The scent of blood filled Hattori's nose as he stood over the deer, it’s body still warm and fur still soft. The Oaks were decent hunting grounds, deer and other herbivores had been taking advantage of the trees to take shelter from the howling winds. And it had been windy as of late, autumn had settled in Auster and the ground was littered with leaves, a orange and red carpet that reminded him of Nihon.

He intended to skin the deer and tend to the meat, season and salt it before putting it away in the stores. It was a task he was capable of doing alone, but assistance wouldn’t be turned down.

Akito's attention was pulled away from his training as the scent of copper tinged the air. His body on alert as he set down the bamboo staff. He takes a moment to scent the air before taking off in the direction that it came from. With autumn in full force and the breeze pulling in from the ocean, it wasn't hard to get to the point where Hattori stood over the deer. Slain and neatly laid on the ground, he noticed how the Kaicho hovered over it. Not that Akito was particularly a curious creature, but he did want to know what was going in case he could glean information from it.

Approaching Hattori, he stood a foot or so from the deer, his gaze drifting from said animal up to the Kaicho. "What shall you do with this?" He asks, his monotone vocals soft in a way that could be compared with the drift of a falling leaf from a branch.

Hattori turned to greet Akito, not alarmed by his presence in the least. Curious was not a word to describe him, but he was eager to learn and always made an effort. Even in lessons of culture and etiquette, of which clearly didn’t interest him much he still paid attention. There was value in that, or so Hattori thought.

“I intend to butcher it.” He explained, wondering if it would be better for Akito to try instead. “Though if you wish to try then by all means. Skin it first.” His suggestion was less of a request and more of a pointed order. It would be a good lesson in homing his hunting skills. To get adept at what to do once the kill was made.

Hattori's words are always straightforward and Akito commends him for that. He has seen his mother butcher smaller game before, but nothing of this caliber. And while hunting was not his favorite pastime, he would not admit to being weak in any subject. Diligent and dedicated, Akito steeled himself for the next comment. No, the pointed order. He honestly had no clue how to even break down such a large creature. Surely it would be no different than a rabbit, right?

Akito hesitates. Glancing around Hattori and the clearing, his brow visibly furrows. How was he to skin a deer without any tools? Surely the Kaicho wasn't expecting him to do such a thing with his horns? Blinking a few times, he then notices how expertly sharp the Kaicho's talons are. Ah, that would make sense. Yet, was this test? Did Hattori expect him to think outside of the box? The pup glances around once more before getting an idea.

Without a word, Akito moves over to a cluster of rocks that sit beneath a fallen log. Grasping in his mouth the most oval-shaped one he can find, he begins to strike the edges of it against the other rocks. It takes a few minutes, but after a while, he is satisfied with the not-quite-so-sharp pointed edge that he could utilize as a knife of sorts. Walking back to the deer, he looks once to Hattori, only to pause to ensure this is what the man wants.

It wasn't an outright test, but Hattori was glad to see the boy rose to the occasion. That he was willing to adapt and didn't need to think about it too hard, didn't stumble and need too much guidance. He supposed in a way he took his claws for granted, didn't really notice them-or his missing toe-till someone pointed it out. Hattori nodded in approval once Akito had put together his little makeshift knife, jagged edges that would cut through flesh and sinew with ease. He wasn't intending to throw the boy in the deep end and watch him struggle, that wasn't entirely fair even if it was his own father who should be teaching him how to do this.

His cousin left a lot to be desired these days, and Víðarr was... A whole other mess he didn't wish to have to deal with.

"Start with the skin, pull it up and cut along the tissue to pull it loose." He told the boy, coming to sit down beside him, the silver of his eyes watching intently.

Something about the way Hattori watched him made him both confident and nervous. He knew he was in good paws with the Kaicho, but he also didn't wish to disappoint the man. To Akito, Hattori was more his father than any other adult male figure in his life. Sad? Possibly, but he would make the best of it. The boy didn't glance up when Hattori spoke. Instead, he trained his monochrome gaze on the deer laying before them. Carefully, he clutches the makeshift knife between his teeth. Using his front paws to steady the doe, he begins to slit the skin along the belly. Starting at the chest and going down to the groin, he sets the knife aside. Leaning back, he uses tender and smooth movements to begin peeling the skin back and away from the body.

