It had been a good amount of time since Hattori had recruited Viper, and she was in a lot better health and even mind now. Still she had some anxieties she hid under her quiet exterior. Wondering when the pack life would make her want to escape or if Ashen was secretly out to cage her. It was feelings she couldn’t help. But she also never felt any kind of fear or anxiety all through her life. Still a brave soul no doubt, but her fear of rejection after Jupiter was constantly at the front of her mind. She gathered Hattori if not for help or teaching, but to show her worth in due time. Her loss to Jupiter took a harsh toll on her though not to the recognition of anyone else. Simply because they didn’t know her obsession to please the man, so her obsession to now pumble him into the ground would likely go unseen. Though her frequent runs around the pack were probably acknowledged, she was certainly taking her own training seriously, maybe even to an alarming rate. She made her way to where the rivers met, turning to face the koi man without much emotion other than interest in the strategy they would use. Finding prey in this brutal winter was already beyond difficult, though maybe the best test to her skills to show. "Where do you think we should start?" A quiet question, wondering if she should have just used her puny imagination process for an idea rather than ask Hattori. Walk "Talk" Think

With his spool of wire in his mouth, Hattori set out from Ashen with Viper by his side. She seemed eager to earn her keep and fill Ashen's larders and so he saw no reason as to why he shouldn't share what little knowledge of crafting he had with her. Perhaps she would take to this form of hunting better than he had, but he would leave it to her. As long as she continued to keep pulling her weight he would leave her be, mostly. Given that the Grande was a fresh and flowing water source, Hattori deemed it a good place to his tripwire. It was simply just a matter of finding two suitable trees and tying the wire between them. Dropping his spool so he could speak clearly, Hattori turned to the Ashigaru and stated his intent.

" We will make a trip wire then drive the prey towards it. Find a pair of strong trees, with at least ..." He paused as he unwound the wire with a flick of his talons and guesstimated the length he had left. "Six feet between them. Clear with nothing else in the way. Once you have done that come back and we shall tie up the ends to the trees." He then went back to trying to cut the wire, it was always the hardest part given that he didn't have poseable thumbs or wire cutters for that matter.

Grouping with Hattori, he would start work on his wire and give Viper instruction on what she needed to find. She wouldn't say anything as she turned to do what was asked of her. Becoming more social actually made her less social. Weird how her mind started to mold to experience at her older age. She was definitely a much different wolf than she was only seasons ago. She went off a short distance, looking for the couple trees Hattori described. After she found two that would suffice without any other trees or debris in their way, she would return to Hattori as he attempted to cut the wire still. She would just look down and watch for a moment, silent as she was. But after a moment passed she would ask, "Do you have to cut it? Or can you just wrap it around the trees?" An idea or a lesson either way, but she wouldn't reject however Hattori had done this in the past. He was after all more experienced than her regardless of their difference in age. Whether he cut the wire or not and when he was ready, she would lead him to the trees she discovered for their task, walking around to the one farther away and looking at Hattori and his spool to start the crafting of the trip wire. Walk "Talk" Think

Watching her go, Hattori got to work as he began chipping away at the wire till he managed to cut it lose. Just in time Viper returned to his side with a question flowing from her lips, he grunted to acknowledge that he'd heard her but didn't' answer right away. Only when he'd managed to cut it lose and pull it tight into a straight line did he look to her, if nothing he would give her that she was attentive and willing to learn. That was more than what could be said for many he'd met.

"I prefer it. When the prey crosses the wire it can snap, causing damage to the rest of the wire. Unless cut." He explained before he picked up his end and with a flick of his tail motioned for her to get the other, before following her lead to the trees. It was a short walk, made a little tedious by the fact that they had to keep pace with one another.

She'd picked well enough, there was more than enough distance between them and the wire he'd cut would be able to wrap sufficiently in place. Pulling it taut he went to his tree and then began to wrap it around the base.

Viper wouldn't reply to his answer, and while she had listened to what he had to say, it wouldn't stick much because she wasn't used to using tools in order to capture prey. Just her own tiny self. Though if she was smart enough or not so full of her own pride, using a trip wire for larger prey would make her life way more successful. Tools only helped with what she couldn't achieve on her own after all. While Hattori went to start the wrap around the tree, Viper quickly picked up the other side, peeking over to make sure she was doing just as Hattori was. She would step back so he could observe and make sure her wrap was to his liking. Turning away, she supposed they should go out into the tree lines now to find a prey that would most likely find it's way to the water for a drink. Perhaps the hard part was over, after all, Viper was better at the chase anyway. Walk "Talk" Think

This was always the hardest part. His toes were dexterous enough and his mouth had a firm grip but he always felt like he was fumbling, that he was not and would never be a craftsman. Maintaining his weapons and armour was one things, routines engrained into the back of his mind, but the workers back in Nippon with their talented paws and thumbs left him in the dust, it was better to leave the work to the experts. Pulling it taut, Hattori took a step back to examine the wire from a few feet back, with all the browns and greens in the background the grey of the line was hard to see. It would work just fine, as long as they came at it from the right angle.

