Sun Mote Copse Hot chicken.

As she watched the pheasant struggle around with its broken wing, she tried to remember the last time she'd eaten a bird and couldn't quite recall. It had been quite some time and, even months after X's death, it still felt wrong. Towhee decided it was just too unpalatable for her, though that didn't stop her from eventually pouncing the suffering creature, clipping its damaged wing in her teeth and dragging it deeper into the copse.

When she arrived at the den Phox and Niamh shared with @Alyx, Quetzal and Primrose, Towhee let go of the pheasant's wing but pinned it to the ground with a paw. Since she didn't see anyone outside, she didn't bother signing as she called out, "Who's feeling bloodthirsty today?" The bird twitched feebly under her grip and she flexed her toes, holding it in place until one or more of the pups came outside for a hunting lesson.

The others are welcome but I wanted to tag you 'cause I saw you wanted some schoolin'. ;)

Thanks!

MEEEEEEE! screamed Alyx as she tore out of the den, probably trodding on literally everyone else in her haste to find out what Towma brought for them. She had no idea what bloodthirsty meant, but it sounded close enough to "I've got a present" to her ears that Alyx absolutely had to be the first one there.

Except what Towma had wasn't a conventional present. Alyx stopped dead several feet outside the den, fixing the ungainly winged lump with some uncertainty before giving Towhee her very best snooty side-eye and asking, whassa?

One of the twins came careening out of the den with what could only be described as a loud squawk. It caused the poor pheasant to halfheartedly beat its wings against the ground, though Towhee kept it pinned even as she tried to figure out if this was Alyx or Quetzal. She liked to think she could tell them apart easily, though sometimes it felt impossible.

"It's lunch," Towhee replied casually, before removing her paw and setting the bird loose. It was half-dead at this point, so it didn't do much besides attempt to hop drunkenly away from the Regent. This put it closer to the curious pup, which was perfect. She watched, wondering if its jerky movements would entice Alyx-or-Quetzal to have a go at it.

Woaaaah, exclaimed the wide-eyed pup. She'd never seen lunch in this format before. Usually it came out of her parents' mouths in a pink, mushy slurry and that she gorged herself on without thinking too much about how gross that all was. Sometimes it came in the form of a hunk of meat. She'd never really made the connection between her food and where it came from, but seeing the bird trying to escape made something click into place.

Just as Towma anticipated, the pheasant's movements triggered the part of Alyx's brain where her instincts lived. She didn't need any instructions; she was already stalking toward it with a miniature hunter's aspect, her back straight and her tail flung out at half-mast behind her. Her ears and eyes alike followed the pheasant's movements, and when it flapped its wings, she surged forward and pounced on it.

Her teeth were in its back before she knew what she was doing, and she was suddenly seized by the urge to shake it, which she did with great vigour. Neither her grip or her force was correct, so all she succeeded in doing was causing the wounded bird to panic more, but it sure was fun. She giggled madly while its wings buffeted her in the face, refusing to let go.

Alyx—she was pretty sure it was Alyx—did not disappoint her. After slinking up toward the bird, she pounced and began to wrestle with it. When she began to shake it, Towhee let out an encouraging whoop. She felt an urge to move closer and pin down the wings, yet she forced herself to hang back and watch rather than interfere. The pup might take some hits, yet surely the half-dead bird couldn't do much damage. And the Regent really wanted to see whether Alyx could make the kill unassisted.

The longer that Alyx held the pheasant in a vice grip, the more panicked the bird became. Soon it was flapping its wings so hard that it dislodged several of its own feathers. It kicked and wriggled in the pup's jaws, wrenching her neck to and fro until Alyx eventually had to let it go. The pheasant began to flee as best it could with a broken wing and a dizzy spell.

Being a member of a persistent species, Alyx gave her head a hard shake and pursued the pheasant, forgetting all about Towma, who probably could've wrangled the situation back under control. She wasn't able to get back to the body, but she did manage to seize the wing. Digging her heels into the ground, Alyx yanked on the pheasant and dragged it backward, ignoring its shrieking cries of pain.

She gave it a savage shake, popping the already broken wing out of its socket, where the flesh began to sickeningly tear.

