Moonspear Catch and release

She didn't really want to be a Naturalist anymore and she wasn't cut out to be a Warrior (or so it felt lately). Now that she was coming up on adulthood—and the completion of her apprenticeships—it seemed like a good time to really reevaluate and make sure she was pursuing (a) profession(s) that suited her. She knew she wanted to be an Outrider but shouldn't she at least have two...? Or was that a silly standard? Perhaps she should talk to Charon or Ame, get a feel for their expectations on the matter.

In the meantime, maybe she should dabble in some of the other trades. If she wasn't fit to be a Warrior, then Warden wouldn't make much sense either. She knew nothing about medicine (despite her sister's passion), so Healer was out too. And she wasn't particularly creative most of the time, nor did she know her pack's history, so she wouldn't make the best Chronicler either. That left Gamekeeper, Caretaker and Counselor; all three of them were distinct possibilities.

Today she decided to focus on the former. She threaded down the mountainside and began skulking through the thick forest at its base, combing the leaf-littered terrain for scents of prey. She had never considered herself particularly gifted at hunting, though it was a skill all wolves possessed. Perhaps if she really put some effort into it, she could become a master, like her father. That thought made Wildfire's lips twitch into a wistful smile.

I was hoping for someone she hasn't met yet: @Dash, @Jura, @Izo or @Aran? (I avoided tagging those on absence since I don't want to be obnoxious but they're welcome as well!) :)

Dash had found a spot for his social den, as he secretly called it. No one needed to know of his hidden ones. He had spent his first night in the social den, though hadn't slept well. For some reason, he kept expecting someone to show up unannounced. It was silly, though. It wasn't like he had left a calling card or anything. It was just a den.

That morning, as the sun cast its rays upon the entrance of his den, he laid there, soaking them up. It was the first time he was able to simply enjoy the nature around him instead of constantly being on the look out for enemies. Within the bordered of the pack, he was reasonably safe.

His nap was interrupted by the sound of paws on the forest floor. The noise was soft enough, but his ears picked them up easily. His head lifted as she came into view, a petite, reddish wolf. She almost looked like a coyote with her large ears. The thought occurred to him this would be a prime opportunity for a little socialization, if she wanted. He chuffed to get her attention, and waited to see what she would do.

A quiet woof scattered her thoughts and drew her attention to a black wolf silhouetted by the mouth of a small den. For an instant, Wildfire thought she was looking at her sister, Raven. She blinked and the moment passed. The youth smiled and wiggled her tail as she slowly moved toward him. Mindful of her place in the pack—at the bottom by default of her youth, though not for much longer—she kept her head lowered respectfully and her warm amber gaze averted. She did peek up through her lashes to glance at his face and memorize his features, though she dropped her eyes before her lingering gaze could be considered a challenge.

"Hi there," she said quietly. "I'm Wildfire." The requisite who are you? was implied by the tilt of her head and the slight forward angle of her large ears.

His packmate responded to his chuff, and he noted that she was respectful and submissive as she came over. His tail thumped the ground a few times as she approached, showing his friendliness. She said her name was Wildfire, and he thought her coat fit her name, but he didn't say it. Hey, Wildfire. I'm Dash, he said.

He sat up, thinking it might be rude to continue to lay there as they conversed. It took a moment for him to come up with something else to say. Have you been in the pack long? he asked. He really wasn't that great at socializing, or coming up with small talk. He wasn't generally a nosy wolf, so asking about someone was just awkward for him.

Dash, she repeated in her head. He looked like he could be a sprinter. Just like he didn't comment out loud on her coat color, she didn't say this aloud either. She just waved her black tail, then reposed on her haunches after he sat up so they were more or less on even footing. Like most wolves, he outstripped her in size, looming like an evening shadow.

"Just a couple of weeks," she replied. She could have thrown the question back at him but technically everyone was new to the area and she supposed it no longer mattered much whether a specific wolf had come here from the bay or the spire. "I was just trying to track some prey, if you'd like to join me?" she invited. It always felt productive to mix a little business with pleasure.

Her black tail caught his attention, and his gaze moved back and forth with it a few times as it waved. He hadn't noticed until just now that it didn't match the rest of her coat. Doing his best to be respectful, he turned his attention back to her face, nodding when she said she had been here a few weeks. Now that he thought about it, they all had been here just a few weeks. He felt a little dumb for not realizing it before his question. Oh, yeah... Duh, he said, rolling his eyes at himself.

