while we're young -- open!

[[Midnight]]

Justyn listened keenly to Fallon's tone of voice. How different she was from all of the females previously in his life. As usual Justyn's mind wandered momentarily, eyes soaking in the features on Fallon's narrow face as she spoke so gruffly. He understood in that moment why he accepted her friendship so freely; she was honest. Or, perhaps, she couldn't ever be a liar because she wore emotions far too much. Justyn could see the cogs in her mind turning as she sized up Kohar and wondered plainly what Justyn's relationship to her was.

And the next thing Justyn knew he was being slapped on the bridge of his nose with her forepaw. He felt irritation and rubbed his own foot across his face, as if trying to wipe away the tingling pain. After this he reached his leg up to scratch at her furry chest, where his claws wouldn't really score across flesh. And just like that he was smirking at her. That special smirk which was the best smile he could muster.

His guard was down, he realized. The smirk disappeared rather quickly when he turned his attention back to Kohar, his ears perked and his face stern but good-natured in general.
"If you want me to teach you how to hunt, you have to listen to everything I tell you. So, the first thing I will tell you about hunting..."

He trailed off, lifting his nose into the air to give it a quick sniff. He crinkled his face like he smelled something not quite so right.

"First of all, we stink of wolf. Especially Fallon. She reeks of hungry, grumpy carnivore. I'm sure you've learned by now that the breeze carries scents."

He left it at that, looking expectantly at Kohar for her thoughts, but curious to see if Fallon was going to stick around. His left ear stayed turned in her direction.

[Malo]

In response to Justyn's comment, Fallon scrunched up her face as if she had smelled something horrid, then stuck her tongue out. "I stink no more than you do, Justyn." She wrinkled her nose again to add emphasis to her statement. Turning to face Kohar, she tilted her head in thought. "If you want to learn to hunt properly, Justyn is not necessarily the most skilled wolf to learn from. He's big, slow and loud and the prey can hear him coming from miles away. Now staying downwind is important, but you should also know how to use your surroundings and your pack to your advantage. For example, if you're hunting in a forest, you should be careful to avoid stepping on leaves, twigs, and fallen branches. Use the shadows to conceal yourself. In a meadow, stay low and downwind."

She stretched her legs, looking back and forth between Justyn and their young companion, making it clear she wasn't going anyway anytime soon. She had nothing else to do, besides shirk her responsibilities, so she figured that this was the best way to pass her time. Thinking a little more, she thought that she should try to find Naila sometime soon, just to chat. That was her only surviving sibling after all and she wasn't too keen on meeting Almira's latest brood just yet.

Staring curiously at Justyn, her green eyes shone with mischief. She eagerly wanted to watch the hunting "lesson", if only to laugh at Justyn and introduce Kohar to their strange relationship.

[Paint]

Kohar listened a little, ignoring their bickering as she became taken in by her surroundings. When the talk turned to hunting tips she tuned in again, ears swivelling to face the older wolves as her dark eyes bore into them. It all seemed to make sense, really.

"Okay," she replied, as she concocted a question in her ever-growing brain. "So just try and be as quiet and clever as possible. I don't see why Justyn shouldn't be good at hunting, he is the Beta after all," she added, raising a brow slightly into an expression that she would come to adopt as she grew into an adult. She licked some river mud from her paw as she thought some more.

"Is it better to be strong or fast when you hunt? I mean, I don't know which I'll be, probably both, but I'd like to know what's most important. Catching up with the prey or killing it. Imagine how embarrassing if you could reach a big 'ol moose and then couldn't kill it?!" she found herself giggling, glancing between the two and wondering what they would say.

[[Midnight]]

Truthfully, Justyn wasn't used to praise from anyone but the shadow of his memory who was once his mother. She used to praise the entire litter, of course. She was just full of good things to say for the ones she loved, even if the good things to say were all lies in the end. He looked serious again and studied Kohar, thinking of her comment intended to place the Beta in a higher position. Did she really think that about being a Beta? That it meant you were good at everything you did? That it meant automatically that Justyn was a good hunter and had led many hunts with other pack members?

Hardly.
But, he knew that once again, he was overthinking it. She was just a pup with a puppish viewpoint. Justyn was only good at fighting, and lately there hadn't been much of it and he was rather out of practice.

"I'm a Beta for one real reason; I can protect the pack with my fighting skills, and I'm not afraid to boss around wolves who really hate me," he stated truthfully, cutting down the pup's comment with a strange combination of humility and harsh reality. "Fallon is actually right for once, I am harder on my paws, so I'm usually the one the hunters lead the prey right to."

As if demonstrating his point, his jaws open wide, his lips curled in an intimidating snarl before he snaps them closed around an invisible throat.

He lifts an eyebrow, pondering for a moment her other questions, about the importance of each hunting aspect. He hadn't thought of hunting like that before. Kohar, too, was evidently an overthinker, analyzing the things that came naturally.

