Once ray was awake, there was no going back. He shook away the remains of fog from his sleep and looked up at the murky dark sky. He and his fiance had planned this the night before - come morning he would take aurora, and she ray to give them a one on one training of their very first hunt. Rays definition of morning left much to be desired, but he would work with it. He kissed anais on the cheek and wished her luck before he nuzzled his daughter. "Come on kiddo " he said gently, the words more for his own benefit then hers. He smiled at anais, feeling a little giddy at this mark in their growth that spoke of how much they where ageing. Before he knew it they would be out of this den and living their own lives and he didn't want there to be a single thing he regretted on missing out on.

With his little one in tow he would leave the den and start off towards the beach. Ana is would be teaching ray to track and hunt, and he would be teaching aurora how to fish. With a aster like locha it was inevitable that he would learn how, even if he wasn't the expert that she was. It might seem illogical that he would be the one to teach her to fish with anais as their mother - but the fact was she was the better hunt in any area and he wanted to be a part of teaching them. No doubt she would catch on to any bad habits he passed on and correct them. He chuckled internally at that thought.

He took aurora to a secure outcropping of rocks that over saw a quiet part of the beach. As an over protective father, he had scouted out the area the day before to evaluate the safety, and he had spoken to Locha to ensure she would be on the beach that day and near by if he ran into any problems. Taking all these precautions he would be happy to move across the rocks and gesture for her to sit beside him. He looked at his youngest carefully to ensure her attention was fully upon him before he started.

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Mornings were still very much not her thing, but with Ray for a sister it was impossible to enjoy any sort of sleeping in. She woke the whole family up bright and early, way before any time that they should have been awake, and tried to get them all up and running about on adventures. Not yet, not yet, Rory thought grumpily to herself, but it was no use. Even if she did try to roll back over and go back to sleep, she knew she would just be left lying there for a while, awake and thinking how annoying it was not to fall back to sleep right away. It was just better to accept she was awake now.

She huffed, ignoring the conversation that took place between her sister and her parents until her father nudged her to follow. She glanced at Ray and back at Daddy again, confused. Was she not going with Ray? But she always went with Ray. Puzzled, maybe a little nervous, Aurora offered a parting glance to her sister before following Glacier out of the cavernous den and out into the early morning of the Obsidian Beach.

It took a little while for the drowsiness to finally wear off, but eventually it did. She felt more awake as she trotted after Glacier, and intrigued by what they could possibly be doing out and about this early together, especially without Seraphiel, Aurora stuck close to his heels. She was led across the dark sands toward a rocky section of the beach where the waters were calm and manageable, the exact opposite of how they were on the rest of the beach. Her golden eyes watched the water and occasionally glanced up at her father as he led her over to a spot amid the rocks and took a seat. Padding over to his side, Rory sat down next to him and tilted her head back to peer up at his face with a curious expression. What were they going to do?

She made her way to his side and took a seat, and he would see instantly that he had all of her attention. He grinned at his little one and leaned over and playfully nuzzled against her head, before pulling back. It was hard not to lavish love and attention on his two perfect girls but he did have to keep a more serious attitude towards this lesson. He sighed softly, and turned his eyes to the sea. He pointed downward, making the gesture exaggerated so she couldn't miss it.

“Alright, little Rory” he said. Through the words where meaningless to her, he couldn't help but utter them. Perhaps he hoped that in doing so the familiarity of constant conversation would eventually clue her in to the secret of understanding languages.

“Here is what we are going to do. Can you see into the water?” he paused to scan along the surface, and pointed at movement, “there!” he said, and as he gestured above the ocean the fish caught the shadow of the movement and darted away. He turned his gaze to Aurora, grinning at his little daughter. Had she seen it? He nodded his head back to the water, gesturing for them both to continue looking. As he waited, another fish swam lazily beneath him, and he punched out a paw, clipping it from its side at the furthest point from him and flipping it from the water. It landed on the rocks beside him and he pinned it down with his paw, pausing to give Aurora a chance to examine it, before nipping its neck so that it stilled. He took another bite to expose the fleshy meat beneath, so she could smell and see it for the prey that offered lined their food cache. “take a bite” he said, gesturing for her to do so. He wanted to be certain she knew exactly what was going on, what they where doing here, and what the outcome of their fishing would look like – hoping to encourage enthusiasm for learning to hunt.

