She had spent probably, like, a year preparing for this. You haven't been alive for a year. Idiot. Fable ignored her (frankly) very hurtful inner monologue and continued on her short, brisk walk. Today was the day! The Big Day! The Big One! Fable kept hyping herself up as she strode from the quiet family den area towards the cliffs. Last time they'd gone on a walk around this area, she'd witnessed something that had inspired the plot for her first Big Solo Hunt. It had been a chilly morning, but she was used to the cold by now. They'd been born during the great winter and had weathered it just fine. In fact, the idea of it being sunny and hot seemed like a complete myth, but she was giving her parents the polite benefit of the doubt. She'd believe it when she felt the sun beating down on her.

Anyway! Back on track. The last time she'd been to the cliffs, she'd spied a small herd of deer grazing extremely close to the perilous edge. The wary deer had kept half an eye on them until they'd been ushered further along. Fable hadn't been able to get the image out of her head: they were just so close to the edge. One wolf - unless they were like, a complete expert and totally legendary hunter - often had trouble separating out a single target from a herd like that. But what if she managed to spook them just enough to slip over the edge? The fall was almost definitely lethal; her parents had warned her time and time again to keep away from the edge of the cliffs. Fontamo Bay roared far below. It was a rocky beach for quite a stretch before petering out into soft sand. Definitely not a soft landing.

If she thought about it for too long the whole situation made her a bit queasy. Sure, she'd caught plenty of fish. Trapped tons of rabbits. A squirrel, here and there, but they were fast little buggers. Deceptively difficult to catch. Even if you could manage to get on top of one, they always seemed to be close to a tree where they could escape beyond her reach. Thinking about squirrels made her mad, anyway. They tasted like garbage. Stringy and flavorless. Pushing squirrels out of her head, Fable refocused on the mission at hand. As she crept towards the edges of the plains that met the wide open grass before the cliffs dropped down to the ocean, what she saw almost made her turn back. It wasn't a group of deer, still stringy and weak from the long winter. It was a single lone badger. Sometimes they made their way through the Serpent Plains heading north towards the craggy steppes and Rock Garden before passing further afield. What was it doing down here?

Fable gulped, realizing she fully had stopped breathing for a good thirty seconds. He was scary. She'd seen how fast they could go when they really set their minds to it, but she'd never been quite this close. He was by himself, rooting around in the grass grazing quietly. At least it was just one badger. With one well-placed head butt, he could probably launch her completely over the side of the cliff without breaking a sweat. Like she was nothing more than an annoying little fly.

Guh. I'm gonna puke. Completely puke. Fable screwed her eyes up tight and tried to stop her heart from racing. Just because her prey had changed a little didn't mean her plan should. Right? The basics were still the same. Stay under cover, low to the ground, be quick about it, and herd him right towards the edge. She just had to remain completely unseen right up until the pivotal moment or... he'd charge right for her, and she'd be a goner. But she was faster, right? And smaller. Easy enough to dodge and weave if she kept her wits about her. Fable took a deep, deep breath and opened her eyes wide until the air stung them and she was forced to blink a few times in rapid succession. I can totally do this. Steadying herself, she dropped into a hunter's crouch and began weaving through the tall autumn grasses towards the nasty badger.

She had to stay downwind. If she stayed downwind, everything would be fine. The breeze worked in favor as she closed in on him, blowing up from across the ocean. Salty air stung her nose and Fable lowered herself further into the grass. She crept closer, closer...

All at once the wind shifted. A stiff gust came from across the plains behind her, rustling the grasses and scrubby bushes, bringing her scent right to the badger's nostrils. He shifted at once, planting all four paws and facing Fable's direction. The badger could smell her, it just couldn't see her. She let out a soft breath of thanks and winnowed just a little bit closer. The badger huffed threateningly in her general direction before bellowing. He reared back slightly on his hind legs to get traction for a full charge - and a brief look of surprise crossed its face. Something indeterminable flashed in his eyes as the cliff behind him began to crumble from the sudden shift of his weight. All at once the cliff gave way behind him.

