Hey fam, this is a pup mandatory tracking lesson! It'll stay family friendly, and Fortune has the patience to at least make it fun. Everyone else is welcome as well, but it's going to be a basic lesson. A more beefy (read: bloody) lesson for aspiring hunters will be up after this one is complete. I'd like replies by next Friday, the 28!

The sheep had moved on. That's what happens when it gets colder out, and Fortune felt a pang in her chest-- maybe she should follow them. No. This was her family now, and they would be able to subsist on the prey they had. Still... it hurt. Winter was coming, the pack was growing, and there was no one to help her hunt. Faite, sure, but she was even more busy now as their primary alpha. Where had Regulus gone? Surely he was handling something. Still, it was Fortune's turn to step up. It was her turn to make her mark on the pack that her family had run for so long. This was part of being an Adravendi, right? This was part of being one of them. There's something fantastic and final about the way that she's come here, so why not make the most of it? Tracks. There were sheep tracks nearly everywhere, and she was able to discern what direction they'd moved on. It was in a hurry, too, as if the shift in photoperiod meant the end of the world. Days were colder, and it had rained-- perfect conditions for tracks in the wet grass and even mud where they'd grazed the plains bald. Yes. This was a good time for a lesson. She'd show Faite that she was ready, that she could make a difference. She'd show her that this was the right place, and that she could step up within the pack. A howl. For the children, for the pups, for the progeny mostly. Anyone could come, and maybe Fortune could assemble a rag tag hunting party out of what remained. She draws away from the tracks so they won't be disturbed, moving to a more open area on their beautiful stretch of land. They would come. They needed to come. She'd wait for a reasonable amount of time and start when they were ready. Sounded good. fortune shock & awe

Ever since being allowed out of the den (so long as they promised not to leave the territory) they'd pretty much been given free reign of the place. There were enough adults around to make sure they didn't get into any trouble. Despite the newfound curiosity and sense of adventure, there was something that seemed to be missing. None of them had seen their mother in a while and it concerned him. Why wasn't she around anymore? The thought made him sad more than anything. It had him sulking as he left the den to go see if he could track down Fable for something to do. A howl caught his attention, this one different than the last feminine howl that had called them altogether, and his ears perked up the best they could. Another meeting? Oh boy! His previous thoughts were forgotten as he raced towards the sound as fast as his little legs could carry him. The female that was there wasn't the one that had called them altogether, but he had seen her there. He grinned eagerly up at her and his tail waved faster than the eye could easily follow. He play bowed, feeling far too excited, as he grinned at her. "Hiya!" He greeted her eagerly. "I'm Vawor." He said, thoroughly butchering his own name. Walk, "Talk" Think

Like Valor, Knight had noticed his mother's absence but it had taken an entirely different toll on the boy. He was sad too, but he wouldn't allow himself to show it in front of his siblings.. he didn't want them to be sad, either.. he wanted to make sure everyone was good. They still had dad and everything would be fine, he would reassure them. He found himself following his brothers around like a shadow most of the time, making sure they didn't get in to too much trouble now that everyone was allowed out of the den. He wanted everyone safe and happy, even with their mother gone! He was awake when Valor left the den, his eyes following the depressing posture of his brother and it made his ears sink and his heart ache. He felt it too, and for a moment he allowed himself to look down and feel the pain from their loss.. only while no one was looking. When the howl came, he perked right back up and trotted along after Valor. He didn't feel so bold as to introduce himself like Valor did, but he smiled to the woman that called them and wagged his tail before sitting down next to his bro.

Fable Ancora All of his plans were cut off when he heard a howl calling out for the young wolves in the pack. Oh, what was this? Was this another meeting? It wasn't the same voice that called them a few days ago, but a different one all together. Wait, was that Fortune? A huge smile spread across his lips as he trotted towards her, his head and tail held high as he made it to the smart woman. She was a really smart wolf, she had taught him all about swans! What this another lesson? That make him run faster, skidding to a halt when he saw that he wasn't the first one there. Fable pouted, but walked over to Knight and flopped down beside his speckled brother. "Hi Fwortune," he yipped, pride tipping his chin up. He knew her name and his brothers didn't, so that was something, right? He knew more wolves than them in the pack, so ha! His grey and white tail wagged behind him, wide puppy eyes on the woman as he waited to hear what was in store for them today. "SPEAK"

Okay I am literally the worst, sorry this took so long. Life got a little out of hand. I plan to have the next post up on NOVEMBER 19.