Hattori sat quietly as the boy went to work, his brows furrowing slightly when he heard the rustling of grass. The scent of blood often travelled far on the wind and the Kaicho knew it was a very real possibility that their efforts might attract unwanted attention. He said nothing for the moment, letting Akito cut away at the deer, slicing skin, tearing sinew and starting to work at the meat beneath. He stood up then, ears rigid and eyes squinting as he looked at the trees beyond. His nose twitched, taking in the scents that were blowing in from upwind. The creature, whatever it was hadn't yet made its move and was staying put, having gotten as close as it wished to for now. Did it know it had been spotted?


"Careful, we have company."

He was focused on his work. Carefully cutting away at the sinew, pulling away the skin until it lay neatly on the forest floor. Then he set to work on its muscle. Slicing between the parts where it meets so it can be sectioned off. Unlike Hattori, he doesn't notice the scent or the sound. The doe before him is too overwhelming for his senses at the time. He doesn't register it until Hattori is standing, full alert and bristling.

Akito lifts his head, bloodied knife between his lips as his eyes search the shadows. Shifting quickly into defense mode, he leaves his paws atop the doe for the time being, almost hovering over the fresh kill. It's the slight rustle of brush that sends his own fur standing on end. Hattori's hushed tones have him coming to a stand, lurching fully over the doe now to protect what was theirs. "I'll follow your lead," Akito murmurs quietly though he knows that it's not necessary.

Said company was some sort of bear, black of coat and more opportunistic than an outright hunter, it seemed. The jig was up and it thudded out from between the trees, all of their territories were patrolled by the Maze was more secure than most. It was impossible to keep every creature out, things would always trickle though, it was merely a matter of ousting them if need be. Hattori did not think this would turn into an outright fight, if they got the beast running it Nodding at Akito's words, Hattori kicked off into a sprint, paws thudding as he hurtled towards the bear. It made a grunt of alarm, eyes snapping wide.

Focused and determined, Akito waited a moment after Hattori burst forward. He took that moment to assess the scene. Watching the black bear lumber out from the brush into the clearing. The way its eyes napped wide at the sight of Hattori barreling toward it. How the scent of fear lingered from it as it determined if battling the wolf was worth the meal that lay beneath Akito. Seeing his opening, Akito moved forward with a swiftness. His paws drum the ground, his ears fall backward as he drifts off to the side. Let Hattori handle the bear from the front. Flanking the Kaicho, Akito comes up on the side of the bear. Lunging toward the bear's toes, teeth snapping together to make loud clacking noises to try and deter the bear.

The chase was on, the pair rushing alongside the bear as it thundered through the Oaks, letting out a grumbling snarl as if to say: piss off in bear speak. Not that either wolves heeded the warning, nor would they till it was clear of Tojo territory. Hattori snapped, his teeth grazing its shoulder, not to drag it to a stop but to encourage it to move even faster. Except that the bear clearly hadn't been paying too much attention to the uneven ground beneath its paws, roots interwove this way and that, and it was easy to trip if one didn't pay attention. Which was exactly what happened.

The bear took a tumble, its paw swiping out at Hattori who only just barely managed to dip out of the way. He felt the rush of air as it passed, the force of the motion making him stumble as well, his talons digging into the dirt to gain traction to slow him down as smooth as possible. But even then it was still rough, his shoulder aching deep, a reminder of a stubborn injury that hadn't healed well.

Akito would use the forest's uneven terrain to his advantage. As the bear tumbled, swiping at Hattori, Akito pressed forward. Teeth digging into the bear's hind paw to push it out and away from the clearing. Dancing backward, he continued to move around toward the back of the bear. With the bear confused and off balance, he had to take advantage of the precious moments when sharp claws and teeth weren't moving in his direction. Continuing to snap and bite at the bear's legs, he could see the bear become frightened and frustrated. The wolves were formidable foes for the ursine. Letting out a sharp bark, Akito lunges again at the bear, hoping to scare it off.