"The important part is the kill. It has to be quick and clean, or else everyone could get hurt when giant stone-hard hooves crash down on them. It doesn't matter the strategy you all use, as long as you use it right. You'd be more than embarassed when your head gets squashed."

Thniking about what he just said, his face scrunches with sudden pup-like qualities. Now he, too, was thinking about it. You couldn't make a clean kill without a good strategy. You couldn't make a good plan without wolves who could play each role.

"Ah, whatever. In the end, every bit of it's important. But don't think about it too much. When you actually get out there to do some hunting, you'll find you were born for it," he said, a small smile on his face. He couldn't remember his mother and whether or not she might've ever told him the same speech. Then he realized what he was thinking about and his eyes almost rolled involuntarily, but he wasn't alone, so he stopped himself short.

Duke's daughter wasn't so bad. His conclusion had been finalized after her cute giggling. He felt embarassed to think it, and looked over at Fallon as if she could read his mind, that he was enjoying himself and finding that he didn't hate pups like had really just assumed he would.

"Fallon thinks she knows everything. She's definately fast, but I'd be afraid to put her anywhere near a big ole moose. Just look at her," he said, grinning, trying to point out her size. "If I was leading a hunt, she'd be the left flank runner, and keep the prey where it needs to stay, but she wouldn't get too close."

[Malo]

Fallon perked her ears forward as she listened to Kohar's rambling, which she noticed was normal for young pups. They were curious about everything and seemingly eager to learn. It was one of the few things Fallon could appreciate about them. Most learned quickly and they weren't so set in their ways that they could take what someone said and accept it. She turned to Justyn, nodding as he conceded to her point. He had earned the Beta rank the same way her parents had, the same way it was probably always going to be done. She turned back to Kohar, wondering what would become of her. If Justyn went through with his plan, how would this ambitious pup take it? She did not know. But for now, she focused on the present.

Waiting until Kohar's giggles subsided, she stated, "Justyn's right. The most important part of the hunt, surprise surprise, is the kill. As he said, it has to be clean and swift. You don't want to drag out the process; the longer it takes to chase and bring an animal down, the more time and energy you waste and the greater the chances your meal will escape. It's good to have a combination of both speed and strength; despite what Justyn says, don't let my size fool you. If need be, one can play multiple roles in a hunt. You just have to be smart enough to play each role well, so you don't get yourself killed."

She looked at the pup thoughtfully for a moment, thinking back to her first hunt. No one had taught her how to hunt; Almira had disappeared, and Josiah had been in no shape to hunt any large prey. She and her siblings had learned by trial and error until she left Empryean. It felt strange to pass on her knowledge to Kohar, seeing as how her mother was no longer around to do it herself and Fallon was no teacher. I guess that's just what a pack does. Kohar would have to learn on her own as well; experience was the best teacher for any wolf, but a few pointers couldn't hurt. "If you want to be an extraordinary huntress, practice when you can. When you're a little bigger, I'd say start with rabbits and mice. For me and Justyn, they'd make a good snack, but they should be enough of a challenge that you don't find it boring."

[Paint]

"You two are terribly odd."

Kohar may have said to be one of those pups who spoke before they thought, but unfortunately she wasn't. She hardly said anything that she hadn't already planned to say in her head. Having watched the exchange between the two older wolves, she found herself tipping her head to one side and pricking her ears up to listen. Yes, the hunting business was all very interesting, but she was more interested in them.

"Are you friends? Or mates? Or siblings?" she asked, perfectly curiously. She sat up a little, tail wagging. "I can't figure it out!"

[[Midnight]]

It was true, they really were odd, Justyn conceded as he looked from Kohar, to Fallon, and back. The pup's words were innocent and a rightful question to ask, but it made Justyn feel strangely umcomfortable when he looked back at Fallon, mouth slightly agape, and realized he did not know how to answer her. His ears seemed to feel the same when they flipped against his skull, and then flickered back upright.

There was nothing more explicit between the two other than their unique bond of friendship, though the thought of something more than that had been hinted at before, perhaps. Why it had never been pursued, however, Justyn didn't think about.

He was looking at Kohar now when he spoke up and said, "We are friends and denmates." With a smile he lifted a paw and swiped it at her playfully. "We also just spent a looong time lecturing you about how to hunt, the least you could do is pretend you're listening!"

[Malo]

Fallon had momentarily turned her gaze away from the pup to bite at her right hind leg, when Kohar voiced her questions. The delta whipped her head around so quickly it looked as it she might have broken it. She eyed Kohar, her face blank but inside she wanted to burst. She didn't know quite how to respond to Kohar.

