Grouse Thicket An Irishman walks out of the bar

"You are positively ghastly!" Apple shot back with a shameless grin. "Wait here!" she commanded and disappeared in the forest. She was gone so long that one could start question her motives in volunteering to help out the beaten-up coywolf. Even consider that the lovely granny had played out a particularly nasty prank, which she had not. Because occasional sounds coming from afar, from different locations and at almost regular intervals. It went on like this:

At 10 minutes: an angry shout, some crashing through the undergrowth noise and an ominous sounding crack.

At 23 minutes: "BLOODY MURDER!"

At 47 minutes: more crashing through the undergrowth, sound of six feet running (yup, imagine, how's that possible), a loud screech, some mumbled profanities that Apple definitely did not say (how dare you imply that!"), a boom and a thud.

At 59 minutes: someone's padding back towards the beaten up she-wolf and there comes Apple, holding a muskrat proudly in her jaws. Her coat is splattered with mud and there are twigs and small bits of tree bark, grass and whatnot stuck in her fur. 

She tossed the rat in Caiaphas direction (either hitting her or having a close call) and said: "Dig in!"