Haring Straight Into a Muck-Up [P]
Ardyn
Master Fighter (250)
Master Hunter (240)
Knight
Bloodletter
6 Years
Male
1036
BrienaSkysong
| Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi |
He bounced after Cairo’s scent, firebrand tail flailing in the air as he tracked the man. Little did he know he was going to interrupt a hunt for hares. Sure enough, the growing boy pounced out of the tall grassed with a yap, clamping his forelegs around the Adravendi’s left hind leg, jaws catching his bi-chocolate tail.
He felt his quarry jolt, and then there were brown, long eared creatures bolting in all directions, down the holes into their warrens, and Cairo turned and gave him such a look of exasperated, affectionate disappointment. Ardyn’s tail slowed, gradually falling into a careful tok-tok as he realized he must have just messed up big time.
But Cai wasn’t shouting at him, and at the man’s gesture, Ardyn let go and slipped up next to him. “I’m sorry, Cairo… I didn’t know.” His ears drooped back, eyes dropping away as he looked at the now hareless grassland clearing.
Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think |
Ardyn at first glance is as black as can be imagined with a raven sheen.
Closer inspection proves that he shimmers in fire tones in every hair on his hide right down to his lashes.
More obviously, he glows like a bed of coals and flames with every movement and brush of fur. His tail is usually wagging, so blazes like a torch.
His adult teeth are in and his saber canines have grown to their full length (see profile). His mane and tail hair have grown to full length, as well as being lightweight and easily buffeted by breezes.
A look at his front paws will give the impression of hands, with his dew claw dropped low and lengthened into a functioning thumb, and his toes elongated into fingers. He has retractable, solid black cat-like claws on every paw.
Ardyn has developed a glowing mast of intricate markings in fire and ice colors over his face, symmetrical over the last seasons of Year 17 (see profile for details). During hunts or raids/sieges, he will smudge them out with black soot to cover the glow, otherwise, they are bright enough to note at first direct glance at his face. Not all his artwork currently portrays the mask markings.
He is also often bedecked in beads, small bells, feathers in blues, ribbons and braids thanks to the Ooze Event of Halloween 2021, and the Coathanger item that he got. The accessories generally are seen most in his mane and tail hair. He removes the brighter items and bells for hunts or battle.
Cairo II
Master Fighter (250)
Master Hunter (295)
Weaponsmaster
9 Years
Male
50
BrienaSkysong
|
Cairo moved very carefully through the plains, hot on the trail of rabbits that he intended to make into supper and den linings. He was hunkered down, watching the wary creatures, and he was almost ready to spring at the closest rabbit when a yap from behind, and a smallish puppy body crashed into his left hind leg.
Bunnies scattered as Cairo jolted with a grunted yelp of surprise. How had he missed the pup’s approach? The rabbits vanished down the warren holes and he twisted around to stare at the fiery black child, brows furrowed, though he couldn’t help but smile at the triumphant look in the boy’s face. He’d gotten Cairo fair and square.
Then it seemed to click in the pup’s head that… mayyyybe he shouldn’t have tackled a hunter on the hunt. Cairo shook his head, unable to stay annoyed, and gestured to Ardyn to come and sit by him as he settled onto his belly. At the boy’s apology, he chuckled ruefully.
Leaning, he nudged the pup’s cheek and admitted, “I’m not mad. Hunts don’t always go right. But you should pay more attention to your surroundings. So, let’s turn this into a lesson today, eh?”
|
Ardyn
Master Fighter (250)
Master Hunter (240)
Knight
Bloodletter
6 Years
Male
1036
BrienaSkysong
| Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi |
Cairo’s nose nudged his cheek, and Ardyn looked back at him. He wasn’t mad? That was good. And, Cai? Fail a hunt? Never. Not possible.
At the suggestion of a lesson, Ardyn popped to his paws, excitement overriding his remaining remorse. He loved learning. At Cai’s expectant look, he settled back down, though his rump wiggled. He quelled his excitement and asked, “What are we learning?”
