Totoka River like rust in my veins

Night had fallen hours prior to Gluska reaching the edge of the slow-channeling river. He scuttled forward on the tips of his paws, alert and prepared. His breath billowed from his nares as the coywolf pressed forward along the bank of the winding water’s edge. He had been tracking the scent of a wandering deer for little more than a half hour, and it had managed to trail him across hell’s half-acre. Growing impatient with the prospect of a catch, the coywolf male pondered – only for a moment – about abandoning his search and seeking a den for the oncoming night. The temperature had already turned frigid and crisp.

The sound of broken earth forced the half-breed to pause in his tracking. Just near the bend of the river, an injured doe lowered her head for a drink from the top of the water. Gluska’s lips twined upwards in an expression of open savagery. Lowering his head towards the earth, the coywolf slunk closer to where the doe was paused. His sharp yellow eyes shone like fire, reflected in the light of the moon overhead.

Eldoris had not eaten well for weeks. The Scylla brothers were surviving on scraps and the occasional fish, and the situation was now bordering on desperate. At his lowest points, when gaps between even the most meagre of mouthfuls stretched to full days, Eldoris teetered close to delirium.

It was for that reason that his first instinct upon catching Gluskap's scent was to follow - in the manner a wolf would stalk its intended dinner.

Thankfully, the cold cleared his head. When Eldoris realized what was going on - the doe, the hunt, the possibility of a shared meal - the idea that he might be able to catch and kill a fellow wolf exited his head without leaving a trace.

With one eye on the prize and the other on the coywolf that was hunting it, he crept closer, emerging parallel to Gluskap's position. This close to prey, he could not announce himself, and his only chance was the hope that this unknown male would glance in his direction, deduce his good intentions, and cut him in on the bounty in exchange for help taking it down. All in the dark, and all in silence.

Eldoris crouched and waited.