Redhawk Caldera Acer

Shrike stretched, back arching and the morning sun creating a silver sheen across his back as he left his den early in the morning. He groaned slightly and shuddered lightly as his muscles were pulled taught, and then allowed to relax. The sun was weak still, and though he'd only been asleep in his den for the past four hours, he felt mildly refreshed by the morning's cool air and the sun's gentle glow. Licking his lips, he straightened himself up, preened his fur a bit to free it from the remnants of bedding, and struck out, meandering through the brush toward the rendezvous site. 

On his way he kept an eye on the sky, looking for birds. He knew there were no smaller meals to be found, though he'd landed a lucky kill the day before- a squirrel, and a starving one at that. Shrike's usually lean physique had begun to look thin, as it was wont to do- he'd never carried much in the way of excess weight, and so he hadn't had much to lose to begin with. His hips and shoulders rolled beneath a pelt and a layer of muscle still, but if the famine continued for much longer he was wel aware just how quickly he'd begin looking like a walking skeleton.

Dangling from his mouth was a tiny offering- the hind end of the squirrel he'd caught the day before. Its legs were lean from starvation, but at least it was something, and nothing better than that could he find. He found his way to the rendezvous site, where he knew the pups and alpha pair would have spent the night, and found himself a cozy spot beside a shrub to lay down as he waited for someone to show up. Reaching for a stick to chew to numb his own apetite, Shrike heaved a sigh and crunched on the stick, occasionally spitting out splinters as he waited.