when I walk in a room, I can still make the whole place shimmer
Charlie lets Knell throw herself into the chaos without so much as a bark of correction, her bigger body moving after the kitsune in loose, delighted arcs rather than trying to herd her toward any one particular target. The hares make a game of it at first, blinking away just as Knell’s paws land where warm fur had been a breath earlier, popping out beneath roots or behind thorny brush with their little bodies already turned to flee again. One vanishes from directly in front of her and reappears off to the side in a frantic blur, but Knell has begun to learn the rhythm of it now, the way panic has a scent before movement, the way a body coils before it runs, the faint disturbance left behind even when magic skips the rest of it out of reach.
The next time the hare blinks, Knell doesn’t chase where it was. She cuts across the path instead, small paws digging in as she pivots toward the sharp burst of fear and smoke-warm fur, and Charlie’s ears shoot forward as her daughter launches herself into the undergrowth with every ounce of her new little body behind the pounce. There’s a flurry of leaves, a startled squeal, and then Knell comes up with the blink hare secured beneath her paws, proud and bright-eyed and entirely too pleased with herself for Charlie to do anything but shift back with a pulse of heat and rush in to crouch beside her. "Oh, baby," she breathes, laughter catching warm in her throat as she gathers Knell up in careful arms around the little victory, pressing an exuberant kiss into her red curls. "Look at you! First hunt and you’ve already got the whole forest regretting underestimating you."
By the time they start back toward home, Charlie has one arm looped comfortably around Knell’s shoulders, keeping her tucked against her side while the other carries the hare with the casual ease of someone who has never minded getting a little blood on her hands. Knell’s warmth burns bright beside her, young and fierce and humming with all the things she has learned in only a few hours, and Charlie can’t stop the smile that keeps finding its way back onto her mouth. Her tail sways behind them as they walk, brushing once against Knell’s leg in a quiet little curl of affection, and whatever waits for them beyond the brambles can wait a few minutes longer. For now, Charlie is content to take the long way home with her daughter at her side, their first hunt still glowing between them like a secret they have made together.
~FIN
The next time the hare blinks, Knell doesn’t chase where it was. She cuts across the path instead, small paws digging in as she pivots toward the sharp burst of fear and smoke-warm fur, and Charlie’s ears shoot forward as her daughter launches herself into the undergrowth with every ounce of her new little body behind the pounce. There’s a flurry of leaves, a startled squeal, and then Knell comes up with the blink hare secured beneath her paws, proud and bright-eyed and entirely too pleased with herself for Charlie to do anything but shift back with a pulse of heat and rush in to crouch beside her. "Oh, baby," she breathes, laughter catching warm in her throat as she gathers Knell up in careful arms around the little victory, pressing an exuberant kiss into her red curls. "Look at you! First hunt and you’ve already got the whole forest regretting underestimating you."
By the time they start back toward home, Charlie has one arm looped comfortably around Knell’s shoulders, keeping her tucked against her side while the other carries the hare with the casual ease of someone who has never minded getting a little blood on her hands. Knell’s warmth burns bright beside her, young and fierce and humming with all the things she has learned in only a few hours, and Charlie can’t stop the smile that keeps finding its way back onto her mouth. Her tail sways behind them as they walk, brushing once against Knell’s leg in a quiet little curl of affection, and whatever waits for them beyond the brambles can wait a few minutes longer. For now, Charlie is content to take the long way home with her daughter at her side, their first hunt still glowing between them like a secret they have made together.
~FIN
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Hella golden retriever energy. Small unrefined horns made of ruby. Regular spade-shaped tail.
