Blacktail Deer Plateau Dissolving the seeds of a moment

Zombie hadn't meant to start eating the remains of the carcass, but rather explore them in an attempt to better understand death. She knew little of the shamans that had been part of Bon Dye, only truly seeing them once. They had been like ephemeral ghosts, haunting the forest for mere moments before evaporating into daylight. She had stumbled across one of their lairs, some weeks after they and Jinx had gone. What she found fascinated her; the innards of some ungulate, and collections of herbs, stones, and bones. The organs puzzled her the most. How could they have resisted eating such a delicacy?

The ruined deer in the snow before her had been the perfect opportunity to practice what she imagined the white ghosts of the fallen Bon Dye might have done. Her teeth were placed delicately around a smooth and spongey organ that tasted deeply of blood and iron, with the intention of pulling it free and saving it for... well, Zombie didn't truly know. But as soon as she had tasted it, instinct took over and she began to eat without discrimination.

It was after Zombie had chewed and swallowed several mouthfuls that Pied appeared at her side—so focused on the meal, the yearling hadn't heard or scented her approach. She growled softly out of instinct as the more dominant female shouldered beside her, though it was not aggressive and died as soon as it became clear that Pied would not separate her from the carcass. Zombie finished only moments before her pack mate, and put a few steps between herself and the carcass before sitting and licking her chops clean.

"Hi, Pied," she offered in greeting.