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The tiny blue pup grinned outright with an excited wag of her tail as her father leaned in close to nuzzle her head, her whole body wriggling with the effort. Being so keenly attuned to a naturalistic way of communicating, she sought every nuzzle and kiss that she could get, understanding innately that they meant she was loved. The words might have gone right over her head and passed her ears without comprehension, but there was no way to deny these physical acts of affection. She leaned into his touch and beamed as he pulled away, her tail still wagging as she watched him closely.

Unsurprisingly, his mouth moved. That always seemed to happen when the grown ups looked at her that way, and as usual the movement was accompanied by a muffled, incoherent noise. It must have been coming from him, and from the look on his face she had to assume it meant something, but whatever that meaning was remained lost to her. Still, she watched expectantly, wanting to know, feeling as if she was the only one in the world who could not share in on this singular act that everyone else appeared to grasp so easily. Her excited expression turned serious as her attention became more focused, but try as she might the words were incomprehensible to her.

At one point Glacier's attention shifted from her and over to the ocean water beside them, and following his gaze Aurora stared at the water too. What did he see that she could not? What was so interesting about this still water compared to the rolling, dancing waves that repeatedly splashed on the main section of their beach? As the single word he exclaimed - There! - registered for the first time in her mind, not perfect but clear enough, she spotted the fish as it bashfully swam away. Fish! He was pointing at the fish! She had seen them occasionally in the shallow rivers of the prairie, but those ones had been so tiny and so quick that they had always very easily evaded her and Ray. She scooted a little closer and wiggled in place, her golden eyes searching for where the underwater creature had disappeared to.

They both waited, and another returned. This time, however, before Rory could signal to her father that she had seen it this time, his paw shot out, plunging into the water and emerging with the fish in tow. She yipped in a combination of surprise and excitement, and springing to her feet she danced quickly away to ensure the now beached creature did not get close enough to touch her. But she was far too curious to stay gone long, and quickly she stepped in close again as her father pinned the squirming fish to the rock on which they stood. Her bright eyes were wide and her expression awestruck as she watched the fish struggle beneath her father's paw, and she jumped as the bite he made to the creature caused it to fall still.

Was it done moving now, or was it just pretending until she got close the way Ray would sometimes do? She could smell the exposed meat and licked at her lips as she caught her father's gesture. Emboldened by the fact he still held the fish, and clearly prepared to leap back should the fish move unexpectedly, Aurora crept in close to steal a quick bite. It was different, unlike the meats her mother and father had exposed her to before, but it was no less tasty. The novelty of it was enough to intrigue her, and after feeling certain the fish was indeed permanently still, Rory set about taking another few bites with eager, hungry growls.

The father laughed at his daughters reaction, her yip a noise not only of surprise, but excitement. He was patient, as he waited for her curiosity to over come her, and sure enough she would be quick to return. He let her examine it for a moment with her eyes, before he seized its movements with a skilled nip to its neck.

Aurora was curious, but uncertain, and he watched her with patient eyes. There was laughter in the silver shine of his gaze, and there was an invitation in his smile. Encouraging her to share in his achievement, to learn from it, and eventually to learn to fish for herself. Her first bite was tentative and weary, but once she got a taste for the salty flesh he could see her excitement and curiosity had buried her trepidation. Her chuckled gently as she dug in, and he gave her a moment to enjoy their kill before he lifted a paw and gently nudged her shoulder to regain her attention. He nudged the remains of the fish aside, and invited her with his paws to sit beside him at the waters edge.

