Jade Fern Grove The Five Stages of Grief: Denial

Anyone

The day was peaceful in the glade. It was too cold for crickets or amphibians to sing. Their song was replaced by the chilly whisper of a creek. Sofi stepped cautiously through the ferns, careful not to let them brush too heavily against her fur. She used the noise from the water to sneak across the forest, ears forward, eyes watching for any unlucky small animal.

A small rabbit, its coat fluffed full for winter, nibbled on grasses beside the creek. Sofi waited. She stalked. But, at over six yards away, the smart thing to do was to close in as slow as possible. Hunger drove her forward a few steps too far, and the rabbit noticed her movement.

Sofi launched after it, but it didn't take long for her quarry to blast away and into the thick ferns. Frustrated, the coyote follow the scent and found the burrow it had disappeared into. She dug at it for several minutes before her legs grew tired and her toes cold. She yipped in defeat, a noise not unlike a barking dog.

Sadness began to overwhelm her; a dark cloud covered her thoughts.