It’s fascinating, watching someone new to shifting experience things for the first time. Mazikeen has felt disconnected from her younger self, the one that would spend every single day seeing what new animal she could mimic and the behaviours she could pick up. She’d once thought she’d get to experience this with her own children, but Malik and Sickle are off being taught and cared for by someone else now.
Bolder has only been here in Hyaline for a short time, but she finds that she wants him to stay. She wants to see what he can grow up into under their care.
She moves with him towards the treeline, taking extra care to slow her movements so they can more easily be watched and mimicked. She keeps part of her attention on where she believes the rabbit is, a soft rustling of leaves just inside of the treeline giving it away, and the rest on Bolder - noting how he adjusts his movements for this new shape. And she offers him a smile that comes a little easier - approval radiating in her bright eyes.
When he asks if they’ll still be able to catch it, she whispers back “Oh yeah, I have no doubt.” One way or another, she’ll make sure that they do. And then to his suggestion of driving it out, that grin of her widens. She takes care to keep it soft and warm, to not let the predatory gleam shine through, as she praises the suggestion. “That idea is perfect. I’ll go into the woods and spook it out, you get ready to catch.” It may be clumsy, but again she thinks that all that matters is that he will try and he is willing to learn.
She circles around, taking care not to make any sound, and even darkens her coat to a deep black as she disappears into the woods. Rabbits are flighty creatures and though they could still track it if it took off further into the forest, she'd prefer to chase it towards the waiting youth. Mazikeen sees it - them, a pair of young-looking rabbits. A yip serves as both her warning to Bolder and to startle the rabbits - one of them bolting right out into the open while the other detours. She follows the one out but without hurrying - letting Bolder follow his instincts first but being nearby if he needs her.
@bolder