The sandy bridge that connects the island of the boy’s familiar home island to the rest of the mainland has quickly become the young pup’s favorite sight. The reason is simple enough; Malico knows that, when it comes into view, the whole world waits for him on the other side. There is a spring is in the pup’s step as he trots along next to his huge sire and the purple hued boy excitement for the day ahead is almost palpable. Winter has arrived in the lands of Boreas and the cold, early morning air is enough to chase off any lingering vestiges of sleep. Mal is wide, eyed and alert to his surroundings as the boy does not wish to miss anything. Finally, his paws touch the grass of the neighboring land and the pup’s turquoise eyes snap upward to find his father’s black gaze. Today, a lesson on hunting and creating traps was promised and Malico is eager to begin. As he looks to his father, Malico shifts his focus to his dad’s mouth, ready to catch any of the words his ears may miss. An eager grin plays across his dark lips as he anticipates the beginning of the lesson. Malico Mendacium

The cold season of winter made for excellent hunting weather. It was one of Alastor’s favorite times of the year, especially given how cold and how much snow the northern territories of Boreas got, and though Elysium just bordered the north, they were close enough that they may as well have been a part of it. It was early morning when Alastor roused his youngest son to start his hunting training. Young Malico was just as bright-eyed and bushy tailed as Saracyn had been to learn about hunting. There must have been something in his genes that inspired a predatory urge to hunt in his boys!

Alastor led he purple-hued pup down from their mountain home and across the land bridge from Alias Island to mainland Boreas. He wouldn’t take Malico far from home given how young he still was; just across the channel to the Rock Gardens. He had seen a herd of deer grazing in the woods nearby a few days prior and had found their tracks encroaching in Elysian lands. They should make for easy prey for the two wolves. Keeping his son’s disability in mind, Alastor made sure to communicate each turn or shift of his body with a flick of his tail or nod of his head. Eventually they rounded some boulders and tracks in the fresh powdered snow came into sight.

"There, up ahead. Do you see the tracks?" he pointed out to his child, leading the way up to the hoof prints in the snow. There were several of distinct sizes, a small herd had been through. "Tell me what you can see. What you can smell." The first skill a good hunter had to develop was his ability to draw information from what his surroundings were telling him.

"Alastor Mendacium"

Wide eyes take in the world around him as the pup pulls in deep breathes that fill his lungs with the frigid air. Excitement zips along his nerves like lightening as Malico follows his father’s ques with practiced ease, both easily adapting to his limited hearing. Soon, they round a series of boulders and, there in the fresh snow, his father points out some tracks. Eyes blink wide in surprise as the boy turns his gaze up to his large father with a grin tugging at the corners of his lips up as he offers an affirmative nod. When Alastor asks what he sees and smells, the boy turns his attention back to tracks and the area around them. Tilting his head back slightly, the purple boy pulls in a deep breath through his nostrils and assesses the scents. With a small nod to himself, Malico than turns his aqua gaze to the snow, seeing where tufts of the dormant grass have been pulled up from underneath the powdery blanket and the imprints of hooves. After a few moments, the boy says, “Looks like some good-sized hooved animals. They were grazing here and seem to have gone…” Blue eyes track the direction of the hooves and what he thinks is the direction that they have gone and Malico lifts a purple paw, saying, “That way.” With his thoughts voiced, the pup lowers his paw to the earth while turning his gaze up to his large sire. Tail wags loosely at his hips as he waits to see how he did. "Malico Mendacium"

Alastor gave Malico all the time he needed to assess his surroundings and draw conclusions from the evidence presented to him. The first steps to becoming a master hunter were learning how to read and infer clues from the surrounding environment. His son did well for his first time, and Alastor watched the pup with appraising eyes. He nodded his head when Malico concluded his assessment and looked up to him for his approval. "Well done, son. These are deer tracks. A good herd by the looks of it. A good hunter knows how to scan their environment to learn about the prey they’re hunting. A master hunter knows how to make a plan based on what they learn," he explained with his trademark toothy smile. "Come. Let’s see if we can track them down. Remember to keep smelling the air as we go. We don’t want to get too close and scare them off."

Motioning with a nod of his head for his pup to follow him, the giant sire began to lead the pair off in the direction of the tracks. Every few steps he took, Alastor would sample the air, following the stench of deer musk as it grew stronger and more prominent on the air. They were close. Moving about the varying sized boulders of the Rock Garden, Alastor eventually heard the nearby call of one of the deer. He stopped abruptly and raised a large paw to catch his son, unsure if Malico heard the sound of not. He glanced down at his child and put a paw to his lips, motioning for them to stay quiet. Leaning his head down to whisper right into Malico’s ear, the dire brute said, "They’re close. From this point on, we are silent. Move slow, keep your eyes up. Use your nose and find them. You lead, I’ll be right behind you." Alastor let Malico take the lead so he could observe his son, providing backup as the young pup learned by doing.

"Alastor Mendacium"