"You are a huntress, no? Find and track a boar. I will follow your lead."

Hattori made sure the wire was as he wanted it, turning to Viper and asking to almost test her skill. If she was completely honest with herself, it made her nervous. Hattori himself seemed to make her feel that way in general. Not because of his monstrous size or various dangerous mutations. But she felt a need to please him, or impress him rather. He had taken her under his wing of the empire and now she seemed like she had to make up for it and show her worth. Viper stood around a moment, looking around the waters and tree lines. But her inward anxiety may have lingered as she considered disappointing Hattori. After a moment, she would start to scurry away from the river and into the tree lines, Hattori following behind her. Hattori's stride behind her could have been almost lazy to keep up as she stopped around the trees and sniffed around the trunks for a boar that would have rubbed it's back against it. Though faint, she would be able to follow around different trees until she came across tracks in the snow that intercepted their own path. She wouldn't stop to celebrate though, only turn in the direction the boar was heading, ready to close in and make their tracks back to the coil trap. Walk "Talk" Think

Hattori wordlessly trailed close behind, lingering in her shadow as Viper took the lead. No doubt his expectations weighed heavily upon her shoulders, but he knew he was not asking for too much, that she would only slip up if she hesitated. She was quick to pick up a trail and it seemed as though the boar in question had frequented the river side recently, only to meander off into the safety of the brush. It did not take long for the pair to narrow in on the pig, and they inched into position, waiting for the right time to spring into action and rush their prey towards the trip wire.

The way Viper scurried across the ground was a natural gait for her, some sort of fast trot with her head lowered as she scented and tracked whatever was on her mind. It may not have been appealing, but that was never something on her mind. At least it seemed like she knew partially what she was doing, or that she took it seriously. She would keep after the tracks, keeping her eyes up for when the hog would come into their vision. It wasn't hard to miss given the white snow on the ground and the tracks they followed. She would branch off the the left of the creature, starting to speed up expecting Hattori to know what to do on his end so they could turn the boar around and head for the trip wire. A joint effort wouldn't be refused in her new days along side Ashen. Walk "Talk" Think

The pair shifted into position, their steps measured and slow and only when it was time did they spring into motion. Bursting out of the foliage they startled the pig and it honked out in alarm, before moving to skitter away. The Shogun made chase, hanging back a little as he simply guided it along, making sure it was heading in the right direction. He turned to look beside him, where Viper was pinning it in from the other side, forcing the beast to run straight ahead or not at all. Boars were clever creatures but the surprise attack left it panicked and unaware, running right for the trip wire just as Hattori had planned.

They would work together to guide the hog towards their trap, the two of them seeming to make good team while they had an even understanding of the task at hand. It was nice not having someone bumping into you or screwing up which is what Viper would have expected from help a few years ago. But she was starting to see some worth in herself and in pack life. Her and Chimera seemed like a good hunting team, and her and Hattori too. It wasn't anything to brag about but it gave Viper some kind of unseen happiness in her. They weaved the boar through the trees, each of them quick to put back on track towards the trip wire. The hog would speed up and slow down from nearing tiredness, but terrified to lose it's life from the wolves.   Viper kept steady with her pace as they drove it, and once the two trees came to view, she would start a pursuit of chomping towards the hog to keep it moving and not focused on what was in front of it. The only thing they had to do now was keep it straight and meet it on the other side of the wire before it could get up and run off. Surely it would be injured or stunned in the least. Walk "Talk" Think

The beast ran and ran, skittering ahead till the wire came into view. Hattori kicked it up a notch, forcing it forward whether it realised the trap that laid ahead or not it would have no choice but to fall. The wire snapped against it's ankles and an teeth clenching snap reached Hattori's ears as the hog let out a bellow of pain. It hurdled to the floor, crashing hard and as Hattori rushed to step atop the beast to keep it pinned he noticed the flash of white sticking out from it's leg, the bone had pierced the skin. Even if they did not kill it now it would likely die anyway, if not of blood loss then an infection. He wielded his teeth like his tanto, a flash and a rip and tear of flesh right at the throat where it's life would soon end.

He did not play with his food or make more of a mess than he had to, to give it a swift and merciful end was not only the best use of his energy but the right thing to do. He drew back and stood tall, blood dripping from his lips as he offered Viper a nod. She had done well.