Totoka River Bumpy Start

@Luke :)

The sun had been up for hours, and most critters were awake and active. But curled up within a hollow log with his chin resting on his paws, Koda was still soundly asleep. He'd been making a habit of sleeping in now that he was a lone wolf with no responsibilities. 

Early morning condensation on the unfurling frond of a fern gathered into a droplet of water and slid off the leaf, landing squarely on Koda's nose with a splash. The sleeping wolf woke with a start, jerking his head up from his paws and bumping it on the roof of his shelter in the process. "Arg, dammit," he grumbled lowly, rubbing his sore noggin with his paw. It was a minor bump, but it didn't help that he already had a headache from oversleeping.

A thought came to him, and he smirked. "Hey Kesuk, wanna help me get rid of this headache?" It was then that he noticed he was alone. His mate had risen and slipped away while he slept. Koda frowned, disappointed, but reminded himself that Kesuk liked to have her independence from time to time.

"Guess I'll have to have fun by myself," Koda said as he rose and set out into the woods. He wandered aimlessly for some time, investigating all the interesting smells and giving chase to any squirrels or birds that crossed his path. Eventually, his steps led him to the muddy bank of a river coursing through the forest. Koda tracked along the bank for a while until he found a promising fishing hole.

The gray wolf set to digging in the dirt, searching for worms to bait his prey. How pleased would Kesuk be to come home to a nice fish dinner?