- Jul 9, 2022
- 14
- 3
- 3
The sun has barely crested the horizon, yet Jenko has already risen.
He's positioned on the outside of the makeshift camp, a spot that is typically secluded from the judgmental eyes of the others. As secluded as one could be on the open moors, anyways. A ball of moss sits before him, a couple of fox-lengths from his reach. Jenko's misaligned eyes do not leave the target, lanky figure pressed against the ground. He's been watching the warriors of the moors from day one, observing every hunt with frigid determination to copy their every move. Now, he's broken it down into three steps. Analyze, approach, and annihilate. The three A's of hunting.
Okay, maybe annihilate is an extreme word to use, but Jenko finds it much more satisfying when each word begins with an A. Analyze, approach, and kill just does not have a nice ring to it.
Step one, analyze. He imagines the mossball to be a prey animal, unaware to his presence. It would forage among the tall grass, snuffling for seeds or roots or insects. It does not notice him, and so he can proceed.
Step two, approach. Shadowing the crouch of the hunters, Jenko stalks forward. It's rigid, each muscle too tense, clearly the work of an inexperienced cat. Closer and closer, his crossed eyes remain trained on the target. But in the midst of focusing too hard on perfecting the motions, he forgets to observe his pathway. A brittle stalk of grass crunches underfoot. Jenko hisses in frustration, straightening up. His prey would've fled by now. Another failure.
His tail lashes. He wouldn't stop until he gets it perfect.
He's positioned on the outside of the makeshift camp, a spot that is typically secluded from the judgmental eyes of the others. As secluded as one could be on the open moors, anyways. A ball of moss sits before him, a couple of fox-lengths from his reach. Jenko's misaligned eyes do not leave the target, lanky figure pressed against the ground. He's been watching the warriors of the moors from day one, observing every hunt with frigid determination to copy their every move. Now, he's broken it down into three steps. Analyze, approach, and annihilate. The three A's of hunting.
Okay, maybe annihilate is an extreme word to use, but Jenko finds it much more satisfying when each word begins with an A. Analyze, approach, and kill just does not have a nice ring to it.
Step one, analyze. He imagines the mossball to be a prey animal, unaware to his presence. It would forage among the tall grass, snuffling for seeds or roots or insects. It does not notice him, and so he can proceed.
Step two, approach. Shadowing the crouch of the hunters, Jenko stalks forward. It's rigid, each muscle too tense, clearly the work of an inexperienced cat. Closer and closer, his crossed eyes remain trained on the target. But in the midst of focusing too hard on perfecting the motions, he forgets to observe his pathway. A brittle stalk of grass crunches underfoot. Jenko hisses in frustration, straightening up. His prey would've fled by now. Another failure.
His tail lashes. He wouldn't stop until he gets it perfect.