Wolves wanted to learn and who was Iolaire to deny them? She openly shared her desire to spread knowledge. Anything that anyone wanted to know, she would either teach them or she would find out how to teach them. It was her passion in life. The smarter those around her became, the more pride she felt in her own abilities. The Hallows had been her mother's pack and now belonged to extended family. It was her Carpathian duty to make them better, was it not? A hunting lesson had been requested and Io already knew what she was going to do. She'd gathered her supplies and was ready to go. All that had to happen were for the two wolves in question to arrive. The emaciated fae settled her slender, dark body in a patch of sun, soaking it up while she could. Something told her that rain was on the way. Hopefully her students were on the way as well. "Speech"

Rudy had told Fern they were going hunting the night prior that Iolaire had agreed to give them a hunting lesson.  At the time he’d been quite excited about it.  Then the happy wolf had gone to sleep with Fern beside him.  Even as Rudy felt himself gaining a bit more consciousness in the morning he denied it.  He was warm, safe, in that space of fuzzy contentment that was meant to be soaked in.  Then Fern had killed it, waking him up with a reminder of the training.  

Oh well, at least if he had to wake up this was the way for it to go.  He’d given her a smile, lick on the cheek, and went from half-awake to full-tilt energy in only a minute.  Once on his feet he jogged down to meet Iolaire outside the castle walls and feeling the warm sun on his back.  Everything was getting better in his life.  

Smiling at Iolaire the motley grey wolf strictly reminded himself to focus on the hunting lesson and not Fern being with him again.  That stub of a puff-tail twitched on its own accord cheerily this morning.  “good morning.” Morning to Rudy tended to be a little later than most wolves labeled morning.  Was it his fault they wanted to go to bed so early?

Rudyard Carpathius

Why did morning have to come so soon? Rudy had told her about the hunting lesson and she had been excited. That is, until she had curled up and fallen asleep in Rudy’s arms. Happy dreams filled her slumber and morning came too soon. She had gently shaken Rudy awake to remind him of the lesson, getting a smile and a lick as her reward. Fern had shaken her head as Rudy became energetic and charged down the stairs and toward their lesson. Sure, she is excited but who gets that much energy when they first wake up? Still, she swiftly follows, coming to a stop near the emaciated wolf, dipping her head in greeting.

Rudy had shared the wolf’s name with her and she says, “Good morning Iolaire. My name is Fern.” A warm smile rests on her lips even as she nervously casts a glance toward Rudy, uncertain if there is anything more she should say or do.

"Fern"

"Good morning, good morning," The small woman greeted them both as the young wolves drew near. Since she'd arrived so early, Io had time to tamp out a smooth area in the grass. She mostly did this by rolling around on it, but no one knew that. There was simply a big patch of the plain that was flatter than the rest. Behind her, there was a little wooden box with holes poked in it. Now... what others may not have known... was that Iolaire was a hunter in her own right. She had a specialty and she was going to teach these kids her specialty. In the long run, it would benefit them both. Motioning with one paw, Io instructed the pair to come sit. "When hunting, it's important to be ready for anything. Big prey, small prey, it doesn't make a difference if you're hungry." That would all make sense so far, eh? "So we're going to start small. If you can catch something tiny, catching something larger becomes easier. You'll become dexterous in your movements, like a bloodthirsty dancer." Yeah, she was prone to flights of fancy. What of it? "Whichever of you would like to go first, step into the circle." Io grinned, sliding back to sit behind her little wooden box. Would they expect this at all? Hopefully not. She was ready to be amused. "Speech"

Rudy listened intently to Iolaire.  He was already becoming a good hunter and was proud of that.  He had toes again now to help!  That said he was still getting used to how they felt, it was a strange difference.  Nodding at his aunt Rudy looked to Fern and winked, “If you don’t mind, I want to be surprised.” There was a grin on his features, a thing he had missed having for a while now.  His puff of a tail twitched back and forth.  There was always something new to learn and his aunt had some good points.

Rudyard watched the box intently, his mind trying to imagine up what small game she had for them.  Something small?  Rudyard started imagining a variety of small creatures and wondering exactly how small they were talking.  Rudyard got into his normal crouch, eyes as focused on the box as if it’d been a deer he was about to take down.  “I’m ready!”  Time to see how well these new ‘toes’ would serve him.

"Speech"

Fern sits and listens intently, absorbing the words Io shares with them. The emaciated wolf is a wonderful teacher and the gray girl feels her tail twitch at the prospect of become more dexterous. Big game is good and all but learning to hunt small creatures, while challenging, while allow the wolves to learn how to be faster and smarter. The smile grows as her excitement builds, eager to learn and find out what the surprise is. Rudy asks if she minds if he goes first and she shakes her head, happy to see him smiling again. His tail fuzzy twitches back and forth making Fern giggle.

