Envy was up early this morning, the world locked in that strange state of emptiness before anything else woke up. Calm, too calm. Quiet, too quiet.

She sat a while, watching the cold air trap the moisture of her breath in fleeting, misty clouds, watching the sun move further into the sky inch by inch. When enough time had passed, and the first stirrings of others began to start, she would rise and slink through their encampment.

She looked for @Ione, so that they might start the days work. She could hardly hide the quiver of anticipation as it wracked her limbs and burned in her throat.

She wasted no time, slinking into line to match pace with her, trying to emulate that same... poise their reverend mother exercised flawlessly. Her mimicry wasn't half-bad, though her legs were a little quicker, the itch of impatience a difficult one to fight.

What are we gonna be doing? Envy leaned inwards, looking up to her as she walked in her shadow. Dark-tipped ears perked curiously.

Something worthy. She wanted it too.

Envy gave a nod.

Excitement a tingle on the back of her neck.

Vole was hardly comparable to the real thing, though, perhaps Envy was already getting ahead of herself. Stifled bloodthirst peering through the cracks in her facade. Little bigger and they might've made a gladiator of her.

She'd always liked to use other canines as her guinea pigs. Fox kit. Nuisance coyote. Dreams of dissection to soothe her through the hard nights. Though... perhaps it was this fixation that gave her so many mixed answers. A measuring of doses was required, a range of subjects to achieve it.

She'd never worked a canvas this small, but she'd made an art of her precision. She welcomed the challenge and bathed in that look she was giving her; void of fear, void of hesitance.


She would watch, and she would listen.

She set off as she was asked, erratic in her movement, but unmistakeably light on each quick step of her feet. Moles, voles, she could scarce remember the difference between them, beyond which syllable preceeded the 'ole'.

Not like plants, where the smallest of differences stuck clear in her mind, scent, shape, season. Nasty habit of hers, disinterest in most other things, it was no wonder she hunted like something rabid more than something practiced.

She looked for small holes in the snow, eyes straining against the blinding white made brighter by the early morning sun. When she found one, she had little patience to spare for it; as soon as her ears caught the light scuffle of movement, she began to dig.

From the ruins of vole tunnel civilization, Envy returned successful, a squealing rodent clutched between teeth, if this bloody thing bit her lip even once... Patience, says Ione, and Envy intends to have it.

But... for insurance, she gives a vigorous shake of her head, discombobulating the little fucker, for a few minutes, so he doesn't sprint the second she drops him. She makes her way back, a giddy sway to her tail while she returns. Hesitant to release it yet, she speaks around the stirring vole in her jaws, a muffle to her words Got 'im. What do you want me to do with him? She looks around the room, eyes lingering on the supplies strewn about.

She watches, admires, tingles shudder down the bridge of a bony spine as claw rends flesh apart.

What a broken thing she was, to eek out delight from this act, at least here she did not have to fake repulsion to appease the standards of mentors come and gone. Beneath the ivory white of her nail was an aggregation of bloody, pulsing, so soon to be convulsing organs.

What did she see?

Muscles spasming, twitching something awful. The slit of its belly pooled with a thick, dark red. Waiting, she watched the life in its eye fade to a dull glaze-over before making a judgement.

It is dead. She makes the observation plainly, kneels down to her belly and cranes her face near to it. It took 10 seconds to stop moving. A forepaw stretched out toward the little creature, her own nails prying open a side. Lungs, heart, ribs, stomach.. She tilts her gaze to the side and lingers on the word, detached. Intestines..