He had all the time in the world, and he was patient as he waited for her to settle in beside him. His tail flicked about her tiny form, and he grinned down at her before nodding his head towards the ocean before them. The rock they sat on was only just above the waters edge, and the occasional gentle ripple came close to their paws. It was a good height for them, it meant that Rory too could swipe a paw into the ocean without having to lean all of her body down to do so. His attention was on the ocean, and they waited. It would be a little while before the fish became bold again, but when they did he pointed the movement out to her, the small fish trailed through the water before them and he was careful that his shadow didn't fall against the open water. Keeping his paw over land, and not ocean, he mimicked the movements he had made, in swiping the fish and flipping it to land. “Your turn, Aurora” he told her gently, nudging his side against her in encouragement before shifting his weight away once more.

"Speech"

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She got enough fish in her system to satiate her hunger, but because she enjoyed it she would have happily continued eating if only her father let her. Rather she was allowed to sample it and get a taste for it before she was nudged away, and as she licked at her lips her attention shifted upward toward Glacier's face to understand why he was stopping her from eating more. Was she not supposed to eat so much of it? There's still some left, she thought, perplexed, as the fish was nudged aside and she was gestured to sit close beside her father again. Maybe there was more she needed to learn or see? Still licking the last taste of her small meal from her muzzle, she did as she was instructed and sat beside her mountain of a dad.

His tail curled around her, and as it did she looked up at him to smile back toothily, happy to have this time with him alone. It was so often her and Seraphiel that she had a hard time remembering when she had done anything with either parent that excluded her more rambunctious sibling. A bit of her attention wondered what it was that her sister and mother were up to, what she was missing out on by not being there, but as Glacier gestured for her to watch the water she soon forgot and became wholly wrapped up in her fishing lesson.

It took some time - and effort on Rory's part not to become disinterested and distracted - but eventually the fish began returning. It took her father to point it out to her, but remembering how easily he had managed to catch the first fish she could not help thinking that it could be just as easy for him to repeat the process again. She stared excitedly between her father and the shadows of the fish that she could see moving, and became expectantly still as they swam closer to where she and Glacier sat. She looked at him again as he nudged her side gently with his, saw the way he mimed the motion he had made when catching his fish, and at first she did not understand. Isn't he going to catch another? Puzzled, she looked from the fish to her father and back again, and at last it clicked. It's my turn.

A quick breath was inhaled and released airily from her lungs as she got to her feet and shifted her weight between her four white-toed paws. Like Daddy did, she told herself, though even with his repeated demonstrations she felt unskilled. Her little brow pinched in concentration as she waited for one of the underwater creatures to come in closer, already lifting her paw and waiting with it poised to drop and pick up a squirming fish. She was nervous, unsure whether she wanted to touch the scaly beings either in the water or out, but Daddy was watching and she did want to make him proud.

Drawing in a breath and holding it, Rory shot a tiny blue leg into the water and pulled it back with a great splash. More concerned with touching the fish, however, she missed the essential step of grabbing one with her paw and all she managed to bring up was water. Realizing her failure after a quick glance around her, Aurora frowned and stared upward into her father's face with open confusion. Why had it not worked?

He felt it first as a low buzz in the pit of his stomach, and as he watched his little one shift her weight and look down at the ocean it formed more clearly as the pride he knew it to be. Even if she failed, that pride wouldn't diminish not by a second, if anything it would grow. This was her very first hunting lesson and she was proving to be an encouragable and eager learner. She was willing to try new things, to watch him and learn. She had no disability, she might be slightly different to them in how she learned but there was nothing in the world that could slow her down.

She stabbed at the water, but that was all, she didn't make a grab for the fish and the disturbance sent their prey paddling away. He laughed gently, and kissed the top of her head as he was left to confront her confused expression. He nudged her gently, turning her attention to his paw. There was no fish below them now, disturbed by her splashing. At least she hadn't fallen in! He had to think of that at least, at least he wouldn't be fishing her out just yet. He chuckled again, then ran through the motions for her to see. He reached out his titanic limb and dipped it slowly into the water, flexing his claws and shifting his paw inward but not his hand, making a cup that would go partially under the belly of a fish, and then slowly made the same swiping motion he had made earlier, pushing his paw through the water and upwards towards the shore. Of course, all he did was splash water at the two of them.

