.. an amazing healer.." Burke turned his face to Potema. "..you must eat. Your mother won't give you food forever. I am going to learn you who to get food. Even great warriors will need food to defend and kill," Burke spoke. He then let his pale eyes fall at Damien when he spoke. Burke ruffled his fur. He was planning on getting a baby deer, making them watch him, to then bring the calf to them. The calf would be still alive and her would let them try and kill it under his supervision. This super vision was needed if the calf wanted to dash off. Burke just needed to get it in a panic state that it would just be frozen in shock. "We will kill a deer."

Cicero soon learned that they were going hunting, and he gasped in excitement. "Yay-yay Cicero hunting!" he yipped, his tail wagging happily. He greeted his sister with a cheery yip as she came into view; apparently she had already heard that they were going hunting. Damien soon joined them too, asking them what they would hunt.

Burke soon disclosed that they were going to kill a deer. Cicero had seen deer once or twice, but not very often, and he knew they were fairly big. Cicero waited in silence for Burke to lead the way to wherever they would hunt, listening to any given instructions.

Potema flicked her ear at the idea. Getting food for herself? She wriggled away from her mother's warmth at the prospect. Big girls hunted on their own, and that was exactly what Potema was: a big girl. She walked right up to this new wolf, Burke, and declared her consent. "I go with Burke!" She squeaked, proud of her slowly bettering sentence structure.

The girl pushed past the tank-like wolf out into the open. "I bring down big deer!" Potema got ready to pounce onto Burke's tail, expecting a gray pennant flying in the air, but pouted in confusion. "Where're tail?"

indentSlowly, the dark pup got up from his curled position and to his paws. He had decided to go with them and was now quite excited about the next thing Burke said. He'd seen deer before, but never from a close distance. He would kill a deer today, on his own, and that was a big accomplishment.

indent"Burke Don't has tail because he's a warrior. Right Burke?" he stated convincingly enough. He didn't actually know why Burke didn't have a full tail, but he had seen him torn a limb apart from another wolf once, at the borders when he'd gotten his first lesson with that loner Coyote, and he had assumed that that had been the way Burke had lost his tail. It was reasonable enough.

indentThe dark pup followed the rest, trying eagerly to be at the front line as they moved. He wanted to be a leader, and leaders were the first to taste the prey.

Burke liked how enthusiastic the pups were to go hunting. He watched all their tails wiggle all over the place. It even made his own little stump wiggle a bit. Although, Burke would never admit that. A soft hum came from his lips when Potema asked a question about his tail. He was about the answer when Damien answered for him. The masked male had to smile a bit of that. "Yes and No," he explained. "When I was about your age, maybe older, I was 5 months old... My tail got stuck. It was starve and die or a brief moment of pain and live," Burke spoke calmly. He then curled his lips up a bit. "I chose to bite of my own tail so I could live a long life and become an amazing warrior."

Burke then got to his feet and showed off his docked tail. After the brief story telling the large male took the lead to the borders of Black Feather, they would need to go outside. He wondered how the pups would react to that. Cicero had been outside the borders already, so he could maybe show the others. Burke walked out into the light with the three children. "Now stay close and be silent. We need to find deer," he gave them a little assignment. "If you one you tell me, quietly."

Cicero barely paid attention to Burke's story about his tail, finding interesting things all around the clearing that distracted him, until he saw Burke got into motion and started to lead the way. Cicero then followed alongside his siblings. He didn't know they were going to the outside world until Burke took a turn and lead them to the bright world outside. Cicero's tail wiggled with excitement, for he had enjoyed the outside world last time; it was so bright and different from the world inside Blackfeather Woods!

"Shhh-shhh sneaking," Cicero explained to Potema and Damien as they walked out into the lights, "So deers don't runs away!" Cicero moved into sneaking position, one ear and eye directed at Burke, while he started searching for deer.

Potema blinked at Burke's, then looked at her own tail. It was pure white, growing out of its stubby stage and becoming a beautiful, fluffy pennant, something deriving from her father's Arctic blood. Would she ever be able to bite it off if she had to? Potema pouted. No, she wouldn't. Burke's must have been really ugly if he bit it off.

Potema followed the large gray male, her fluffy tail waving proudly in the air. She pouted again when Cicero told her what to do. "I knows howta hunt, Cic'!" She hissed softly, flattening her ears as she slunk into the grass. She would find the deer first, definitely.

indentWhat? Burke had bitten his own tail off? Could he be more badass? Probably not. Burke was the most badass wolf Damien knew, and he had just became even more badass with his story about "bitting off his tail to survive." The pup looked back at his own tail, swinging behind him, tempting him to become a bunny-butted badass wolf himself, but Burke's call interrupted him before he even took the first bite.

indent"Stop talking Cis!" the pup growled at the same time Potema did staring down at his mismatched eyes. Jeez! It was like the kid didn't know what they were doing... He was determined to catch the deer, he would do it first than Potema, she was smaller and Damien felt confident. The dark pup flattened his belly to the floor and started slithering through the grass, trying to be as silent as possible. He pushed forward to go ahead of Potema, she seemed eager, but Damien was faster, he had to be.

The large male walked through the lands outside Black Feather with the three little ones. He, too, tried to be quiet. But with the pups being so competitive it already scared  away a rabbit. Luckily for them they didn't need a deer. Now Burke had promised they would hunt a deer but the pups were over estimating what they would be doing. Burke wasn't going to send the pups in a kicking deer herd. But, Burke would grab a baby deer and bring it to the pups. Down by the river was a herd, he wasn't sure who spotted it first but Burke stopped. "Okay, stay and watch. I trust that you three don't run off. The ones that stay get to hunt a deer as a reward. You should watch how I approach them. It is like being a spy and an assassin in one."

