Grouse Thicket all i want is a night of sleep

thanks for getting this up :)

Marruz had never been to the Thicket before, but he could catch the strong scent even from the eastern Alpine Lake. Many a bird, he knew, dwelled that way. And so, finding his energies at a particular maximum and his agile appendages anxious for movement, he figured he might best expend such zest upon the fruitful activity of hunting.

Seeing as the sky was unfit for stargazing, he would resort to something that pleased him equally as much. Though still only a year in age, the boy was well equipped for the job. Observant, stealthy, and built for speed, there was a viperine quality in the way the panther of a wolf moved. 

The shadowy creature noted the subtle variations of the terrain; careful to take into account the stouter breadth of the trees and the barren limbs which, within the year, might bear plump apples. It was a wonderful sight for the keen-eyed predator, who surveyed the desolate expanse with the air of a triumphant imposter. Back in the Weald, he was aware of a small population of birds sequestered high within the shelter of lithesome trees. In comparison, this place was practically a playground. 

It did not take long after his maw was split wide to detect the scent of unsuspecting life. With an earnest flick of his ears, the darkling directed his attention to a nearby clot of snow and dying shrubbery. Immediately, he pushed his snout forward so that his Stygian shoulder blades stuck baldly upwards in jagged edifices upon his back. Perhaps this might be his first catch of the night?