Dragoncrest Cliffs We know the way

Ever since relinquishing her rank among the Hedonakru, life had been relatively smooth sailing. Motherhood was still quite a challenge but Wildfire enjoyed tending to her brood and getting to focus all of her attention on keeping them safe, happy and well-fed. They were more active now and thus more difficult to wrangle generally speaking, yet they were also old enough to be left to their own devices and even go off on their own a bit (preferably with a trusted adult, however). It was a bit of a golden era in their upbringing and the mother of dragons knew it.

She spent the morning bathing them, then decided she would like to take one of them out on a small game hunt. She would've loved to take all three but she would never get anything done if she tried to keep an eye on a trio of small pups, not to mention they would likely be too loud and rambunctious. But if she singled out just one of them... Wildfire played a quick game of "Simon Says" and when @Bobby emerged as the winner, she announced her plan, reassured the other two that they would get a turn later and then motioned for her youngest to follow her out of Hougeda and into the welcoming June sunshine.

Bobby doesn't have a player yet so his tag's for reference! Does anyone wanna hunt with Wifi and co? :)

Outside the foliage that blocks the cavern, Arlo has taken up residence in the clearing by the lake. Now that days were warming, it made his time in the water better. He can cool off with a swim and hunt for fish beneath the surface without the threat of freezing to death. And the rains brought on a whole new slew of fish in the lake and tide polls down by the beach so that he can help fill the short-term cache with fish. 
 
The ruffle of others, however, catches his attention and he slowly picks up from his lounging and turns to see Wildfire and Robin setting out with purpose. Arlo shuffles his feet to the side with ears forward, settling in to tag along should the mother and son like some company.

Edit:LOL hi guys <3

Bobby beamed with pride when he was deemed the winner of Simon says. He decided then that he loved winning, because when he won, he got prizes. Bobby leaped in circles for a minute, unable to express his profound joy any other way, then followed his mom away with his chest puffed out and his tail held high. The small coal and copper boy weaved his way through his mom's legs affectionately, looking up at his with big sunny eyes. Mommy, hunting fun? He asked.

Soon the mother and son were joined by Arlo, a familiar male. With excitement, Bobby raced towards him and batted at his paws as he walked. I won the Simon game, now I go hunting! He told him, his tone almost bragging.

"Yes, hunting's fun," she replied, "but it's also serious business. You do as you're told, okay, Bobby?" She looked to her son's face, struck by how much he resembled her own father, except where Peregrine had sported white, Robin's fur faded into a color reminiscent of his mother and grandmother. "Did I ever tell you that your grandfather was a great hunter?" Wildfire asked right before a third presence distracted her.

"Hello, Arlo," she said, raising no complaints when he fell into step with them. She let Bobby explain what they were doing, then added, "He'll just be observing. Do you know of any prey in the immediate area, by any chance?" and looked hopefully at their pale companion.

Arlo lingers back far enough that he doesn’t engage in the conversation between the mother and son and makes a point not to listen too much until he hears his name. His ears swivel forward and he points in her direction, offering a smile of reassurance as he’s invited along and engaged in the decision. With a glance to the northern side of the pack, he hums quietly to himself in consideration. “Some seagulls just outside the territory to the north, where the cliffs flatten out. The last time I was there, there were twice as many,” he explains. He’d not been much of a bird hunter, preferring the ground and water, but with the number of seagulls he’d seen, they’re bound to catch something.
 
“What do you think, Robin?” he asks toward the boy, hoping to keep him engaged as he had with Artaax not too long ago.

Bobby looked up at his mom with big eyes as she told him to do as he was told. He nodded very firmly, showing that he understood. When his mom looked down at him again, Robin's mouth dropped open and his long salmon pink tongue rolled out, a goofy smile on his face. She told him that his grandfather was a great hunter, and Bobby grinned.Then I gonna be like 'im! He exclaimed, hopping a little at the end of the sentence.