Would it be how to hunt a bison—were they going to hunt a bison today? His breath caught in his throat at the notion. To bring down a bison was the ultimate level of hunting mastery, and he was determined to get to that point as soon as he could.
Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think |
Ardyn at first glance is as black as can be imagined with a raven sheen.
Closer inspection proves that he shimmers in fire tones in every hair on his hide right down to his lashes.
More obviously, he glows like a bed of coals and flames with every movement and brush of fur. His tail is usually wagging, so blazes like a torch.
His adult teeth are in and his saber canines have grown to their full length (see profile). His mane and tail hair have grown to full length, as well as being lightweight and easily buffeted by breezes.
A look at his front paws will give the impression of hands, with his dew claw dropped low and lengthened into a functioning thumb, and his toes elongated into fingers. He has retractable, solid black cat-like claws on every paw.
Ardyn has developed a glowing mast of intricate markings in fire and ice colors over his face, symmetrical over the last seasons of Year 17 (see profile for details). During hunts or raids/sieges, he will smudge them out with black soot to cover the glow, otherwise, they are bright enough to note at first direct glance at his face. Not all his artwork currently portrays the mask markings.
He is also often bedecked in beads, small bells, feathers in blues, ribbons and braids thanks to the Ooze Event of Halloween 2021, and the Coathanger item that he got. The accessories generally are seen most in his mane and tail hair. He removes the brighter items and bells for hunts or battle.
Cairo II
Master Fighter (250)
Master Hunter (295)
Weaponsmaster
9 Years
Male
50
BrienaSkysong
|
Just like that, the child’s last worry was abolished, and Cairo had to grin at the excitement sending ripples of fire through the inky, shimmery black coat as the boy fairly vibrated.
At Ardyn’s question, he smirked, and nodded toward the warrens. “Rabbits.”
He rose to his paws, gesturing for Ardyn to come with him as he led the way to one of the mounds, nodding at the holes. “Take a good sniff, learn their smells. That’s the first part of it. You’ll know the smell from what your Da, Domari, or I bring you.”
His eyes watched the boy, ears perked as he wondered how today’s lesson would go.
|
Ardyn
Master Fighter (250)
Master Hunter (240)
Knight
Bloodletter
6 Years
Male
1036
BrienaSkysong
| Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi |
Ardyn followed the man, ears perked at the one word. So… not deer. Oh, well. It was still something to learn, right? The fleeting disappointment not to be hunting big game vanished as he padded forward and breathed in the scents wafting from within. They were all fresh, and he flicked an ear back as Cairo explained a little about why he was having him sniff the rabbits.
He breathed in again, taking longer to separate the smells from within. “It smells… warm, in there. And there’s clicking.”
He stepped back and looked back at Cairo, head cocked as he asked, “Why’s there clicking?”
There’d been other sounds. Faint thumping of rabbits moving, rustles of fur against tunnel ceiling and other rabbits. He eyed the warren opening. He was small enough he could fit in there, he thought. But the question was yet unanswered, so he resisted the urge to try.
Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think |
Ardyn at first glance is as black as can be imagined with a raven sheen.
Closer inspection proves that he shimmers in fire tones in every hair on his hide right down to his lashes.
More obviously, he glows like a bed of coals and flames with every movement and brush of fur. His tail is usually wagging, so blazes like a torch.
His adult teeth are in and his saber canines have grown to their full length (see profile). His mane and tail hair have grown to full length, as well as being lightweight and easily buffeted by breezes.
A look at his front paws will give the impression of hands, with his dew claw dropped low and lengthened into a functioning thumb, and his toes elongated into fingers. He has retractable, solid black cat-like claws on every paw.
Ardyn has developed a glowing mast of intricate markings in fire and ice colors over his face, symmetrical over the last seasons of Year 17 (see profile for details). During hunts or raids/sieges, he will smudge them out with black soot to cover the glow, otherwise, they are bright enough to note at first direct glance at his face. Not all his artwork currently portrays the mask markings.
