Stone Circle damn songbirds, all in my ear

@Greyback

fishing was fun until blondine realized how much she sucked. back on abernathy hill, no one knew how to fish; being able to come home with a pair of sardines was a lifetime achievement. but here? in these wilds? a wolf had to be able to catch a whole school of fish to be considered decent.

she stood beside the pond watching their silver bodies slink from one edge to the other. blondine knew better than to strike just yet; she would wait for the perfect opportunity. what that looked like, well, she didn't actually know yet.

A form, stilled by the bank and enveloped in shadows of the trees. Greyback narrowed his eyes at that, and with a curious gaze he ever so slowly creeped up. His paws padding slowly against the earth, maneuvering over the blanket of snow that covered the ground. Perhaps if the girl noticed and turned around he would look more like a wolf hunting their prey than a fellow packmate.

"Blondine?" He questioned, head turned as he realized she was standing in the water. "Your paws will freeze if you stand there any longer."

the sound of greyback's voice was enough to pull the huntress from her trance. she turned around — hm? — and gave the patriarch her best pageant smile. blondine stepped slowly out of the pond, shaking away whatever water that'd clung to her fur. 

i'll be honest, she laughed, i haven't nary a clue as to how y'all are so good at fishing. the darned things were so slippery; how did anyone get their jaws to clench in time? i reckon i'm due for a lesson, if yer willin'.

He watched as the girl turned around, her face coming into view, painted with a smile that warmed the leader's heart. He laughed at her comment, reminiscing slightly of the first season he spent learning how to hunt. Most of the time he ended up empty jaws and stuck bum-first into the rivers. "Truth be told, i'm not much of a great fisher either. Fish tend to not like large creatures." He grimaced with falsity. "Not that i'm large—heaven's no. I'm in the prime of my youth!" The large man barked out a laugh at his own lying words.

"But let's see if I can teach you what I know. Perhaps you will have more luck, yes?" Greyback tipped his head at that and made his way over, his amber gaze scanning the river top while standing perched on the beach. He could see now that a lot of the fish were fairly small, not nearly big enough to feed one wolf. "Watch the direction in which they swim, and aim a bit a head of them. Don't hesitate, you'll need to be fast." He glanced behind him to see if Blondine was paying attention before turning back.

The large man crept forward after that, his weight balancing as one paw lowered agonizingly slow into the water, one ripple surfacing around it. He soon brought his other paw up after that, poising it close to the water for a rapid strike.

It was soon that a shadow flickered below the current, and in a swift move, the titan moved forward in a lunge. His large paw working like a paddle to scoop the poor creature out of the water and into the air where he snapped it up between his jaws.

i can try, blondine sighed, her brow lifting with doubt, but i reckon i don't have much to see from. greyback had obviously seen her injury, the empty hole where an eye had once been. he'd still suggested she try, so she figured he knew what he was talking about.

blondine sighed and walked beside the patriarch. she tilted her head to widen her left eye's range of vision, studying the movements of the fish. the huntress looked momentarily to greyback for reassurance, then turning to strike at the water.

blondine sucked her teeth. dammit.

The man watched as the woman came to stand beside him, and as she glanced to him for what he assumed was assurance, he sent her a charming smile; One he would use often with his kids. "Try again," he encouraged, his voice muffled from the fish.

He turned to toss said creature on the bank, it's taunt form flapping against the rocks before sliding to a stand-still at the edge of the water.

"Patience is key," Greyback looked down in the water beside her, still as can be while his gaze skittered across the small ripples. It was when he saw a rather large looking fish, one that would no doubt be easier to spot and catch, did he point to it with his paw for Blondine to catch.

blondine took a deep breath and said a quick prayer. she followed the guide set by greyback's muzzle and circled the pond for a better angle. the fish swam away, elliciting a sigh from the huntress, but came back a few moments later. she made a small sound of relief.

after shooting the patriarch another glance, she lunged forward and clamped down on the fish. blondine didn't have a good enough grip to hold on for too long; the fish wriggled its way out of her grasp, falling back into the water with a frustrating plop!

the huntress tilted her head back and groaned. alright, she growled, third time's a charm, right?

He watched as Blondine attempted to go for the fish, its form snapped up in her jaws for a split second before sliding out. He laughed softly at that, the image replaying in his head. "You almost had it that time. Try to use more force with your jaws. Dig your fangs in when you feel it on your tongue."

Greyback looked around for her once again, waiting patiently for another decently sized fish to swim by. It took a while, but when the creature finally appeared he did the same as last time: slowly raising a paw to point at it. He hoped this time, as Blondine had said, would be the 'charm.'

she listened to greyback's instructions with more intent than previously had. blondine would catch this fish, because not catching it meant embarassing herself in front of the patriarch. being new was one thing, but being new and having only one eye? the huntress had a lot to prove.

blondine watched to fish swim, not wanting to strike too early. it was a matter of timing, she'd found. 

once confident that they were properly aligned, blondine ducked under the water and clamped her jaws around the fish's center. she was quick to arise, crunching its spine and tossing it to the bank. WOOO! she called out, then shooting a proud smile to greyback.