On one paw, she and Justyn held a unique friendship, brought together by their similiar lust for power and do-as-they-please attitudes. On another, they were denmates, a decision that had not been made without some thought, though how it had arised still left Fallon with some confusion when she thought about it too much. And on the other paw...was their unspoken attraction to each other. They were denmates, yes, but no further steps had been taken to secure something more meaningful beyond their friendship. It occasionally crossed her mind, more often than she would dare let anyone know, and a this point she looked to Justyn to see what he was thinking. Thankfully, he responded to Kohar quickly so she did not have to, but she felt a pang of sadness when she didn't see him respond as she'd hoped.

Turning back to Kohar, she tilted her head to the side with a raised eyebrow. "Don't tell me that's all you've been thinking about this entire time? Pups." She shook her head and sighed, feigning frustration at Kohar's youthful bluntness

[Paint]

"Of course not," Kohar responded crossly to Fallon. Her little scrunched up face was evidently attempting to frown, but with such a purpose it was hardly her own expression at all. She must have seen her mother or father do it when they did something wrong and was trying to copy it, and the tone of voice. Eventually, she gave up with such a task, realising that crossness didn't quite suit her. Not yet, anyway.

"I listened to everything you said! Both of you. Stay downwind and stay quiet, use your surroundings to your advantage, try not to be too stinky..." she began, taking a deep breath before continuing. "Try and be strong and fast, kill the prey quickly, yadda yadda yadda."

Then she beamed at them, proud of herself and a little smug. She paddled her paws on the ground and sat up straight, puffing her chest out a little in her thick, luxurious multi-toned fur. Her dark eyes blinked up at the two, not seeing Fallon's discomfort or perhaps irritation with her. She continued to beam.

[[Midnight]]

Justyn took to silence as he watched the interchange with a subtle trace of dreaminess to his eyes. This was the closest he'd come to actually fitting in with the pack. It was a comfortable place. Perfect hell, maybe. His insecurities were enough to destroy any good thing.

He let himself fall sideways to the soft ground, laying stretched out on his side. He wondered if Kohar was expecting anything else from him today. What else could he teach her? Perhaps he could find a lone hare and wound it, while Kohar practiced her technique...

He hadn't thought before about how much responsibility he was holding in the pack. There were pups to feed and teach. He hadn't been a Beta for long, and hadn't had very many friends to care for. The Moons were pretty good at self-preservation, and there was also Duke's mate to help run things. He really hadn't been necessary. So now the thought occurred to him that he may be called upon by Duke a little more often than usual. He doubted it, but the reality of it was still there.

Ugh, responsibility. Justyn felt a sudden uncharacteristic feeling of wanting to run away from higher power. He quickly sat up himself upright again, and tried to shake that off. No more mood changes. He needed to stop running away from everything.

He looked over at Fallon, and back to Kohar. Both of these females had recently lost their mothers, Justyn realized. His face grew sullen.

"Kohar, we're going to train you to be an Alpha. And Fallon here can be your Beta. That would be cool. I'd like to see that happen."
His tail wagged playfully.

[Malo]

Fallon watched with interest as Kohar spat out every tidbit of information they have given the small pup. So she WAS listening, she thought with a sense of satisfaction. Fallon liked to be listened to, and for once she wasn't bullying anyone to make them do it. She was impressed by Kohar's listening skills and quite amused when the pup took offense to her questioning. She stifled a laugh as she watched the young female scrunch up her face, deciding that she liked this pup, though fondness of any of the other youngsters was questionable.

Her ears perked when she heard Justyn speak again. She turned her head curiously, unconsciously wagging her own tail. Was he giving up his Alpha ambitions? Maybe he just liked Kohar, as she did. She wouldn't blame him; the youngster had spunk, although it could catch one off guard. "Seeing as how your father is a rather busy wolf, I suppose it's only right that Justyn and I help you. Of course, with your keen attention to detail and the blood of Duke in your veins, it shouldn't be too hard for you." She gave Justyn a slight smile, her anxiety from earlier evaporating as she caught his last words. Maybe there was hope after all.

[Paint]

Kohar liked these two. They were very complimentary. She saw in them strength and a sort of ease in their dominance. They seemed to be treating her rather well, considering that she was just a pup. All in all, Kohar was quite chuffed, especially when they spoke about her becoming the Alpha.

"I'd love to be the Alpha," she beamed a little more, tail wagging. It seemed so simple to her. She knew that she had other, older siblings, but if she was right for the job then surely they'd all step out of her way for the good of the pack? "I'm not sure what having my dad's blood has to do with it really, that would mean that every pup with Alpha parents should be an Alpha too, which isn't possible, especially with a large litter..."

She rambled a little but eventually stopped, hoping that she'd made some sort of sense. Her attention span wasn't yet developed enough to make her language concise and meaningful. But she had a brain on her, and was beginning to become aware of this. She eyed the two wolves in front of her again, wondering if they'd understand her.