[PRP] Hunting lessons (Mrengo & Szürke)

[Tanakako]

Szürke shifted in place, curling his tail about his hind quarters where he sat on a slight rise int he ground, one of the few dry spots out in this part of the swamp. It was a less visited part of the prideland out here, but it was still well within the safety of the swamp itself and should be safe enough that even an overprotective parent wouldn't worry about their cub out here... As the last thing he wanted to do was cause ripples in the pride.

He was out there for a reason too... to meet the young female who had taught him to make dancing shadows, even if he had been rather unsuccessful in the attempt. In return he had promised to teach her to hunt and stalk more quietly, and having scouted the whole of the pride's homeland, he had picked this area out and had arranged for her to meet him here for their first lesson. Despite his skills as a hunter, he had never taught another before and he felt faintly nervous, though he would never show it to anyone else and in fact he looked rather severe, sat utterly still with a serious expression and those sharp but distant eyes.
 

[Epine de Rose]

Tanakako

Fortunately for Mrengo she hadn't had her ears 'boxed', she'd gotten to the den just at the right time and to make matters even better, she wasn't half as filthy as her siblings! For all intents and purposes her mother had been happy with the state she was in and had let her be despite the fact she obviously hadn't participated in the games the other children had played. Being on time had also helped her in another way, as it had ensured that her mother was comfortable with her bounding off to partake in more mischief without her supervision.

...Ah, but if only she knew what that mischief was!

Thus, it was with a delighted squeal that she had bounded out of the den at the crack of dawn without the slightest of farewells. From there, she had made her way into the depths of the swamps and with about as much subtlety as a rampaging rhino, she proceeded towards where Szurke had informed her he'd be waiting. Whether or not there would be any prey to hunt after she had made her approach still remained to be seen, considering the sound of her pounding paws and her approaching scent it wouldn't have been too unusual for everything to flee.

"Hellooooooo Mister Szurke!" she announced delightedly, bouncing over a set of low slung ferns and out into the clearing where she could see the misty, grey lion waiting expectantly. "Did you sleep well? I slept well! It was awesome, I dreamt I was this fish and I had these huuuuuuge teeth - and then no one would be friends with me cause they were scared," she continued, though it didn't appear she needed (or intended) to take a breath. "But then there was this other fish who puffed up like this!" she puffed out her cheeks and then giggled. "And everyone was scared of him so we totally became friends and explored this bottom of the lake together."

She sat down and curled her tail around her hindlegs.

"Was awesome, there are flowers under water, did you know that? Flowers!"  

[Tanakako]

Epine de Rose

The not so faint sounds of something crashing through the swamp towards him made him turn around, at first in confusion, then in mounting understanding. Well.... at least he had some warning about just how much teaching he would have in front of him.... Wincing as she got closer and the thunderous approach sent up a flock of birds from a near by tree, he stood and waited quietly for her.

Her enthusiastic cry when she burst out of the undergrowth made him smile, and that in turn startled him, for he so rarely found anything to smile about and the prospect of teaching a tiny elephant how to hunt would not have been something he would have considered smile-worthy, but the simple sight of her bubbling enthusiasm and bright eyes was enough to put the expression on his face and once in place it seemed reluctant to leave again, and he fond himself still smiling softly when she bounded up to him, almost right into him in her excitement.

"Good morning Mrengo." He replied far more calmly than her wild greeting, though the half smile lingered, warming his usually stern expression. The faintest little chuckle slid from him as she described her dream, he couldn't help it. It was as if her joyful energy was catching and little bits of it were clinging to him. "I slept very well, thank you. Though I didn't have any fun dreams." Watching her as she babbled, he was surprised to find himself feeling... warm. As if the sun had broken through his internal clouds for the first time since his own cubhood. It was a strange sensation, almost like a release from some great weight that had been wearing him down without his realising... Mentally shaking the image away he realised that if he didn't direct her attention, they would never get round to the lesson. Standing once again he smiled. "Maybe you could make the flowers in your mud models some time, I'd love to see them. Are you ready for your lesson today? It's going to be hard work." He gave her a serious look, though the warmth in his eyes remained, softening the severity of his comment into an almost teasing tone.
 

[Epine de Rose]

Tanakako

"Ooooh right, right!" Mrengo said with a little more enthusiasm that was necessary. She was still as excitable and giggly as usual and as such, she hadn't quite realised that 'quiet time' was a part of 'hunting time'. Fortunately, when she finally registered his quiet tone her ears drooped ever so slightly and her expression became secretive, as though she had just been brought into a secret club - this was 'hunt club', you didn't talk about 'hunt club'.

...Wasn't that it?

Yeah.

"Right," she amended much more quietly and gave a curt nod, her expression attempting to mimic his own serious one as she regarded him. At the very least she had mastered the art of 'being quiet' for at least thirty seconds, now he just had to teach her like she was walking on air... that in itself was going to be a tremendous challenge as she did have the gait of an elephant. "Sir, yes sir! Lead the way," she announced in hushed tones and pulled herself up from her seat.  

