Balthier had offered to go up north to Boreas since The Long Night had taken over them and caused a strain in both the prey and herb supplies. He was moderately fluent in herb collecting too, so if he found anything valuable he would add that to his collection as well.

Balthier collected his supplies before heading out into the forest and finding a decent area to start digging a pit. He placed his net and weights to the side, deciding to dig the pit between two trees so that the prey wouldn't be able to accidentally avoid it so easily. At this point in his life he was much stronger and used to the more strenuous activity of hunting and creating the traps.

"Balthier"

heading north as summer began to rear its head, he wondered if there would be any cooler areas up here. keeping his pace at a quick trot, he hummed quietly under his breath. often, he would miss his brother's company since before arriving here, they hadn't spent many days apart. kuroo hoped to get used to it soon as they were on a mission. letting out a huff of breath as his coat warmed under the hot sun, his attention caught on the sound of paws digging into the dirt. looking out ahead of him, somewhere between some trees, a wolf with yellow markings appeared busy. curious as he seemed to always be, he felt no intimidation approaching the similarly sized wolf. smiling gently, he let out a quiet chuff as he eyed the pit the wolf was digging. "four paws do make for easier work," kuroo commented as his pale gaze looked up to the wolf. "care for some help?" the friendly smile on his lips was a sign that he meant no harm.

Balthier was distracted from his work as someone approached him but didn't seem to mean any harm and in fact asked to help. "Sure, thank you." He responded, his eyes looking at the ground for the dimensions of the pit, "If you can start at that tree over there, we can meet in the middle." Balthier started to dig again at the pit, trying to work diligently and hopefully get the hard part over with. Chasing the prey would be much easier. "I'm Balthier by the way." He started in general conversation. He wasn't sure if he would ever meet the wolf again, but Balthier wasn't a harsh wolf by any means. And he did appreciate the help of course.

"Balthier"

he was glad that the other wolf had agreed to let him help. his tail wagged even more in excitement as the yellow-painted boy explained what to do. glancing around the area in which they were going to dig, he nodded. "you got it boss!" kuroo chirped with a wink of his eye before hopping over to the corner he was pointed to. as he began to dig into the dirt with some enthusiasm, his gaze lifted up. "balthier, cool," his accented tongue tried to wrap around the name, it would come easier next time. "i'm shima kuroo, but kuroo is preferred," he offered back as his paws continued to dig more of the pit.

Balthier nodded as he introduced himself as well. He wasn't sure if he would meet the brute again, but he always aimed to leave a good impression. At least the male seemed to have the same gentle attitude as well.

Once they were done digging the pit, just deep enough so that when the prey fell in they would most likely break their legs, he climbed out and moved toward the net that he was going to place over top of the pit. "Can you grab this side?" Balthier asked before pulling the net fully over the pit. He tossed over a couple stones so that Kuroo could weight the net down so it wouldn't fall down into the hole, "Just put these along the sides. I'm going to do find some brush. We just need to cover the net with some dirt and leaves to try and conceal it."

"Balthier"

digging the pit would take some work as kuroo felt sweat line beneath his coat. panting quietly as his paws helped finish digging out the dirt, he lifted his head as balthier hopped out. following suit, kuroo stood at the edge to admire their handy work. as balthier tossed part a few rocks in his direction, kuroo slid over the corners on his side so that they firmly held the netting in place over the hole. "i can put some dirt over it while you get the brush," he replied with another wag of his tail. turning round to look at the pile of dirt they'd dug out, he began to carefully put it back over the net so that it jus concealed it enough.

Balthier nodded as Kuroo said he would finish off the coverage while he went and found some brush to put over top as well. When he returned he put the finishing touches on the camouflage and stepped back to silently and quickly admire the work they had done.

"Come on." Balthier mentioned with a smile, heading off into the woods and tracking their prey for their meals. As he walked quietly through the trees, he listened and smelled for prey in the area. He knew there had to be some around, they just had to find them. The scent of hogs came across his nose, and he started to lightly trot in the direction of the group of pigs. He hoped his partner had the same idea.

"Balthier"

thankfully, it wouldn't take long for balthier to return with enough coverage for the pit. waiting patiently until the other male had covered it sufficiently, he made his way around the hidden trap until he was side by side with him. looking out into the forest ahead of them, he admired the weeping willows for a moment. the way the branches swung lazily in the breeze was soothing. but now they had some real work to do. picking up a trot, he let his ears and nose guide his way. it wasn't much longer before his own nose picked up the scent of hogs. casting balthier a sideways glance, he smirked a bit before breaking off their trail to head around the other side. keeping his steps quiet, he stayed in line with balthier until they had come close enough to see the small group of hogs. knowing that they needed to guide the group toward the trap, kuroo made his way around the far side until he was behind them. giving balthier one more look, he waited until the other male gave the signal before jumping into action.

Balthier was thrilled to see Kuroo on the move, he seemed like a well traveled hunter and that only made their task easier. He watched as the brute went to move around the herd of hogs, and noticed as he was keen to keep an eye on Balthier too.

They got into position so they would run their prey into the trap, Balthier looking in the direction of Kuroo and seeing that they were in to same mind set. With a nod, he jumped forward out of the brush and started to drive the hogs towards their trap. He was sure Kuroo wouldn't be far behind him.

"Balthier"

adrenaline spiked through him as his gaze met balthier's. his muscles twitched, eager to get going, as he waited for the other to get into place. just up ahead, the herd of hogs snuffled in the dirt and minded their own business. for now at least. smirking to himself, he nodded in agreement as balthier sprung forward toward the herds. quickly following suit, kuroo burst forward and began driving the hogs on his own side. careful not to get too close or far ahead, he nipped lightly at their heels as they squealed loudly. darting back and forth when one would try to break away, he was glad they did a decent job keeping the group together as they drew closer toward the hiding trap.

Balthier couldn't deny having fun along with the stranger, which wasn't completely out of character for him. It did make him think of his days in Abaven, doing his first real hunts with Corvus. He had many dreams and aspirations back in those days, and they seemed more limited today now that he was older and away from home.

He and Kuroo drove the hogs towards their trap, Balthier stuck to the back and kept note of his partner's own position while also keeping the herd in line on his side. Soon they made it to the pit, and the first few of the hogs fell right through the camouflaged ground while the ones in the back saw the hint and ended up leaping over the the hole. That was fine though, and with four kills he was happy to offer Kuroo a full hog to take home.

"Balthier"

with his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth as he nipped at the heels of the hogs, kuroo wouldn't deny he was having fun. it had been awhile since he'd made a good chase after some prey. quickly, he and balthier made their way back toward the pit. as they closed in on it, he drove them on a bit quicker in hopes they wouldn't notice the hole laying hidden beneath the debris. a moment later, the first four at the head of the group stumbled in. squeals erupted into the air to alert the rest of the herd. not as stupid as kuroo thought they were, he watched the rest leap over or dodge around it. panting loudly, he skidded to a halt before he too landed in it. looking down at their catch, he beamed proudly. "not too bad," he commented as he looked over to balthier. "these four are pretty good in size too. just gotta get them out and end their misery," the smile on his face wasn't cruel, but confident.