As the children seemed to appear from the woodwork, Fortune's eyes light up. Though there are only three they are lovely. Pups are pretty great. Pups are... great when you can return them to someone else at the end of the day, at least. Fortune likes that arrangement rather a lot. "Nice to meet ya, Valor, I'm Fortune." There's a twinkle in her eye as she introduces herself, and then to the other pup in turn. "And who might you be?" Right. Children. So many children, and yet there are only three. Ritsy was supposed to be here, but she wasn't going to hold up for that screwball. Things to do, people to see, places to go. "Fable! There you are," She's grinning lightly, greeting her charges for the day. "We're going to head to see some tracks, but you guys need to not get ahead of me. Does anyone know how to move near silently?" Fortune would afford them the chance to respond before continuing on with her lesson. Still, she had what she needed to tell them set out. "You need to move mostly on the outer edge of your paw, like this--" Carefully climbing down from the rock, she makes a few confident strides before the pups. They're near silent, each of her paws landing and her weight distributed on the outer edge. "You guys can try, now." Expectant, but gentle. She'll help them learn in time. fortune shock & awe

Knight arrived soon after him and he grinned at his more quiet sibling before his attention was diverted to Fable. He cocked his head to the side as he greeted the strange lady. Had they met already? No fair! He pouted at this now - why had he not gotten to meet everyone yet? He looked around again and was sad when Exodus and Glory didn't show up. He hadn't gotten to see much of either of them. They were gonna miss this! Where were they? His pouting didn't last long as Fortune spoke again. His head snapped towards the woman at a dizzying speed. His tail thumped wildly against the ground as she stated they were going to be tracking today Oh boy! They were gonna learn how to hunt and then they could help out dad! Of course if being silent was going to be one of the key points he realized he wasn't quite sure how to do that. He watched her demonstration eagerly and scrunched up his face in a comical display of concentration. Finally it was their turn and Valor was quick to jump to his paws to try it out. He stood, feeling slightly awkward, as he tried to leave on the outer edges of his toes. He stuck his tongue out, doing his best to pay special attention to his legs, and tried walking. It was a stiff legged walk, utterly amusing, and his legs wobbled. Huh? This wasn't how she'd done it. His ears flattened to his head and he pouted again before stopping and looking back at his siblings to see if they were trying it yet. Maybe he could learn from them! Walk, "Talk" Think

If wolves could blush, the boy nearly would have as she asked who he was. Fortune was the first wolf outside of their family that he'd met and she seemed so kind, he couldn't help but admire her slightly as she sweetly asked for his name.. though in turn, it made him quite bashful. He opened his mouth and ensued a series of stammering before he finally pulled himself together. "Oh, my name is Knight." He immediately looked to Valor, and then was relieved when the attention was off of him again and now on Fable. Phew. Now he could get on with this lesson. It didn't bother him that Fable knew this other woman first, though he was a bit surprised. His eyes widened some as she addressed him by name and he wondered how and when they'd had the chance to cross paths. He was doing his best keeping up with Fable, but the boy seemed so much more adventurous than he was. When did he sleep? He giggled at the thought though turned his attention toward Fortune once again when she asked for it. When she asked if any of them knew how to move silently, he gave a confident nod. Although he was clumsy in his puphood, he knew that if he moved slow enough and focused enough he could walk in near silence and often practiced this when he'd flirted with the mouth of the den while their parents were gone. He never wanted to break his father's rules and leave the den then, but he wanted to see and experience what was going on in the outside world without drawing too much attention to himself. But then, as she demonstrating walking on her out toes he started to feel his confidence shed from him- though, not totally! The brave pup moved forward and splayed out his toes, watching his brother for a moment before starting. It wasn't until Valor looked his way after wobbling that Knight tried for himself, and so far so good. He took a few steps and focused putting his weight on his tippy-toes rather than his paw-pads just like he'd done back in the den. His movements weren't perfect, and it was harder to keep his back legs silent than his fronts. All went well until his last back leg moved up and accidentally it dragged across the ground beneath him rather than being lifted and placed down with stealth. Oops.

