The Heartwood Heartwood Snacking

yeah, gets tricky when threads go on a long time. also, nice new avatar :)

The little jerk had a bit of a head start on the wolf, but with a rage-fueled burst of speed, Koda quickly closed the gap between himself and his target. Once it was in range, he lunged and grabbed for the coyote's tail, but the slippery canine zig-zagged and the wolf stumbled as he bit down on empty air. Frustrated and out of breath, Koda still wasn't ready to give up the chase until Scarlett's howl rang in his ears. The fear in her voice made him skid to a stop and look back. He saw her trying to stand her ground as the pack of coyotes closed in, but she was in trouble.

He turned and started loping back, but the decoy wasn't about to let him go that easily. Koda let out a sharp yelp as he felt sharp teeth sink into his flank and looked back to see the coyote gnawing on him. He was trying to keep the wolf's attention on him, so his buddies could steal the carcass. "Get off," Koda snarled as he rounded on the smaller canine, forcing it to let go to avoid the wolf's murderous jaws. Once he was free he bolted toward Scarlett, leaving his pursuer in the dust.

Koda charged into the circle of coyotes and stood over the carcass, snarling through his bared fangs. The pack retreated a few steps, but quickly regrouped and continued to harass the wolves. The male snapped at them whenever they got too close, but was careful not to leave Scarlett's side. Koda didn't want to give up the carcass, but he was starting to realize he and Scarlett were fighting a losing battle. No matter how many times they drove them back, the hungry scavengers just kept coming.