His ears perked and his eyes widened when she asked him along to go hunting. I'm always up for hunting, he said, standing. He never passed up the chance for a meal, and probably never would. He was too used to never knowing when his next meal might be. Even in a pack, he didn't think it changed. With winter coming, food would still be scarce. Did you have anything specific in mind? he asked.

She smiled amiably when he rolled his eyes at himself. Small talk did not necessarily come to her easily and Wildfire wondered if Dash felt the same. He eagerly seized upon her suggestion about hunting. She wondered if he was a Gamekeeper. His enthusiasm implied it but it was always possible he just had a big appetite. She couldn't decide if his slender appearance made that more or less likely.

"Are you a hunter by trade?" she wondered, then shook her head and added, "No. To tell you the truth, I'm not a very experienced hunter myself. But I'm considering dropping one of my trades to pick it up. I was just going to start by looking for scents, then going after whatever we find. Does that seem like a good approach...?" Wildfire honestly didn't know. Even if Dash wasn't a professional, his age and experience alone would make him more knowledgeable.

He shook his head side to side to her question. No, I haven't earned a trade yet, he said. He knew he really needed to decide something soon before Charon and Ame got on his case. It seemed she wasn't either, but he figured they should be able to catch something together. That could be a good plan in if you don't have anywhere else to start, he said. But, he added. I know of a field not too far from here where a family of rabbits live. How about we start there? He figured why try to find the scent when you knew where the prey already spent most of their time?

He had stumbled upon the hares using her initial plan, and probably pure dumb luck. Either way, it could work for them today if she wanted to go after them.

The way he answered implied that he had a starting point in mind. Wildfire was all ears. When he proposed they check out a nearby field, her ears pricked and she bobbed her head, then motioned for him to take the lead. Neither one of them were hunters by trade (yet), though he already seemed pretty educated on the subject, so she would let him take point.

"There was a rabbit warren near my former pack's territory," she told him as they made their way there. It still felt a little weird calling Redhawk Caldera that, just as it was strange talking about it at all. "My Aunt Magpie was quite an expert at snaring them. It was incredible, watching her work." Wildfire's lips twitched as she thought of her young aunt. Wherever she was now, she didn't doubt Magpie was getting on just fine on a steady diet of bunny meat. It might be a cool homage to follow in the yearling's footsteps.

She seemed interested in his idea, nodding to him. He turned, leading them both towards the field he spoke of. His trot was set at a brisk pace as they talked. She said her Aunt had been adept at hunting rabbits. Did you pick up that skill? he asked. If she did, they could certainly used it to their advantage.

He slowed as they came closer, making sure his steps were precise and he didn't make any sounds. He crouched behind a bush, looking to Wildfire to see if she would follow suit before moving his gaze towards the open field. A few rabbits were out and about, though not many. At least that meant less eyes to see them.

When he asked if she had picked up the skill, her ears splayed momentarily as she shook her head. "Ah, no. I was very young at the time and she left a while ago," Wildfire explained. At the time, she hadn't been much interested in hunting as a trade. But much had changed as she grew up, which was pretty typical, as far as she knew.

When they reached their destination, she mimicked Dash's every movement. When he slowed, so did she. And when he slithered behind the cover of some sparse shrubs, she was right behind him. She was just getting started in the field, really, and she had much to learn. Wildfire hoped Dash was ready and willing to show her the ropes.

Meanwhile, her amber eyes strayed further afield, watching as a few hares skipped about in the grass. She could vaguely detect their scents from here and she found her heartbeat quickening in anticipation of the hunt.

Dash nodded in understanding as she confessed she hadn't picked up much knowledge from her Aunt since she had been young at the time. No better time than the present, then, he said, before setting off. He wasn't the best hunter by any means, but he hoped this time they could be successful.

He settled behind the bush, watched the hares as Wildfire came to lay beside him. He shifted a little closer to her as he came up with a plan, keeping his voice as low as he could so that the rabbits couldn't hear him. Their holes are toward the center of the field. If we can block them, with you on one side and me on the other, one can chase them towards the other, who is hiding, and can, in theory, grab it. He looked to her to see if she was on the same page as him. You want to chase or grab? he asked, hoping she approved of the plan, or spoke up if she had a better one.

