It was a madhouse. Tye's attention was spread out across the terrain, keeping an eye on all of the pups to watch what they were doing. It was unfortunate that his oldest had been so enthusiastic that he hadn't been able to curb his excitement enough to make a kill properly. All that energy and tactical playing and manoeuvring put to waste. He had managed to do it last time when they been practicing. Then suddenly Tye heard a scream and spotted the white pup, Willow, disappearing into the surrounding trees. One look and he guessed why. The rabbit heads that had been dislodged from the bodies. Renier looked as if he wanted to chase after her and Tye padded closer, cutting him off should he want to giving him a wordless warning with a stern gaze. His youngest son had to focus on what was at hand without getting distracted. His ears twitched, hearing his second oldest and the great wolf turned his head to look at Striker. He had seen him make a messy kill. Though, he had engaged in some trickery and deception in the form of trying to confuse the rabbit which was to be commended. Tye's expression was unfathomable, masking a lot of what he was feeling on the inside. But his eyes flickered as Striker did ask to fetch another, adding that it would be enjoyable to him to catch one for his mother and it seemed that for a minute, microsecond a flint of warmth edged over the icy blue veneer they held, giving them some shred of open affection and pride for his son. But it was gone as quickly as it came. He had to remain firm and resolute, hard and soon, Striker would come to understand just exactly why. He said, his voice a low rumble, "I think your mother would enjoy that. Wait until the others have finished and if Magnus tells you to go again, then go."

Tye glanced up, noting that one of the pups had somehow gotten stuck in the process of removing the rabbit from the hole. He got out which was good. Tye did not want to add another head to the collection of those that were already decapitated. But Renier was gauging his options, looking at the entire field. His youngest was waiting for something it seemed. Then he ran, using his smaller size to his advantage. As with Striker, he was an agile pup, faster than his brothers due to his size and had managed to spot a lone rabbit on one of the rocks. He snatched up the rabbit without much trouble and headed back to them with it in tow. And finally, as he joined the others, the chaos was over momentarily as Magnus spoke. Tye did not disagree with him on the sloppiness and wastefulness as they had mostly committed one or the other in the process of catching his rabbits but even so, he looked at his oldest with concealed pride. It was shown in his raised tail and the ever so slight smile that was threatening to tug at his lips. The Elite was a statue most times but he had trained his sons to do as well as they could and he took pride in them when they showed him they could not only compete and survive but one of them could gain the approval of his good friend who was like his brother. Even if he had been messy. If they were to go again, it would do no harm. "And remember, if you catch enough we may even have enough for a feast fit for the demons we are," Tye added wryly as a joke, looking at all of them without emotion.

If there was one thing that Aspen hated more than anything, was lack of recognition. He completed his task to perfection. He killed the rabbit he was requested to bring and did it in less time than anyone else. His was not even that messy of a kill. Not only did the Elite say nothing to him, but neither did his father. Magnus spoke not a word to him, didn't even make eye contact with him. It angered Aspen to no end. Ciro was told to retrieve yet another rabbit, but Aspen was not going to sit around and do nothing. Or even stay and watch the other fools go for more and more until they got it right. He was bored of this, and had soon realized his sister had wandered from the group. Willow was useless to the pack, completely useless. What was the point of having her around? She was afraid to kill or even see blood. She was more like a deer than anything else, especially not a wolf. He sat patiently and waited fro Ciro to head off to catch another. But as he looked to Icarus, he felt a great rage of hatred for him. Why was he so honored with encouragement and words to keep him going. Why did Magnus not care for his own son enough to congratulate him on his form, or his accomplishment. "This is a bunch of deer shit.." he said as he stood to his feet and started to head home. "If you need me, Magnus, I shall be chasing after your disgrace of a daughter." When he completed his statement, he turned around and headed back home. He was honestly not going to go after a waste of breath. What good would it do? If he did see her, he would only bully her and take his frustrations out on her.

