Redhawk Caldera we gotta learn sometime

none of the open AW threads seemed like places Eljay'd be, so I decided for a new one instead. Anyone is welcome :-)

Eljay had not yet ventured outside of Redhawk Caldera, staying safely within the pack's confines. He was perhaps lagging a bit behind for a boy his age — at six months, he now stood nearly as tall as his parents, but his mental development wasn't quite as mature as his appearance suggested — but he was content just spending time with mommy and daddy. So far, nothing terrible had happened to either of them yet, and so after over two months of panic attacks and a near constant state of anxiety, Eljay was starting to relax a little, and not think of the impending doom that hung over his parents every time they were out of his sight every second. He himself did not realise this change actively, of course, but to outsiders it was visible, even if there were good and bad days. The illness that had passed over the pack had gone, too, although for some reason the white wolf Pan never visited anymore. Eljay wasn't sure what'd happened to him, but he didn't mind overly much, for he had not been that attached to his sometimes-caretaker.

Hunting was not something that Eljay was very accomplished at just yet. Not far from the rendezvous site, Eljay pressed his front to the ground, leaving his butt swinging from left to right in the air, while he was watching a snowshoe rabbit. The rabbit did not seem to mind his presence overly much; it was almost as if it sensed that this one would not be of much danger to it.

Just hours prior, Peregrine had talked to the Beta male about his son. Now the Alpha found himself crossing paths with the younger Elwood as he returned from tracking a solitary elk near the edge of Haunted Wood. It was old and sick. It wouldn't get far. He would resume his tracking tomorrow, probably with the help of one or two pack mates. He did not fear that the lurkers next door would fell it in the meantime. Their scent still lingered in the forest, yet it was weak. In the months since their arrival, they had failed to form a cohesive pack. He sneered now at the mere thought of those weaklings. What a joke, he thought right before the pup's—or, more accurately, juvenile's—scent wafted into his nose, followed shortly thereafter by the unmistakable scent of a rabbit.

Creeping up behind the youngster, Peregrine's approach was perfectly noiseless. He loomed behind Eljay like a larger, darker shadow, watching him watch the rabbit. The Alpha's head tilted, wondering if Elwood Jr would exhibit his hunting skills right now. More likely than not, if he did attempt to give chase, the rabbit would elude him. He was only six months old, after all. But Peregrine hoped he would try, as he wanted to make an assessment of his abilities. Still as quiet as a church mouse, the swarthy wolf reposed on his haunches, head turned partially sideways to keep his good eye on the young wolf and his possible prey over yonder.

So engulfed in his hunting endeavour was he, that Eljay did not notice anyone come up behind him. The only sign that might've told him that someone else was nearby was the rabbit's alert risen head and, followed soon thereafter, turning tail and running away. After a little gasp that indicated that he wasn't ready for this part of the hunt yet and he'd still been preparing and sneaking and all that, Eljay scrambled into motion and started to bumble after the rabbit. Of course he didn't get very far, because the rabbit was much faster and had the upper hand due to taking initiative on this chase. Soon Eljay lost the rabbit and he mumbled "Oh, shucks," to himself while he watched its tracks vanish over a snowy hill.

The rabbit spotted the threat and fled. It was clear that Elwood Jr hadn't been properly prepared, for he hesitated a few beats before pursuing. He didn't get very far before giving up and slowing. Peregrine observed him, happy the boy had given it a try despite the odds. As the prey disappeared into the distance, leaving behind a dainty set of footprints in the snow, the Alpha took to his feet and glided to stand astride of the youth.

"What do you think went wrong?" he asked quietly, gazing down at the boy with a glimmer in his eye. His voice was light, wondering how Eljay would respond to the direct inquiry.

Eljay visibly startled when Uncle P came up beside him. He hadn't heard or seen Peregrine at all, since he had been so focussed on the rabbit. When he saw that it was just Peregrine, Eljay relaxed again, though the question made him feel a little hurt in the ego. He glanced at the footprints leading away, ears flattening, before looking up at Peregrine.

"The bunny got scared," he said, not realising that the rabbit had fled from Peregrine and not him, almost as if it knew that Eljay wasn't anywhere near catching it. Eljay didn't really like hunting anyway, because it was hard, but his survival instincts drove him to try anyway.

The pup's ears flattened and Peregrine favored him with a smile. "Absolutely correct," he concurred when Eljay guessed the reason. "Sometimes, no matter how careful we are, the prey gets the upper hand. But don't take failure to mean you're a bad hunter. I'd say two out of every three attempts ends in failure." His head canted slightly as he gazed down at the top of the youth's head. Even a master like himself dealt with more failures than successes. It was just the natural balance.

"Are you interested in hunting as a trade?" he wondered conversationally, dropping slowly to his haunches. "If you are, I'd love to teach you." He would have said there was no pressure—he knew better than to push children into a trade just because he wanted it—but the Alpha was hopefully that at least one of the pack's second generation would pick up his favorite sport.

"Oh," Eljay said when Uncle P said that two out of every three hunt attempts ended in failure. Eljay didn't like failure at all. And truthfully, that made him not like hunting very much. He didn't say that, though, because he knew that hunting was part of pack life, and just stared at the rabbit footprints in the snow, and his missed chance at bringing his parents home a snack. He hadn't even been hungry, but wanted to show mommy and daddy that he was doing well, make them proud. How Eljay wished that he could've done something to make them proud instead of worried for a change.

