Ravensblood Forest Huntresses

Time for the girls' first hunt! @Asara

Violante had brought her daughters deep into the forest, past the sunrock and along a ridge just above a large patch of berry bushes; she had scented pheasants and grouses on her patrols before, and the scent still lingered. She took in a deep inhale, then looked to her daughters. "We must be quiet, and calm, lest we are to scare away our prey. Take a deep breath — what do you smell?"

Asara had a hard time calming herself but followed her mother's lead. Inhaling the air around her, she scented the familiar forest and new scents alike. She smelled something that made her belly grumble, birds!  "Momma, birds, this way!" She began to run before stopping herself and taking a deep breath. She then continued forward but at a calmer, quieter pace, keeping lower to the ground.

Violante was ever calm, composed as she scented the air at her mother's bidding. Her sister began to wander immediately, and she rolled her eyes. Why couldn't Asara just be patient? Where Asara always wandered and chased things, Violante waited, and did as she was told; she hadn't even left the dens without her mother's permission. Huffing, she said in a grumble, "Birds, but I'll bet Asara's already scared them away."

As Asara darted off, Violante gave an exasperated sigh and called her back quietly. "Yes, little dove, but come back. There are things you must know before you can start hunting." She would wait until the girl had returned, then gestured to the berry bushes below them.

"Birds will eat many things, but they love berries. You can find all sorts here — grouse, pheasants, even turkeys, to give you a few examples." Looking between her two daughters, the Vicera smiled gently. "Birds are tricky to hunt, mainly because many of them can fly. You must be quick and quiet, and always remain downwind."

Violante looked to Asara, fixing her with her dark gaze. "You won't be hunting a bird this time, but watching me from the ridge as I hunt it. This will give you a good idea on what you're supposed to do. Do you understand?" She then looked to her other daughter, adding, "And you, my little blackbird?"

Asara shifted anxiously on her comically large paws. She was tired of all this standing around waiting and watching stuff, she desperately wanted action. She frowned, shuffling back to her mother. She sat at her feet and nodded. She understood well enough she just wanted to do it for herself for once. "Okay okay I get it I get it. Can we go now?" 

Her sister was anxious to get started, so much so that it was causing Violante to grow irritated. She tried to quell this feeling, flicking her tail to try to dispel the energy. She would need to focus, after all. "Mom said we're watching her do it, dummy," the ebon girl hissed softly. Then, down below, there was a rustling noise, and Violante fell silent, ducking down immediately. It seemed a bird had come to them.

Violante sighed softly at her daughter's bickering, and she shushed them swiftly as a rustle sounded from below. Pitching her voice low, she whispered, "Watch, and I mean watch me, Asara." It was likely their hunt would be ruined in the girl tried to help, and this was supposed to be a learning opportunity. She would have many, many chances to hunt on her own in the future, but for now, she needed to be taught. Her other daughter had no such qualms with waiting and watching.

Fixing her girls with a stern gaze for a moment, she then turned and snuck down the ridge, keeping her body low to the ground. She was behind the bird, and it pecked at the bushes, unaware of the wolves. Ever careful, the Vicera edged closer.

She was frustrated but she took what her mom said seriously, and she did watch. Her mom was keeping her body low to the ground. She was being super quiet, and making sure the bird didn't know she was there, and being sneaky. She could be sneaky, she was going to, nobody gave her a chance was all.

Violante watched her mother with growing excitement. She scarcely made a sound as she moved through the brush, and the girl dared to lift her head, to see more. The bird had no idea that it was being hunted, and her mother was gaining on it.

One thing the Vicera liked about bird hunting was that, frankly, birds were kind of stupid. She was on it before it even knew what was happening, and she made the kill all too easily in a scatter of feathers. She returned to the ridge, then dropped the bird at her daughters' feet.

She smiled down at them, then offered a final bit of knowledge. "After you make a kill, animals may avoid the area. They'll smell the blood, and most things will hunker down." Then, she grinned. "Next time, it'll be you girls hunting."

Asara's body leaned as far as it would go without moving, she had to see! Her mom was already on top of the bird! She didn't take long at all to bring the bird back to her and Violante, Asara pounced on it, then tossed it to her sister, she could have it. Her mom had said something about other animals avoiding the area but Asara had already lost focus, Mom said it would be her and Violante hunting now. "When can we start, Mom?" Her body wriggled with excitement.

Little Violante could scarcely see her mother in the thick growth, but then she spotted her racing after the bird. She wanted to cheer her mother on, but stayed quiet, narrowing her eyes as she watched the hunt go on. It ended swiftly.

As always, her mother had more knowledge to impart, and Violante nodded to show she understood. When her sister tossed the dead bird at her, she pounced on it, playing with its tail feathers.

"Can we eat it?" she asked. She was hungry after this learning and adventure!

"You can start hunting very soon, I promise," Violante told Asara gently. They had both done well, and now they had a dinner to show for it. Grinning at her miniature, she nodded and said, "Yes, but then we must head back — it's getting late." And the sun was indeed setting.

When her daughters had finished eating, Violante gathered up a few feathers — toys, for later, and trophies — and led her girls home.