Surprise entered his eyes as the Guardian praised his efforts though without forgetting to point out his faults. He smiled sheepishly, his grin growing wider until the blood practically covered half his face his teeth a macabre wicked mask and lowered his head his ears folding. But deep down, he was happy. His father had never said a single word to him when he had done one of his tasks properly. The stare-downs, the wrestling with Renier and Striker to help toughen them up. Even that time he made them climb that massive tree and stay there for the entire night. He'd been the one to tell his little brother to stop whining when they'd seen that eagle. He'd been the one to knock away the snake when it was trying to bite them all and almost fallen off and broken his neck because of it. But he still did them anyway even though he paid more attention to his stupid little brother. His own father couldn't be bothered to say anything to him but was paying attention to Striker who had practically squashed his rabbit and hadn't even had to run as much as he did. Icarus had caught the most. Icarus did not see the pride in his father's posture. The black pup snorted, turning his attention back to the Guardian. It was only now that he realized that the Guardian had mentioned that his father was an Elite. An Elite...why didn't his father tell them something so important? Did he think they didn't matter to him that he didn't even tell them something so amazing? Something in his eyes turned dark. the gold in them turning volatile and vicious as resentment bubbled in his heart. And now his father was joking. He'd show him a demon.

He realized Willow had ran when he'd stared at her and laughed out loud at the thought. So weak. He'd be glad to go again to make up for his mistakes. Looking at his youngest brother, blood dripping down his black-furred face he snorted again. He'd gotten a rabbit that was the same as him. Small and tiny compared to Icarus' larger one. As expected from him. Feeling another's eyes on him, Icarus turned to look at the other male. The oldest. It occurred to him that maybe the other male had probably wanted his father's praise and he had taken that away from him. He was starting to go away, saying that he'd chase after Willow. Icarus had seen the other pup and if he were to be asked, he'd admit that he'd made a cleaner hit. But it probably wasn't him he wanted to hear that from. So he growled at him, bowing his head to the other male and said, "They're all yours." Whether or not he was telling the truth, Icarus didn't know but he would allow the other male to shine if he wanted. Icarus padded away from the remaining group, another growl escaping his throat as his eyes met his father's cold blue ones. Some of the resentment faded. He wanted his father's praise deep down. It had only given him a momentary flash of happiness to hear some from the Guardian but that was it. Spying a rabbit hiding in the shadow of one of the rocks nearby he leaped at it, his jaws closing around its body like a vice grip not decapitating heads this time. Standing, he stomped down on another that was hopping by with both fore-paws. The sound of breaking bones cracked the air. Not even a squeal. He lowered his head, nudging the dead creature towards the Guardian's fore-paws and dropped the rabbit he had in his jaws on top of it as well. There. He did it properly. Then he turned around, his nose pressed against the ground and sniffed, leading him further and further away from the Moors. He'd catch the biggest rabbit he could find. Maybe these weren't the only holes around. Maybe there were bigger rabbits somewhere else. Then his father would pay attention to him instead of his stupid brothers when he put the biggest, fattest rabbit in front of him. He was the best out of the three of them anyway.

[Icarus has exited]

She presented her work and listened to the critism given by her father. Looking around she saw the multitude of opinions of such words and smirked as some took it harder then they should. Piper's motto was always that she could improve on anything, for such was life. There was no such thing as perfection and the sooner she had learned that the happier she had been. She was always learning and bettering herself for training and growing was her only job now. Piper dipped her head to her father and the Elite then turned to go hunting again. This time she would go after a rabbit in the open, show she had been paying attention and use her wit to take one down. Chaos soon ensued from hunting around her and she wasn't so blind to know that no sensible prey would just pop out to be plucked. No, she would have to journey from the moors, to quieter places to find her prey.

Walking a bit of a ways she noticed some less used burrows towards the woods and a few runs of the rabbits in and out of the taller weeds. Thinking quickly Piper backtracked and listened to the earth, quickly hearing some movement from below her feet. Smirking she traced the rabbit exit hole with her gaze before bringing it back to the dirt below her. Suddenly Piper reared up and pounced down on the ground, slamming it with all her weight. The sudden change in pressure of the ground made a distant thud and her paws scraped and dug violently to make as much noise as possible. Her plan soon worked and from the exit a stupid doe ran out and into the well work run. Blasting off Piper trailed the rabbit through the trees, bouncing over brush and grass as she gained of the prey. Soon the woods opened to another field and Piper let her speed and tight turns get the best of the rabbit. Faking to the left she met the squealing rabbit with open jaws, tearing at its throat and not letting it scream as loudly. Quickly it grew hushed, blood filling her mouth as she lifted her prize and toted it back to the group.