He is also often bedecked in beads, small bells, feathers in blues, ribbons and braids thanks to the Ooze Event of Halloween 2021, and the Coathanger item that he got. The accessories generally are seen most in his mane and tail hair. He removes the brighter items and bells for hunts or battle.
Cairo II
Master Fighter (250)
Master Hunter (295)
Weaponsmaster
9 Years
Male
50
BrienaSkysong
|
He smiled at the boy’s observations. “It’s spring. A lot of rabbits have litters of kits in their burrows. They react when touched by jerking and clicking, and it gets the whole cluster going. We must never kill the baby rabbits, as they are the next generation of our food sources. We hunt the old, ill, or injured. Sometimes we hunt the healthy to control the population a bit, and for their pelts.”
He nodded his head toward the tall grasses surrounding them and added, “Let’s practice tracking them. Blow your nose out a few times, through your mouth, too. It’ll clear your nose of the scents.”
He padded to the edge of the clearing, waiting for the boy.
|
Ardyn
Master Fighter (250)
Master Hunter (240)
Knight
Bloodletter
6 Years
Male
1036
BrienaSkysong
| Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi |
Ardyn listened raptly, head cocking at the gently spoken instruction never to kill the young rabbits. He’d heard this law more often than he could count, but he was pretty sure he understood.
He nodded, then perked up at the mention of tracking practice. He knew how to track! His tail fanned the air as he came to stand by Cairo, following the man’s instructions with a following symphony of puffing, sneezes and snorts before dropping his nose to the ground to sniff.
Lots of rabbits, plenty of packmates, some he hadn’t met yet. There was Cairo, whose scent was strongest. He circled around the Adravendi man, hoovering the ground until he finally stopped and looked up at Cairo, head tilting as he asked, “Why are we tracking the rabbits when we already know where they are?”
Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think |
Ardyn at first glance is as black as can be imagined with a raven sheen.
Closer inspection proves that he shimmers in fire tones in every hair on his hide right down to his lashes.
More obviously, he glows like a bed of coals and flames with every movement and brush of fur. His tail is usually wagging, so blazes like a torch.
His adult teeth are in and his saber canines have grown to their full length (see profile). His mane and tail hair have grown to full length, as well as being lightweight and easily buffeted by breezes.
A look at his front paws will give the impression of hands, with his dew claw dropped low and lengthened into a functioning thumb, and his toes elongated into fingers. He has retractable, solid black cat-like claws on every paw.
Ardyn has developed a glowing mast of intricate markings in fire and ice colors over his face, symmetrical over the last seasons of Year 17 (see profile for details). During hunts or raids/sieges, he will smudge them out with black soot to cover the glow, otherwise, they are bright enough to note at first direct glance at his face. Not all his artwork currently portrays the mask markings.
He is also often bedecked in beads, small bells, feathers in blues, ribbons and braids thanks to the Ooze Event of Halloween 2021, and the Coathanger item that he got. The accessories generally are seen most in his mane and tail hair. He removes the brighter items and bells for hunts or battle.
Cairo II
Master Fighter (250)
Master Hunter (295)
Weaponsmaster
9 Years
Male
50
BrienaSkysong
|
Cairo grinned as Ardyn cleared out his nose, head cocking as the boy immediately went to tracking the scents around them, until the question came and he chuckled.
“Not all of them went into the burrows. They might have gone to other warrens. So, find the freshest scent. Let your instinct guide you. When you think you’ve found the right scent, lead the way and we’ll see what we find.”
He padded to sit at the side of the trail, patiently waiting for Ardyn to find a good, fresh scent and lead the way, watching the boy with a small grin on his features. He was enjoying the impromptu lesson, and it made him look forward even more to his own kids someday.
|
Ardyn
Master Fighter (250)
Master Hunter (240)
Knight
Bloodletter
6 Years
Male
1036
BrienaSkysong
| Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi |
Oh. As Ardyn considered Cai’s answer, he did recall that not all of the brown creatures had dashed into the holes. The rabbits had scattered in all directions, including out into the tall grasses of the plains that surrounded the small hill the warren had been dug into.