[Tanakako]

Epine de Rose

The expression of surprise and determination that bloomed on her features right before she toned her voice down started an almost irresistible itch in his throat, like a cough but not... It took a moment for him to realise it was laughter, bubbling up from somewhere deep inside him, a place that he had thought long dead. Clamping his jaw shut on the building sensation he managed to contain it down to a deep rumbling chuckle, like a far off waterfall who's thundering power was more felt than heard.

Eyes shining with his swallowed humour, the first he had felt in more seasons than he could count, he dipped his head at her efforts to stay quiet, giving her an approving look. He led her just a short way deeper into the bush. here the swamp was drying, close to the boarderland, yet not so dry that everything about them cracked and snapped and popped with the slightest touch. Turning to her, eyes serious once again, he lowered himself to his belly, head level with her own. "The start of a hunt is always the stalk. This is the hardest part and the slowest." he knew her youth would preclude the proper amount of time being taken, but this was only the first lesson, he planned to take it slow and steady with her and only in short bursts so her young mind wouldn't get distracted or disheartened.

"Out of sight, out of mind. Lesson one.. moving below the grasses." He crawled a neat circle round her, every movement painfully slow and near silent though he wasn't trying for quiet right then, old habits died hard. He suspected this part would be easy for her, but he wanted a small triumph under her belt before they tackled her real issue.
 

[Epine de Rose]

Tanakako

She'd never seen an adult 'stalk' before and it was quite the sight to see. She couldn't help herself and the cackle of laughter that escape from her lips in those moments. She wasn't even close to his discipline level and it was probably unlikely she ever would be, thus, she was soon rolling on her back in laughter as he snaked through the grass with his nose to the ground. This hilarity only lasted for a few moments though and she soon rolled back onto her belly and placed her paws over her lips.

"Shhhhh!" she murmured to herself, keeping her paws clamped over her nose until the 'snorts' of laughter dissipated. It was only after she was sure they were gone that she flopped down into the same pose as he did and proceeded to snake after him. Little paws moving swiftly and quietly along the same path he had shown her, only this time she happened to sweep around him. All in all, it appeared she could have quiet steps if she really concentrated...but that had never really been her thing.

"Now what?" she whispered in the same secretive tone as before as she poked her nose against his cheek. "Or to I do it again?" she continued and then glanced at her tail and wiggled her rump, "Maybe put a little bit of 'oomf' into it so it looks less silly?"

What she meant by 'style' was anyone's guess...  

[Tanakako]

He couldn't help the grin that curled across his maw at her attempts to control her own laughter. The feel of it stretching his skin was strange yet... almost a relief. Her constant enthusiasm seemed to lighten him and he found he could smile at so simple a thing as a stalking lesson.

Once she copied him with surprisingly successful results he actually chuckled, the same deem rumbling sound as before, vibrating from his body to her where they touched. "I thought you said you couldn't hunt." He flashed her a bright smile, surprising himself possibly as much as he did her with its appearance. But determinedly he kept to the lesson plan and nodded. "Once more, and a little more slowly, the point is to remain as low as possible and to avoid rustling the grasses." He stood up and pretended to be a herd beast, sticking his head down a moment before looking round again. "Your target is most vulnerable when their head is down eating... so only move when I put my head down, like so.." He stuck it down again, a rather awkward position for a meat eater but he managed.
 

[Epine de Rose]

Tanakako

Oh, so it was like a game of 'what's the time mister wolf?'...

She could work with that, admittedly she'd always sucked at it and she technically couldn't see over the grass but she'd give it a shot. It was with an obedient nod that she padded further into the grass and then promptly lowered herself down. Deliberately lowering her tail, her green coat naturally made her difficult to spot within the grass and as such, she was fully prepared to take him on... It was with the tiniest of steps that she began to creep forward, waiting for the right moment to 'freeze' whenever his head popped up.

Ooooh she'd never been so nervous, but without her siblings there to knock her over she might stand a chance of almost getting it right!

A deep breath and her eyes flicked upwards as she crept closer and closer to her quarry. Unfortunately for her she did have one problem though and that was the fact that the soil was slightly dustier out here. She wasn't about to sneeze now but eventually it would happen and if she didn't reach him by then well... suffice to say she'd have lost the game which would be a terrible thing indeed.  

[Tanakako]

He waited till she got into position then stuck his head down, though the position wasn't exactly natural he tried to guess how long he needed to stay put before looking back up. When he did, he was surprised but pleased to see she was hidden well. He could hear the faintest of movements when his head was down, but for her first lesson, she was doing brilliantly.

When she had covered about half the distance to him, he lifted his head for the last time and relaxed. "Perfect. The stalk only has to last as long as it takes to get close enough for the sprint." Padding over he crouched down next to her again. "Did you want to try stalking me for real?" He knew the game, had even practiced it with his own father once upon a time. Traditions survived for a reason and he felt the game would benefit her now, as she was actually a lot better than she had claimed she was.
 

