Can you hear me calling, calling?

Qanik genuinely smiled to see Misha so enthusiastic. "We'll work on strengthening your running, since you enjoy it so much, and it will be important for you." She was beginning to formulate something of a plan in her mind now, getting an idea of what the girl might excel at. "As to tracking, it involves following the scent and trace of animals over the land. Wolves or prey animals or larger predators, the technique is all the same. I'm afraid I've never been much good at it myself but for those with the nose and eyes for it tracking can be an incredibly useful skill."

She passed an evaluating eye over Misha with thoughtful hum. "I would like you to work on practicing hunting for small game. I'm not concerned with you bringing in enough to feed the pack, and I've no intention of making you a hunter, but it will help me teach you to move silently through the forest - an important skill. I'm also going to work with you to teach you enough fighting skills to defend yourself if you're ever in trouble outside of the borders where we wouldn't be able to reach you, or to defend pups in the den if it ever comes to that, though again I'm not trying to make a warrior out of you. Just enough to keep you safe. What I have in mind for you," she added slowly as she thought out loud, "is more along the lines of a scout and a runner. Patrolling the border, maybe, and if you find trouble to get to a safe distance and call in the warriors, or calling for Roman or myself if you find a loner wishing to join. Or scouting ahead for prey during a hunt if you do well in tracking, so that you can still help without needing to actively join in the hunt." She cocked her head to the side, still watching Misha. "Would you feel comfortable with that? We could work out the details as we get a better idea of what you're best at, but if you're able to do either of those things, it would take a lot of the burden off our family."

She hoped Misha would seriously consider it, but if she wasn't comfortable Qanik would keep thinking about it... though she was still going to find some way to push Misha to learn self-defense. She'd seen too many young girls hurt because they wouldn't learn the skills needed to protect themselves, who found themselves in a bad situation and could do nothing to stop it.



speech.