The Heartwood But now it's like the night is taking sides

AW

He'd been leaving bait out in the forest for a week now, and had come back to find each night to keep record of what it was he'd managed to lure. Thus far, it seemed like he'd fed a lone wolf, a coyote, and a fox- but the fox had been the first to realize that these offerings were being left in one place, repeatedly- and so, it had come back the past three nights in a row. Bronco left the lure- something small, almost as though it had been dropped, like a hare's leg or half a fish- every evening and carried the rest off himself, returning in the morning to see his lure snatched. Now, though, it was time for him to take back both the bait, and hopefully the fox who had taken it. 

He lay in wait, watching in the darkness to see if it would approach on the this, the fourth night. And sure enough- not long after darkness fell, he could hear a small creature approaching. He scanned the area for a glimpse of red fur but found none, and it was only when he saw a ripple in the darkness that he realized he ought not be looking for a red fox- but for a black phase one. It was a beautiful example of its species- and his heart leapt. This fox's pelt would be absolutely perfect. 

Carefully, but with some amount of certainty, it made its way toward the morsel of food he'd left out, sniffing the area cautiously. He knew it would smell him- but that hadn't seemed to bother it on the other nights he'd been leaving bait out. It probably assumed he was simply a forgetful creature, or one who dropped bits and pieces of food here and there. Nevertheless, it went straight for the bait, and Bronco charged toward it. 

It faltered for a moment, torn between grabbing the hare's leg and running or leaving it behind, and ended up abandoning the morsel of food altogether as it dashed away. On a sprint, it could likely outpace him and out-maneuver him; but Bronco had followed the fox for days now, and knew its patterns. He was hot on its heels every step of the way as he pursued the silvery black creature through the darkness.