Fern has felt a sense of restlessness settling over her as the wedding of Artorias and Briar draws closer. There is so much to do, so much still to prepare for and that is why she has dragged Rudy away from the castle with her. They have both been busy with their respective duties and the gray girl misses going on hunts with the motley boy. Ocean-hued look over to Rudyard, a smile tugging at her lips as she leads him toward the grove of ancient oak trees. Should she mention how she hopes that they will get married soon? No, she banishes the thought from the mind. Rudy likes to take things slowly and Fern needs to respect that.

Lightly, she leaps atop a downed giant, the splintered path of a lighting strike cutting jaggedly through the wood. Pausing on her large perch, Fern scents the air, finding the animal she wants on the breeze. With a smile, she jumps down and signals for Rudy to follow her closely. She has chosen this particular animal for its meat, hoping to round out the selections that will be available at the reception. Lark’s Song is buckled across her back, the steel cleaned and shining, while the green leather of the scabbard and hilt have been oiled thoroughly. Continuing to sniff the air, she follows the unseen path toward the prey.

A clearing appears and Fern moves behind a bulky tree and stops. Waiting for Rudy to join her, she then lays out her plan while watching the solitary figure in the clearing, “That is a young gaur. Looks like the bull was old enough to be kicked out of the herd of cows. They can be very aggressive so be ready for a fight.” Turning her blue eyes to the golden gaze of her love, she offers him a smile before saying, “I think if we both attack it, we can take it down. I will be using my sword so please, be very careful. Are you ready?” Worry causes her brow to knit together as she watches the motley boy, knowing that, if she hurt him, she would never be able to live with herself.


"Rudyard & Fern"

Rudy is letting Fern take the lead once again.  Watching her now she was a different wolf than the one he’d met back in the endless night.  She had dreamed of exploring, fighting and hunting.  She had been alone and uncertain as well as wary around others.  

As they came up to the clearing and she started telling Rudy the prey in front of him was a gaur and started feeding him information about it Rudy grinned at his own inner joke.  Yup, she’d grown so confident she was telling her teacher about the animal before them.  Following it up with worrying she’d accidentally hurt him.

The motley grey wolf sat down, tilting his head to scratch at the base of one of his antlers with a back leg.  They seemed to have stopped growing and didn’t really itch anymore so much as it was still weird the extra weight on his head.  It was also a thing to do while musing over the changes in Fern.

Rudy had the notion of pouncing her at her fear of accidentally injuring him but it was work time and no need to alert the food. “Fern, Art’s loved sword’s from the day we were pups.  I was getting having to avoid fake swords from the day of being a kid.  You’d find me harder to hit with one than you might imagine, accidental or intently.”  Now, if it was a real fight sure she had a chance of injuring him but if Rudy was only on the defensive he dared someone to get him with a sword.

Rudy stepped up to Fern, pushing his muzzle up under her muzzle to push it up affectionately.  “We are hunting and for a celebration.  There is no reason for anything other than excitement and fun.  You won’t hurt me and I’ve hunted these guys before, with other wolves or even with Reddy.  Dive bombing hawks are pretty impressive really.”  It was a much longer hunt or sometimes just a fight against a gaur when there wasn't another wolf but Rudy had no problem with that.

Stepping back he sat down, ears alert, “alright leader, what’s your strategy in this?”

"Rudyard"

Rudyard has been supportive of Fern since she first met him and, with his help, she has learned to become confident in herself. Hunting has grown to be one of her favorite past times, only rivaled by her love of learning the art of the sword. Through it all, Rudy has been her constant guiding star. No matter how sore or defeated she might feel by the day’s events, the motley boy is always there to hold at night and listen to her fears. He is the reason she has come so far and Fern is thankful for every moment with him. When she leaps up on the downed oak to look for their prey’s trail, she also steals a glance at Rudy, admiring the way his gray coat shines in the afternoon sun.

When Fern jumps down from her perch to join Rudyard on the ground, she moves toward him, rubbing her side along him much like a cat would do. The brief connection sends happiness zipping along her nerves and she gives him a smile before quickly moving ahead to track the large animal. The clearing soon appears and she informs him of their target and cautions the motley boy about her sword. Rudy’s words are light, trying to ease her worry by assuring her he has avoided fake swords since he was a pup. Dark eyebrows lift as she says softly, “There is a difference between fake swords and live blades, Rudy. Just… just remember once I get the momentum going, it isn’t as easy to stop as its wooden counterpart.”

For a moment, she entertains the idea of having Rudyard accompany her to one of her training sessions with Art, so he can better understand the differences between fake vs real swords. She casts the thought from her mind for now as he steps up to push his nose under her and lift her muzzle up affectionately, while he again tries to ease her worries. A small smile finds its ways to her lips as she moves to nuzzle the fur on his cheek. Even if his words don’t alleviate her fears, the gray girl knows he is trying to make her happy and she decides to enjoy herself. He steps back to sit down, alert to their surrounds while asking what her strategy is. Giving a small nod, she hunkers down to peek around the thick trunk they are hiding behind, taking in spots that might be useful to them.

