Barrow Fields Something with blood.

Fish was fine. But after a while it all started to taste like salt. Slimy salt, which was the worst kind of salt. Sometimes a wolf needed more than just a full belly. Especially a wolf like Pepper, where food was one of a few of life’s joys. 

It was bright and early, orange sun just now peeking over the horizon, sending long shadows over the thin layer of freshly fallen snow that covered the browning field in puffy patches. The cold ground stung his paws, and the frigid air seemed to permeate his bushy coat with ease, but it’d never stopped him before. He might be a little slower than previous winters, but he had every intention of bringing something down today.

pepper, val greeted the fisherman warmly, his breath wrapping out from around his thin muzzle in an exhale of cloud.

a thinning orange limned the eastern edge of the world as val loped to the man’s side. how are you faring?

The familiar voice at his rear startled him, but only for a moment. He turned to greet his companion with a smile. 

”Cold.. ‘n hungry.” he said in response. But out and about hunting, which said more than enough. ”Yerself?” 

The wolf must’ve seen him head off earlier. It was no secret that he often started the day with a walk, sometimes a hunt, and it wasn’t uncommon for Val or Phobos to tag along.

could say the same for myself. val commiserated with a warm grin as he fell in step alongside the fisherman.

their path took them through studs of aspen and shriveling pine. tracks sped out along the fresh laid snow; to these val motioned. breakfast?

”Mmhmm,” the brute said, lowering his head to take in the scent around the slender avian prints. Fresh enough to be nearby. He turned his head away from Val and closed his mouth tight around a short fit of coughs. 

He stood back up. ”’Scuse me.” he said, settling for a moment. ”Seems fresh enough. I’m bettin’ it’s around here,” he thought aloud.

val eased to a sit as pepper studied the snow. thin prints like dinosaurian tracts in old shale; remnants of another age he would not know in this lifetime.

he was in no rush. pepper set in the snow besides him and for a moment val allowed himself this rare pleasure of good company on a crisp morning where the sun was just barely simmering over the horizon and the world was fresh and quiet.

i’ll sniff around. val suggested while pepper regathered energy. he rose in a slinky trot and began canvassing the spruce; his third rotation around a flutter of feathers sounded like gunshot in the quiet morning. val stilled, eyes falling on three birds clattering as they balanced on a fallen sapling’s winter-rotted bough.

He offered a nod to the wolf, then returned his muzzle to the tracks, this time seeking out their direction. 

The birds they belonged to didn’t appear to be traveling in one singular direction, but instead moved every which way. Probably looking for food. A few deeper scuff marks pointed to that, any way. Unearthing whatever poor dirt-dwelling creature just so happened to be lurking beneath the surface. 

So he gave up that plan and decided to rejoin his companion. Seemed like the right move, given the wolf had already sighted three of the large birds. They were none the wiser to the two hungry predators hungrily staring them down. Had he not been listening for it already, their ruckus would’ve caused Pepper’s coat to bristle. 

”Good work, Val,” he said, coming to a stop beside him. 

”How do ya wanna do this?”

one ear turned back as pepper’s altered footsteps reached him. val hunkered to his stomach, eyes trained on the browsing wildfowl.

he thought a moment for answer. it wouldn’t make sense to put poor pepper to the running; this was a practical observation delivered without judgment. you distract. i’ll chase. turkeys were surprisingly agile runners, but vulnerable within the first few seconds of flight. their bodies just almost on the cusp of grounding them to the terrestrial.

he army-crawled forward, the bite of snow pressing to his belly as he waited for pepper to move into place and give the signal.

”Right. Let me walk around ‘em. I’ll give a good bark. Should pull their attention and let ya get close enough.” 

And so that’s what he did, giving a wide birth as to not startle them prematurely. After some time he was on the other side, Val hardly visible behind them against the snow-covered ground. 