[Epine de Rose]

Sprint?

Did he say sprint?

He totally had! She didn't even listen to the next words that came out of his mouth as she gave a delighted squeal and barrelled forward, little paws carrying her across the gap. When she was about two feet away from him she then unceremoniously leapt into the air and landed squarely between his shoulders, giving a triumphant whoop as she settled her paws on either side of his neck - success, she had captured her prey!

"Sneak attack!" she announced with a firm nod and a wiggle of her rumped. Retracting her claws so that she didn't scratch him, she pulled herself up so that she was seated on his back and giggled. "Bet you didn't see that coming at all she pointed out smugly and waved one of her free paws. "One moment you saw me and the next minute bam, I'm eating you for breakfast!" she continued and puffed out her chest with pride.

"Who needs practice when you can do that, huh huh?"  

[Tanakako]

He couldn't help it. That warm bubble of emotion that had been trapped somewhere in his chest for the better part of his adult life burst free and a full, deep rumbling laughter filled the air. His large muscular body vibrated with the force of it under her where she was perched atop his back.

Shaking his heavily maned head he twisted round to look up at her over one shoulder, a wide smile curling over his muzzle even as the rich sound of his laughter quieted, but continued to rumble in his voice when he spoke to her.

"Indeed. I'm beginning to wonder if you need my coaching at all." Still grinning he suddenly tumbled them both to the ground, catching her up in his muscular forelegs in a game of tussle that felt so natural he never even questioned his own actions until they lay panting with laughter, her resting atop his chest, himself on his back in the now well-crushed grass.
 

[Epine de Rose]

Tanakako

All it took was a fun loving cub to break the humdrum of the day. It seemed that Szurke had never been able to encounter that, or if he had, it hadn't been in quite some time. It was very similar to a refreshing breeze as the cub set about her usual antics and she was more than happy to play wrestle too...although that was another thing that she generally lost at - she was an artist, the skills required to best someone in a genuine wrestling match just weren't there.

"Mmmm, I just don't like to hear them scream," she confessed and pulled a face, bouncing off the older lions chest to braid the flattened grass. Despite a lack of apposable thumbs she was doing a rather good job of it! "It's icky and it makes the hair on the back of my neck all weird, I don't like it... plus it's really dirty," she pointed out and wrinkled her nose.

"Worse than mud," she continued and then released a sigh. Sometimes, she wished that she could be like the hares who nommed daintily on the grass, that way she'dnever smell of something horrible if she slipped and fell in the red stuff - she was clumsy enough for it to have happened more than once...  

[Tanakako]

Sobering as she crawled off him, he rolled onto his side then up onto his belly, the better to watch her at hew newly appointed task. It seemed the physical lesson was over, and he was content with just watching her play now.

"Well, it is not pleasant." He agreed thoughtfully. "But it is not a one-sided situation. We take of their lives, yes. But when we die, our bodies return to the earth, and it is from our bodies that grass grows. They eat that grass and in a way, take us into themselves, just as we do in life." Reaching over he touched the furry ruff atop her head. "It is ok to feel empathy for those you take."

A smile quirked across his muzzle again as she complained about getting dirty. After the state he had first met her in, he didn't really understand that part of it. But he replied dutifully. "That is what water is for."
 

[Epine de Rose]

Tanakako

"We turn into grass?" Mrengo replied increduously and stared at her own paws for a few moments. It was in those moments that she compared her own fur colour to the grass and it suddenly dawned on her. It was with a dramatic squeak that she bounded away from the braid grass and began to spin in a circle, trying desperately to catch and inspect the grey fur at the end of her tail...

"Oh my gods, I don't have long at all!" she wailed, finally flopping onto her hind legs as she grabbed her tail and inspected the end for tell tale signs of well... green-ness. So far she hadn't found any but it was only a matter of time before she turned completely green and transformed into grass. Then she would be devoured by wandering beasts and that would be just terrible - she hadn't even had time to master all her artistic hobbies!

"Nooooo!" she wailed dramatically and held up her tail. "Does this look green to you? I think it might be turning green?" she blinked at Szurke abruptly and then took another glance of her tail. "If I roll in mud and dye myself brown do you think I can stop it?" she asked in the same dramatic fashion as before, her eyes wide with horror.

"I don't want to be eaten by wildebeast, they have grumpy faces!"  

[Tanakako]

Blinking in stunned surprise for a moment he stared as she started to wail, then made a swift grab and drew her to him, pinning her in place with a look caught between horror at his own words and amusement at the idea she thought she'd turn into grass. "You won't turn into grass." He replied, repeating it until she calmed down and actually looked up at him and paid attention. "No living lion can just become grass. The colour of your fur has nothing to do with it." Pausing he wondered if explaining would freak her out even further, but he figured he couldn't do much worse than he had done already.

"It only happens a long time after a lion dies."