As he steps into the circle, Fern moves back a little, giving him ample room to maneuver. The toes Iolaire made Rudy have lifted his spirits but it will still take some getting used to. Fern doesn’t want to be too close and risk getting bowled over if he takes a turn too wide. Smiling happily, tail twitching lightly, Fern offers Rudy some encouraging words, “You got this fearless leader! Kick its butt!” And with that Rudy indicates he is ready.


"Speech"

Iolaire seemed to rethink her own words, head tilting slightly. "Actually, both of you get in there. Might be more fun that way." Once the pair of young wolves were in the center of the tamped down grass, Iolaire flashed a maniacal grin. Opening the lid of the box, she flung its contents into the center. Mice! The box was full of mice! "Whoever catches the most wins!" Stepping back, she gave the wolves the full circle. No doubt some of the mice would survive and live another day, but she expected her students to work hard. "Mice aren't easy to catch. They're cunning and fast and clever. One has to possess quick paws and a quick mind to catch them, so do it!" The dark fae gave a little wiggle. She was a rodent catching extraordinaire and her little cache showed. "Watch your paws. Listen for movement. Mice like to slow down and wait for predators to leave, but if you listen, you can hear their breathing. The beating of their little hearts." Green and gold eyes watched the pair with interest. "If you can catch a mouse... everything else should be easy." She reminded them, then sat silently to let them work. "Speech"

A contest of who would win!  Rudy grinned, a flick of his eyes to Fern before back to the box.  His muscles shifted as he waited eagerly.  Mice!  He had imagined the potential of rats but not mice!  They were tiny, one bite and swallow was all it would take to eat a mouse, bones and all.  Rudyard ran towards the mice, attempting to catch one that was clearly on the dumber side.  It had hardly moved but the moment Rudy got in close it quickly turned and bolted away from his teeth.  Rudyard tried to spin tightly to snap for the mouse but his footing was off and he got nowhere.

A growl of irritation at a mouse eluding him and Rudyard spotted another nearby.  There was strategically no reason to focus on one if another was a better target.  This time he loped in and bit where he expected the mouse to run instead of where it was.  Nope, the mouse went a different way.  Rudy twisted tightly with his body and this time when he bit he struck true.  Rudyard crunched the mouse then tossed the corpse to one side.  He almost swallowed it but Rudy would want a pile to prove how many he caught in the end.

"Speech"

Fern’s eyes round as Iolaire instructs her to join Rudy. Quickly moving to stand next to him, she glances questioningly to Rudy before looking back at Io. The maniacal grin that she flashes them is slightly unsettling, until she opens the lid of the box and flings the contents into the center and everything makes sense. Iolaire’s happy declaration of how to win puzzles Fern for moment but she is already moving to try and intercept mice. Brows furrow as she listens to Io’s instructions and tracks the paths of the small mice. The small creatures move quickly, changing direction at a moment’s notice or stopping altogether.

Paws dance around, mouth snapping shut around empty air and Fern grows frustrated. She hears the snap of Rudy’s teeth and dying squeak of a mouse and she looks up to see Rudy spitting the small corpse to the side. The mice where scattering, trying to make it out of the ring and away from deadly jaws. Fern’s mind switches tracks, no longer seeing this as a ‘him vs me’ thing. The more mice that are killed means more food… right? She can be quick with her paws and Rudy has proven quick to kill. Looking to Rudy, Fern says, “Rudy! I will drive them to you! Kill them when they get close!”

Without hesitating, Fern starts jogging, making wide, arching half circles while snapping and snarling to the skittering mice. Some take the hint and start fleeing back toward the center and, hopefully, the waiting jaws of Rudy.


"Speech"

Iolaire gave them instruction, but she truly wanted to see how they went about it. In the end, Fern suggested that they work together and Io's eyes brightened. That was the way to do it. The wolves worked together to herd the mice back and forth into each others awaiting mouths. It didn't really matter who caught how many, she supposed. As long as they were learning to work together, this lesson was a success. They were definitely working together and Iolaire couldn't deny the teamwork that she saw build between the two. A few mice escaped, but in the end the pair ended up with a pretty good haul. Panting and dusty in the center of the ring, Io moved towards the wolves and clapped each of them gently on the back. "Well done, kids. When hunting, you have to rely on your partner just as much as yourself. Successful lesson? Maybe we'll try a pig next time?" With a grin, Io popped one of the little nuggets into her maw and crunched down. She'd caught them the first time, after all. "Speech"