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 Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 3:54 pm
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His ears twitched, nose raised to scent the air, eyes turned to the sky, watching the eagle that circled overhead. Ufunuo was searching, hunting, a pass time that had quickly become his favorite, determined to learn all he could, to become a great hunter (and eventually a great prince) just like his papa.
"Do you see anything?"
The cub called out as the eagle descended, settling at his bonded's side. The pair were inseparable, as close as any bonded could be, a team in all they set out to do, Ufunuo and Daga.
"Perhaps something you will find interesting, Hifadhi is not far from here."
Ufunuo's eyes lite up, a mischievous grin on his maw. How long had it bed since that first hunting lesson? Perhaps not so long as it seemed in the mind of a child, but he was sure he had learned a lot since then, that he was ready for the next lesson. And today, it was his chance to show the old captain just how much he had learned.
"Keep an eye on him from the air, this time we'll get him."
A nod, Daga spread his wings, taking to the skies above. Ufunuo crouched, watching the eagle, following the signals as he crept through the grass, one paw at a time, silent, he was a shadow. This time he was sure he could sneak up on Hifadhi. |
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Posted: Mon Mar 16, 2009 8:55 pm
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Posted: Tue Mar 17, 2009 6:44 pm
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Quietly, step by step, don't step there, watch out for the loose rocks. Nose raised, he scented the air, he smelled Hifadhi, at least he thought it was Hifadhi. Good, that meant he was downwind, Hifadhi couldn't smell him, that was what the old lion had told him last time.
He looked to the sky, Daga, watching the old captain, guiding the young hunter. Ufunuo could not see Hifadhi through the brush, but Daga could see from the air. Later he would question why he had not thought of Daga being seen, or how Hifadhi had known it was him in the first place (surely he was not the only crowned eagle in Africa), but for now, he did as he had learned, hunting with his partner.
Young eyes narrowed in determination, the brush was growing sparser, less places to hide, he'd have to make his move soon. But he still couldn't--wait, Hifadhi, there he was, and he hadn't been seen yet!
He ducked behind a rock, tail twitching as he crouched. Wait for it, a little closer, little closer, almost there, he pounced!
"ROAR!" |
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Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 2:44 pm
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Hifadhi was actually pleasently suprised that he hadn't heard the small lion coming. But he had known he was being watched, after all, not all eagles looked the same to him. He knew Daga when he saw him. He would though, he noted, have to make sure that he told Ufunuo that shouting while he pounced did... sort of give him away.
So the older lion held out his paw, managing to duck out of the way with the intent of stopping Ufunuo's head with his paw, like he had done to Ngao when she was younger. She had been a fast learner, much like the young master was turning out to be. That was good, since he was quite fond of the boy.
"Close my prince, but not close enough." Hifadhi chuckled, looking at the younger lion and smiling. He had certainly grown since their first lesson. It seemed that he was shaping up to be a fine young lion. That was very good. He had been worried that he might become depressed after all that had happened... but it seemed that worry had been for nothing.
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Posted: Wed Mar 18, 2009 6:34 pm
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Oof, right into Hifadhi's paw. Aww, he had missed, he thought for sured he'd get him this time. His ears fell, disappointed, at least until he remembered that it had been Hifadhi he was stalking. Hifadhi was a great guard and hunter! So he guessed it was okay that he hadn't caught him this time, he could still sneak up on Daga, and on his sister! And next time, he knew he'd get Hifadhi next time.
"How did you know it was me? Did I almost get you?"
A grin spread across his maw, bouncing back a pace so he could see Hifadhi better (it was kind of hard being right under the paws of a lion so much bigger than him). He couldn't wait for the next lesson!
