[Class] Leeward Duskrat Hunt Class

The whole gang was back in Ynnis, and for some of the hounds that had been with them for a while, it was truly a homecoming. Although they had all been curious and pleased to explore the new sights, sounds and smells in Azzaru, there was something about being by the ocean that spoke to them and made them feel more comfortable than anywhere else they had been.

Rob knew that he and Ollie felt that same. In hounds like Leeward, there was a noticeable sense of calm and comfort, as if she really owned this place, belonged in it.

"I think we belong by the sea too," said Rob, giving Leeward a soft pat as he fixed a leash to her collar and opened the door. "The air just smells right, doesn't it?"

They left the house, turning down the street toward the training center.

It wasn't just the air that smelled right, in fact. The prey smelled quite right as well. Landfall was quite a gifted hunter, and her penchant for sniffing out naughty duskrats was particularly good. Better, perhaps, than the rest of his hounds. She was always at the head of the charge after one of the little winged rodents, and when she leaped to snatch one out of the air, she leaped with style.

Today, as a treat for returning home, Rob was taking Leeward out for a training class to keep sharpening her duskrat hunting skills. It had been a while since they had gone for a hunt, and he could feel both of them were itching to head out and snatch some rodents, particularly in Ynnis where they were so abundant.

They arrived at the duskrat hunting class with time to spare, and Rob warmed Leeward up with a small toy, which he threw across the room for her to retrieve. By the time the rest of the class arrived, they had done several fetches and Leeward was focused, sitting at his side and staring at him with intensity.

"Today, we're going to train our hounds on the duskrat scent and help them become more attuned to their prey!" the instructor said. "We'll take turns - I've got a duskrat tail feather that we'll hide somewhere in the room. Your hound will sniff the pelt and then search out the hidden tail feather."

One of the other handlers went first, and Rob and Leeward watched them both as the hound sought out the hidden feather. When it was their turn, the instructor sent them out of the room while she reset the hidden feather, then brought them in again when she was ready for Leeward's turn. Rob held the pelt to Leeward's nose and she sniffed it curiously.

"Search!" he commanded, and the hound leaped into action, nose to the ground sniffing furiously as she sought to match a trail to the scent. It took her but a few moments to pick it up, and she dove after the trail furiously, following it to a stack of boxes in the corner. Leeward nosed at it, poking her face into all of the crevices until she found one that she seemed to like particularly. She used her ram horns to shove the boxes on top away, uncovering a single blue feather underneath, which she snatched up and brought back to Rob's side with leaping bounds.

"Good girl!" he crowed, holding out his hand. She dropped the feather into his grasp, tail wagging, looking terribly proud of herself. He rubbed the top of her had proudly giving one of her horns a soft tug.

"That was good!" the instructor said, sounding quite pleased with the performance. "Now you guys can take a rest, watch how your classmates get on."

Rob brought Leeward back into line and sat her down next to him as the next pair to their turn. This time, the hound took a few minutes to find the trail. So the class cycled, until each handler and hound had had a few tries at locating the feather. By the end of the night, everyone had succeeded at least once. Leeward was relaxed and tired, looking quite content at all the work they had been doing.

"You're doing great, Leeward!" Rob said happily. "Maybe soon we'll be able to go on another hunt and you can test out your new skills."

He was sure she'd love to do it, and he couldn't wait to see how she fared again when they were on the trail of some wild duskrats.