Brow furrowing in a flare of fire, he began slowly working his way around the clearing, trying to match his glimpsed memories with a fresh scent, before he came across one that seemed likely. He glanced back at Cairo, who watched him, clearly waiting for him to pick a scent and lead the way.
He chose the scent that appealed most to him, then trotted forward, remembering not to bounce into a run, though it took some self-control not to give in to the excitement of getting to practice hunting.
He led the way through a winding rabbit trail, then paused with a frown. Where’d the fresh trail gone?
Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think |
Ardyn at first glance is as black as can be imagined with a raven sheen.
Closer inspection proves that he shimmers in fire tones in every hair on his hide right down to his lashes.
More obviously, he glows like a bed of coals and flames with every movement and brush of fur. His tail is usually wagging, so blazes like a torch.
His adult teeth are in and his saber canines have grown to their full length (see profile). His mane and tail hair have grown to full length, as well as being lightweight and easily buffeted by breezes.
A look at his front paws will give the impression of hands, with his dew claw dropped low and lengthened into a functioning thumb, and his toes elongated into fingers. He has retractable, solid black cat-like claws on every paw.
Ardyn has developed a glowing mast of intricate markings in fire and ice colors over his face, symmetrical over the last seasons of Year 17 (see profile for details). During hunts or raids/sieges, he will smudge them out with black soot to cover the glow, otherwise, they are bright enough to note at first direct glance at his face. Not all his artwork currently portrays the mask markings.
He is also often bedecked in beads, small bells, feathers in blues, ribbons and braids thanks to the Ooze Event of Halloween 2021, and the Coathanger item that he got. The accessories generally are seen most in his mane and tail hair. He removes the brighter items and bells for hunts or battle.
Cairo II
Master Fighter (250)
Master Hunter (295)
Weaponsmaster
9 Years
Male
50
BrienaSkysong
|
He watched the boy circle the clearing, then smiled as Ardyn seemed to find a scent and began leading. Cairo followed, padding quietly as the boy tracked the rabbit.
Occasionally, he dropped his own nose to the ground to keep tabs on the rabbit, so he was aware when the rabbit took a sudden detour into the tall grasses.
To Ardyn’s credit, he noticed only a few feet further down the trail, and Cairo saw the boy’s body tense, head cocking in confusion. Gently, Cairo prompted, “Backtrack, and take the trail more carefully, and more slowly. Take the time to really analyze what you’re smelling.”
|
Ardyn
Master Fighter (250)
Master Hunter (240)
Knight
Bloodletter
6 Years
Male
1036
BrienaSkysong
| Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi |
He was vaguely aware of Cairo behind him as he tested the trail at his feet again, getting more confused by the moment. He’d been hot on the trail, so where’d it go? Where—Cairo prompted from behind him, and Ardyn looked up over his shoulder at the chocolate man, then understood.
Turning, he sniffed his way back to Cairo, then around the man, sighing in understanding and relief when he found the fresh scent again, grumbling to himself at the crafty rabbit’s change of direction.
He went more slowly as he followed now, leading the way once more, tail now still and level with his rump in concentration as he went, occasionally finding that he had to snuff out through his nose to smell the rabbit’s trail better. Maybe that was why he’d missed the rabbit’s turning originally.
Eventually, the rabbit trail opened up around them, another clearing in the Plains grass, and he paused, suddenly aware of way more rabbit smells, some fresher than his rabbit’s, and he paused again, looking back at Cairo with a frown. How was he supposed to stay on his rabbit’s trail with all the other ones on it?
Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think |
Ardyn at first glance is as black as can be imagined with a raven sheen.
Closer inspection proves that he shimmers in fire tones in every hair on his hide right down to his lashes.
More obviously, he glows like a bed of coals and flames with every movement and brush of fur. His tail is usually wagging, so blazes like a torch.
His adult teeth are in and his saber canines have grown to their full length (see profile). His mane and tail hair have grown to full length, as well as being lightweight and easily buffeted by breezes.
