Leaf had been unusual among her siblings as far as what she wanted to learn to do, with an interest in growing crops that Corbie would willingly nourish, but didn't know enough about herself to actively teach. There were specific crops that she wanted to encourage the youth to grow amongst the others Leaf might decide on, that would be useful for brewing new alcoholic trade beverages, but otherwise she'd need to pass that skill off to someone else to help the girl with. Still, she wanted to spend time with each of the youths to really get to know them better as they began their apprenticeships, and Leaf had also expressed an interest in hunting small game, which Corbie certainly could help with. With that in mind, she'd collected what she needed, laid out some rawhide ground cloths for comfort to protect them from the wet spring ground, then called for Leaf to join her in the orchard.

The weather was dreary and far cooler than one might expect for middle of spring but all the same the arrival of the season had Leaf in high spirits. The yearling had spent much of her day on a stroll through the range, keeping an eye on the livestock that Avalon kept. She was sure they were thankful for the grass, though with how often it had been raining, she was sure that they would be back in the barn well before nightfall. For the better, Leaf thought. The new lambs didn’t have wool that was as thick as the adults, and if they got soaked they could get sick for sure. They were so cute beside their mothers, bleating and running around to play. Leaf found herself smiling as she watched them. The sheep deserved their respect and protection. They were more than just prey, as Corbie had said. Speaking of Corbie… a call from her alpha came for her. Leaf’s ears perked, her smile slipping into a thoughtful frown. Corbie had said that she was going to meet with each of her siblings in turn, and apparently it was her turn now. The girl would turn away from the pastures and set off for the orchard at once, tail swishing behind her as she went to see what her meeting with the alpha would hold for her. Leaf found Corbie sitting upon some rawhide and waiting for her. The girl’s smile found its way back to her face as she approached the older she wolf. With a tip of her head the yearling took a seat upon the hide herself. “Corbie.” She greets the alpha with a small tip of her head. “Not the best weather this spring, huh?” A soft chuckle leaves her lips. Despite the comment it is clear by her tone and demeanor that Leaf doesn’t mind the wet weather. Rain was necessary for things to grow, for all life to continue existing. The seasons would balance themselves out. "Speech," 'Thought.'

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The young wolf was quick to answer her call, so Corbie was not left waiting long. She chuckled ruefully at Leaf's words though. "It's been a bit dreary, that's for sure," she said with a chuckle. "Rain is a necessary thing, but this constant wet can rot the roots of crops and cause fungal growths in plants and animals alike, and the constant wet ground isn't good for sheep hooves. But all things pass in time, so will the rain and things will dry out again." She beckoned Leaf to come look at what she had set out - sturdy green limbs and strips of rawhide. "Now, I was thinking I could show you how to set snares - the best way to catch small game that threaten crops."

Leaf furrowed her brow as Corbie said that while rain was necessary, it could be harmful too. Fungal growths in plants wouldn’t be too good, and it wouldn’t be good for the sheep either. But they would get through it, and in time the ground would dry out again. The alpha was quick to gesture at what she had laid out for their task today, and the girl let her gaze travel over the items. Green limbs, sturdy and a bit bendable, as well as strips of hide. “Snares, huh?” She lifted her head again, ears twitching as she tried to picture the product. Not something achievable just yet since she’d never seen one, but her curiosity had been captured. “I assume the snares are preferred to be used, since not only is small game harder to round up due to their speed and small size, but chasing them through the field would likely damage the crops too, right?” The girl asked. "Speech," 'Thought.'

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She nodded encouragingly at Leaf's interjection. "Very true, especially as wet as it is right now we could do a lot of damage with our claws and weight running around. The biggest advantage of snares is that they work when you aren't even there, so they double your effectiveness. You could be on patrol, or weeding crops, or sleeping, and with the snares set you are still hunting."

She settled on the ground cloth and picked up a tool - she'd brought two, so she slid the other towards Leaf. A knife, just the blade with the dull back set into a comfortably rounded wooden handle with a loop to hold it to the paw, it would allow them to use their paws to guide the knife. "You can set snares using only sinew and what's already in the area you're setting it, but then your options are limited by the situation. I'll teach you to do that too, but for now let's work on a method that is more controllable, because you'll be bringing all the materials with you." Selecting two of the thicker limbs, about the same thickness, she showed Leaf how to slip the leather loop over the back of her paw, holding the knife in place, then trimmed the two limbs to be about the same size. Grabbing a third, more slender limb she stripped it of as much of the little knots and twigs that would catch to make it as smooth as possible. "What we're making is a type of what's called a spring snare. We're building a trigger mechanism right now that will hold the snare itself, attached on the other side to a bent sapling, until a small animal triggers it, then the snare will be whipped up off the ground." She waited while Leaf did as she had done, in case she needed help or had questions.