Isher Notra

Lien:

She missed this.

Hunting and tracking a large animal, then killing it with her own paws. It made the act of eating afterward much more satisfying.

To top it all off, she was being supervised by her mother! It had been a year since the last time. Her aunt did most of the heavy lifting when it came to teaching in this regard, and then she went through some solo practice, much to her fellow Wolves' anxiety.

The pup couldn't understand why they were so antsy about that. Lien was blind, sure, but so what?! She could survive a day without their constant vigilance, a point she proved yesterday.

Well, that wasn't true... She was captured by the Ogres. And she only got Jólakötturinn out of her tail because of Stella.

Speaking of her friend, she was acting weird earlier. She was way less outspoken than usual. And the crying last night...

Maybe she should've consoled her. Lien was not good at these touchy situations, but she was an expert hugger! Maybe when she gets back, then.

Thoughts for later. The smell of deer entered the Wolf's nasal radar.

It was hard for the pup to track anything right now. That was related to where the captain decided to conduct the test, the Sampiens. Other Monoke always gushed about its beauty, which wasn't a sentiment Lien shared.

Other than her blindness, the spores from the fungi messed with her sense of smell. It made her feel vulnerable.

She knew that was why her mom chose this place for her hunting ground. Captain Tash never played nice, a quality Lien admired.

The pup approached the smell with careful steps. After crossing a considerable distance, that presence turned into more than Lien could count on her paws. That would make this endeavor slightly harder, she had to admit.

Thankfully, Lien had hunted enough to know the subtle differences in smell between the adult deer and its fawn. Her enhanced sense of smell made it even easier to discern that. Come to think of it, the spores only downgraded her nose to be at the same level as the rest of her kind. That was neat!

Now, it was simply a matter of carefully hiding her presence in the bushes, which she had to pay extra attention to. The subtle sounds of the vegetation and how they smell are essential for her to know which places she could use to her advantage.

There were a lot of options for prey in the herd, but the pup wanted this hunt to be memorable. She desired a challenge. She desired to take down the biggest of the bunch.

After patiently waiting until the smell of male hormones shifted close enough, the Wolf pounced on the male deer, claws unsheathed! She didn't know exactly where she would hit, so she swung her natural weapon and could feel it cutting through the animal's flesh. The wetness in her paw and the smell of blood were satisfying for the young huntress.

Needless to say, she heard the rest of the deers running away, including her target. That wouldn't do!

Lien easily outsped the stag and blocked its escape. The deer tried time and time again to flee in different directions, but that only served as entertainment for the huntress. It was similar to the Wolves' traditional dance, only missing the part where the partner would fake attack her.

Oh! Scratch that! The herbivore finally grew a spine and used violence to defend its right to live. Lien didn't have vision, but she knew better than to stand in one place and let the bigger prey pummel her.

She always kept a safe distance from the target. Even though she preferred the direct approach of overpowering her prey with brute strength, she remembered the core principle of Wolf hunting philosophy: "A good hunt is the one where you are left unscathed."

Those words are drilled into any pup old enough to hunt rabbits. Lien wasn't a prime student, but even she was no exception.

She heard the distinct noise of hooves beating the ground, antlers scraping the tree trunks, and the ragged breathing of the ever-weakening ungulate. Each fighting attempt was met with a slashing attack on its torso, a kick on its knee joint, and then a piercing bite on its hide. The sweet taste of deer blood was reinvigorating!

After doing this song and dance a few more times, the stag fell to the ground. The weak sneeze it made only confirmed its state to the pup. She was disappointed that it lasted so little but shrugged it off.

It was for the best. Lien had places to go with her new friend, after all.

The deer's life was lost by a decisive throat clamp. Lien's jaw was strong enough to seal its fate and its windpipe.

The pup climbed on her fallen prey and lay on its corpse. Sure enough, her mom's scent was quickly on her radar.

"Hey, mom!" She front-flipped back to her feet. "Caught it all by myself!"

Her mother's feet shuffled in circles around her game. "That was a good hunt, Lien." Her praise made the pup beam with pride.

"But you could've taken it more seriously." Of course, there had to be a point of criticism. The captain was hard to impress, especially when it comes to her own child.

Lien deflated. "Sorry, mom..."

Her mood defaulted, and her tail wagged frantically when Tash's paw scratched her head. Mommy's caresses were the best!

"You did good. Now it's time to go." She spoke softly.

"Can I carry my prey?! Please!" Lien hopped over and over like a rabbit.

"Let me do it. You've done more than enough." The carcass was lifted, presumably carried on the captain's shoulder. "Next hunt, I'll let you. I promise."

Lien was disappointed by the doting treatment but decided to think of who awaited her at the old Monoke's house. Oh, man! She had a freaking Human friend! All her friends in Pantsti will bulge their eyes out when they see her. It would be amazing!

She strutted through the mushrooms, sometimes grabbing into one's soft stem and jumping to another. It was a gay old time!

As expected, who didn't appear to be as excited was her mother. "You're more jumpy than usual."

She should begin any conversation with "I'm not happy." It would spare precious time.

Don't look at me. This was Lien's opinion, not mine.

"Oh! I don't know why, just feeling good today!" She wiggled along a thinner fungus stem, which she clung to.

"Is this about your friend?" Lien could hear the uneasiness in her tone.

The pup decided to not dwell on it. "Huh. Now that you mention, yeah!" She jumped from the fungus and landed back on her mother's side. "Stella's great! You should talk to her more!" She walked with her paws behind her head.

Tash scoffed. "Thanks, but I already have enough friends. But my concern is not about her personality, you know that."

Lien knew. Among all Wolves in Pantsti, her mother is particularly more vocal about the dangers of Humanity than the rest. Heck, she remembered when she and her cousins were playing a few meters away from the border before the captain came with a ten-minute-long scolding.

It was suffocating, but she couldn't blame her. Talking about the root of the issue was something Lien did not dare to do. Even mentioning his name was too much.

"She's a Human." Tash continued. "Any thoughts about that?"

The pup had to do something she wasn't used to, reflect on her following words. There was no reason to lie, but she didn't even know how to fully grasp that fact.

Under these complicated dilemmas, Lien mostly shrugged and settled on going with the flow. Someone more competent could make the hard decisions. She knew her limitations.

But this time... She was more involved but didn't want to back off either. It was so weird it made her head spin a bit.

Oh, right... Her mom...

"Well, at first, I didn't know. Then, after Stella told me the truth, I was kinda afraid, I admit." She pointed her finger at the captain. "But! We had a lot of fun together, and I feel good when I'm next to her! Also, we're a pack now, so it's settled!"

The pup practically shouted that last bit to express how her opinion wouldn't change, no matter how much she insisted. It was surprisingly effective since the captain went silent throughout the entire trip.

You know what? Lien hated this! She didn't want to make her mom upset or even sad! There has to be something she could say here, right?

"I know how you feel about Humans, Mom." She spoke in a gentle tone. "But trust me, if you talk to her, you will see what I mean."

The captain only responded with a "Maybe later."

That would have to do for now.