Towhee did feel a little torn as she watched Alyx slowly torture the birth to death. On one hand, it made her think of her deceased best friend. And although she could be quite coldblooded, watching an innocent creature suffer wasn't really her cup of tea. But on the other hand, it was absolutely thrilling to watch the pup harness her instincts. She showed no hesitation nor mercy toward the pheasant. Towhee wondered if she might follow in her father's footsteps and become a hunter. If not, Alyx would probably make one hell of a fighter if the Regent helped her hone in these early skills.

-"That's right, Alyx, you show that bird what for. FINISH HIM!!!"- she coached from the sidelines as Alyx began to rip the bird's wing away from its body.

In spite of the pheasant's obvious distress, Alyx didn't let go. She heeded Towma's cheering and hauled her body backward, and with a ripping sound, a splatter of blood and a flurry of pained and panicked shrieking from the bird, she tumbled back with the wing in her mouth. Maybe she should've felt bad for inflicting this on a living creature, but to a wolf, a pheasant was akin to a plate piled high with the world's tastiest french fries. And everyone knows french fries don't have feelings.

Oof! she exclaimed when her butt hit the ground, dropping the wing and lifting her head to examine the pheasant. There wasn't much fight left in it. In fact, it had a glassy and vacant quality to its eyes now and the squawking had stopped. Its dismembered side was now bathed in blood and a steady drip painted the grass beneath the pheasant crimson. Heedless of its suffering and her responsibility as predator and hunter to put it out of its misery, Alyx proudly grabbed the severed wing and presented it to Towma with a madly beating tail and dancing forepaws.

To her credit, Alyx did finish the job of tearing the pheasant's wing from its body. Soon she presented it to the Regent, who laughed and waved her tail. She glanced over the pup's head at the poor bird, who would surely expire soon.

-"You're doing great, Alyx. Now, do you wanna make your first real kill? C'mere."- Towhee didn't actually wait for the pup to respond, nudging her back toward the bird. -"I'll take that,"- she said, shooting her another proud look as she gently tugged the wing from the pup's mouth and set it at her own feet. -"Now, see the head? I want you to crush it with all your might."-

It was only the promise in Towhee's tone of something better that had Alyx relinquishing the wing when her second mom took it; her instinct was to hold on and wrestle it back. She was too eager for what came next to fight for it this time, even though her eyes locked on the feathers for a moment when Towhee set it between her paws. Something like a gentle vibration coursed through Alyx's frame until she was redirected to the pheasant's head.

With her target locked in her sights, Alyx pounced. It was a bit of an ordeal to get her jaws around the pheasant's head, but when she finally did, it was no match for her. Even a pup's jaw strength could shatter the fragile skull of a bird. She chomped down with all her might and felt the bird go still. Blood gushed into its beak and pattered on her tongue. She dropped it, licked her chops, and looked to Towhee for further instruction (or praise, if we're being realistic here).

Alyx took instruction quite well, Towhee noted with pleasure as she watched the kid finally put the poor pheasant out of its misery. The smell of blood hit her nostrils, activating her salivary grands despite herself. Yet she made no move to take part in the kill. She'd already decided she wouldn't be partaking and, besides, it belonged to the pup now. That said, the scent of blood would likely lure the others from the den any minute now.

-"Well goddamn done, Alyx,"- Towhee praised, -"now eat up! How's it taste?"- Even as she kept an eye out for an answer, she sought out a comfortable spot to stretch out on the ground to watch Alyx enjoy her first kill.

This thread made me think of this movie scene. /random

I figure you could fade here if you like. :)

The praise was all Alyx needed before she dropped her head and begin tearing at the pheasant. The scent and taste of blood awakened her appetite in a way that hunks of meat never had before. Scissoring messily through feathers and flesh, she began to eat voraciously, forgetting about Towma's question while she gorged herself. Only when she'd swallowed several huge bites did she remember to turn her head and exclaim, yum!

Her siblings would eventually emerge from the den to try to seize their own piece of pheasant, but by then, Alyx had already eaten the best parts and padded over to flop down beside Towma, thoroughly sated and sleepy.