With the heat of summer slowly beginning to fade away, it was easier to be outside for extended periods of time without having to worry about the direct sunlight. While she wasn't exactly an impressive huntress herself, she loved to learn new things. Over time, it evolved into having a small knowledge basis in a variety of topics. And for this reason, she was eager to help teach her cousin some of the things she had learned to help the younger girl to develop her own skillsets. "Just this way," Talyssa said lightly as she led Callie down one of the game trails she was more familiar with. The amount of rain that they had received recently had done a number on the terrain. As they traversed the path, the dirt seemed to get a little choppy leftover from the number of creatures that took this particular route as part of their daily routines. She wasn't looking for anything specifically- just wandering with purpose until the found something worth stopping for.

However, when a single rabbit darted out from the cover of the tall grass from one side of the trail to the other, she couldn't help but grin at the opportunity. Not that she had any use for hunting down a rabbit warren at this particular moment, but she thought it could definitely be a fun challenge for them. "There, we'll start with that rabbit." She announced with enthusiasm. As the approached the place she had seen the rabbit disappear into the thicket, she paused for a moment- rising to her toes to see if she could see anything obvious from a slightly taller vantage. Satisfied that they would have to work a little bit to figure out where it went, she returned her attention to Caladia. "Okay, so in this specific scenario, we know that the ground is still kinda damp in places. We saw where the rabbit disappeared at, so we're going to look for signs of which direction he went after that." Talyssa began, introducing some of the foundational skills before going on. "There are different kind of signs to look for- mainly just trying to see if the area has been disturbed or not. Think of broken grass, prints in the ground, hair caught in the thicket, that sort of thing." The older girl finished, glancing from her cousin to where the rabbit re-entered the tall grass. For the first time, she began to inspect the area for herself- searching for an example to show Caladia.

The girl made of hodgepodge colors happily trots along with her cousin, enjoying the cooler day. Paws drum out a familiar rhythm as they move down the game trail, the smaller pup glad to be out here enjoying time with her smart cousin. Tongue lolls out the side of her mouth as a smile splits her maw open. A rabbit darts out from the tall grass and cross their path before disappearing back into the grass on he side. They pull to a stop as Taly begins to give a lesson.

Head bobs up and down as Caladia listens intently her mismatched gaze sliding over to where the rabbit had disappeared to. Moving to the area, she lowers her head to the ground and pulls the scent of their target deep into her nostrils. Images of rabbits flash through her mind as she identifies their prey and she lifts her nose.

Inspecting the grass, she notices a couple blades that have been bent to the side from where the animal disturbed it. Finally, as if to wrap up the area with a pretty bow, she spies a tiny paw print in a section of damp earth. Perking up, Callie ushers Talyssa over and softly says, “Look!” A paw lifts to point out what she has found. She cannot help but excited as they go.


"Caladia Carpathius"

The whole time Talyssa spoke, she felt that Caladia was doing a great job at paying attention. The other girl was quiet- intent, and didn’t seem to have any questions thus far. So the older girl took that as a sign that she was doing a fairly good job in her explanation- giving her that much more confidence on the topic. With the suggestion to begin looking for signs of the rabbit, it seemed both girls were eager to find evidence. And when Cali pointed out the broken grass the rabbit had left in its wake, Talyssa beamed with pride. “Good eye!” She praised her cousin.

Now that they had found the beginning of the trail, the rest would come easy. “Take a closer look at the ground.” Talyssa quietly instructed. Using her paw, she parted the grass from where it had broken so they could see the dirt beneath a little easier. Sure enough, that particular patch of earth had been soft enough to catch the impression of the rabbit’s tracks. “Notice the difference between a rabbit’s front paws and hind paws.” The older girl began, gesturing to each separate set of paw prints- one noticeably more elongated than the other. “When a rabbit runs, it lands with its front paws tucked beneath its body, with its back legs reaching out in front of it … so it almost looks like it’s going backward.” Lys finished, leaving the prints exposed a moment longer as she turned to face her cousin. “But we know better.” She said with a broadened grin.

Returning her attention to where the rabbit had disappeared, she gestured that Caladia take the lead. “Keep looking for tracks and broken grass, and I’ll be right behind you.” Doing her best to ensure nothing big is missed.

