Kildeer Rest Winter's Kiss

Small, silvery blue paws passed over the crumbling soil, a large pair of nicked, slightly tattered ears rising above the tall grass as the tiny canine stalked the fields. A dark gaze flicked throughout the grass stalks, the small shape jerkily jumping and stalking through the wilderness with all the grace a coyote could muster, which was not much. Pluto's tufted tail lashed, the male huffing curses and insults under his breath, not directly aimed towards any other creature but instead mostly aimed at the winter weather itself, which seemed to mock lone canines like himself. After all, the stupid season should be bowing to such a clever little coyote, correct? Pluto's pale tongue rasped his slightly crooked fangs, nostrils flaring at the faint scents of rabbits and birds as he released another slur of curses. Damn birds were everywhere, why couldn't there just be rabbits? Of course, Pluto should be excited that there were at least faint traces of the other prey animals, but just the thought of birds made his scowl deepen. He hated them. Why did nature favor them so? Wings...pretty little flowers...the ability to sing...ugh. Give it to the coyotes, why don't you, nature?

Pluto continued to creep through the tall grasses, path swerving to avoid the strengthening scents of birds and instead following the scents of rabbits, most likely half starved and nothing but skin and bones due to this foul season. Dainty paws carried his own gaunt form along, muzzle slightly parted to reveal an array of yellowed, sharpened canines apt for tearing through the tender flesh of anything smaller than himself. The scent grew stronger, the sweet tendrils curling through his dark nostrils and weaving its way through his fur like a fresh spring breeze. Pluto's pace began to quicken, carrying him swiftly through the grasses at a half-jogging pace, tail waving out behind him like a ragged banner. Suddenly, the grass was shaking, and Pluto's claws dug into the soil as he halted his jog to wait for any signs of further movement. A small, pink nose poked out, tiny nostrils twitching as a small breeze picked up, blowing the coyote's own scent towards the little rodent as if the very earth itself was turning against him, such a travesty! The nose was vanishing back into the grasses, and without thought the male released a small, high pitched snarl as he lunged towards the smaller creature.

The rabbit screamed, a distress call telling its comrades to flee from the leaping predator as he landed, clumsily barreling into the rabbit before plunging his many fangs into its though. It screamed again, kicking with its free leg and slashing the coyote's dark nose. Pluto snarled again, releasing his catch before snapping again, gaining a better hold on its scrawny body with his canines now buried in its chest area. He forced his jaws to clamp tighter, feeling ribs crack and splinter before the rabbit suddenly fell silent, screams dying out as Pluto crushed its ribcage. Its sides rose and fell for the last time before everything was still, and Pluto released his hold on the dead rodent with a smirk curling across his reddened muzzle. For him, this was a victory despite how messy the catch was and how much noise was created during the process. After all, he was better at snatching food than actually catching it. Speaking of snatching; the male ripped off large chunks of his meal, swallowing them whole as quickly as he could hopefully before any larger predators appeared to confiscate his hard earned food.