Bramblepoint The Parting Glass

@Sassafras

Through the night, the silvery male dragged the stiffening corpse through the underbrush of the Caldera and further away, safely away from the pack which he felt he would never see again. Often the corpse would snag on a rock or bush, and Shrike's strength would sap as he tugged to get her legs and fur untangled. He was aware that Sassafras had chosen to follow him, but whenever he caught sight of her brlliant orange gaze he would growl to ward her off. For half the night he continued to warn her about her proximity, until he no longer cared to stop and growl when he felt she'd gotten the point. He couldn't stop her from following, but knew she was smart enough not to come into contact with either the body or him. 

As dawn broke, his muscles ached, and the progress he'd made, halted often by hacking coughs, finally came to an end. He'd found just by chance a burrow, probably once used by a wolf or two, but no more than that. He dragged the corpse in, left it shoved against the back and then emerged, blinking his bloodshot eyes into the rising sunlight as he scanned the area for Sassafras. His vision was blurry and only now n daylght did he realize just how much strength he'd lost, and finally, having found what he'd been looking for, he collapsed to the ground. 

"Sass." He choked, hoping she was close enough to hear, as his sense of smell was tainted by the scent of blood dripping from his teeth to the ground, and he'd closed his foggy eyes as he lay his chin near his feet. The sun's warmth began to lift the mist from the plants surrounding the densite, making it an almost beautiful and surreal place for him to do away with the poison that had killed the murderer. He waited patiently, hoping she might have heard his plea.