Horizon Ridge Scratch scratches

While Saena was loathe to accept that they might need to eat anything and everything that came their way, she knew Spring was right. They couldn't afford to be picky. The ungulates of the world were a wolf's prime meal, but in the absence of them, they could eat basically anything with meat on its bones. Her mind wandered briefly to a dark and horrible place, one that could arise if the situation became bad enough, but she reined it back and hoped to never think of such a vile thing again.

She watched in both shock and awe as Spring reached out and took a locust's carapace up in her mouth. The squick and crunch of it were simultaneously audible and the Alpha female squinted uncertainly. Gods, what she would do if Spring said it was delicious...

But, of course, the Gamma held to her snack with all the graces of a polite wolf, even though the bug surely tasted like sweaty unwashed asshole, or something equally unpleasant, judging by her expression. The Alpha crinkled her nose. "I can't believe you did that," she snorted with amusement as her ears pinned back in disgust. The very thought of sampling bugs was much too unsavoury, and the imagery was near enough to make her retch. Swallowing thickly, Saena forced herself to think on other things.

And before she knew it, her mind was on a topic that came to it of late. "You could lead," she mused, though where the words came from, Saena couldn't say. What was once a thought now came out unbidden, but she didn't regret it. "With me, I mean. As Beta. I do fear the position is cursed, though, but maybe it was just the wolves themselves," she muttered with a frown. No one had ever held it for long. Not Ukko. Not Tavi. Neither of them had loyalty thicker than their skin, though, if their performance as Beta and subsequent betrayals were anything to go by, and Spring was different, if only she was interested.