After speaking with Sephiran, she’d been made aware of the other hunters in the group- one of them, she remembered well from her time in Saffron. Kaino, Kaiden’s daughter. She’d been quite young the last she saw her- had just grown out of her teenage years and into a young adult, brimming with confidence and ready to face the world. So much like her grandfather. But the male Sephiran mentioned was foreign to her- a claimed cousin, but a wolf with determination nonetheless. She’d make a point to meet with them and review hunting strategies- the three of them would be tasked with keeping the pack fed, after all.

Sauntering through the forest, Azoula carried a young fawn in her jaws- still squirming with life, a single leg broke for accessibility, as she planned to use it in their training session. And once she reached a clearing, she’d stop in the middle of it- setting the down, pinning it with a massive paw, before releasing a roar that served as a summons for Kaino and Ezekiel.


"Azoula Davati"

The pack has settled into the Polar Sound as their bloodless coup had won the Saxe a home. As they all settled into pack life, the large feline known as Azoula had approached him about how the hunters will have to keep the pack fed. It is a slightly foreign concept for Zeke since he has only really hunted for himself and his sister but the thought of taking down bigger prey to keep the bellies of the Syndicate filled is an exciting prospect. The feline roar that fills the air is not a surprise to the young man as he has been expecting the tigress to call the few hunters together so that they may learn.

With speed born of delight, Zeke races out to where the earthen-hued tigress waits, one of her large, soft paws pinning a doomed deer to the ground. Eyes flash with delight as he takes in the scene and he warmly rumbles the woman’s name, “Azoula.” There is no mistaking his interest in his gaze as he seats himself before her, saliva pooling in his mouth as he pulls in the scent of the fawn’s fear into his nose and his belly stirs with a primal need. Duel-toned eyes flicker with hunger as he waits patiently to hear what she has to teach.

"Ezekiel Saxe"

Kaino was no dummy. She could hunt. She could kill things. She could also admit that everyone needed practice to maintain their skills, so when Azoula called for a little lesson, the lavender and smoke woman picked herself up and went. She left Nila behind with a peck on the cheek first, however.

With a stretch and a yawn, Kai entered the area where Azoula and Ezekiel were already seated and waiting. It had been a bit of a lazy day, so the bob-tailed woman was sleepy and cuddly. After bumping shoulders with her cousin, Kaino sprawled out on her belly, mint and ice eyes settling on the fawn for a moment before shifting back to the feline. "I call dibs on the legs." She chuckled jokingly. There wasn't enough meat on that little thing for one of them, let alone three.

"Kaino Saxe"

Ezekiel was the first to arrive, his amethyst gaze shimmering with predatory excitement, as he stared at the writhing fawn pinned down by her powerful paw. A trill resonated from her throat in response to his greeting, and soon after, Kaino arrived as well; stretching down and resting on her belly, interested in the fawn but perhaps, more intrigued by its purpose. Shifting her gaze between the two wolves, she allows a moment of silence to fill the clearing. She wanted the sound of the struggling fawn to heighten their predatory instincts; its chest heaving as it vocalized frightened bleats, its strength starting to wane as exhaustion set in, those beady eyes darting frantically, searching for a means of escape.

And suddenly, Azoula’s voice sliced through the silence, to begin the lesson. "You are both avid hunters, and I don’t doubt your abilities. But there is always room for improvement.” She says, volcanic gaze shifting between the two. “In today’s session, I encourage collaboration; you will practice patience and persistence.”  Her tail flicks behind her, the fawn struggling beneath her paw. “Efficiency is a product of patience- in each hunt, take your time and be prepared for setbacks. Formulate plans to overcome challenges.” Hunting seemed like a straightforward task; find the prey, run after it, attack it, and kill it. But it didn’t always turn out that way. “Remember to be consistent in your approach, and adapt your methods based on the prey you are hunting. This includes adjusting your means of collaboration.” A short pause, before she concludes. “I’ll be releasing the fawn into the forest; your goal is to capture it without making its injury worse. No killing it either.” It seemed like an easy task; but predators were often a victim to their instincts, especially in the face of injured prey. Did they have enough resolve to capture it, and not kill it?

Azoula waited for the information to sink into their minds, listening for any objections before she lifted her paw and watched the fawn scramble to its feet; stumbling several times before it limped off into the underbrush, trying to escape the group of predators. “You have five minutes to form a strategy.”  This is where the patience and collaboration tied in; she didn’t want them to chase after the dawn without creating a plan first.  

"Azoula Davati"

As Ezekiel looks to the tigress, head tipping slightly to the side, Kaino joins them and calls dips on the legs. Eyebrows shoot up as a dark chuckle rolls from his lips and he teases, “What? All four?” True, the fawn was tiny and there was hardly any meat on it but he still thought it funny that the woman was calling dips on all of the legs.

Azoula calls their attention to her and lays out the lesson for the day; strategy. Brows lift as he looks over to Kaino, curious what she thinks about how to bring the deer down without making its injury worse. Slowly, Zeke muses, “Well, because of the injury, it would be simple to run it until it is tired and allow it collapse. It would take time but we could herd it along until then.”

It seemed simple but there was a lot that could go wrong.

"Ezekiel Saxe"

This wasn't the sort of lesson that Kaino enjoyed, not that she enjoyed any type of lesson, but she'd play along. That was all part of being a pack wolf, was it not? As the lesson was laid out and the fawn was released, Kai watched it shamble off on wobbly, spindle-like legs. It wasn't going to get very far.

Zeke suggested that they just herd the thing back this way. A slight shrug was given from the lavender fae.  "With as small and weak as it is, it won't take much to stress it out to the point that it dies." Dark ears shifted and Kaino bobbled her head from side to side as she thought.  "Catching up to it won't be an issue. If we put a piece of cloth or something over its eyes, I could easily lift it and carry it back like a pup." Yep, that was her suggestion. It wouldn't exacerbate the injuries. It wouldn't gain new ones.

"Speech"