Her work had been neat and tidy and she had a feeling quelling the rabbits screams had been correct too. Unaware that by doing so she as not let it signal to its friends of the wolves ill intent she dropped her rabbit at Magnus's feet before stepping back. "How's this father?" She asked, her eyes still longing for acknowledgment and perhaps praise for her work done.

Renier looked at the others, watching his brothers leaving with mild surprise. Icarus was the first, decimating two in the most ruthless ways he had ever seen him use on a rabbit. But there was something vindictive about it. Angry. Like he wanted to get it done and over with as quickly as possible instead of what he would have usually done similar to how Striker was doing it. That was strange. He had been the most excited. The happiest to go and always eager to get more. But then he had realized one of Willow’s brothers had been glaring at Icarus. He had left already. If Renier had to guess it would’ve been because the Guardian had mentioned Icarus instead of him. Then Striker began to leave with the rabbit in tow but not before declaring he’d be returning home and suggesting a trip as a reward. Renier padded forwards, searching for any rabbits that were hiding. He wasn’t entirely sure how many males there were left but he knew that if they ended up taking all the males there’d be not enough males left to breed with the females. There were a lot of rabbits here though, male and female. They would still have enough rabbits to feed the pack even if he caught a male as he had spied many, many warrens which meant that there were many rabbits inside. Roughly, he would estimate that around 19 rabbits had been caught and killed by everyone, both males and females and in Icarus’ case, a female and a baby. Renier did not have any particular interest in leaving as he saw a bunch of warrens that he wanted to look at a bit further. Puzzles interested him and this was a big one. A very big one. He would stay behind and look at this, see how the tunnels inter-connected or at least have an idea of how it did. He thought that when the rabbits were terrified, they’d rush for the nearest exit. Then they’d either rush away or jump in another hole, wanting to go deep into their burrows and hide using the quickest route possible. He could see where they went. In the future, he would be able to intercept where the rabbits would come out at which hole quicker, saving a lot of time that could have been wasted. It would take a long time but it would be worth it in the end. For now though, he would catch another rabbit, two to prove he learned the lesson of using his energy efficiently.

So he hunkered down, remaining absolutely still as his blue-eyed gaze scanned the moors calmly for signs of a fluffy tail or a quivering nose or ears poking out from behind a rock or hole. Most of the rabbits had fled or were sitting far, far away from the remaining wolves. The rest that had survived the initial frenzy of flashing fangs and claws had disappeared down the warren already. There was no other way. Renier darted across the ground, long legs launching him forwards at breakneck speed. His paws skimmed the earth and rocks, gathering speed. It took him nothing less than five seconds to close in on the rabbits. They bolted as soon as they saw him looming upon them, scurrying in different directions. Renier took account of the nearest holes, estimating the distance. Making a split second decision, he skidded to a halt and leaped landing on top of the hole that one of the rabbits had been going for. He spun around, pouncing on the creature with and trapping it with one of his fore-paws. Ignoring its terrified squeals, he looked for the other rabbit. It was close to the array of holes that Striker had gone for. Renier would not make it in time. He pressed a paw against the struggling rabbit’s neck, snapping it swiftly and as quickly as possible. Stepping back, he took careful aim and swung his leg kicking the rabbit with one firm, powerful movement. His fore-paw made contact, sending it flying through the air where it crashed into the other rabbit. The force sent both rabbits spiralling through the air. Renier bolted into action as soon as the rabbits hit each other, clearing the jutting rocks and ground within seconds and vaulted, his jaws opening to snatch up the rabbits in one blow. He felt them slide into his jaws and closed around their bodies like a vice trap, teeth sinking into soft flesh into the hearts and lungs to kill them. He made his way back to the Guardian, pausing as he neared his father. Did he want Renier to take more for his family? For mother? But Icarus had already killed so many. Renier walked over to the Guardian, beside one of Willow’s brothers and deposited the rabbits down onto the ground near the other wolf’s pile. He wanted to continue if his father wasn’t satisfied, to learn from him. He cast another brief glance at his father as if looking for his approval before adding as the other male pup finished,“I would like to stay too just to watch if my kills were okay. I promise I won’t get in the way.”

