The Woods Are Lovely, Dark, And Deep...

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"