Once she is done, Fern ducks back behind the tree to look at Rudy and lay out her idea, “There is another downed oak a few yards from the clearing. If we can get close enough and then herd the over to tree, we can trap the gaur and force it to face us. I say we both chase it until it turns to fight and then; well, and then we end its life. First, let’s get closer and, when you think we are in a good position, you can kick off the chase.” She waits to hear what Rudy thinks before hunkering down in the tall grass to begin advancing toward the unsuspecting target.


"Fern Lark"

Rudy enjoyed hunting and labeled it as much for fun as for the good of the pack.  Fern also seemed to love it but she still had a bit more of a serious edge on her over it all.  Then again for all Rudy seemed all fun and games he was still doing his due diligence.  He’d had a lot of time to learn about keeping downwind, about picking his path and scenting the air well.  He’d had more experience with the various forms of prey and a lot of these things come more naturally these days.  Even as his mind paid attention to minor details he could still keep a relaxed expression and joke without showing off the work going on in his mind.

Rudy rolls his eyes over Fern’s worries, a hint of irritation that fades swiftly enough to aim for a comforting expression, “Look Fern, all I want is you to trust me.  I talk a big game I know but behind all the bluff there is a wolf who knows what he can and can’t do.  So even if you are worried about me, if I say it's okay just trust me.  I’ve been keeping my word on other things I tell you, right?”

Rudy listens to her strategy, glancing in the direction of the gaur considering it.  “Turning a hunt into a fight sounds fun,” Rudy agreed amiably. “when it turns to fight I’m following it around to go for the back legs.  You stay and face the head.  You have a weapon so you have a longer reach to deal with the more dangerous region.  If he presents an easy attack for you go for it but if not wait for just a moment.  If his attention is on you I should be able to get a leg, once I have the leg it should be distracted and off-balance.  You should be able to kill him with one stroke of the blade at that point.”

Rudy stood up starting to move forward since he was going to lead off the chase but stalled a moment, glancing at Fern with a grin, “also, Reddy is nearby.  He will show up a second before trouble happens if needed.  He’s quite good.” That said Rudy heads forward, the jovial expression gone, and focus finally in his gaze when he stares at his prey.  The laughing jovial wolf is suddenly a silent killer stalking the prey close by.  When the gaur looks in his direction Rudy stops in a patch of shadow from brush waiting with the patience hardly ever seen outside of a hunt.  The gaur looks away and Rudy moves again, at first a walk but after a few more strides it’s a run.  

The guar runs and Rudy is giving chase trusting Fern to be coming along with him.  He’s not playing instructor now, Fern already learned all she needed from him.

"Speech"

As Fern asks him to be careful, she notes Rudy’s eyeroll and the irritation that crosses his features before swiftly fading way. A part of her feels a deep, raw anger, his actions making her think that the motley boy isn’t taking her worries seriously. She tamps the emotion down, knowing that it will not help her right now. She listens to his words and offers him a short nod, holding back the words that want to race past her lips. Later, when they are done with this hunt and preparing to carry their kill back, Fern will explain to him just how much she trusts him. But she will also explain why she worries about him so much. Hopefully, it will allow them both to better understand where the other is coming from and she can share some of the worries that plague her.

After she lays out the plan, Rudy gives his input which earns him an eager grin. Soon they are ready to move and he stops to turn to her, informing the gray girl about Reddy and Fern takes the moment to say in a soft whisper, “I love you, Rudyard.” Locking eyes with her mate, the pair then begin to move toward the prey. Fern widens the distance between her and Rudy slowly, aiming to keep the gaur in the gap. When the motley boy begins to run toward the young gaur, the gray girl is quick to join in, easily cutting off any escapes routes and driving the bull toward their designated spot. The downed tree draws closer and Fern slows to give the gaur room to turn around while Rudy sticks close to its rear.

The bull plays into their hand and, as it begins to wheel around, Rudyard follows closely to snap at its back legs. Fern grabs the handle of her sword and slides Lark’s Song from its scabbard. The steel flashes in the sunlight and the young gaur slows as a moment of indecision takes hold. Rudy sees the opening, rushing in toward its back left leg and grabs ahold. He thrashes his head and the bull screams out in pain and fear as Fern rushes forward. The motley boy shreds the tendons and the gaur’s leg becomes useless. Unable to put pressure on it, the young bull crashes to the ground with a mighty thud. The girl is there quickly, sliding the sword through the prey’s neck to sever the jugular and carotid. Stepping back, she withdraws the blade and the gaur quickly falls still, its life gone in moments.

Turning to look at Rudyard, Fern smiles at him around the hilt of the blade. That had been fun.


"Rudyard & Fern"