Outside!

Outside! ~ Part 4 The Hunting Trip

A few days passed in the house, everyone going out and doing their daily tasks and coming home, no one really did anything beside that very often and so time tends to pass quite quickly and uneventfully, save for the regular scratch-ups and arguments, none of the house residents tended to get along very well.
Eventually the weekend came around and it was time for Harry and Rose's hunting trip. Since both Harry and Rose are both in possession of animal permits and hunting licenses they are allowed to transform and hunt so long as they do so in designated areas. There are marked farms for hybrids with hunting licenses to go to however they must wear at least one item of human clothing or accessories to show off that they are hybrids and do not get hunted by other hybrids while on the farms. Hunting of other hybrids is strictly against the law even when in possession of a hunting license. Laying traps is frowned upon but not illegal, this is because laying them with the intention of catching prey is legal and accepted, however if proper warning is not given and a hybrid unknowingly gets caught in it, the owner of the trap is persecuted and sent to prison for kidnapping and/or, in the worst cases, manslaughter. It's just not worth a life threatening risk.
"Your glasses are crooked dear." Harry whispered.
"Goodness look at that, how about I just-" Rose spoke in a hushed tone as she moved her glasses to sit atop her head, struggling slightly with paws no longer adept for holding small things. "how's this?"
"No darling you need to see, how are you to hunt if you can't spot the little rabbits hiding in the shrubbery?" Harry whispered light-heartedly. Harry reached toward Rose's face and adjusted her glasses so they sat symmetrically in front of her eyes. "There you go dear, much better." Harry said with a warm smile. Rose returned the gesture and kissed his fuzzy cheek. The two prowled silently along an alleyway between two farms, searching for something small to leap out of a bush in fear, or jump a fence straight into their line of sight. It was around dusk so the darkness hid most things well, but their eyes now took on another form, one more adept for seeing in the dark. The lion couple came across a hedge, barricading a drainage ditch with supposedly more shrubbery and farmland on the other side. The scent of wildflowers wafted through the air which delighted Rose.
"Hmmm. No way around it, I suppose we're going to have to jump." Rose whispered.
"Oh but darling it's dangerous, who knows what could be waiting on the other side?" Harry spoke with concern
"We're lions, nothing can hurt us darling don't worry. We have every right at the moment to fight whatever might be on the other side, hybrids can't hurt us and we're more dangerous than any animal in this area." Rose comforted. Harry simply didn't feel right about this, suddenly he remembered a strange interaction he found himself having while traversing the city a few weeks ago.

~~~(3 weeks earlier...)~~~

"Hello good sir." A gazelle in his human form said, manning the counter of the store.
"Good day, uhm. What exactly might you be selling here?" Harry asked, gazing around at all the intricate glass sculptures and pipes littering the shelves.
"Ah, new here are you? Well sir, at this fine establishment we sell smoking supplies" the cashier said with a wink. "However we do not sell any herbs on the premises, unfortunately. We're allowed to sell pipes, chambers and other memorabilia but that's about it I'm afraid." He spoke.
"I see, could you perhaps... explain to me the purpose of these supplies? I'm not sure I understand." Harry asked the shop keeper. The man explained the purpose of his merchandise, and that humans sometimes engage in recreational smoking, however hushed away from prying eyes and ears for fear of getting his potential customer into legal strife. He explained all about the health benefits and risks as well as how to avoid getting caught with certain contraband. Something the shopkeeper emphasised was ensuring the scent of the smoke is completely removed or hidden so even animals can't sniff it out. He explained in great detail all the ways one might cover up a certain scent, including blocking it from drifting as well as surrounding it with things that give off a much stronger and different scents. Harry found all of this quite interesting, he did so love learning new things about the human world, contrary to most hybrids, even his wife Rose to an extent. He really did enjoy his journey of evolution. Rose tried to share his interests, but never really was one for the more menial human tasks like shopping, various recreational activities, or going to social clubs. Harry did most of those things on his own