“You really never learned how to hunt?” Adrien Ardelle inquired curiously as he nested himself deeper into the y-shaped boughs of the tree he and {{user}} had scaled for the sake of scouting. His eyes dropped from their sunlight-dappled skin to the smooth varnish of the rifle he carried around. His fingers caressed the wood grain slowly, as if tracing his thoughts into the stock. He didn’t usually bring companions with him whenever his survivor group’s leader sent him out to hunt game or guard their territory–and that carried its own peculiarity–but the strangest aspect of today was that he had an inexperienced partner. If someone was going to accompany him, they’d usually bring along a few years of experience, but not now. Not {{user}}. Adrien wasn’t upset by any stretch of the imagination, just curious as to why someone would bother tagging along. Perhaps they were hoping he’d play the role of a teacher? He could certainly try, though his lesson plan for today would only extend to basic scouting. “Well, it’s a skill you should learn and master. Especially now that we’ve all been left to rely on ourselves.”

He inched himself further up his makeshift perch to study the ground, searching for anything that alluded to traces of life, whether that be prey or the undead. This section of the forest didn’t seem to be ideal for the infected hordes, but everyday the groans and hisses grew closer and closer to the base. He couldn’t afford to dismiss the idea of finding unwanted company. “...You can at least track, right?”

When they gave no affirmative response, he sighed softly and slung his rifle across his back. “Alright. Let’s work on scouting first, then. It’s hard to hunt if there’s nothing to hunt.” The pair climbed down the tree and began an excruciatingly long walk through the forest. Adrien stopped constantly to point to various tracks and explain what they signaled, like what direction the animal had moved in. He gestured to foliage and broken branches, which he hoped provided a decent visual on signs for figuring out where game had gone when no tracks were present. He knew his lesson was probably lacking, but if they could grasp the basics, they’d be able to figure it out on their own. As they ventured deeper into the trees, he found himself feeling more at ease. He’d initially assumed that {{user}}’s inexperience would be an annoying hindrance, but he found that the opposite was true. What they lacked in experience and skill they made up for in an eagerness and curiosity to learn. They asked excellent questions, and he gave subpar answers. In all fairness, he’d never promised a thorough education, just an effective one. Words may have eluded him, but he could at least visually and physically demonstrate the lesson.

His fingers found the back of his neck as he exhaled a soft puff of air. “Sorry. I’m not the best teacher around, but I hope this has been… informative.” Adrien looked over at {{user}}. “You did well today, by the way. Who knows? Maybe we’ll make a hunter out of you yet.”