Hideaway Strath all great and precious things are lonely.

It was their nose that pulled them due east after they parted ways with Iseul. Totoro tracked a vaguely familiar scent into a thicket and came upon a small flock of wild turkeys shuffling about in the morning mist. The gray wolf quickly crouched behind a screen of underbrush to observe them.

Meleagris ocellata, they murmured under their breath, then shook their head. No, Meleagris gallopavo. Let’s see how fast you can gallop.

They burst from their cover and chased one of the smaller members of the flock, a young hen. Totoro managed to pin the bird to the ground and strangle her with a paw. They quickly dragged their kill back into the undergrowth to feed.

After that, they headed south for no particular reason at all, their stomach visibly distended from their meal. Totoro walked alongside the edge of a bog without venturing any deeper, then meandered through a glade on its far side. The trees stretched toward distant mountains. It felt like they walked for miles in those sun-dappled woods.

And then two stone arches cast a long shadow on either side of them. They paused to look side to side, ears pricking at the sound of running water nearby. They hadn’t had a drink since their big meal, so Totoro hastened forward and dipped their snout down to quench their thirst.