The badger staggered and slipped backwards, front claws violently gouging the ground as he fought for purchase. It was too late. Loose stones and rocky soil finally gave way and the front half of his body fully hit the soil with a sickening thud as he slid over the cliff's edge. Fable's head shot up from where she had hidden, her eyes wide. Yes, she'd hoped it would work... but part of her still hadn't expected it to be a success. She blinked and the badger finally went over the edge completely. A sickening thud was heard from the beach far below and a small group of seagulls screamed out, flying out from where they had roosted on the cliffside. They soared up, up into the sky and disappeared.

She finally caught her breath, her heart beating so quickly and heavily in her chest that she thought she'd break a rib. Fable headed towards the scrubby, wall-travelled trail that led down to the beach below, her paw steps quick and sure. She'd have to see this thing dead to believe she'd really done it. The young huntress picked her way carefully down the pathway. Beach grass grew along either side of it, the roots gripping so tightly to the cliffside that the path remained intact year-round. Once she hit the beach, she was stunned by the sight of it: the great badger, its legs twisted at unnatural angles. Blood leaked onto the sand but she wasn't sure where it was coming from. Carefully, she walked a wide circle around her prey. There it was - he'd crashed onto a craggy, sharp rock and it had pierced right through his ribs. Dead on impact. Fable sat dumbly in front of the once powerful creature. "Wow," she murmured under her breath. "I really did it."


TWC: 1,199

Mæva was originally planning on just traveling but eventually hunger got the better of her. She strolled along the beach, wondering how hard it would be to catch a fish in this area. She already gathered that it would be difficult to catch them in the rolling waves that swooped in but perhaps she could snag something in one of the tide pools. Mæva wandered along the rockier part of the beach and over to one of the tide pools where a number of fish, urchins and crabs were living. Her ears flicked forward as she examined the fish, wondering if any of them were edible. Mæva was really more of a deer hunter and had little experience in fishing but it was something she enjoyed as an activity.

A sudden thud caught her attention and she turned to stare back toward the cliffs. A splash of blood caught her attention and she realized it was a badger. Not long after came Fable. "Hey there! That's an… interesting prey choice."

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn was spending her autumn exploring the east and marveling at the beauty of the changing trees. After nearly stepping over a cliff she course corrected and found a path leading down to a beach. The beach wasn't the only thing to catch her attention. She saw a young woman and a yearling. Oh good company! Jynn headed toward the duo but was so focused on her destination she failed to watch where she was placing her paws. One bad step and she tumbled into a large tide pool. Jynn surged out of the water and back onto the rocks, shaking her coat out while she cursed. Just her luck to find the one giant tide pool on the whole beach.

"Oh, hello Maeva!" Fable replied, turning at the sound of the female's voice. She was a new hunter in Abaven that Theory had introduced her to briefly - she had been meaning to pick her brain! "Well, I had been scouting the cliffs and it was usually deer grazing. I guess I got lucky - or unlucky? - this time," she admitted bashfully. The badger meat would likely be tough and stringy. Maybe she could cook it down for a long while, but she'd need to scrounge for a pot. Fable wanted to create some of her own earthenware instead of always borrowing it, but she wasn't sure if she trusted her skills enough to take a crack at it. Just as she opened her mouth to speak again, a great splash sounded further down the shore.

"Ah! Are you alright?" she called, her ears flattening briefly against her head. The edges of those tide pools were deceptively slippery! Fable had learned that difficult and wet lesson already. Shooting Maeva a look to beckon her along, Fable trotted over towards where Jynn was wringing herself out. She wasn't an Abaven face, but Fable supposed they weren't in Abaven either. "Hi there, what brings you to the beach? I'm Fable!"

Mæva didn't have much of a chance to reply before a splash and a yell diverted her attention to the tall, lanky wolf that was crawling out of one of the larger tide pools. She looked dreadful soaking wet. Mæva trotted along after Fable, her attention shifting to the tide pool as it became clear the older woman was doing ok and wasn't seriously injured. The tide pool was good sized and she spied a number of fish and creatures down in the pool. A foot long gunnel fish caught her attention and she crouched on the edge of the pool, her attention turning back to the other two as she picked up introductions. "And I'm Mæva. I think there may be some fish in here worth catching if either of you are hungry. The long eel-like fish swam about the pool, moving far quicker than she was. Mæva opted to slowly ease herself into the pool.