Uncle P asked if Eljay was interested in hunting as a trade, and Eljay shifted his weight to betray that he was very uncomfortable with hunting in general. "I dunno," he said noncomitally. "I mean, I'm not very good at it..." Eljay looked at Uncle P while he talked, but then he looked back at the rabbit tracks that marked his failure again, and he sighed wistfully.

The young man's uncomfortable shifting did not bode well. Peregrine waited patiently for an answer, receiving in time a noncommittal, "I dunno." He could have been disappointed by that but he saw it as an opportunity instead. When Eljay looked up at him, the Alpha's lips twitched into a little grin.

"Yet," he answered simply. "Let me teach you," he added after the pup's wistful sigh. "You couldn't ask for a better teacher." If that was cocky, so be it. He was a master of his craft and he knew it. "Plus, your parents could help too. They're both hunters." The you should follow in their footsteps was probably laid on a little thick, there.

I think Fin used to be a hunter when we had three? If not, it can be Perry's mistake. ;)

Uncle P seemed very eager to teach Eljay stuff, but he wasn't sure how to react. It wasn't that he didn't want to learn, but he just thought that maybe hunting wasn't his 'really-good-at' thing. Of course he would try to learn better, but he preferred to practise alone, when no one could see him failing all the time. Daddy seemed to really want Eljay to be a hunter too, but Eljay just wasn't sure if that was really his thing. And they'd teach him and see him fail all the time if he would pursue the trade...

"Maybe," Eljay said, already giving in a little bit more than he had with 'I dunno'. He just didn't really want to pin down any trades. It just seemed really early and anyway, Eljay didn't feel like he knew enough about all the trades to decide he was gonna be a hunter. He looked up at Uncle P and then asked, "When did you catch your first things, Uncie P?" Eljay bit his lip as he looked at his uncle, hoping that the answer wouldn't be something along the lines of 'when I was three months old', 'cause then he'd feel like even suckier a hunter.

"Maybe" was slightly better than "I don't know." Feeling heartened, Peregrine tipped his head at Elwood Jr's question. He lapsed into reflective silence, thinking back on his days as a fledgling (pun intended) hunter in Flightless Falcons. He had followed in March Owl's footsteps right off the bat, trailing her on hunts as soon as she would allow and learning every aspect of the craft from his masterful mother. He had picked up guarding too, quickly earning his eagle feathers, so to speak.

"I was probably somewhere in the ballpark of six to nine months when I made my first kills," he eventually answered, staring off into space for a moment before shifting his gaze to the pup's face. "But I knew I wanted to be a hunter from nearly the moment I was born, so I got an early start. You know, even if you don't end up becoming a formal hunter, you need to practice the craft. It's sort of crucial to being a wolf. You'll always have the pack, of course, but it's sort of a necessary life skill."

Uncle P took a while to answer, though the answer did not disappoint when it finally came. Eljay felt a little more relaxed knowing he wasn't past the age that he should've been able to catch something by himself. It was a relief that he had at least a couple more months, cause that was a pretty long time for a boy his age, anyway.

The relaxation departed when Uncle P reminded Eljay of the fact that he needed to learn to hunt regardless. He was so afraid that he would never be able to hunt, and what would the pack do then? Feeling useless, Eljay tried to battle the emotions that came attached to the disappointment he imagined his parents to feel. He wanted so badly to bring home a catch to show them that he was good at something.

Eljay tried to get his sped up breathing under control while he swallowed and said, with a little squeak: "I know." and looked away at the ground, his eyes shining with the emotion that lay heavily upon the sensitive boy's soul.

He could tell he had pushed the subject far enough, at least for today. Peregrine eyed the boy for a moment, noting his anxiety, then glanced off into the distance. A yawn split his mouth suddenly and he gave his swarthy body a weary shake.

"There's an elk I've been tracking, near the edge of the woods. I plan to head out again tomorrow." He paused, deliberating whether to ask or tell the young man he would be joining him on this endeavor. Eventually, he arrived at a compromise and said, "I'd like for you to join me." He turned his dusky jade eyes on the pup again, awaiting an answer.

Eljay looked at Uncle P as he said that he had been tracking an elk. Eljay didn't really understand why he was being told this information during the suspenseful pause, until Uncle P divulged that he wanted Eljay to join him. Eljay smiled appreciatively, clearly feeling glad that he had been asked to come on something huntsy. He knew he wasn't very good at it yet, but somehow he didn't even realise that Uncle P asked him so that he could get better; he felt as though he'd been asked because he was already pretty okay. "I would like that," he said with a humble smile on his face, glad for the opportunity presented and hoping that he would do well.

The boy's response pleased him and the Alpha favored him with a little grin. "See you in the morning then," Peregrine said, then prepared to make an exit in the general direction of his bed. He took a few steps, then paused to add, "Be ready at sunrise. I'll come collect you." With a final switch of his tail and one last smile sent in his nephew's direction, he padded away.

"Okay Uncle P," said Eljay after Uncle P made his exit. Eljay looked once more in the direction that the rabbit had gone off to, glanced over his shoulder once and then started to track it again, nose to the ground. He never did find it, of course, for it was long gone. After a little while of searching Eljay gave up and he started to make his way home again, though sleeping was difficult considering the exciting day that lay before him tomorrow.