Cassiopeia's View Popcorn tin

Up, up, up! That was the way Draper went. He wanted to get a good look at the land around here, and going up was the best way to do it. The chill grew stronger as he gained elevation, but that didn't stop him. Squinting against the cold winds, he put one foot in front of the other until he reached his destination: a nice little flat piece of rock that overlooked everything to the east. To the west was more mountains, but he wasn't really interested in that direction (yet).

The narrow-muzzled canine gave a little yowl of glee at the sheer vastness of it all laid out before him. He was no conqueror, but he thought he could make a home for himself somewhere around here. Even better if he could put together a rag-tag team of fellow coyotes to keep themselves defended against larger predators. And that was something he really did think he could do. They wouldn't need to be large in numbers. Just big enough to fend off the worst of them. They could be mobile if they stayed small, moving as much as needed until the whelps were born.

Down, down, down! The mountains were his least favorite place right now. He had pilfered all he could from the wolf pack living nearby, and after watching his last hunting buddy be eviscerated by a keen young wolf, Rigel knew when to throw in the proverbial towel. So off he went! Skidding over ice, leaping daintily over fields of snow, nearly killing himself as he plunged down the mountainside without care for himself. He was a springy fellow, and he had enough experience with this wilderness to know he could survive a few tumbles.

The yowling of his own kind however, was both out-of-place and unnerving. Hells bells, Rigel had just left behind a compatriot - the sight of which was burned in to his psyche - and the sound of hollering was like hearing the dead speak. He flounced around a bit before springing in to action, aiming for wherever the sound came from. It didn't smell like wolves here - so that was a plus.

Somebody approached, and Draper braced himself for it to be a bear, a fox, a cougar, a polar bear (oh wait, that was included in the bear category), or a wolf. Instead, as the figure came careening down the mountain, Draper realized it was another of his own kind: a coyote! And hopefully not one who was too territorial about this place.

Oy! he shouted, using his preferred greeting. O'er here! It appeared as though somebody had answered his shout of joy. That worked fine for him! When the other coyote drew closer, Draper gave him a brief once-over. He looked healthy enough, not too old, not too young. Certainly a viable candidate.

More noise; this time words he recognized, lilting with a familiar accent. That voice wasn't one he knew (not that it mattered, coyotes weren't known for their alliances). It was better for Rigel that he had found another coyote anyway. Better that than another hungry wolf.

He sauntered closer but stopped at a safe distance - er, tried to anyway, slipped on some ice and smoothly transitioned that in to his stride, making it seem like it was on purpose. Rigel studied the stranger's face for a second and smirked. Aye?

The other approached in a non-threatening manner, as far as Draper could tell, so the coyote put on a smile and rolled his shoulders back, putting him in a more relaxed posture. Name's Draper, he said, introducing himself. You lookin' for company? If not, there wasn't much use in continuing the conversation. This Featherwind was on a mission to gather at least a few willing bodies to add to his clan. That was the only way he was going to get through the winter.

Rigel. He shot back. The stranger did not appear to be dangerous which was nice, as coyotes could range from utterly feral and frothing to genial, most of the ones he had encountered being terminally doomed by the resident wolf packs. Would this guy be the same? Hopefully not. Rigel had seen enough of his friends get torn to pieces by now.

Aligning himself with other coyotes is easy though. It is the best route, especially with winter in full-force. Could be, the man remarks, unless you have plans to raid any wolf packs. Last territory I found with wolves didn't go so well. He was the sole survivor but had managed the weight of that loss with relative ease; it wasn't like he had a choice. A fresh bite would be nice, aye, and not somma that old dead shit neither.

Aye, not tryna pull any of that, Draper replied, glancing out over the land sprawled out below them once again. Thinkin' there's a lot o' them down there, though. Smelled quite a few 'round here. Draper shifted from one foot to the other, feeling the snow crunch under his feet. He wasn't accustomed to the cooler weather just yet, although his coat had grown plenty well the months before.

My family name is Featherwind. Guessin' we can call ourselves that unless ya got a better one. Been thinkin' that little place down there would make a good base. Plenty o' food to go 'round. Draper took a few careful steps toward the edge of the view, gesturing for Rigel to come over and take a look. From up here, it didn't look like much, but it had more prey than anywhere else he had seen in days. No wolves living there was just an added bonus.

In the end, the two coyotes went their separate ways, but there were no hard feelings on Draper's side. He'd find others; he was sure of it.