A look at his front paws will give the impression of hands, with his dew claw dropped low and lengthened into a functioning thumb, and his toes elongated into fingers. He has retractable, solid black cat-like claws on every paw.
Ardyn has developed a glowing mast of intricate markings in fire and ice colors over his face, symmetrical over the last seasons of Year 17 (see profile for details). During hunts or raids/sieges, he will smudge them out with black soot to cover the glow, otherwise, they are bright enough to note at first direct glance at his face. Not all his artwork currently portrays the mask markings.
He is also often bedecked in beads, small bells, feathers in blues, ribbons and braids thanks to the Ooze Event of Halloween 2021, and the Coathanger item that he got. The accessories generally are seen most in his mane and tail hair. He removes the brighter items and bells for hunts or battle.
Cairo II
Master Fighter (250)
Master Hunter (295)
Weaponsmaster
9 Years
Male
50
BrienaSkysong
|
He smiled slightly as Ardyn backtracked, not missing the boy’s relief when he found the rabbit’s trail again. As the pup led onward, Cairo hung back slightly, watching and glancing ahead. He knew the area well, having hunted rabbits here before, and he knew they’d come up on another warren soon.
How would the boy handle a sudden immersion of his rabbit’s trail possibly being overlapped by many other, fresher scents?
The answer was that the boy paused, then looked back at him, visibly puzzled. Cairo padded forward to stand by the boy, nodding at the ground. “You won’t lose him. You know his scent, and like all wolves, rabbits are individuals. He’ll smell different to the rest.”
He doubted they would get to catch a rabbit today, but it was still a valuable learning experience for the Heir.
|
Ardyn
Master Fighter (250)
Master Hunter (240)
Knight
Bloodletter
6 Years
Male
1036
BrienaSkysong
| Ardyn Cadeyrn Aodhán Phoenix Adravendi |
Cairo’s answer was bolstering, though Ardyn wasn’t quite sure he understood the answer the man offered him. A rabbit was a rabbit, right? Shouldn’t it smell just like all the other rabbits? But Cairo had visible faith in his ability, and Ardyn wanted to prove that faith right.
Humming to himself, a quick hmm, he lowered his nose and went back to sniffing, and realized that the rabbit he’d been tracking for the past thirty minutes did seem to stand out against the crowd. It was a little like catching his parents’ scents on one of the wolf trails in the Hillock woods. Familiar because he’d been smelling them all his life.
Once he caught onto that familiarity, he glued himself to the scent, and the trail finally ended – disappointingly – at a burrow hole, the rabbit out of reach. He stepped back and stared at the hole with a brief pout, then grinned up at Cairo. “I found his home!”
Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Labhair an Sean-Teanga." ---- "Hear" ---- Think |
Ardyn at first glance is as black as can be imagined with a raven sheen.
Closer inspection proves that he shimmers in fire tones in every hair on his hide right down to his lashes.
More obviously, he glows like a bed of coals and flames with every movement and brush of fur. His tail is usually wagging, so blazes like a torch.
His adult teeth are in and his saber canines have grown to their full length (see profile). His mane and tail hair have grown to full length, as well as being lightweight and easily buffeted by breezes.
A look at his front paws will give the impression of hands, with his dew claw dropped low and lengthened into a functioning thumb, and his toes elongated into fingers. He has retractable, solid black cat-like claws on every paw.
Ardyn has developed a glowing mast of intricate markings in fire and ice colors over his face, symmetrical over the last seasons of Year 17 (see profile for details). During hunts or raids/sieges, he will smudge them out with black soot to cover the glow, otherwise, they are bright enough to note at first direct glance at his face. Not all his artwork currently portrays the mask markings.
He is also often bedecked in beads, small bells, feathers in blues, ribbons and braids thanks to the Ooze Event of Halloween 2021, and the Coathanger item that he got. The accessories generally are seen most in his mane and tail hair. He removes the brighter items and bells for hunts or battle.