Big Salmon Lake And through the night, so it seems I'm not breathing

Bronco began plucking his goose with a mess of feathers everywhere in its wake. There was no avoiding how it would be slightly painstaking, frustrating, and messy. It was very much like unearthing an archaeological treasure. When all was said and done with a splay of feathers all around them and stuck everywhere conceivable, it would be deeply rewarding. It would be especially rewarding for Zsuzsa, who had not had a sizable meal like this in several moon cycles. Her father taught her how to hunt and for as savage as he was, he had been oddly zen about the de-feathering process. A mindless activity, yet highly focused. She started on the breast, the most prized part. It would be like opening a Christmas present.
 
Taken by surprise how something of her name was badass, she always thought it as old-world and antiquated. Nevertheless, there was a feathery smile that crossed her maw.  ”And with Bronco… did you get it from behaving unpredictably sometimes?” Zsuzsa knew “bronco” was another name for a wild, untamed horse. It wasn’t meant as an offending ask to him, the Mackenzie was just taking his name for what it usually meant.
 
Seeing as how Bronco stated he learned his lesson with geese, Zsuzsa dipped her head in a nod. ”My father once told me different birds required different ways of de-feathering. Geese and ducks require more effort for their waterproof feathers. Doves and pigeons are a cinch.” Zsuzsa wasn’t one to often go for avian meals; due to the patience one had to endure de-feathering, it was desperate situations like this that she would be a willing participant.
 
Bronco mentioned his permanent scars came from defending another. It was an honorable thing to do for someone so young like him. Zsuzsa finally plucked the section of the goose breast as clean as she could get and her teeth were like shears, tearing in and getting into the meatier parts. ”Did the fight start on your pack land?” Now Zsuzsa was only assuming this, but it was her sneaky way of finding out a little more information about him.