Hippity Hoppity

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"