The Steps of Hunting
12-06-2013, 02:33 PM
The massive trees would make any wolf seem small but they made a lone wolf seem, and feel all the more so as she walked though them. Isabella liked this place, it reminded her of the forest outside of the pack she had joined who had been kind to her. That was until they left her without a trace. For a moment, the fox like wolf's ears fell at the thought of it bu they rose again as she realized showing any signs of her emotions were foolish. Walking on, she stuck close to the trees. In a way they helped her blend in, she fit in with them better than she did with the snow anyway.
"Perhaps I can make a den here, at least to overwinter in. Maybe an old tree can hold me." The thought ran though her mind as she took long graceful strides holing her head up high and her body confident with each step. Her blue optics took in tracks in the snow as she walked, looking up every now and then to make sure there was no obstacle or stranger in her way. This day she was not in the mood to hunt, but rather track. "Learn, track, stalk, pounce, kill."The five steps of hunting she had long since learned ran though her head.
Learn. She had learned all the tracks of tings that lived in forests, deer, rabbit, squirrel, raccoon. There were many tracks in the snow, some of those creatures but she had not come across any tracks that looked recent until now. Pausing she looked at some tracks in front of her. "Five toes in front, long skinny, sign of long nails. Five in back, a larger paw. Raccoon." She thought almost smiling. They were one of her favorite creatures, odd paws, little masks, and they had that habit of washing their food.
Track. Isabella did just that. Lowering her leathery nose to the tracks she took in a faint but clear scent of the creature. Lifting her head she looked at the direction of the tracks, clear by both the paw prints and the snow that was drug forward with each step. The prints were not too far apart, the creature was walking, not running so there was no danger around it. The tracks were also deep so the creature was fat. Already in a hunters stance she moved on, her head low to the ground and her ears back a bit. She moved swift and silently with soft steps that made little noise in the snow.
Stalk. That one was easy. It wasn't long until Isabella found the raccoon, its back to her as it walked though the snow indeed it was fat, so fat it walked with a waddle its ringed tail moving back and forth as it walked. Isabella was fast on its heals, staying far enough away not to be seen and smelled but close enough to watch it. A small smile crept to her face, no doubt if she knew she was smiling she would have let it fade but she did not. For her this was the best part of hunting, following the creature to get to know how it lived, what it was like. This was not a real hunt though by any means. She had no wish to kill the creature, she was not hungry. There wasn't even need to pounce, for now she wanted to follow it, see where it went, what it ate, maybe even if it had a den she could claim. Though Isabella would never admit it to herself, she was having fun by following a raccoon around on this snowy day.
"Perhaps I can make a den here, at least to overwinter in. Maybe an old tree can hold me." The thought ran though her mind as she took long graceful strides holing her head up high and her body confident with each step. Her blue optics took in tracks in the snow as she walked, looking up every now and then to make sure there was no obstacle or stranger in her way. This day she was not in the mood to hunt, but rather track. "Learn, track, stalk, pounce, kill."The five steps of hunting she had long since learned ran though her head.
Learn. She had learned all the tracks of tings that lived in forests, deer, rabbit, squirrel, raccoon. There were many tracks in the snow, some of those creatures but she had not come across any tracks that looked recent until now. Pausing she looked at some tracks in front of her. "Five toes in front, long skinny, sign of long nails. Five in back, a larger paw. Raccoon." She thought almost smiling. They were one of her favorite creatures, odd paws, little masks, and they had that habit of washing their food.
Track. Isabella did just that. Lowering her leathery nose to the tracks she took in a faint but clear scent of the creature. Lifting her head she looked at the direction of the tracks, clear by both the paw prints and the snow that was drug forward with each step. The prints were not too far apart, the creature was walking, not running so there was no danger around it. The tracks were also deep so the creature was fat. Already in a hunters stance she moved on, her head low to the ground and her ears back a bit. She moved swift and silently with soft steps that made little noise in the snow.
Stalk. That one was easy. It wasn't long until Isabella found the raccoon, its back to her as it walked though the snow indeed it was fat, so fat it walked with a waddle its ringed tail moving back and forth as it walked. Isabella was fast on its heals, staying far enough away not to be seen and smelled but close enough to watch it. A small smile crept to her face, no doubt if she knew she was smiling she would have let it fade but she did not. For her this was the best part of hunting, following the creature to get to know how it lived, what it was like. This was not a real hunt though by any means. She had no wish to kill the creature, she was not hungry. There wasn't even need to pounce, for now she wanted to follow it, see where it went, what it ate, maybe even if it had a den she could claim. Though Isabella would never admit it to herself, she was having fun by following a raccoon around on this snowy day.