A bit disappointed for his bonded, though not entirely surprised, Daga descended, wings spread as he glided toward the earth, finally settling on a rock near the young cub. Oh the childish energy, it never ceased to amaze him. Though Ufunuo had failed, he was back on his paws, eager to try again. If there was one thing to be said for that boy, he never gave up. |
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 10:01 am
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Hifadhi smiled at the young boy, glad that as always he managed to recover so quickly from his failures. "It was very close. Very good progress, I believe. But, you have to remember that you're in a pride where your bird is a part of your soul." He nodded towards Daga, "So you aren't the only one who has to hide. You might have caught me if I hadn't known to be on the look out for your bird. Spotting him made me far more attentive, listen to things I wouldn't normally. That's how I caught you."
He smiled back at the cub, glad to be back in the teacher's seat again. Perhaps he should have made more of a habit of that? Sharing his techniques with younger lions... after all, he had helped to teach Ngao and many of the other guards. Maybe he should return to teaching the youth instead of going about trying to be a guard... He wasn't sure whether that was a pessamistic thought, or a good one.
"Oh, and one more thing. Battle cries are for battle. If you're stalking someone, yelling right before you attack them gives away the suprise." He mentioned, almost as an afterthought... though it had been the real problem with the attack.
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 8:53 pm
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"Oooh, okay! But, how did you know it was Daga?"
His head tilted curiously with the question, how did Hifadhi see him so far up? In all his training, Ufunuo had never thought of Daga giving him away. But, how was a bird to hide in the sky? It was one thing to hide on the ground, there were rocks and trees and grasses to hide in, but the sky was open, there was no where to hide there. Wow, there sure was a lot more to learn.
"How can Daga hide?"
Battle cries were for battle, that was easy enough to understand. Now that he thought about it roaring when trying to sneak up on someone was a silly thing to do, no wonder Hifadhi had caught him. Although that trick had worked rather well on Daga before, but then he had just been trying to scare the eagle out of his feathers.
Hey, that gave him an idea, he could use a roar as a distraction, to draw attention away from Daga so the eagle could strike. Well, it worked the other way around didn't it? It was great for hunting rabbits, Daga distracted the prey and drove it toward Ufunuo while he charged after it, the rabbits didn't know he was there until he was right on top of them.
Come to think of it, he probably should have used that against Hifadhi, it probably would have worked better. Well, he'd know better for next time. |
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 4:06 pm
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Hifadhi grinned and chuckled a little, "Ufunuo, my eyes may be old but they're sharp as ever. I know what everyone in our pride looks like, and I know what all of their birds look like down to every feather. In a battle, what would you do if you somehow managed to forget what Dad looked like next to another eagle like him? And you'll remember, Pepo just looks like another brown bird too. You have to pay attention so you know what everyone looks like. Train your eyes so you know who's a friend, and who might be an enemy."
He looked thoughtfully then, wishing he had brought Pepo with him so that the bird could explain clever hiding spots in the sky. How the bird had done it was usually something Hifadhi didn't really think about. "When Pepo doesn't want to be seen... he usually flies up in front of the sun, so that no one can see what he looks like without hurting their eyes. Or, if he really wants to hide, he sits in trees and watched form there. This isn't so bad if you're going up against an enemy who doesn't know you have a bonded on your side... but if they do, you have to be a little more careful." He instructed, knowing he would have to ask Pepo how he went about hiding in more detail later.
Oh well, he was fairly certain that was a good step in the right direction at the very least. The young prince was certainly getting the basics, and even a little advanced, at the very least.
Kids grew up so fast...
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Posted: Fri Mar 20, 2009 9:57 pm
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"Oh."
Well that made sense and now he wondered why he hadn't thought of it before. Of course he knew the difference between Daga and other birds, he would have never confused him for another, even another eagle. And he knew what Mfalme looked like too, and Hakiki, and Pepo, and the other birds of the pride, just as he knew what the lions looked like. So of course Hifadhi had recognized Daga, he should have know that.
"I would never forget what Daga looks like, he's my bonded!"
A smile on his maw, a nod to emphasis his words. Nothing could ever separate the lion from his bonded, they were a team, sharing a great connection, maybe they were more than that, two parts of the same being.
