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with the birth of his children fresh upon them, taltos was driven by instinct to hunt for them. unfortunately, the snowfall had forced prey into the foothills and woodlands. it was only by dumb luck that the servant found the thin trail of an elderly bull elk, which he followed far from the borders of his home.
he had told blue willow of his intentions to hunt; despite being a distance from the plateau, the meat with which he would return would freeze in a cache, and he would not need to leave her side for some time.
night swept the land, and with it the breast of frost, which rimed his guard hairs in silver and forced his breath into a hot plume. but his eyes had narrowed upon his prize. the elk had mired himself in a deep drift, but, too weak to drag himself from it, posed an easy kill for the dark wolf, who pounced to pin the ruminant's head down while heavy teeth cut the mortal vein beneath the chin.
lasher, panting, lapped the hot blood cooling quickly upon the snow, hackles bristling as he peered around for any approaching figure before he began the slow work of butchering the carcass.