a squirrel dashes across her field of vision, so quick she almost misses it - almost. she's got finely honed instincts, after all, and it takes more than a simple critter to outsmart a hunter as experienced as herself. baring her teeth, El drops to her knees and creeps through the grass, eyes fixed on her quarry. it has its back to her now, blissfully unaware of her approach. no matter, its ignorance will be its downfall. several more steps place her in the perfect position for an attack, and after a moment to catch her bearings she launches herself into the air, grinning as her paws come down hard. her prey crinkles loudly, and with little puppy growls El shreds her quarry, smirking to herself as it folds easily beneath her ministrations. stepping back, El surveys her work with a smug nod. the 'squirrel' lays dead at her feet, its green, leafy pieces scattered across the grass. but she wouldn't rest here. scanning the territory, her eyes land on a clump of nearby moss that looks suspiciously like a sparrow... "Speech"

With so many children it was difficult to keep eyes on all of them, especially when you only had one working eye, but Chimera tried. When one would wander further than the rest, he would make his way there to ensure their safety. Sweet little Elara had wandered away from the group and the giant man followed. He didn't stop the girl from her fun, following at a distance.

Hunting play, Chimera noted. And then he had an idea. If Elara really wanted to hunt, he would supply her with that experience. He didn't go too far, but the black and white giant cut away from the girl. It didn't take him long to find one of the many rabbits that called the lake home. He caught it, snapping one back leg with ease. The rabbit screamed, but he muffled its calls. With the live rabbit between his jaws, Chi made his way back to his daughter.

A normal parent would think that an act like this had the possibility of scarring a child, but Chimera was no normal parent. The sooner that they learned to kill, the more prepared they would be for life's dangers.

As Elara dove at a pile of moss, Chimera deposited the struggling rabbit beside her. It still had a lot of fight in it, but it was lacking its natural speed, being reduced to three legs. "I thought you might enjoy some actual prey, sweet one." What she would do was yet to be seen, but Chi was there to help her if she needed pointers.

"Chimera Klein"

a thump draws her attention from her previous ‘prey’ and El stares down at the struggling rabbit in wonder, delighted by this gift. her eyes lift to Chimera’s, practically glittering with youthful excitement and a deep, reverential respect. “Daddy!” she squeals, rushing to envelope him in a bone-crushing hug. of all her family Chimera is definitely her favourite, the one she always looks to for queues and advice. when i grow up, i wanna be just like you. the rabbit gives a pained shriek, alerting El to its presence. grinning sharply, she stalks up on the rabbit as though it’s real prey, relishing the way it’s eyes move frantically from side to side in an attempt to keep the predators in its eyesight. gathering force in her hind legs, El pounces forward and slams her forepaws down on its neck, claws tearing through sinew and flesh. blood pulls from around her claws, and she sinks her teeth into its neck, tearing and growling and shaking her head as though playing with a chew toy. the rabbit falls still a few moments later, it’s eyes gazing dull and unseeing at the sky. El steps back and licks the blood from her pelt, her pale coat covered in gore. it had truly been a messy kill, void of grace and technique. “like that, Daddy?” she asks hopefully, directing the question at her father. in this moment, his approval means everything to her. "Speech"

The behemoth's pink eye watches as his daughter rushes him, choosing to give him a hug first instead of instantly attacking her prey. Chimera licked the top of his daughters head, giving a rumbling chuckle. Oh, how he adored his children. He was glad that most of the brood seemed to love him too. Some were a little more standoffish, which he could understand. He'd been that way as a child. Elara though, she wasn't like that in the slightest and gave her affections freely.

After hugging her father, the girl went back to the rabbit. Chi watched as she pretended to stalk, then pounced and ripped the rabbit to shreds. There was zero finesse and she'd made much more of a mess than necessary, but she was proud, so he was proud.

Flopping down onto his stomach, Chimera used his big paws to pull Elara in close. He proceeded to clean the girl, licking the blood and gore from her pale coat. "Not bad for a first kill, but we'll have to practice more," he told her in between licks. "What if you wanted to keep that rabbit fur to make something out of? It would have holes in it, wouldn't it?" he engaged the girl in conversation. "What do you think that you could do next time to be an even better huntress?" Chimera wanted to see the gears rumble in her mind.

"Speech"

El giggles as she’s drawn into her father’s lap, wiggling while his tongue laps up the blood splatter from her kill. she relishes his attention, basking in his care and thoughtfulness. for a moment, she secretly wishes it could be like this more often - less littermates clambering around and soaking up all his time. aren’t things just so perfect when it’s only the two of them? she pauses at Chi’s questions, giving his words careful thought. she wants to get the answers just right. her gaze shifts to the bloody clump of fur that’d been her prey, considering it’s ruined pelt. yeah, it definitely isn’t salvageable. but if she’d wanted to preserve it… “welll…you can’t really use its brains for much,” El begins, “so if you hit on the head, you can salvage it’s pelt without making everything all icky.” in any one else’ presence she’d stick her nose in the air and dare them to challenge her, but…but this is her father. the only one she’d probably ever feel comfortable being vulnerable in front of. so the Klein girl peers uncertainly back at Chi from over her shoulder, searching his face for that approval she so desperately hungers for. “is…is that right?” "Speech"

Chimera listened to Elara go through her thought process on what would be the best way to kill a rabbit to save the skin. Her observation about a rabbits brain made the brute chuckle. She suggested a knock on the head and Chi countered, "Ah, but you need what's inside that head to process the hide." Brains were mashed and added to other things before being rubbed repeatedly into the dried hide.

"How can you catch a rabbit and not harm the hide. Think about it. If you can't catch and bite your prey, then..." He was setting the girl up, leading her towards the answer of setting a trap. If one couldn't mangle their prey, a trap like a snare or a cage drop were ideal. He wanted Elara to think about her answer though.

"Speech"