Dash described a strategy that made Wildfire think of her first (and last) pack hunt at the caldera. The smaller, leaner wolves had given chase, while the ones with brute strength had made the kill. The division of labor made sense to her, though there was one thing that didn't. The youth pursed her lips, trying to figure out if she simply misunderstood or if there was a literal hole in her partner's plans.

"If we position ourselves with the holes in the center, won't they all just dive to safety? Or do you mean we should both be one side of the hole, blocking it entirely? How do we get them on that side, though?" She felt like she had so many questions, possibly too many questions. She shot Dash a sheepish look. She was taking this endeavor seriously and wanted to understand and learn.

Wildfire brought up some good points about his plan. The trick is getting to the hole before they do, and herding them back toward me..,. he trailed off a bit, looking back to the hare. It might be really difficult, even for fast wolves like them, to get to that hole before the rabbits. He thought for a moment, trying to come up with a different plan.

Then, he got it. Look there, he said. See that tree with that's kinda hollowed out at the bottom? What if you start there and run towards them? The field is more oval than round, so it cuts your distance by half. It will give you a much better chance at making them run back towards me. I'll be waiting opposite of your position. What do you think? he asked, looking back towards her. He'd never had another wolf to plan out the attack, and he liked having another view point.

He began to explain, then appeared to reconsider. Wildfire hadn't meant to shoot holes in his plan and felt a bit bad, though Dash quickly recovered by proposing a new strategy. When he motioned toward the hollow tree and indicated it as a new starting point, she bobbed her head to show she understood. Her amber eyes then surveyed the playing field as she tried to picture everything in her head. The visualization would certainly help her execute.

"Let's try it," she replied, then focused on how to get from behind this bush to behind that tree. Wildfire nibbled on the inside of her cheek, then began slowly and silently picking her way there. It would probably take ages. If there was one thing Peregrine had really impressed upon her about hunting, it was that it required lots of patience.

At long last, she settled in beside the hollowed trunk, then exchanged a glance with Dash as he presumably locked down his position. She would await his signal, then hope that a mixture of her mental mapping and good ole instinct would guide her toward success.

She seemed accepting of his new plan and moved into position. While she went one way, Dash went the other. He made his way a little deeper into the woods, thinking as long as he stayed silent, the hare wouldn't be able to see him through the brush and trees. His paws were placed carefully, not wanting to step on twigs or crunchy leaves.

He came up on his side of the clearing, hunkering down behind a fallen log. Ears pressed to the top of his head, he slowly lifted it until his eyes could see over. His orbs were the only thing that moved as he tried to spot Wildfire. It took him a moment, but he did. He gave the barest of nods, indicating that he was ready when she was.

The two wolves exchanged a distant glance and Wildfire knew Dash would wait for her, seeing as she was slotted to make the first move. She drew in a breath, then settled in to wait patiently for a few moments. If the rabbits had smelled or heard them, this waiting period would hopefully lull them back into a false sense of security. Meanwhile, the young she-wolf focused on slowly assuming the position so that she could bound as swiftly as possible from her hiding place when the time came. She didn't want to mess this up by tripping over her own feet, as she was prone to doing.

Finally, it was time to take action. Wildfire shot Dash another glance, then a silent signal, before springing from her hiding spot like a trap door spider. She dug her little red toes into the yielding earth, propelling herself across the field toward the goal: the rabbit hole. Dash's words rattled around in her skull: "The trick is getting to the hole before they do." With all of her concentration on reaching the hole without stumbling, she just hoped that the rest of his strategy had gone according to plan.

Dash was a fairly patient wolf, and since he knew Wildfire was a little anxious about this hunt, he didn't want to push her into giving chase before she was ready. So, he hunkered down and waited, his eyes never leaving her. Many wolves would have watched the prey, but this technique required him to watch her instead since his move would be based on her.

She gave him the signal, and his body poised in readiness. So far, the hares seemed oblivious to their presence. That was, of course, until Wildfire came barreling out of her spot, shocking them into running towards their hole. He could see she was fast, but would she be fast enough? Dash waited to see if she would be able to herd them in his direction.

