Princess Kiyohime was much more certain about her mismatched paws these days than the day that she met Remus. She couldn’t remember the last time she fell or tripped while she was with him, and her increase in skill gave an increase in self confidence. Self confidence gave rise to determination. She told her fiance about the little desert foxes she glanced here in the cool windswept tunnels. The had huge ears and adorable little noses, and Ike wanted one. So she brought Remus along to be an extra pair of eyes. The evening was coming on, and she knew the little creatures would be more active at night. "Let me know if you see something,” Ike whispered as she padded softly through the carved landscape.

"Kiyohime Shuriken Oritsu Klein"

Remus padded quietly alongside Ike, ruby and emerald gaze scanning the rocky landscape around them as they went out on their search. The foxes his new fiancée was after were familiar to him as well, having spotted them several times on his many trips in and around the Redwater Rocks, but he was much less of a hunter than Ike was so all he could really hope to be on her search was an extra set of eyes and a companion. At the very least he was familiar with the lands and knew which areas he had seen them in before. Mapping out the canyon had been one of his first priorities after they moved here so that would give them some kind of advantage. When she whispered to tell him to let her know if he saw anything, he nodded and continued on quietly for a while, making sure to keep his steps as soft as possible. The huge ears on those foxes were bound to hear them one way or another if they weren't careful. A bit of movement out of the corner of his eye drew his attention and he paused mid step, turning his head to look toward an area of the rocks that was dotted with indentations and holes. He gently nudged her shoulder and nodded his head toward the spot in question, raising his brow with a silent question to see if she wanted to get a closer look.

"Remus Armada"

She knew that Remus wouldn’t often give up on time by her side, and this little fox hunt was no different. He was right on her trail, keeping his pawsteps careful as they moved in near silence through the red caves. She went to drop her ivory paw onto the sand when she felt Remus nudge her gently, and her dual toned eyes moved with careful slow motion. She didn’t immediately see any foxes where he pointed, but she would carefully lead them forward. Stalking carefully and taking what cover she could in the meager shrubbery.

Her own mismatched ears perked forward, attentive, but she couldn’t hope to hear the sound of fox paws on sand. They were built too well for their environment. Ike hunkered down in the greenery, watching carefully as she saw motion in the darkness, the hint of life in the little cavern.

"Kiyohime Shuriken Oritsu Klein"

Ike followed his suggestion and continued to take the lead as they moved toward what little cover there was out here in the arid climate. Their paws moved nearly silently and he was grateful for the sand that coated the terrain, giving their steps a bit of cushion as they went so that their claws wouldn't click against the stone. Instead there was only the quiet, shifting sound of sand that was almost impossible to hear over the sound of the constant breeze that blew through this area and swept against the rocks. Still, he had a feeling that these foxes might still be able to hear them no matter what they did, but he hoped it would at least decrease their chances of getting caught. He hunkered down behind the shrubbery behind Ike, keeping his eyes peeled as well and hoping that he hadn't imagined the movement he had spotted. The night was quiet while they waited, keeping his breathing slow and steady while his two-toned gaze glanced from one possible fox den to another. Finally, after a while, he saw a bit of movement emerging from the deep shadow of the shallow cave, making his ears perk and he eagerly watched as he waited to see if they were going to get lucky on their search.

"Remus Armada"

Remus was right at her side as they stalked forward, and he hunkered down over her shoulder, remaining just as still so they wouldn’t frighten her potential prey. Ike wasn’t so sure what she was going to do with this fox once she caught it, but this felt more like a test of her skill than anything else. If she could catch the small predator it was proof of her mastery over her hunting skill.

Her patience would be rewarded, her attention was caught when the fox carefully stepped out into the open. The dim moonlight fell on its sandy pelt as tiny noiseless paws carried it over the sand and in search of the bugs and smaller animals it ate. It was both predator and prey animal, and would be wary of her if she showed herself so Ike remained still while the tiny fox scurried down the tunnel towards her.

Working on her honed instincts, Shuriken waited to move until the very last moment. When she did finally shift her movement was fluid and graceful. Her mind finally had full control of her body and the whole of her was able to work in sync. Like lightning she struck, wrapping her taloned toes around the frantic fox as she took it completely off guard.

"Ah ha!” Ike uttered in triumph, this wasn’t just as grabbing of a fox, this was a moment where she could finally prove herself, to herself.

"Kiyohime Shuriken Oritsu Klein"