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn was pretty embarrassed by her fall but there was nothing she could do about it now. She stood and shook off her coat, sending a spray of water throughout the air before she answered the yearling. "Yea, I'm ok. That'll teach me to watch where I'm going. Name's Jynn and I'm just out exploring. I've seen the top of this cliff, thought I'd take a closer look at the bottom." That was the great thing about exploring. She could visit these places dozens of times and still find something new each trip. The older girl introduced herself as Mæva and stated that there were some interesting fish. Jynn's large ears perked right up at the sound of food. "Oh? Oh weird, those are kind of funny looking fish but I am pretty hungry."

Fable's tail stood straight up in attention when Maeva mentioned fishing. "Nice to meet you, Jynn!" she chirped, but her rapt attention was on the shallow pool. Tide pool hunting felt easy and simple - but there had to be a trick to it. There was a secret to it. Had to be. "Theory told me you were a really good hunter," Fable said bashfully. "Would you teach me some tricks?" Her ears flicked back and forth as she observed Maeva slink on in to the tide pool. The long, fierce fish was winding circles inside of the ocean water. A hushed silence fell over the trio for a moment until Fable broke it again. "Are you part of a pack, Jynn? You smell like... everywhere," Fable gave her a shy grin. She was still learning the names of the different packs throughout Boreas - it didn't help that it seemed like they were ever-changing. A rumor of dissent in the north had never taken place, their most trusted ally was Valhalla and they were very far away... it was all enough to make her head spin.

Mæva felt a little bit of embarrassment as Fable asked if she could teach the girl some tricks. "Well, if we were hunting birds or deer I certainly could but I have to be honest I'm not much of a fisherwoman. I'm still learning the best ways to fish. But I can show you what I do. I like to get either right to the edge of the water or even in it them hold very still so the fish think I'm a plant or something." Mæva moved to demonstrate by slipping quietly into to water. She moved slowly and carefully so as not to disturb the fish and also so that she could make sure she didn't step on a sea urchin or something else dangerous. "You two are welcome to join me. Once the fish start getting braver I'll try and grab one in my jaws. She brought her face slowly to the surface and waited. When one of the eel-fish swam bite she darted her head into the water and seized it in her jaws. She could feel it starting to wriggle out so she leapt up onto the beach and quickly repositioned her mouth before pinning it under her paws. "Like that. You two want to try?"

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn settled by the edge of the tide pool as the older Abaven wolf slinked into the water. She turned her attention to Fable and grinned. "Nope, I'm a loner and explorer. I'm trying to explore as much of Boreas as I can right now." Now that she'd finally seen all of Auster it was the northern land that was next on her list. She turned her attention back to Mæva as the woman explained her strategy. There was a stretch of silence until the young wolf caught a fish and went leaping out of the water. Jynn chuckled. "I'd be willing to give it a try but you've caused quite a disturbance. I wonder if it will work again." Jynn didn't know much about fishing or the intelligence of fish but she wasn't averse to water. She slowly stepped into the tide pool, her long legs making that part easier. Ok… now they just had to wait?

"Oh! Okay, okay. I've got it," she replied eagerly, her tail wagging. Maeva sounded like she knew what she was talking about, even if she was a bit bashful. She filed away her comment about bird and deer hunting for a future lesson. Birds sounded delightful, but difficult to trap and catch. After all, they just had to fly away! Surely there was a trick to it - like all hunting, you probably just had to be quicker. And smarter. She resisted the urge to woop with glee at Maeva's successful demonstration. Fish could probably hear, especially in water as shallow as this. Fable crept towards the edge of the tidepool to wait. "Oh," she began at a whisper, motioning towards Jynn, "that sounds incredible. How much of it have you seen?" Maybe if she kept whispering the fish wouldn't hear her. "What's your favorite place you've seen so far?"

ooc: you can skip Mæva for now!

Come down, come down sweet reverence

Jynn's nose was almost touching the water as she watched the fish swimming around, growing more and more brave around her legs. When one neared she thrust her long neck and narrow muzzle into the water and snapped her jaws solidly over a fish. With a push from her long legs she bounded onto the shore and crushed the gills of her prey. Now that she thought about it she was designed half way decently for fishing. Maybe she ought to give more of this a try.

She grinned at Fable. "I'm seen all of the east and most of the south. A few northern and western territories here and there as well. It's really hard to pick a favorite. I do like the Silver Island and Firefly Lake quite a bit but… ohhh the Orchard and, well, there's just so many!"