Ufunuo had settled on his haunches, his gaze turned to Hifadhi, listening to each word he said, taking in the lesson as a scholar would read a book. Hmm, they'd have to practice some new hunting techniques from now on, and then they would be great hunters too!
"What if there's no sun?" |
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Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 10:24 pm
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Hifadhi grinned as he watched the young boy put two-and-two together. It did seem terribly simple sometimes, but then again, Hifadhi had learned over the years that common sense was never exactly common, depending on who you spoke to. Completely simple tricks could be very alien to someone who had never seen them used before.
And the connection between a lion and their bonded was a sacred thing. It made them truly one with each other. To know your bird was to know yourself, in his experience. Though of course Pepo did have a tendancy to bring out the most annoyed side of Hifadhi sometimes... not that he would ever admit such a thing, of course.
"Good. I'm glad that's settled." Hifadhi chuckled, glancing over at Daga absently. "Ah... if there's no sun, then it is dark outside, and you'd be suprised how much you can use the cover of darkness to your advantage. Then, Daga can simply fade awat in the night sky. He may look like anything from down below, when a lion's eyesight isn't good. But again, if you want to be the most safe, you should stick to trees and other cover where you won't be seen."
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Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 4:32 pm
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Well, he supposed that was true, it would be a lot easier to hide in the dark than in daylight.
"What about when it's cloudy?"
An eagle could hide in the clouds, but wouldn't it be as hard to see through the clouds to the target as for the target to see the hidden bird? Then there was the other question, if Daga was hiding how was -he- going to see Daga? Thus far all their signals had been visual, staying silent was important (except when used as a distraction). As amazing as it would have been, Ufunuo had not yet found a way to communicate telepathically with his bonded.
"How will we communicate?"
Well, if he knew where Daga was, it would be easier to see him. Clearly he had a lot more to think about, this was going to be harder than he thought.
Daga simply shook his head, always in wonder at his bonded. So curious, so eager to learn, to grow, to be the best at all he set out to do. Somehow, he didn't think this part of the lesson would prove any more difficult for the young cub than the first, how quickly the young one learned. |
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Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 6:16 pm
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"Well, when it's cloudy, it's still dark now isn't it? But if you can't hide properly, then you can still hide in trees, or just fly over-head and keep on your way. Hovering around is another way of giving yourself away." Hifadhi told him carefully, remembering all the tricks that he could think of.
He smiled a little, "Well, communication is tricky. If you're just hunting for game, it's easier, because they won't notice something in the air, they'll be more worried about you. If you're after lions, a quick fly-over should be decent, if they don't know you have a boned. If they do though... like the outsiders did before... then you must keep low. Stay in the trees. A bonded can survey, and return to you quickly... but you must be especially careful in those situations."
Even remembering what had gone on made him want to shiver, though he did not show it. It had been one of the hardest things he and Pepo had ever faced, being unable to communicate as they usually did... Pepo hadn't been able to fly above the tree line.
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Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 10:21 pm
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He was silent for a time, thinking, taking in all that Hifadhi had said. Hmm, it all made sense, he understood, putting it into practice would be harder. Well, he wasn't going to give up, he would keep learning, he would never stop learning, he and Daga were the best team ever. And Ufunuo had learned a few tricks of his own.
"Or we can work together, one of us can distract while the other sneaks up from behind, I bet that would have gotten you!"
A grin, Ufunuo had risen to his paws, circling in place as if he could no longer contain his energy, the energy that always bubbled inside him. Daga had often wondered if the boy ever ran out of energy.
At mention of the outsiders, his brow furrowed, ears falling. Through all the tragedy, Ufunuo had found happiness in life, but he could never forget. Especially the buzzards, he didn't like buzzards.
It was a short lived moment, the smile returning at thoughts of the friend he had found.
"I don't know if there are any trees around big enough to hold Daga's big butt."
"Hey!"
*snicker* |
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Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 1:32 pm
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