The rabbits scattered in all directions, making it difficult for Wildfire to concentrate on remaining upright. But somehow, she managed to reach the hole within seconds. Rather unceremoniously, she slung her belly to the ground, sliding over the hole like a baseball player into home base. Effectively having blocked the rabbits' primary escape route, her attention turned to Dash in the hopes she would witness him capturing at least one or two of the fleeing hares.

Wildfire took off and the rabbits bolted in all directions before seemingly realizing they needed to head for the den. Dash's body wanted to bolt after them, but he held fast, waiting for the right moment. His partner in the hunt was going to get there first, and it seemed like the rabbits figured that out just as he did because they turned in the opposite direction, thinking she was going to continue to come after them. She stopped at their den, and Dash took over.

He leapt over the fallen log and went for the closest rabbit, who certainly was not expecting him. It faltered, its fear working against it as it scrambled, not knowing which way to go. It gave Dash the edge he needed and he pounced on the frightened hare, his jaws going straight for the back of its neck. He sunk his fangs in and gave it a quick jerk, breaking its neck and killing it quickly. He lifted his head to look for Wildfire, the hare hanging limp from his jaws. Settling his gaze on her, he trotted over, dropping the hare between them. It worked! he said with a smile, blood dripping from his mouth.

Although she was more or less sitting still now, Wildfire's heart pounded as she watched Dash lunge after one of the hares. She held her breath without even realizing it, then released it in a relieved whoosh when he nabbed the critter and dispatched it with a loud snap! The rest of the rabbits vanished, presumably fleeing into backup hiding places, but even one was a huge success in her book.

Slowly, she rose to her feet and gave her red pelt a shake before trotting over to Dash. "That was amazing! That's what I'd call some awesome teamwork," she said, lifting a foreleg to clap him on the shoulder. In the next breath, she added, "My dad would be proud. Perhaps hunting is my calling after all..." Wildfire hummed under her breath, eyes momentarily thoughtful before she snapped back into focus and proposed brightly, "Let's dig in?!"

Wildfire came over once the hunt was finished, as excited as he was, though she showed it better than he. He nodded, It was great teamwork, he agreed. Dash never thought he would be hunting with other wolves, be it a single wolf or a whole pack. But, he seemed to getting quite used it, and found the help that extra wolves provided meant they had a greater chance of being successful with the hunts. And since Dash was all about the food, he would do whatever was needed to bring down prey.

He nodded quickly when she suggested they dig in, not needing any more encouragement. Dash went for the upper body, tearing a piece of the shoulder off and wolfing it down. He knew being a team player wasn't just for killing, it was for eating, too. Dash was developing manners, albeit slowly, but it showed when he waited to make sure Wildfire took her first bite before he went for his second.

When they finished with the hare, Dash plopped down to his side in the grass, his belly happily digesting its meal.

Wildfire waited for her superior to tear off a goodly sized morsel before grabbing one of the rabbit's haunches and tearing an entire hind leg free. She retreated perhaps three feet, flopping onto her belly and grasping the bloodied, ragged thigh meat between her petite forepaws. The way she ate was not very ladylike; she gulped down the meat, barely chewing, and licked her lips noisily.

Although it wasn't a lot of food, it sated her hunger. Feeling accomplished and winding down from the adrenaline high, the young she-wolf curled into a loose ball. "Think I'm gonna pass out," she amiably warned Dash. She stole a glance at him and he looked just as content as she felt. Wildfire's lips twitched as she shifted her weight to one side and then let her chin sink to the ground between her outstretched forelegs. Her eyelids quickly drooped and she began to snore quietly.

Thanks for the thread! *drops it in her hunter bucket* :)

The two wolves devoured the kill, and each was feeling quite satisfied afterward. Wildfire admitted she could pass out, and then went on to do so, evidenced by her soft snoring. Dash had not yet slept in the company of other wolves, and today would not be a first. While he may have trusted these wolves he called pack mates, he still wasn't able to let his guard down enough to fall asleep in the vicinity of one. But, he thought it would be rude to leave her sleeping like that all alone, too.

So, he settled in on his side, his head facing her. To anyone walking by, it may have appeared that they were both sleeping, but Dash was still awake and aware of his surroundings. He would stay this way until Wildfire awoke and they parted ways.

Thank you, too!