Kneeling by the river, Prae studied the tracks by the bank, claws tracing thoughtfully over the muddy imprints. There were a buck’s hoofprints here, mostly dried up by now, but they were deep, and broadly spaced. This was a big male for certain, with plenty of meat and hide on him. But there… Prae shifted over, considering the second set of tracks.
These were a doe’s prints, smaller, but much fresher, the mud still wet and sticky. If Prae went off after these prints, he was sure to find her before long. Given that it was meat Prae was after today, he wanted a sure kill, but…
Glancing over at Erasmus, Prae huffed, scratching his muzzle. This doe was on the smaller side, and he wasn’t really sure she’d satisfy all four heads of his dragonling. Erasmus required a truly impressive amount of meat every day to be sated, and the buck would be a much more filling meal for him.
Decisions, decisions.
In the end, it was the season that made Prae’s mind up for him. This time of year was just past the deers’ mating season, if he wasn’t mistaken. There was a decent chance this doe was pregnant, and if that were the case, it’d be much better to take the buck so the doe could have her foal, replenishing the population for next year.
With that decided, Prae stood, and whistled for Erasmus to take flight without him. As eager as the dragonling was to hunt and kill, Prae was a much better hunter alone than with an oversized zahkron hovering over his shoulder.
Erasmus huffed indignantly, all four heads swivelling towards Prae, and he sighed. Again, he whistled for Erasmus to take flight, gesturing up towards the sky. The zahkron huffed again, staring him down expectantly. It wasn’t puzzlement, that much Prae could tell. If the dragonling was puzzled, his heads would look between themselves, checking to see if any of the others understood. No, Erasmus knew full well what Prae was ordering. He simply did not want to sit this hunt out. This was stubbornness, pure and simple.
Unfortunately for him, Prae could be just as stubborn. So he simply stood there, arms folded across his chest, and waited.
For a few long moments, Erasmus huffed and glared, waiting impatiently for Prae’s will to break. Then, his tail began to lash behind him in irritation, smacking occasionally against a nearby tree with a dull thunk.
I can wait here all trial, Prae thought wryly. You’re the one who goes hungry the longer we draw out this hunt. But he didn’t say it. He had a good handle on Erasmus’s personality by now, and he knew this was as much the dragonling testing him as it was him being petulant. Sometimes, when Erasmus got into these kinds of moods, trying to convince him of anything would just be interpreted as weakness. Only strength of will would be respected every time.
Finally, the dragonling let out a sour growl, and looked away, sulking. Smiling, Prae rewarded him with a stroke down the spine, and whistled one more time. This time, Erasmus obeyed, leaping into the air and snapping his wings out, quickly soaring high into the sky over the woods, terrifying a handful of birds along the way.
Chuckling softly to himself, Prae turned back to the tracks, putting all thought of his unruly mount out of his mind.
It was time to begin the hunt.
These were a doe’s prints, smaller, but much fresher, the mud still wet and sticky. If Prae went off after these prints, he was sure to find her before long. Given that it was meat Prae was after today, he wanted a sure kill, but…
Glancing over at Erasmus, Prae huffed, scratching his muzzle. This doe was on the smaller side, and he wasn’t really sure she’d satisfy all four heads of his dragonling. Erasmus required a truly impressive amount of meat every day to be sated, and the buck would be a much more filling meal for him.
Decisions, decisions.
In the end, it was the season that made Prae’s mind up for him. This time of year was just past the deers’ mating season, if he wasn’t mistaken. There was a decent chance this doe was pregnant, and if that were the case, it’d be much better to take the buck so the doe could have her foal, replenishing the population for next year.
With that decided, Prae stood, and whistled for Erasmus to take flight without him. As eager as the dragonling was to hunt and kill, Prae was a much better hunter alone than with an oversized zahkron hovering over his shoulder.
Erasmus huffed indignantly, all four heads swivelling towards Prae, and he sighed. Again, he whistled for Erasmus to take flight, gesturing up towards the sky. The zahkron huffed again, staring him down expectantly. It wasn’t puzzlement, that much Prae could tell. If the dragonling was puzzled, his heads would look between themselves, checking to see if any of the others understood. No, Erasmus knew full well what Prae was ordering. He simply did not want to sit this hunt out. This was stubbornness, pure and simple.
Unfortunately for him, Prae could be just as stubborn. So he simply stood there, arms folded across his chest, and waited.
For a few long moments, Erasmus huffed and glared, waiting impatiently for Prae’s will to break. Then, his tail began to lash behind him in irritation, smacking occasionally against a nearby tree with a dull thunk.
I can wait here all trial, Prae thought wryly. You’re the one who goes hungry the longer we draw out this hunt. But he didn’t say it. He had a good handle on Erasmus’s personality by now, and he knew this was as much the dragonling testing him as it was him being petulant. Sometimes, when Erasmus got into these kinds of moods, trying to convince him of anything would just be interpreted as weakness. Only strength of will would be respected every time.
Finally, the dragonling let out a sour growl, and looked away, sulking. Smiling, Prae rewarded him with a stroke down the spine, and whistled one more time. This time, Erasmus obeyed, leaping into the air and snapping his wings out, quickly soaring high into the sky over the woods, terrifying a handful of birds along the way.
Chuckling softly to himself, Prae turned back to the tracks, putting all thought of his unruly mount out of his mind.
It was time to begin the hunt.
