Neverwinter Forest short n’ sweet

For Rodyn! Tags for reference!

Nantahala and @Rodyn traveled from Moonglow to Neverwinter Forest, and, finally, she would be able to see the place where @Panuk and @Calloype called home. The treeline was in sight, and already, she found herself captivated by the forest's beauty. She stopped and stared, her chin tipping back as her gaze climbed to the treetops. 

There must be lots of squirrels here, she thought, turning to her mentor. They've got a lot of trees to make their homes in!

It wasn't a far walk by any means. And it was one he enjoyed he had been given permission to visit and hunt. And he thought that Callyope wouldn't mind one of her neices learning. Or he hoped.


He nodded. Squirrels are Hide to catch sometimes, but you can trick them. See they get angry easily and run from their trees to yell and titter at you. And if they come close enough. One we'll placed hit to their head and it makes them freeze long enough for you to finish it. But they are also notoriously fast and wily.

The idea of hitting squirrels on the head was pure genius! She felt even more thankful for having Rodyn as a mentor because of his abundance of fantastic hunting strategies, and she was excited to learn them all.

That's such a great idea! she complimented. What's the best way to hit them? With a paw, I guess?

Rodyn thought fondly then of a hunt in such a forest moons ago now. When Stratos was only a small pup and he wanted to take a squirrel back. He thought then too of the rabbit allergy and wondered if anyone else had developed such a thing.

I use a paw. But you have to be careful you don't hit too near their sharp teeth or they will bite the pad of your paw.

Hmm he looked around. LEt's see if we can't try and get a few yea?

His warning elicited memories of her rabbit hunt with @Calloype, and she smiled knowingly. Yeah, I learned my lesson about teeth the hard way—I had a rabbit bite my paw when I was hunting it! It hurt, she said with a laugh. Thankfully, the injury had been minor, and she was well enough to laugh about it now. 

He then suggested hunting the squirrels, and she nodded vigorously and cheered, YEAH!!! before she set off towards the forest once more. When they reached the edge of the forest, she noticed a range of fresh scents that were entirely new to her, causing her to pause and smell deeply. Truthfully, it was a little overwhelming, and she looked to Rodyn for guidance, and said, Wow ... lots of new smells here!

Rodyn had been on the wrong end of teeth before. More notoriously otters and fishers than squirrels or rabbits. But if they felt like it the grass beasts could certainly cause him some pain. And he didn't relish a torn paw pad. A nightmare to deal with. Constantly reopening and oozing and nope.

HE chuckled. Ah yes. A forest is full of prey animals so we hvae to be careful here. So let's pick out some scents shall we? So deer they smell a bit musty, but also like sweet grass and berries. And squirrels are gonna smell like wood and dirt and musk. And rabbits of course like dirt and beneath the ground.

Or he smiled and spread a paw out, moving aside a small fern where beneath it's soft leaves was teh scat of different rodents. We look for their poop as gross as that is. That looks like weasel and squirrel there. Notice how some looks older and some newer.

It was easier to sort through the various scents with his guidance, and soon after, she began to pick out the individual markers that he'd described. There were several, recent trails they could follow, and just as she was about to open her mouth to speak, he drew her attention to the floor to reveal—

—Haha, ew!! POOP!! she said with a laugh. 

Despite her dislike for this part of hunting, she handled it calmly, laughing off her discomfort as she started examining the scat. She sniffed each pile until one stood out to her. This one is really fresh, she said, lingering above the squirrel's poop. Like, within an hour or so fresh.

A small snort of laughter. Not the most wonderful thing about hunting, but it helps you out in a pinch.

She was grossed out he could tell, but this was one of those things that was a good learning experience and sometimes scents were hard to find. Especially in the wetlands with the musty scent of wet everything including wolf. Wet wolves were nasty to smell and when your own raw stench was in there after days of walking in the mire, well.

Yup now listen up.

Rodyn held his paws against the dirt and spoke softly. Now I want you to let your paws sort of loose and be really quiet and listen. Listen for any noises that may be squirrel. Feel the vibrations under paw. Okay.

He grew really silent, didn't even stir, moved his paws gently against the ground.

There was much that Nantahala could tell from the stench of the scat—the diet of the animal, how long ago they'd been there, and the overall health of the animal. While it wasn't the most ... hygienic aspect of hunting, it was beneficial for tracking, and she could understand the need to examine it. 

She turned towards Rodyn when he called her, observing closely as he lapsed into a quiet pause. She followed his instruction, and tuned in to the world around her. There was the chattering of cicadas to the left, as a gentle wind rolled in from the right, but none of this was what she wanted. She closed her eyes to better focus on her surroundings, and soon, she heard the scattering paws of a squirrel in the foilage behind them. 

She turned, opened her eyes, and whispered, It’s back there!

The system was not very nice. But it was a part of hunting not to be ignored. Sometimes it even saved your life if another predator was near.

She did as he asked. He too heard the cicadas and the squirrels. He also heard some weasels nosing the undergrowth further away.

Okay he looked around. Okay look for a small spot they may have hidden their nuts and berries. We want them to come down from the tree.

Next, they would search for the squirrel's food source. 

Nantahala headed towards the bushes where she had sensed the squirrel, moving cautiously to avoid scaring off any potential prey, until she was investigating the scents among the roots of the plants with her nose. Among the array of scents to sort through, she eventually caught a whiff of berries coming from beneath the surface. 

Here, she whispered, waving Rodyn over with a paw. The berries are here!

