Noctisardor Bypass To go to sleep I count antlers, not sheep

A simple, hunting thread? Working on her hunting trade. Anyone can join if they like :)

Her paws were silent against the compact terra - her maw brushing it ever so lightly as she tread between the trees. The forest was darker than usual today, with mininal light peaking through the canopy above and dark shadows caressing the grasses below. She breathed in deeply. The air was damp with the morning rain, dewdrops coating the tall grasses around the agoutui fae. Her tail waved high behind her haunches as she crouched low to the ground - the tracks of a hare fresh in the water-laden earth before her. 

A whisper of movement caught her amber eyes, causing her ears to flick this way and that. Color slipped through the underbrush - speckled and creamy. That was what she came here for, possibly her hardest hare yet to track. It had taken her longer than usual to find one, possibly due to her absence of hunting. Focusing on the borders was cutting into all of her time for the things she really loved, but it was her job as the Empress's second to protect everyone in the pack. She snapped out of her thoughts - the rabbit had disappeared from her sights.

xP

Gwen's mind had been somewhat peacful after her talk with Cry. She really appreciated his words - they were what she really needed to be able to keep going. They were her motivation for now, along with a few other things, and they kept replaying in her head. Today was darker than usual, and Gwen had been hoping for it to get lighter ever since her chat with the subordinate. But even so, it did not look like the weather was going to improve anytime soon.

She had been watching Semira for only a short time - just enough to see the rabbit dart away again. "Need a little help?" She whispered, moving closer. Hunting, for now, might keep her focused on the present. She needed to help fill the caches, after all. They were doing well on food lately, as the Bypass was plentiful, but she supposed it was instinct.

She did not flinch as the Empress sidled up to her side - nor when she spoke with a nearly inaudible tune. Semira's curt nod and conspirators grin was enough of a reply. Sure, the caches were refilled after they emptied the posioned one and checked all of the others, but there was alway time for a hunt. Even the smallest of prey would do for now, it was mainly the focus and instinct that she needed right now. It had been stressful since Kelina's attack on Cebra and Circe's suspisious creeping.

Semira knelt beside the whisp, her eyes locked onto where the hare had slipped through the brush before them. With soft, steady movements she prowled towards the ferns - brushing past them without a whisper of sound. On the other side she peered back to the woman, motioning for her to go around. The hare sat unaware in the center of the glade, stretching out in the sunlight. She hoped Gwen took the memo and allows Semira to frighten it her way.

Gwen returned the grin, glad to be able to hunt with her Segundo. Hunting was still her passion, even if she had been unable to do so as often as she once had. Leading a pack brought around a lot of stress at times and she was almost always too busy to go out and do the things she enjoyed. Hunting was something she was able to do more often than some passions, but she would still like to do it more. She still desired the trade.

The Empress lowered herself down, glancing at Semira again as she began to move. Gwen stayed where she was, allowing her friend to take over the hunt. She remained still as she could, blue orbs switching between the golden wolfess and the hare who lay unaware of the danger around. She waited, watching silently, preparing for the hare to flee. She assumed Semira planned to chase it her way, so she did not make a move closer.

The fae peered through the brush and across the small glade to see if the icy wolf still remained in the shadows. She was. With steady paws, she knelt further to the ground - her haunches tensing in anticipation of the leap to come. She was on the ground, and then with a burst of force she was soaring through the air. She slammed onto the compact soil feet from the hare - her intention to scare the rabbit working like a charm. Its frightened eyes meet her amber orbs breifly before it began to sprint away - directly towards the Empress. Semira snapped at the air behind the hare, giving it incentive to take the quickest route away instead of twist and turning its path. Sure, she could probably kill it herself in this moment, but it was more fun to hunt with another wolf - to share that pride with someone other than herself.

Gwen's gaze met the terrified rabbit's and for a moment she felt sorry for it, but shook such thoughts away like the flick of her tail. It would not do to dwell on the death of the innocent creature - perhaps it would find more comfort in death than in life. After all, there were probably more downs to life than ups. She waited until the prey was close enough before leaping out from where she hid, blocking the path of the long-eared herbivore. 

The prey pretty much ran into her, speaking in fear. The Empress grabbed its neck and snapped with swiftly, not wishing for the rabbit to suffer more than it should have to. She dropped its corpse on the ground, closing her eyes and saying a quick thank you before smiling at Semira. "That was fun - We really should do this more often. Y'know, we could go find another if you like? There's plenty around. It is Spring, after all."

She watched the empress swiftly kill their prey, her own job completed. The pale woman was kind in the fact that she decapitated the hare quickly, as to prevent it from suffering. Semira let out a small chuff of happiness at their catch, parading over to where Gwen stood over the prey. "Ssounds like a good idea empress." She smiled joyfully, it had been some time since she had gotten to spend time hunting with a pack member.

Gwen smiled, pleased that they could go for another hare. "Great! Should we swap roles this time?" It was nice to try different roles while hunting - there were always multiple ways to catch prey, and the more you tried another way, the more you improved. To become a skilled hunter, one must be able to, of course, track and catch prey efficiently, but also knowing how to do that in different ways made you all the better.

Semira nodded briskly, "I would like that." She turned to peer around at the forest, lifting her snout to scent the breeze for new prey. "A mixed wind today." She huffed in frustration, switching her focus on the earth below her mitts. Any new tracks would show in the soft dirt. With furtive optics, she glanced back to Gwen, wondering if perhaps she caught track of anything.

"Awesome." Gwen smiled, lifting her muzzle to sniff at the air while Semira did the same. "Yes. Hardly helpful." She sighed, but continued to scent at the air. Nothing. "Let's walk a bit and see if we find anythihng along the way? We've probably scared whatever was around here off anyway." She chuckled slightly, suggesting that they move to somewhere else to hunt. They didn't have to, but she didn't think there was anything else here.