Chimera Fields Fast Food

@Draper
Others are welcome too!

He hadn't had much luck finding prey in the woods, so he'd come out to the open field. Perhaps prey would be easier to spot. He'd come alone. Holly had been asleep when he left and he hoped to surprise her by catching some breakfast.

The blanket of snow that covered the field was criss-crossed with animal tracks. Elk, deer, rabbits, foxes, coyotes, birds, all had been present in the area recently. Some of tracks looked minutes old. Oliver had always been good at tracking prey, it was the take down that he had trouble with.

He picked the freshest trail of rabbit tracks and began following it, staying alert for any signs of movement that could give away the location of his prey. The most promising sign that he was on the right track was a trail of little rabbit poops - still warm. The critter who left them behind was very close.

In front of him, a little bundle of snow nervously twitched an ear. The rabbit was aware of his presence and hoped to fool the wolf by using it's natural camouflage to blend in to it's surroundings. Oliver pretended not to see it. He crept up on the prey as close as he could, careful not to flush it out. The rabbit must have thought he was blind, or very confident that it could outrun him.

Oliver charged and the rabbit took off. It was quick, but the long legged wolf used his initial burst of speed to overtake the prey. He seized it by it's hind foot, refusing to let go even after repeated kicks to the face. "I got it! I got it!" Oliver almost couldn't believe his strategy had worked. Now he just had to finish the job.

Straying a bit further from his home, Draper found himself as close to the coast as he'd ever been. The sweet smell of saltwater was in the air, although he couldn't see or hear the waves from his current position. Instead, he spotted a black wolf darting across the field, and the coyote watched with amusement as the rabbit kicked at his face. Not wanting to cause any commotion—he'd managed to steer clear of that for some time—Draper hung back, preferring to watch the scene play out rather than become involved in it.

Whatever had caused wolves to flock to him when he'd first moved here seemed to have died off. Unfortunately, he hadn't seen another coyote in quite some time, either. He had hoped to make a home for himself here, but nature drove him to seek a mate, and that was why he strayed from home today.