He grinned down at his daughter and nudged her again, clearly nothing but bright and eager, enjoying this time for them both as immensely as she was. “You have to cup your paw and scoop. You'll get it” he promised her, he indicated with a movement of his paw for her to try. It was obvious there was still no fish below them, but he wanted her to go through the motions now with the water clear, so she would get a feel for what she was doing. He moved his own paw out again, waiting for her to do the same. Together, father and daughter could fish the empty water for fun and learning.

"Speech"

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Daddy kissed the top of her head, but even as he did Aurora continued to stare with a perplexed frown. What had gone wrong? Why did it not work? She had splashed her paw into the water just like Daddy had, and she had pulled it out quickly the same as he had too. There was something missing in there, some key step that had been forgotten or omitted, and she huffed as she tried to think of what it might be. Silly fish, being so scared, she thought rather grumpily, putting the blame on their skittishness instead of her own unrefined skill.

Another soft nudge against her side sent her attention back to her father again, and with a patient smile he began a new demonstration. Rory watched through her serious expression as he motioned with his paw, dunking it below the surface of the water slow enough that she could follow each movement that he made precisely as he did it. Her tail flicked against her side and the blue pup squirmed a bit in place. I know this part, she wanted to complain, but as he moved his paw beneath the water, shifting his toes and curving them just enough to, she presumed, grasp one of the fish, it clicked. That! That was what she had failed to do. That was why it had not worked!

The fish were gone, but that did not mean that their lesson was over. Glacier demonstrated again for her what she needed to do, and as he held out his paw, ready to begin the first step, she realized his hesitation was really him waiting for her to complete the motion with him. Eagerly to comply, so very eager to learn, Aurora tiptoed closer to the water and did as her father demonstrated, raising her white-toed foreleg up and over the water in mimicry of what he was doing. Expectantly, she turned her head and looked up and over at him, signaling with a glance that she was ready and flexing her toes in anticipation.

Oh, she was a joy to teach. Her bright eyes looked up at him, expectant and eager, there was no doubt, no boredom, no loss of attention. She was focused on him, and their hunt. She never hesitated to follow his lead, and her little perplexed frowns where the cutest thing he had ever seen on the face of this planet. He wanted to scoop her off her feet and tickle her belly, he wanted to show her the entire world. He wanted to tuck her into bed and tell her stories at night, or to lie awake and watch the stars for hours. She was growing too fast, too fast! Soon she would be a woman, interested in boys, would she still have time for her silly father then? A flutter of fear in his gut made him doubt. The flicker of worry was echoed with the fear of boys as well. How many ears – or more important male parts - would he have to rip off to ensure they knew to treat with the respect of a goddess?

There was a delay as his little wonder stood there with her paw outstretched before he came back to himself, shaking off the worries that came with the idea of his baby girl growing up, he would continue their lesson. “Like this” he soothed. He would repeat the slow cup-and-flip motion with her, pausing with his paw and her both cupped, before the flipping motion, he reached out his other paw and he gently pressed both of his paws over hers, pushing her paws down slightly, and her claws up, pausing to demonstrate a slight flick motion, both how it would look with her lesser curved paws, and then how it would look with her paws as he had corrected them, a more effective cup and grab. He then started again, returning one paw to balance himself he started the motion again of cupping and flipping, expecting her to repeat it beside him.

“That's right!” he cooed as he watched her mimic the movements beside him, he beamed at her, his tail swishing at her side with the motion of his pleasure and encouragement as he congratulated her. He then pulled his paws back, indicating for her to do so too. “Now we wait” he explained, and they would have to pause on their rocky seats for a while before the fish came out to play again. It wasn't until he saw their shadows in the water that he nudged his daughter, his face encouragement as he nodded for her to try again.
"Speech"

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