Fox's Glade Friend in the Sky

@Grayday

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It was early in the morning and the sun was just about to breach the horizon. The snow appeared to have a redder orange color that Astor was using to her advantage. She was hungry and had chosen this time of day for two reasons. One was that the nocternal foxes of the area were more likely to have retreated into their den. It wasn't often that Astor had to deal with foxes, and put in such a situation she would be quite hard to catch and a bitch to fight off. But not having to deal with them meant she could focus more on what was infront of her, then what was over her shoulder. 

The second reason was to weed out the lighter colored rabbits that often blended in with the winter season. She flew over and landed on a spruce tree branch, flapping her wings until she got her balance and pulled them in. Alittle bit of snow fell from the branch and she waited to see soemthing move beneather her. 

The Morningside man was following a familiar trail - one that he had not expected to come across during his visit to Easthollow. He'd warred with himself through the night over whether anything ought to be done about the scent, and had, eventually, decided that it behoved him to present himself, even if his presence would not be received.

And he was dragging his feet. He wanted to see her - badly. But he was also nervous, wondering what she might say to him after these many months, or if she'd say anything at all. He wanted desperately to find her fat and happy, surrounded by friends and perhaps a lover.

But there was a strange feeling in his gut. He lingered in the forest, taking deep, calming breaths.

But instead of a rabbit crossing the forest floor, a large male wolf did instead. She thought about calling out to him and telling him to get out of the way. That she was busy and he was sure to scare off any peice of flesh that would come by. But her call would surely scare off her breakfast as well, so she waited and hoped his leasurly walk wouldn't draw too much attention. 

She glared at him and fluffed her wings, causing more snow to fall of the branch. Maybe she should move to a different part of the woods, but then another peice of motion. A little rabbit's head popped out from it's hole. It had to brush aside the layer of fresh snow covering it's entrance. Astor waited to see what it would do, she wanted it to move away from the hole, giving it as little chance as possible to scurry back into it. 

He didn't know if he could do this. It'd been too long. Surely she wouldn't want to see him again, after how they'd last parted. He still didn't know what exactly had gone wrong, but he knew that she'd been hurt, and that he was the cause of it.

Perhaps he should turn around and go back to Engel and the kids. There was no point in opening this can of worms again. Only his longing to see her happy and healthy, and a vague notion of closure for the two of them. No good could come of this.

Grayday lowered himself to the ground, his legs feeling suddenly weak. It hurt to think of missing this chance. He might get the same one again.

She didn't catch his eye as she stared down from her perch. The rabbit was taking it's time to inch further and further away from it's hole. Unknowingly getting closer to the large gray male wolf. She saw him lower himself to the ground. From her birds eye view she couldn't tell that his interest where not in the rabbit, but simply within his own mind. 

She wasn't going to let him snatch her breakfast away, she thought to herself. She leaned forward on the branch and readied herself for an attack. Spreading her wings out she leaned forward with her head down and released the branch, diving into the air. She didn't want him to snatch the little thing away and so she flew somewhat close to him, distracting him from her food. Flying over him she sent a gust of wind his away before landing her talon's into the rabbit yards before him. 

Luckily this rabbit was small. Small enought that if she needed to she could carry it away. She stood over it, squeezing harder with her talons to kill it. Facing the wolf and sending out a shreek that this was hers.

The male scrambled back a few steps as a flurry of motion crossed his vision, and a loud shriek assulted his ears. Standing ramrod straight, fur bristling all over, the male let out a warning growl. The scent of blood was in the air - rabbit - and slowly, Grayday pieced together what had happened.

"You interrupted some deep thought, bird," he huffed, sitting back down. "And I don't want your rabbit."

She sent another screech the males way when he growed at her. "And you almost ruined my breakfast, wolf." she said in responce when he blamed her for his interrupted thoughts. 

It was good to know that this wolf didn't want her breakfast. She wouldn't have to guard it so heavily now. Part of her had thought that he had wanted her meal, but there was also the factor that if she hadn't gotten that rabbit then, it would have scurried off at the sight of the wolf himself. 

"Can't be too sure." she said as she began to dig into her meal, still looking at the male as she did.

Grayday was a bit angry about the whole exchange, but he didn't see how attacking the hawk would help. Instead, he picked himself up with an unhappy huff and began to move away, not in the mood to deal with more talking meat. He had things to think about, and the bird had a meal to eat.

Pacing to another quite place to rest, the male began to dig out another shallow bed in the snow. It burned his paws, but it would be more comfortable in the long run.

She watched as he walked away to another area and began digging himself a bed. She didn't care much what he was doing as long as he was leaving her along. She continued to eat her prey, digging in and pulling apart small peices that she then injected. After she finished her meal she fluffed her wings a bit before taking off to a nearby tree where she began to clean herself. 

Next to the remains of the rabbit was one of her feathers.