Fable Ancora Fortune grinned at him, and he looked at his brothers with a smile. That was right, he already knew their teacher. How smart was he? Tail wagging, he turned back to the older woman when she said that they were going to follow tracks. Fable bounced where he stood, letting out an excited bark before her lesson even began. She asked them how to move without making sound, and the boy faltered slightly. He wasn’t very good at being silent at all, his paws were too big and he liked to make sounds too much. So he said nothing, and she went in detail about they had to walk. His eyes flew open wide as he watched her walk with fascination, her paws made no sound at all! Valor jumped up before he could do anything though, so he forced himself to sit down when his brother went first. He wanted Fortune to pay attention to him when he was doing it, and that was worth waiting for. The boys black legs wobbled, and he smiled at how silly he looked walking with stiff legs. That wasn’t how Fortune did it! He sat up to try, but once again he was beaten out by his brother. Pouting, he sat back down and let Knight have a go. His brother didn’t wobble as much, but his first two steps were almost perfect. Fable eyed him a bit jealously, but pushed the feeling away. It was good that his brothers were going well, too! When finally his spotted litter mate grew still, he knew that it was finally his turn. Leaping forward, he landed with a thud. Looking to his brothers, he shook his head. That wasn’t his try, no way! He was going to be the best, he had to be. He needed to show Fortune that he was good and a smart boy. Sliding his front paws forward, Fable started to move forward without even lifting his paws off the ground. If he didn’t raise them up, then he wouldn’t have to be so quiet with putting them back! So he shuffled forward a few paces, hardly making any sound at all! Raising his head, he proudly looked over to Fortune. But that is when the burn caught up with him, his paw pads still not quite as tough as adults. Wide eyed, he raised his front right paw to see that he had actually cut it on a stone that had been sticking out of the ground. His ears clung to his head, letting out a soft whine as he lifted his paw to show the adult. He had a boo-boo. "SPEAK"

Fortune watches the children carefully, making sure that they're going... properly. They would do well to do things properly, these children. Wouldn't want them to leave her with bad habits. She needed them to mind, and they were doing a decent job. They were doing okay. Things would be okay so long as these little hunters minded and got on with each other. Fortune watches Valor go first, nodding as the child moves. A soft nod, watching the creature as they walk. "Not too bad young man, a little easier in your knees okay? Not so stiff, you'll make your legs sore," the brave's tail wags softly, nodding as the boy stops to watch his siblings. It's on to the child called Knight. "Easy, little one. You can use the outsides of your paws as well, it's more stable." Fortune smiles softly, making sure the child stays on his feet. Gentle as ever. Children, you see, require gentle handling. She was okay with that. And then there was Fable. She grins slightly. This is a boy she knows, one she's worked with. He was smart, but he's... missing the point. "Now, not picking your feet up may work in grass, but your nails scraping against the stone will only give you away, though. You're okay--" oh no. She moves to the boy as he feels the sting of the rock in his paw, gazing at the strike of scarlet across the bottom. Her head quirks to the side, leaning in to lick at it softly. "You're fine, you'll be okay," Fortune's sighs softly, licking away the blood. "There we go, good as new." And that's the end of it. Fortune straightens herself. "Alright, go no farther than my shoulder, and come with me. We're going to find the last tracks left by the herds, and we're going to learn how to read them. Let's try not to leave any tracks of our own, staying off the soft mud. Anyone have questions?" Right. She'd have them ask. fortune shock & awe

Valor watched in awe as Knight went after him. His sibling seemed to have a slightly better shot at it and it made him jealous. Why didn't he get it? Maybe if he watched Fable go? Of course, right as his brother sprang to his feet he fell. He had to bite back a laugh - Fable was so clumsy! He didn't say anything though and watched as his larger sibling shuffled across the grass barely making any noise as all. No fair! He hadn't done it exactly like Fortune either though. Did that mean they had all failed? Fortune didn't seem to mind their mistakes though. She corrected each one of them. Bend my knees? He practiced bending his joints while he stood. So ... crouching while walking. That was weird. He tried to sneakily take another shot at it while Fortune licked Fable's paw. He took a few steps, lowering himself slightly as he tried walking forward, but he still felt somewhat wobbly. His first two steps were almost silent. If it wasn't for the fact that he felt like he was about to fall on his face he felt like he would have done well. His head snapped back towards their teacher as she started talking and he came to a stop. Black ringed ears flicked as she explained the second part of their lesson. So avoid the mud and don't rush past her. He could do that! But what herd were they going after? "Miss Fowtune, wha' are we huntin'? Will we gwet to kill it?" Walk, "Talk" Think