Then Arlo came over and Bobby moved towards him with his little explanation. The copper and coal boy stopped messing with Arlo's feet when the male asked him what he thought about what they should hunt. Mmm seagulls. He replied, licking his lips.

Seagulls? Wildfire wasn't expecting that answer. She immediately pictured her son trying to capture one of the seabirds only to fly over a cliff to his death. She swallowed thickly. Surely Arlo wouldn't have mentioned it if there was excessive danger involved. Wildfire wondered if he was particularly savvy at catching winged prey. She was even worse at it than she was at fishing... and Wildfire was a terrible fisher.

Robin was enthused, of course. The Feisripa quirked an eyebrow at him, wondering if he'd ever even eaten seagull. She chuckled under her breath, shaking her head and telling Arlo, "Lead the way." To Bobby, she added, "We might find some eggs and young chicks too." For the pup, they would be much easier prey than the full-fledged adults, who could arguably fight back.

Arlo dances a little with the boy as he attacks at his feet but the exchange is short and they’d settled on something specific. Robin licks at his lips excitedly a beat later and Wildfire gives him the go ahead to continue and lead the way. She nods and smiles, dipping his head once and setting into an easy trot that both mother and son should easily be able to keep up. He glances back every so often and tries to hide the nervousness at trying to hunt birds with so little experience. The turkeys from a few months ago had been different when they were required to stay on the ground.
 
It takes a little while to get through the forest to the north but he ground declines and the cliffs turn into slopes that lead to the ocean. The calls of the gulls fill his hears he closer he gets to the water and he slows to a stop as the redwoods become sparse and open up to the expanse north of their territory. “How are your bird skills?” he quietly asks the woman as he comes to her side, leaning in so that perhaps Bobby wouldn’t hear him.

After they decided on seagulls, Arlo took the lead and lead the mother and son towards the ocean. Bobby's feet did a little jig of excitement as he walked beside his mom, he stayed close to her and gave her many nuzzles. His mom spoke to him, telling him that he might find some chicks or eggs to munch on. He wanted to go after the real deal though, the big ones that flew in the sky. They were Bobby's real prize. Mmmm but mommy I wanna get the big ones. He complained, sort of to himself as Arlo spoke something out of earshot to Wildfire.

Although she wanted to trust Arlo's judgment, her misgivings returned and increased as they approached the cliffs. She opened her mouth to say something when he posed a question. "I've never hunted them, really," she admitted, then added, "Arlo, is this safe? He's so young and inexperienced..." Although she had brought Bobby out here to teach him some hunting, she had hoped to start him off on the proverbial (or maybe actual) bunny slopes, not a black diamond.

When Robin piped up, Wildfire's eyes shifted to him and she smiled, pleased by his eagerness despite the possible treacherousness afoot. "What if one of the big ones plucks you up and drops you in the ocean?" she teased.

Arlo can’t help but snort as Wildfire admits her lack of skill when it comes to birds and he nods. “Same, actually,” he offers with a twist of her lips, uncertain what today is going to bring. He’d been born by the sea but he grew up with trees surrounding him and the ocean miles away. He’s prepared for the chance that none of them will catch a single bird but it’s a learning experience for all of them and the wonder Robin will feel in his lesson, Wildfire and Arlo can mimic the same feeling as they move in trial and error.
 
The mother’s concerns catch him off guard as he continues to trek down the slope. “We’ll be away from the cliffs,” he assures her as they tag along until the ground is a little even, more sand than grass at this point, and he glances to the boy before back to Wildfire. “Here goes nothin’?”

Once again Arlo and Wildfire conspired together, and while Bobby was patient he really didn't like being out of the loop. He tried eavesdropping a little, his ears perked in their direction as he tried to nonchalantly look in a different direction. He was failing the whole stealth thing, but he was trying. They were saying something about safety, and Bobby rolled his eyes. Don't worry mommy! I can do this. He piped to Wildfire, hoping to regain the two adults complete and utter attention. 

