Don't Put That On The Menu

Azzurra dug away at the pit with Balthier for the trap they were constructing, her small, pale paws working at the dirt as well as she could. While the worst of her illness had passed, there were still days where she felt weaker than others and she didn't know if she'd ever be able to match Balthier in his strength or stamina. She tried to not be too hard on herself when she couldn't keep up with him on certain things or when she had to take breaks more frequently, but it was difficult sometimes to not feel hopeless. Balth always had a way of making her feel as if her effort was more than enough and that was all the encouragement she needed to keep trying. She hadn't really considered trying to be a hunter like him until after they left Abaven, but since it was just the two of them now she really wanted to have something that could be more helpful to Balthier than just weaving ropes and keeping him company. She felt bad whenever he came home with meals for them and she hadn't been able to contribute to them. She was just grateful that her brother was so incredibly patient with her and so willing to show her how to do these things even if she had to struggle through certain parts of it.

Once their pit was dug, she climbed out of the hole with his help and gave herself a quick shake to get off some of the dirt that had clung to her pale fur and then turned to face him again, waiting for him to climb out as well. She took the edge of the net that he offered and helped him pull it across the top of the hole they had dug. She made sure to pay close attention to everything he was doing and how they were setting this all up since she imagined that if she was ever to hunt on her own she'd have to do it with a trap like this. The only things she could think of hunting on her own were things like rabbits or squirrels—something that wouldn't take a lot of muscle or heft to bring down. Anything larger than those she'd probably have to utilize something like this to make it possible for her to do. She nodded in agreement when he mentioned how they would need to cover it with some leaves and brush. That was fairly obvious given the very open, holed nature of the net, but she didn't mind the direction. She was enjoying learning from Balthier and it just felt like part of the lesson.

She followed his lead, pulling some branches and leaves from the near by bushes as well, but mostly gathering up the ones he pulled off and placing them around the net they had set up. She noticed how he didn't put any of the larger branches across the middle so she did the same, keeping those around the edges to camouflage their trap and only tossing a scattering of leaves over the middle. When he poked her hip she lifted her gaze to look at him, a little smile pulling across her lips and nodding as she turned to follow him. She would happily follow him to the ends of the earth and learn whatever he wanted to show her. If it hadn't been hunting and he wanted to show her some kind of fighting move or navigation technique or whatever it was that he wanted to teach her she would have happily soaked it up like a sponge simply because he was teaching it and she just enjoyed spending time with him.

Azzurra did her best to mimic what he was doing, trying to find scents on the air and keeping an eye out for any tracks or signs of other wildlife that they could direct toward their trap. He looked like a natural at it all and she felt awkward attempting to be like him, but she tried none of the less. When he asked what she saw she struggled to give an answer at first, but then her sapphire gaze landed on some tracks that some animal left in a patch of mud near one of the many streams that wound through the willow tree forest. She pointed them out with a nod, saying quietly, "There's some tracks!" She couldn't immediately identify what kind of animal it was, but it definitely wasn't a paw print from a wolf or some other predator so she knew it had to be something along the lines of what they were looking for. She looked to her brother for more direction, her short tail wiggling happily.

WC: 792
Total: 1199/1500

"Azzurra"