He hoped the youngsters wouldn't get an idea in their head to hunt for themselves. Burke was arranging that. The masked male creeped down the hill and to the riverbanks. There were several mothers with their fawns. Burke made sure to attack a doe on the outside and then go after the calf. He had to make sure not to kill it. Sebastian didn't grab it with its neck but a bit lower. The fawn was screaming. Burke had to make a run though, because the mother was on his heels. He returned to the Location of the pups. "Ready to hunt a deer? Follow me," he mumbled with the fawn in his mouth. He turned around and walked a few hundred meters back to Black feather do the fawn wouldn't run back. Burke let the fawn go who started running away from its herd perfect. Burke stood between the calf and the herd if it might run back. Eventually the baby stiffened by a bush, trembling all over. "Well, go catch your meal guys. It seems the fawn is still alive." In the meanwhile Burke would study their technique and what needed to be worked on.

Cicero growled when Damien told him to stop talking, a curt warning chuff, while he said, "Daymeen stop talking!" Then Cicero shouted, "Look deers!", forgetting all about the sneaking advice he had given Potema moments earlier, as the herd came into view. Burke told them to wait, so Cicero waited patiently, holding low to the ground even though there was nothing to sneak for now, while he watched Burke as he ran off.

Cicero was soon distracted, and he didn't pay much attention to the herd of deer until Burke returned with the fawn. Cicero followed Burke and watched as he put down the deer eventually, as it started to dart off. Cicero wanted to follow immediately, instinct calling, but he waited for Burke to say it was okay before he darted off towards the deer fawn. Cicero held low to the ground and approached from the side of Burke and the deer herd.

When he was near, Cicero lunged at the fawn. Upon his move, the fawn started to run, adrenaline forcing it to recover from its apathy. Cicero looked back to see what his siblings were doing and tried to run alongside the fawn to cut it off, so that it would stop and they would be able to attack.

Potema pouted at her brother, Damien, as he pushed past her. The princess increased her speed, daring to rise above the grass if only to get ahead of her brother. But neither of them would get the chance to actually hunt a deer, not yet. Burke ran ahead of them, his longer, adult legs bringing him to the herd faster than any of them could manage. Intriguied by what the tank was doing, Potema broke off her race with Damien and trailed after the gray-masked wolf, making sure to follow close but not close enough to disturb him. She knew enough about hunting to never make that mistake.

In a flash, Burke ran ahead and caught a fawn. Potema's ears lowered at its shriek, but the Snow Princess toddled after him just the same. Cicero was quick, getting the fawn to rise from its curled up position, beginning the chase. Potema ran after him, tongue lolling as she raced to catch up to her brother. The ash-dusted pup got closer and closer to the straggling fawn, and saw an opportunity. She struck out, grabbing its hind leg, right at its knee. The princess held fast for a brief moment, but let go, taking a chunk of the fawn with her. Certainly it was slowed now.

@Burke @Potema @Cicero Guys sorry for the wait, I really needed that week off :s

indentHe didn't care about his siblings pouting and snarling at him, that was probably even the reason he was a mean to them sometimes, to get that sweet feeling of having power over them.

indentBut not this time. Damien was determined to be the best hunter of the litter, and he did what he did to keep his advantage. He listened carefully to Burke's instructions and followed them to the letter, and when the moment came to chase after the fawn for themselves, the night child darted off of to give the little baby-deer his non-deserved-but-necessary ending.

indentIt was fast, and Potema was too. But Damien, just as Cicero, chased after them closely. Potema had the agility on her side, she was smaller, faster, and Damien was getting too heavy to follow her pace, but he got there eventually, just before Potema let go off the fawn's paw, to take a good chunk himself, this time from the belly.

indentThe Fawn was too harmed to keep on running away, and Damien took the chance to pounce on it when it dropped to the ground exhausted. He fwelt the warmth of the fawn as he sank his sharp fangs in its neck, and then the metallic taste of blood flowing out of the wound. That was the first time he felt it. That feeling of power when you take a life, but it wasn't just like anyone else would feel it. It as different for him. He was extatic. And the rest of the world didn't matter.

I'm going to wrap this up and Archive it since there is another hunt going on now! :D (Plus then you guys have one thread less to worry about!) They at least have some practice about the chase and where to bite xD

Burke watched the triples rush after the deer. It was quite adorable to see. Meldresi wanted them to be ferocious spiderlings and by learning how to chase and attack they would not only loosen their baby teeth but also learn how to tackle and kill. That latter was the most imported for the youngest members of Black Feather. Burke sat down and watched with some amusement how Potema attacked and how Damien ended the chase, as expected. 

Potema was fast on her feet while Damien was bigger and more weight. He would make an excellent sparring partner for Burke once the dark one was full-grown. Burke casually trotted to the three and then let out an approving nod. "Well I'd say happy dinner time." It was also interesting how the pups would express their dominance over the meal. Burke figured Damien would want to claim most of it, but then again, Damien had Potema to deal with. Burke thought Cicero would take a bit and sneak it away while the other two would squabble. That was only what Burke expected to happen. 

The tank of a male laid down and watched over the three young like a bodyguard. He was full alert on his surroundings. They weren't in black feather woods after all.