Razorback Ridge Put me back in my grave

For @Mojag <3

He was still reeling from the vivid nightmare earlier, his body on high alert. Many moons ago, when he had first left the humans, hunting small game had helped calm his mind—much like the way the humans had once used him to soothe their own anger. Now was as good a time as any to fall back on old habits.

Nose to the ground, he searched for scents, hoping to find something worth chasing. The restless energy coiled within him demanded release, and the hunt would grant him that. He hated that about himself.

He couldn’t help but wonder what Viskani would think.

Just as his nose caught the scent of a fox, a twig snapped in the distance. He inhaled deeply, the fox’s scent growing stronger in the direction of the sound. Without hesitation, he moved swiftly to close the gap.

With little preamble, he darted over a bush—and landed face to face with a rather pretty little fox. It snarled at him, and he responded in kind. The poor thing had only seconds to flee but didn’t make it far before the silver male bore down on it.

The kill was quick but far from painless. He despised the part of himself that took satisfaction in the creature’s suffering. Still, the bloodlust ebbed, and his anxieties quieted.

Looking down at the fox’s body, his mind and vision clearer now, he considered its pelt—soft and warm. Perhaps it could serve as a small blanket, or whatever the humans called it, for the newborn at Viskani’s side. A gift. A thank you for allowing him to stay.

There would come a time, he was certain, when Viskani would leave Chandra in the den. The fur could offer the pup something warm to snuggle against in her mother’s absence.

But how?