The red furred woman turned and asked what would happen if one of the birds snatched him. She was teasing him, but he took it seriously. They do that? He said, though it was to himself again. He didn't want to voice this nervous statement because he didn't want his mom to think he was scared. He wanted to show her how awesome he was, and how he could totally do this. Finally the small group made it down some slopes to a more sandy area. Bobby could hear birds screeching nearby. He was excited still, but also he didn't want to get dropped into the ocean.

She felt a bit better at Arlo's reassurance and Wildfire decided to place her trust in him and quit being a backseat driver. She had set out with the intent to show her son the ropes of small game hunting but this was a great opportunity as well and she didn't want to interfere with the lesson. As they approached their destination, she fell back to let her son move into place beside his mentor. As Bobby passed her, Wildfire reached out to nip playfully at the tip of a black ear.

"Nah," she replied, not wanting Bobby to feel endangered. He was too big anyway; the gulls weren't a real threat. "Go get 'em, Bobbin," she added with a wave of her black tail before taking a seat to spectate.

You two can skip me. Just tag me when it's time to wrap. :)

Arlo’s eyes widen when Wildfire decides not to be part of the hunt. He’s going out there to embarrass himself now with an audience. Ears droop against his head as he turns away from her and to Robin and then out to the flock before them. With a quick inhale and holding of his breath, he releases forcefully and begins to trot down the hill. He debates between honesty and winging it before he glances down at the boy, expectant to learn something from him when he barely had a grapple of an idea.
 
“I… don’t know what I’m doing so we’re just gonna go in snapping, okay?” he offers. If anything, it’ll give them a little excitement.

Bobby shied away with a giggled as his mom nipped his ear. She reassured him that they wouldn't do that, and since Bobby trusted her, he let all his worries melt away with another small giggle. Wildfire ushered Bobby forwards, and the future Drakru eagerly hopped towards Arlo's side. He looked up at him, golden honey eyes big and bright. Arlo suggested just running in snapping, and Bobby nodded. Mmk! Le'go! He replied, and took off before Arlo could say anything else.

He barreled into the flock, snapping his small teeth at the closest bird. He missed of course, but he caught a feather in his mouth. He turned around and showed it enthusiastically to his mom. Om! Ook! He said through a mouthful of feather, his tail wagging.

Arlo will be shuffled off relatively soon. Is it okay if we begin to wrap this up? @Wildfire

Robin does not wait to rush out into the birds, rushing after them and snapping his jaws. Arlo does something similar, for the most part, and snaps here and there. He hears the the glee in the boy’s voice and as most of the birds have flown off in a flock, he turns to see the boy with feathers sticking out the side of his mouth. He slows to a stop, loping around in a circle to watch his pride at his catch returning to his mother. Arlo glances over his shoulder to see the birds flying off in the distance and settling down the coast with skepticism. Instead of pursing, he looks back, curious to see how they want to continue or if they should fold in on their failure.

I'll conclude it for us! :)

Wildfire's worries gave way to a chuckle of amusement as she watched the pair of wolves launch themselves at the flock. The gulls easily evaded their snapping jaws by taking wing. They formed a whirlwind over their heads for a moment or two, their cacophonous cries enough to cause the mother's ears to bend backward. But soon they were wheeling away down the coastline, quite out of reach.

Bobby came bounding up to her with a feather in his mouth. "That's a nice souvenir there," she said fondly, licking between his eyes. She glanced over his head to Arlo and shook her head. "You know, seagulls are sort of stringy anyway. Why don't we see if we can track something a little... meatier?" She wiggled her eyebrows at her son, then smiled at Arlo to make sure he knew he was included.

With something new on the menu, the Feisripa took point again, leading her two counterparts away from the shore and back into the woods. She was determined to make a catch of some sort (feathers excluded) so that Bobby could experience a successful hunt. Only when they accomplished that would she take him back to rejoin his brother and sister in Hougeda.