He did as he said, delivering a bark in volume that rivaled the turkey’s shenanigans. He didn’t mean to chase them off, just pull their focus.

val nodded and watched as pepper swung wide, limping through the snow towards their potential meal.

slinking to the ground himself, val stalked in a pantherine prowl. he was suspended under the shadow of a snow-laden pine when pepper’s bark broke over them, the report clapping through the snow in stifled echoes.

the turkeys spun in alarm; two beat their wings against their heavy breast, limbs churning as they began to run. val knew if they took flight it would be over, but they were heavy birds and their flight cumbersome.

he broke from the arm of spruce, aiming for the turkey closest. the other two were further and their flight paths almost started.

with a grunt he leapt towards the beating thing, its wings slapping against his face. it kicked out, its claws scraping painfully down his jaws. after a brief struggle with feathers exploding in the air, the turkey managed to break free and ran screaming straight for where pepper stood.

He studied their reaction, wondering if he'd overdone it. Two of the birds were quick to scatter, soon out of reach. But the third was slower. Or, Val was faster. The wolf was quick to take the opportunity, and in a flash, the two turned into a clucking blur of fur and feathers. 

The turkey emerged looking worse for wear, his wings decorated with loose feathers, which dropped behind him as he made his break for freedom, oblivious to the old wolf working to intersect his path. 

Pepper's legs carried him quickly as he charged toward the turkey, who had since begun flapping his wings. The efforts to gain lift were interrupted when old yellowed teeth gripped firmly into the meaty wing, biting down hard while the rest of the wolf's body caught up, plowing into the turkey and rolling the two with little grace across the frozen ground. 

He pulled to his feet and found the slim neck of the frightened turkey. Using his mouth once more, he bit down and shook until he felt the fragile bone between his jaws give in. Death wasn't immediate, but it was inevitable now. The old wolf let go and stepped back, panting deep breaths as he searched for his companion.

val’s face smarted where the long claws of the bird had dug in. he grunted and chased after, but slowed as he saw pepper work his way towards the noisesome creature.

around them, feathers wafted gently to the ground — their act so peaceful despite the violence happening around them. for a moment, val distractedly watched their fanciful arcs as they fluttered to the ground.

pepper had better luck — or skill — than val and just now had dispatched the turkey’s neck. releasing the thing, the turkey seemed to unravel; his legs running every which way but forward, his body careening as if drunk — until at last the thing flopped in a heap with feathers fluttering around it.

good work, val grunted, slipping down to his stomach with a pant.

Thick plumes of white fog erupted from the canine's maw as he wheezed out exhausted breaths, long tongue hanging from the side of his muzzle. 

The turkey's incessant flopping was finally slowing. Blood streaked the ground beneath it. The wolf swallowed, then stared for a moment longer before facing Val. 

"Lot easier when yer partner knows what to do," he said, tail wagging, though his face only offered a weak smile. 

"Should probably finish him off. No need in lettin' him suffer like that."

the pair watched as the turkey tried to stabilize itself in the snow, downy feathers cascading down in soft waves. val caught his breath alongside pepper, smiling briefly at the commendation.

they were now both excellent turkey hunters by val’s esteem — certainly better at this than val was at fishing. all yours, he motioned to the flopping thing, thinking pepper deserved the kill more. bird was not on val’s preferred fare, but he also recognized as an older male, it was more important that pepper keep his condition in top shape as winter closed around them.

Pepper flicked an ear toward Val, gaze now returned to the struggling turkey. He could eat it all by himself. Maybe not comfortably, but he could. That didn’t feel right, however, given Val put in more than his share of work. Younger Pepper might’ve been greedy, but he wasn’t about that now. 

”I’ll save ya a leg, then.” 

He moved toward it once more, intending to kill it fully now. He thought the damage he’d already done would’ve been sufficient, but birds were resilient. He clasped his teeth around its neck once more, this time holding it until the frantic movements slowed, stopping eventually. 

He knew some wolves not to offer the dignity of death before eating. For some, other animals were nothing more than food. But the old wolf always found the food easier to eat if it wasn’t trying to get away. 

He used a firm paw to keep it steady as he tore through the soft down that covered the turkey’s chest, eventually working his way into the cavity where all of the tasty organs were. They were the best part by a long shot, and Pepper’s tail swayed happily as he ate. 

We can fade here if ya want! Or they could have a manly dinner date uwu