Magnus watched the pups set off again, disappointed in his eldest son. If Aspen had any illusions of favouritism he needed to wash his mind of them. Magnus refused to show any sort of preferential treatment to one pup or the other. However, training days like this were rare. Much like his mother he did not simply give everything to his children, they had to want to learn. If his sons sought him out for a training day then he would make it so. Ciro, upon his return, expressed an interest in training, so he looked down upon his son. "If you wish my assistance son, then you shall have it. But I will not baby you. I will not go easy on you and I will not let you cop out. You will train until you are the best hunter you could possibly be, or you will die trying. Back in line, son." Watching his second son go, he eyed the other pups before turning to mutter to Tye. "My daughter is not with the others. She is weak and not made for this brutality. Last I heard, the child wished to be a Caretaker..." His voice trailed and held no trace of worry. But the unspoken words should be clear to his brother: Find my daughter. Bring her home safe.

More of the pups returned with their kills, stacking a neat pile at the adults paws. His daughter, Piper, arrived with her catch. "Well done, Piper. Just like your mother." One of Tyes pups was rather presumptuous, dropping his share and "requesting" that his father spend time with him that evening before walking away. Without being dismissed. The Guardian had half a mind to teach the whelp some respect, but it was not his pup to reprimand. When they returned to the clearing, he would seek out Aspen and punish him for his insolence. Willow wouldn't be left out either, oh no. She hadn't even made the effort to catch one measly rabbit. They were both going to be in serious trouble when he caught them. But for now the lesson was over. "Pups, come collect your kills. You've all shown your ability to learn and provide for the pack. With practise you will be even better. Those of you who stayed have shown you understand that respect for your mentor is important." His tongue darted out and swiped over his muzzle, cooling the skin of his nose. "You may return to the dens. And I expect each of you to have found your own mentors within the week if you have not already." Magnus rose, gathering some of the carcasses left behind by those who had departed without a dismissal, and walked through the assembly, headed for the tree line in the distance.

As expected, nearly all of the pups went again attacking and maiming with their own methods and it was then, that Tye noticed that one of the pups was missing. Willow. She had disappeared in the pandemonium. The only reaction Tye gave to his oldest son leaving was flicker, a slight change in his expression but otherwise, completely stone-faced. A veritable wall of titanium he was. Emotionless. He did not understand why his son was acting the way he was. Tye could not show any favouritism towards any of them, regardless if they were his children or not or not his children. And he would not encourage praise that would give someone a big head. There was a fine line between arrogance and confidence and he would encourage only the latter in his sons. But behind his mask he was putting together routes, paths where Icarus would tread in search of more rabbits for he knew how competitive Icarus was. And he knew how much of a one-track mind he had. He would forget everything else once he was passionate about something and now, he’d probably forgotten why he was here in the first place so that he could beat the others. Tye would find him later to reprimand him. He knew Icarus could take care of himself. As his second youngest finished corralling his rabbits, herding them so that they would come together until he finally stopped fooling around and killed them, Tye growled at him placing a foreleg around his neck to bring him close roughly in a fatherly, firm head-lock.“Tone down the attitude son and then I’ll consider it.”He let him go, watching him leave briefly for the dens. Tye was glad he had chosen to try again instead of going about his usual antics that he used just to rebel. It was an improvement, even if it was minor. He would turn his mind to those matters later. Tye looked at his youngest son, the only one who had remained behind out of his brothers and felt his heart swell with pride. He wanted to learn more and that always a good thing. He was with another pup, one of Magnus’ sons which was a good thing. Renier needed to interact with other pups. Tye said to Renier,“Carry back the rabbits Icarus left behind with yours and I’ll see you back at the dens. Don’t catch anymore.” Tye’s gaze went to Magnus as he spoke to him in a mutter. He knew he was worried even though he didn’t sound like he was. She was his daughter in the end so he had to care about her and to Tye, she was part of the pack. Tye said calmly,“Don’t worry I’ll find her.”He turned around, easing into a solid walk that soon became a powerful lope. In seconds, he had broken out into a powerful run, a black beast hurtling across the grass into the shadows of the forest in search of the lost pup.

[Tye has exited]