For one so young, I was impressed by his ability to focus on what I was saying. His excitement was evident enough in his body language, but it was clear he was doing his very best to contain it. A smirk pulled at the edges of my maw as Emil looked around, eyes darting quickly from bush to bush. When he looked back up at me, I nodded my head to him as I lowered my body towards the earth. The snow cushioned my stocky build as I laid down, the previous nod gesturing for the young prince to do the same. “Sometimes a hunter must look from a different angle to spot his prey.” I motioned with my nose towards the bushes again, encouraging the golden boy to take another look.

“A very important part of the hunt is your breathing. Long, slow, quiet breathes will help you steady every aspect of the hunt. Try breathing with me while you’re searching.” Multitasking was, perhaps, a step above what I should expect from the boy. He was so young, after all. But part of me knew that if Emil did not find some way to calm himself, he would remain in his state of heightened excitement, and that would only hinder him. I truly wanted the boy to learn something today, and I would do everything I could think of to put him closer to victory. Every hunter had their own idiosyncrasies when it came down to it, and I would let him have a taste of mine.

I drew deep breaths in through my nose, inhaling for three seconds before quietly releasing the breath through my maw, a small cloud of vapor forming before my mouth before it evaporated. Once the boy had at least made an effort to mimic me, I lowered my head so that I was at the same eye level as Emil. My eyes then roamed back and forth, lingering on each bush in turn for some time before moving on to the next. I spotted a young hare in one off to our left, but I made no indication that I had seen it just yet. I would afford the young prince the opportunity of such a success before offering him such help. I had given him the tools to find the hare, now he had to figure out how to balance them so that he might carry out the task.