Northstar Vale it's a thin line 'tween heaven and here

Nine times out of ten, Saleem could be found with @Sylianos. For that one out of every ten that he wasn't, he was typically pushing the boundaries of how far he could get away from the rendezvous site before he felt the urge to return. He was eager to attend his first hunt away from their usual grounds, and he was itching even more to explore further and further away from home. There was a great big world out there, and he wanted desperately to see it all.

Right now, he was relaxing in the sunshine, occasionally nipping at a fly who refused to leave him alone.

tamar had grown listless.

she collected what leaves fell from the red trees, stacking them to one side. as they decomposed, red liquid poured into a stone with a small depression.

paint.

her paws were stained with it.

saleem was close. tamar raised his head to watch her growing son with fondness.

Mother's call pulled him away from his daydreaming, though hunting was still on his mind. For a moment, he worried that something had happened to her, stained in red. But the smell was nothing like the blood he had tasted, and he knew nothing had hurt her.

Go hunt? he asked. It was rare for him to speak, though he did offer a few words here and there when it benefitted him. It was not that he could not speak, it was merely that Sylianos was often the only other creature he wanted to speak to. In this case, requesting to go on a hunt might actually get him that thing.

her face was a beam of light.

"yes, saleem. we will go hunting."

tamar rose, smoothing her paws on soft grass to wipe them. "rabbit?" she suggested to her boy, kissing between his ears before she began a quiet search for a trail, welcoming the respite of the hour from her own thoughts.

Rabbit! he agreed with much enthusiasm. His body wriggled, his teeth gleamed, and his tail wagged in anticipation of the hunt. Even if he did not catch prey, the hunt was the fun part. It wasn't as though he was particularly hungry right this minute—he just wanted something to do, and hunting was as good as anything else. Saleem put his nose to the ground, keeping one eye on his mother to take any signals or instructions she might have to give.

so it would be.

tamar nipped gently at the air and then broke into a smooth lope, leading saleem along.

the spoor and scent of rabbits was greater here. she showed him broken stems, nibbled twigs, the round droppings, the hairs caught here and there.

a warren, and they were closing. "go ahead, quietly," she told him. "go and see what you can see."

He followed along after, his strides quicker to keep up with her speed. He watched and mimicked as she went around showing him the signs of his intended prey. Here's one! he whisper-shouted when he found a small pile of spheric droppings. He sat in front of it, quite pleased with himself, and as always—pining for the attention and approval of his parents.

Mother guided him to the warren then, and Saleem gave her wide eyes when she suggested he go to see what he could find. He crept in quietly, pupils dilating in the darkness of the underground cavern. It smelled strongly of rabbit, and when his eyes finally adjusted, he saw one small youngling quivering just out of his reach. His tail wagged quicker then, and he began to dig into the earth, now intent on flushing it from its home.

he found spoor.

and then he found the animal's home. beneath her tutelage he became a hunting creature.

she added her paws to aid in removing the rich soil, tail waving.

her teeth would guard. tamar glanced to saleem, wondering if he was ready for how quickly one of these small beasts could dart.

So intent in his effort to flush the creature, Saleem was completely unprepared when it slammed directly into his face. From the outside, it was quite comical, but the boy snarled furiously as the creature disappeared from his grasp and he was left with a bruised and scratched snout. When his anger finally subsided, he glanced to Mother, trying to tell if she had caught the marsupial despite his failure to do so.

it did not go well.

tamar reined her amusement and looked soberly at saleem. "it is not so easy. a hunter has to try many times before they catch anything."

a kiss for his muzzle.

"would you like to try again?"

He did not like the thought of trying over and over, but he liked the idea of failing less. Saleem refused to be a failure to Mother and Father. The boy squished his face up at her kiss, thinking it childish (never mind that he was a child).

Le's find another, he affirmed, shoulders now set straight and ready for the next go-around.

fade here? <3

saleem rallied, and tamar grinned.

she intended to show him different ways to track, and intended to stay out with him as long as it took for his hunting to be satisfied.