Caladia loves to learn and her cousin is an amazing teacher. Maybe Taly will be the greatest instructor that the Hallows ever had one day! The praise offered when she spots the broken grass has the younger girl’s tail wagging, a smile pulling at her lips as the lesson continues. Mismatched eyes scan the ground as Taly explains about the prints, her mouth rounds in surprise as she takes a closer look.

The younger girl takes notice of the way the hind paw prints, while slightly forward, left deeper than impressions than the front paws. Head bobs in understanding and suddenly, her cousin tells her to look for more tracks and she confidently nods. Puffing out her chest slightly, Callie begins to track, using her nose and eyes to follow the rabbits progress. She points out a few more patches of broken grass and a few more sets of prints.

The scent grows stronger and Caladia pulls up short as she turns her nose up to the air. Finally, she turns toward her cousin and the girl pitches her voice low to say, “It is very close. What do we do now?” Head cocks to the side as she lifts a paw to show the broken grass near them and the direction that the animal had fled.


"Caladia Carpathius"

As Talyssa followed along behind Caladia, she couldn’t help but admire the girl’s ability to pick up a new skill, so well, so quickly. As they traced the path the rabbit had taken, the younger girl paid special attention to point out different signs. Pleased with her cousin’s newfound talent, Talyssa was quick to offer nods of encouragement and brightened grins in lieu of talking iin case their target was close by. Something that seemingly occurred to Callie at the same time. “There is a good chance its warren is nearby.” Talyssa answered back in a whisper of her own. “I’m going to circle around wide, and see if I can chase it back in this direction. Though, don’t be surprised if there is more than just one.” She explained, offering a one-sided smirk as she purposed a plan of action. While talking, she tried to peer through the tall grass before them but didn’t see anything of immediate interest.  “See what you can catch.” She finally finished after a brief hesitance before splitting off toward the side.

The older Carpathius girl did exactly what she had said she would. As silently as she could, Talyssa made a wide-sweeping arc around where she expected the rabbit warren to be. It took several minutes for her to get in position, but when she felt that she was in a good place in relation to her cousin, she tensed her muscles in anticipation. With as much force as she could muster, she propelled herself forward. Barking and yipping to try and scare the rabbits away from their cover. Just as she had suspected, there had been several of them hidden away in the tall grass, and they scattered in a variety of directions- with any luck, a couple of them straight to Caladia.

"Talyssa Carpathius"

Caladia loves to hunt. That and the fact that her cousin, who is, in her humble opinion, probably the smartest wolf in the world, is teaching her, work to make the young girl eager to prove herself. Taly has always been so kind and Callie loves any chance she can get to be with her. Questioning what to do next, the sweet wolf begins to talk. Her attention is glued to Taly as she speaks, her normally excited nature turned serious at the prospect of the hunt to come.

Nodding to the whispered instructions, Callie softly whispers back, “I will be ready.” With that, Taly leaves and Caladia hunkers down, coiling her muscles as she readies for the rabbits to appear. Mismatched eyes watch the older girl’s progress and she feels her heart pick up speed. This is it! With a lot of noise, the rabbits break cover, racing away from the perceived threat in every direction. Gaze snaps to three that bound toward her and the girl waits for the perfect moment to strike.

At last that time arrives and Callie releases all her pent-up energy in one, fluid motion. She breaks cover, startling the three prey animals who attempt to change their course quickly. However, Caladia had waited until they were but a few paw lengths away which means that there is little room for them flee. Teeth flash as she grabs the closest one by the back of neck, biting down hard until she feels the telltale snap of vertebra. Its body stills and she immediately drops the kill, swinging around to catch another one as it attempts to leap away.

With a swift bite to the neck, the rabbit dies and the girl quickly dumps that kill as well. The last one manages to get a running head start but the eager Caladia is quick to follow. The pup races after the rabbit, intent on adding it to her collection. It is swift and elusive, changing directions at the drop of a hat but Callie does not give up, the boundless energy of youth working for her. The chase is long but, in the end, Callie wins, catching the rabbit mid leap as it attempts to change direction again.

A sharp bite stills it and the girl carries the final kill back to where the other two are. Dropping it with the rest, Callie pants from the exertion and looks to Taly. A huge smile is on her lips as she asks, “Did I do okay?” Tail lazily wags behind her as she hopes that her cousin will offer praise to her hunting efforts today.


"Caladia Carpathius"