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They went deeper into the forest, and upon reaching the designated area, Cisco stopped, putting a hand up. He brought a finger to his mouth, signaling her to be quiet.
A wall of foliage was before them, obstructing the view. But as Noelle closed her eyes and listened, she could hear the wind and some small, barely detectable sounds.
"I hear it," she whispered, pointing to the west.
Cisco smiled.
"The best way to catch something is to make it come to you, on your own terms."
Noelle narrowed her eyes, the double meaning not escaping her.
"Once you control all the variables, you are inevitably the winner," Cisco told her, the corner of his mouth tugged up in a lopsided smile.
"You want us to stay here."
"Indeed," he nodded, waiting to hear more of her observations.
Noelle twirled, letting her eyes take in every detail of the forest. Focusing on the ground, she pointed at the small prints in the muddy ground. But as she slowly walked around, she found other clues.
Feces. There were small, fresh feces in a few parts of the area.
"It's a popular area, isn't it?"
"It is, and it's going to be our base for the next few hours," Cisco told her as he showed her how to get in position and use the foliage to her advantage to disguise her presence.
"Remember our first lesson? The three Ps?"
She nodded.
"The second one is most important. When you stalk your prey, patience will prevail," he told her just as another sound erupted in the air.
Noelle redirected her attention to the small clearing beyond the foliage.
The sound grew increasingly louder, small steps against the fresh grass, broken twigs snapping as the creature advanced.
Cisco gave her a signal and she propped her rifle, slowly pushing the barrel through the foliage until she could aim properly.
Then, it was only a matter of waiting—of patience.
They stood unmoving for minutes on end. Noelle's knees were already feeling the strain, but she was determined to withstand it.
She'd been wanting to do this for years, and now that she'd finally been given the chance, she was not about to squander it.
Sure enough, after a while, the bushes started rattling before a small body jumped into the open.
Noelle's mouth dropped open in awe. A rabbit. And it was right there in front of her.
Excitement bubbling inside of her, she fitted her eye to the sight of the rifle moving it around until she had a clear shot. Without waiting for Cisco's signal, she pressed her finger on the trigger, firing into the rabbit.
The shot resounded in the quiet forest, startled birds flying out of trees.
Not one to miss a chance, Noelle pivoted.
The trees were tall and richly crowned, making it more difficult to spot the birds. Still, she kept her focus on the sight as she moved it around, following the sound of their flight.
It all happened so fast, she didn't even hear Cisco's words.
She saw a flash of black among green and she aimed, jerking her rifle slightly to the left to account for the velocity of the bird's flight.
