bloodstream

He gained on her, little by little, though she thwarted him by suddenly leaping up the mountainside with surprising speed and grace. Wicked skidded to a halt below her, his ears falling back as he watched her climb. He was unwilling to follow just yet, so instead he lingered below her and began barking like a hound after treeing a raccoon.

Then something else entirely caught his eye. Wicked turned to watch a very small, scrawny coyote dart out from beneath a low outcropping, evidently frightened by all the noise. With a guttural growl, he abandoned the black she-wolf and darted after it. Although not a wolf, it was still a canine and therefore a trespasser and a threat, one he would happily eliminate.