Comet was quite satisfied to see that Tema had absorbed all this information very well. That was good. After her explanation she had to catch her breath due to the length of it. She probably couldn't remember what she had just said anyway if she needed to repeat it.

"And now... we hunt!" she was quite aware that the bear might seem a bit uncomfortable with this, but she would need to get used to it for her own good. "Let's start small, with a mouse perhaps? You can catch fish but catching mice are harder. You have to be very quiet, and sneak up on them. Then JUMP! At the last second." explained Comet, demonstrating the motions as she said it.

@Tema

TEMA
The bravest creatures are often the softest at heart

Tema watched intently as Comet demonstrated, wondering how the canine moved so fluidly. Her own movements had always been... shorter. She didn't extend her legs nearly as far as Comet did when she walked... and she certainly didn't jump. This would take some practice, which was sort of the whole point.

She sniffed at the mouse Comet had brought over to memorize the smell; it was very different from the fish. It was... earthy, like it had been crawling through mud. Perhaps it had, considering how low it was to the ground. Tema guessed this was not a creature that climbed trees based on the scent alone, so they'd likely be searching the ground for them. Comet was closer to the ground than the bear, so it would make the most sense for her to sniff one out.

"Help to find?" She asked, her nose still pressed against the mouse's soft belly.

OOC Notes:

@Comet

Comet was glad to see that the bear was learning, even sniffing the mouse to smell its scent. She wasn't sure how the bear would hunt though, did wolves and bears hunt differently? Tema's legs didn't look like they were made for running. Bears were much bigger too. Perhaps they didn't eat small animals such as mice? Maybe they ate huge things like deer? But meat was meat, so they would be starting with mice.

"Okay!" she pressed her nose onto the ground, inhaling the scents. Her nose immediately caught the smell: mouse. "Follow me!" With her nose still pressed to the ground, she walked is a zig zag trail across the mossy area, and came upon a rat munching on some food. "Over here!" Comet whispered, "Try getting it!"

@Tema

TEMA
The bravest creatures are often the softest at heart

Tema offered her thanks to Comet before following after her as quietly as she could. It was much harder for the bear to walk silently, but she did her best not to make a ruckus as they moved.

Tema nodded slowly to Comet as she was shown the rat, crouching low like the wolf had shown her and focusing her eyes directly on the prey ahead. Everything else seemed to fall away as she took a slow breath in and-

A crunch could be heard as her paws hit the ground, her weight killing the rat before her claws or fangs could. Thankfully she was far from full grown at this stage of her life, meaning she only broke the thing's neck and probably a few other bones. It was a little squished, but not too much of a bloody mess.

But Tema wasn't looking at her catch. She'd already turned back towards Comet with a big smile that showed off all her teeth. I did it! She called, probably scaring anything else that might have been near at the time.

She released the rat to bring it over and blinked at it a few times before hesitantly picking it up to show her, pushing down whatever feeling it was that bubbled up in her gut.

OOC Notes:

@Comet

Comet held her breath as she watched the bear leap into the air and... squish the mouse. Ouch, that did not look comfortable. Not something she would have done herself, she found that biting their neck did the trick. But she was a wolf and Tema was a bear, so she would probably do things differently. The important part was that it worked.

"Great job!" The bear was not full grown yet, so the mouse was not squished into oblivion. It looked edible still. "We can bury it and come back for it later." Comet worked her paws at the ground and she picked up the mouse and dropped it in. Her hind paws buried it up, and she marked it with a rock. "You're hunting is very good, now we can practice your tracking. Why don't you try finding some prey?"

@Tema

TEMA
The bravest creatures are often the softest at heart

Whatever negative feeling had built in her gut before disappeared entirely as Comet hid her catch in a marked hole. One might have even called it a grave had it not been her prey just moments before. She rarely picked leaves off the dirt floor since they were often long-dried or rotten... so why would one bury what was supposed to be a meal in it?

Well, she was here to learn. So if the wolf said to bury it for later, she would remember it for later reference.

"Alright..." Tema put her nose to the ground, trying to follow what she had seen Comet do using the scent she had picked up from the dead mouse and rat as a guide. And... she found it!

Gesturing for Comet to follow along, the bear kept her nose stuffed directly into the dirt as she walked, following the scent path's circles and sharp turns. Eventually she found it, a red-pelted mouse hiding among the foliage. She pointed it out to her mentor with a proud smile, waiting to see if the wolf wanted her to kill it too or if this was a tracking-only lesson. Though becoming more comfortable with hunting as time passed, she still slightly hoped it was the latter.

OOC Notes:

@Comet

Comet walked closely behind Tema, watching her follow the scent trail. Bears' noses weren't all that bad at tracking down scents either, so it wasn't long before the bear pointed out a red mouse to the wolf. "Good job!" whispered Comet. She wasn't sure if the bear should practice hunting it too, since it had already been some time.

"It's late, let's end the lesson right here okay?" she threw a rock near the mouse and it scampered away. "You did a good job! Your nose is very good." Comet led Tema back to where they had started and dug up the original mouse. "Here you can have it." Truth was, the pup wasn't feeling too hungry. And she had to leave. "Well, this is where I leave you. Hope to see you sometime!" And with that, Comet left.

"Exit Comet"

TEMA
The bravest creatures are often the softest at heart

Tema looked up as Comet mentioned how long they had been at this, noticing the light slowly begin to dim. While it was never truly dark when the lights were working, they did seem to run on a cycle that made her tire as they began to fade.

"I guess you're right... Well, thank you for teaching!" She smiled as the wolf disappeared from her sight, hoping to meet her again in the caves. There was never any guarantees considering how large the caves were, but she could hope. Being around someone who wouldn't wince at her hunting something was comforting, especially since it was good for her health. Or so she guessed based on the feeling it left her with.

Grabbing up the mouse Comet had left her, Tema swallowed it down and left to find a soft spot to rest. No need to waste it when she could very easily eat three more. She'd probably snack on a few greens along the way to bed, but the little bit of meat in her belly was oddly filling.

OOC Notes:

//Exit Tema
@Comet for visibility