Hushed Willows longing

this lil nerd can use another hunting thread

In recent weeks, he was slowly starting to look like he was growing into himself. He was still far too much leg, and not enough else courtesy the famine's lasting effects, but his features shifted gradually as he spent his days tracking beneath the willows. Thanks to it, and his steady improvement in rabbit-catching, he was eating decently and perhaps, just barely beginning to fill out more properly. He'd likely always have a leanness about his figure, one that no amount of muscle or hearty meals would be able to ease away entirely, but bit by bit, the boy was looking the part of Functional Pack Wolf.

Which was his goal, and why he did what he could. Often he only wanted to mourn and mope around near where his mother rested to mend, but slivers of motivation kept him up, going, and moving. For her he'd hunt, and for the pack, he'd hopefully get better at this all so that he could do more than just run down small, common game. And in his slowly-growing strength, came fleeting tendrils of almost-confidence in himself.

He still missed his siblings and father so very much, though, and he saw with his fiery eyes how much it hurt his mother to have them gone too. For her, he wanted to do anything.. including bring them back to their fold. But.. how? How could he do it when wolves far mightier than he had found nothing? 

While he roved through the willows, his  head was consumed by the notion when his nose began to quiver, effectively distracting him. Somewhere was nearby, so Silas' paws adapted to a quiet approach. This brought him upon a scene he did not immediately understand. It was a rush of motion -- bird, wolf, feathers, fur, and where they met.

This excited the aspiring hunter in him although he brought his paws to a careful stop. He watched the older male use his weight to trap the bird then go for the head once he had it, and Silas found himself oddly awed at this -- wasn't that difficult? He'd never seen a bird hunt so personally, and had never been able to get very close to them himself so he usually did not spend energy on them. But.. he realized now there was hope, and he had improved steadily already lately. Maybe there was something to learn here.

His wide-eyed gawking may have given his interest away more than he meant for it to.