She was so into it. He wondered if like him she would love the hunt. Make it her life. Because he had. If hunting was taken from him. It didn't bear thinking of.

He nosed and nodded. He glanced amd caught sight of one of the squirrels watching. Now some squirrels the trick worked somw it didn't. He hoped this one was either stupid enough or angry enough to show up.

He bent to the task of slowly unearthing thr berries.

Watch that big fat one right there. If he comes down amd is nesr enough. Hit him as hard as you can with your paw but he careful off his teeth try and get the side or bsck of his head to stun him.

Nantahala did as she was told and watching the squirrel as Rodyn dug up its berries. 

The squirrel whooped and chattered unhappily, but did not move from its perch. 

She frowned. It's not ... really doing anything, she said, glancing over to him with a frown. I think it's too lazy to come down. She wondered if there was anything that they could do about that.

She watched. Unfortunately this squirrel was too smart or wary.

Rodyn frowned in thought then spoke softly.

What do you think we should do? learning was just as much doing as listening. And he wanted too her problem skills at work.

”What do you think we should do?” he asked. 

She considered his question as she bit her bottom lip, until she remembered her rabbit hunt with Calloype. 

We should continue to dig up the berries and use them as a lure, she said, looking quite proud of herself as she spoke. Maybe we can even put them in a pile by the tree, and then hide so it thinks that we're gone?

A soft laugh of delight. Well done was his only thought. She was going to do well.

Okay I'll finish digging. You find a place to put them and where we should hide.

It wouldn't take Rodyn long to unearth them. He even ate one for good measure to make the squirrel really angry. Then he'd high tail it to the hiding spot after their items were placed.

She collected the berries in her mouth and then spread them around the base of the tree. After completing her work to her satisfaction, she quickly made her way to the hiding place and settled beside him while taking deep breaths to calm her racing heart. That should do it, she whispered. I scattered them close enough to the tree to interest him, but far enough that he has to get down from the tree to get them. Now, they would have to wait and see what'd happened. 

The squirrel descended the tree slowly, pausing now and then to look around before moving on, and hesitated when it reached the base.

Nantahala sighed, feeling frustration and impatience rise within her. Come on, she whispered, her gaze locked on the creature. Just a few more steps ...

Rodyn watched while the youngling spread the berries. He also kept a weathered gaze on the squirrel as it moved about. It was descending albeit slowly. He nodded they could do this. They just needed patience.

Natahala was clearly getting impatient and he whispered. Patience. Sometimes in hunting we have to wait a lot.

But his yellow eyes fixed on the creature himself. It wasn't easy to be patient and it was something learned.

”Patience. Sometimes in hunting we have to wait a lot.” Rodyn advised.

Nantahala gave a nod, took a deep breath, and released it slowly. She reminded herself of the need for patience with each breath.

Meanwhile, the squirrel wasn't doing them any favors, and took it's time. Once it descended from the trunk, it quickly made its way to the nearest berries and gathered them in its mouth. 

As she observed the scene unfolding, her heart rate increased, and she quietly asked, Now????

Rodyn knew it would be difficult. Patience was hard. Especially when you were a child.

Rodyn nodded. Now.

He would let Nantahala chase and he would go around to herd the squirrel to her if need be. But this was her hunt her kill. Her lesson.

She burst through the greenery, leaping for the squirrel with reaching arms and her mouth open. 

Unfortunately, the squirrel was faster, closer to the tree, and it quickly pivoted and climbed back up from where it'd come from. 

Nantahala abruptly stopped and watched as the prey eluded them, feeling tears of frustration welling up in her eyes. Even though it was disheartening to see it slip away, she was not prepared to let it go without a fight. Standing firm against the tree, she reached her arms up and saw it flee, then she voiced her frustration with a loud growl.

AYA!!! JUST YOU WAIT UNTIL I LEARN HOW TO CLIMB TREES!!!!  she screeched as she attempted to grab hold, her paws scraping against the trunk. YOU'LL BE SORRY THEN!!! 

Rodyn smiled at her reaction. Though he did try and hide it. Hunting wasn't easy and when you lost your quarry it was disappointing. But she had done a good job at trying.

Rodyn arrived beside her and placed a comforting nudge to her head. When you learn to climb trees you must show me. I have never learned.

Then he watched it go. Well, sometimes this happens. Just recently a badger and a groundhog, got the best of me. Do you wnat to keep hunting today? Or do you want to take a break?

Wanna fade with your next post? Always down for another!

Finally—someone who believed in her ability to climb trees. 

She looked at him, holding onto her anger and disappointment, but there was also a sense of lightness present. I will! Mr. Kyrell said that wolves don't climb trees, but I'm going to prove him wrong. I'm going to be the best tree climber!! And then I'll teach you, and you'll be the best, too. Together, they'd terrorize all the squirrels. 

When he spoke next, she exhaled slowly, feeling her bad feelings dissipate. He had a knack for calming her down, and she felt much better after his advice. Let's try again, she said, pushing off the tree and dismounting so that she could stand again. I'm sure we can get something by the end of the day.

Sure. Tag him lol

Rodyn didn't know if the girl would be able to climb trees. But who was he to say she couldn't. He had seen wolves run up them before. He even saw one, run and corkscrew backward. IT happened. And if branches were low enough why couldn't they jump and scrabble?

I don't believe I Know Mr. Kyrell. And maybe they can't, that doesn't mean you can't try and see.

He nodded his head. How about some weasels this time. They are wily things, but on the ground. Just watch their nasty little claws.

He motioned for her to follow. He'd find her a place to hunt safely and with guarantee of food.