Morningside Cuesta you're the dream and I never woke

@Liri, maybe?

After hearing about the murderer roaming around the Bypass, Sunspot had begun to range in the other direction when looking for food. There wasn't as much prey to the southeast, but it was undeniably safer. And, in summer, the scarcity of food was all relative. The other day, she'd found a fat red fox to bring home. Today, she was ranging out again, wondering after the milky scent that she'd later discovered on the carcass.

Sure enough, just a mile or two outside of the territory, Sunspot came across a strongly-scented bolt hole that seemed to be emitting sorrowful, high-pitched peeps.

The woman crept closer, nose twitching insistently as she came near enough to see into the den. With a sigh, she ducked her head in, and a moment later, emerged with a wiggling, squalling ball of red fur hanging from her maw. Without much thought, she turned and headed back toward home, deciding that she'd kill it later on, when she was back near her den. For the moment, it stank of fear and infancy, and Sunspot had no desire to eat it.

Back in the territory, she laid in the tall grass and pinned the tiny body to the ground, following the natural instinct to clean it up. It was a little girl, probably only a month or so in age. After a while, it seemed to relax into the care it was receiving and fell into a fitful sleep.

Poor thing, Sunspot thought, looking down at the pale, ruddy down that covered its body. It had a face almost like a wolf's, and for a moment, the woman laid there and imagined that this was her own child - hers to protect. But it was too young to be weaned, and it would never be a wolf. Poor thing, she thought again. But while it had seemed senseless to kill it when it seemed so scared and alone, the woman thought this a fitting end for the child. She struck down, so quickly it didn't even have time to wait, and licked the blood from her chops. Its meat would go to the real mothers of the territory, and to the real pups that would soon be born.

This in mind, Sunspot simply laid back in the sun, suffering no further unease over the act.