The rain refused to stop. In heavy sheets it fell, hissing towards the ground, leaving cold wet mud that Lorcan was forced to wade through. Normally the subordinate wouldn’t mind the rain, but this was verging on torrential. Beneath his bristling agouti fur, Lorcan’s pale skin shivered. Begrudgingly, the male pressed onwards; his lean figure could be seen prowling along the slippery edges of the immense lake with violent intent in his stride, as he stalked towards the body which struggled at the edge of the water.

Lorcan was in desperate need of a kill, if not just for sustenance to heal the wounds that he had accumulated over the past week, but for the emotional outlet – and it was clear, judging by the stoic expression that tarnished his usual jovial façade, Lorcan was far from contented today. Striding right up to his chosen victim, the caribou calf which cried fervently as it lay shivering within its shallow muddy grave, Lorcan hardly blinked before his jaws snaked down to grip vice-like around its throat. He was coldly silent as he dragged the calf out from the mud, before ending its life in one well-placed bite. It hadn’t struggled much.

Still the rain continued to beat down on him, and now already soaked to the bone, Lorcan immediately sought out shelter. Finding it in the hollow of a dead oak tree, the male retrieved his meal and hauled it inside. Gingerly he climbed in beside it, so that he should form a hidden barrier within the darkness that stretched out between his meal and whatever else preyed outside. There, in the dark, with barely enough room to stand, Lorcan felt safe. Shifting around within the cramped confines of the hollow, his golden eyes studied the soft curve of the caribou’s abdomen, as his tongue swept across his charcoal lips in quiet satisfaction. Mine.

He hadn’t seen her, not noticed her stark white figure skirting along the edge of the lake through the thick curtain of rain. So, as he crouched down quietly within the darkness of the tree hollow alongside his fresh kill, Lorcan felt blissfully alone. As his muzzle snaked in to allow his pearly-white teeth to nip and tear at the stomach of the caribou, the young male couldn’t help but ponder how fortunate he had been to find it. Although, he shouldn’t have been too surprised since he was aware that the caribou herd often frequented the lowlands to graze, so it would make sense for them to stop at the lake for a drink. How unfortunate for the calf that it hadn’t departed alongside its mother. Golden eyes blinked as he pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind and finally plunged his muzzle into the carcass to feed.

He had just finished off chewing the liver when he froze, ears perked at the sound of a panicked howl calling through the hissing rain. Dark hackles raised at the voice as he noticed the tone of desperation and how close it was. Russet ears fell back against his head and he snarled in frustration, a single line of green bile liquid hanging from the very corner of his mouth. The selfish part of him begged for him to ignore the call and to carry on feasting, but his conscience got the better of him, and so begrudgingly, he stepped back outside into the onslaught of rain.

Frantically, he ran towards the howling stranger, his eyes falling upon a young female who – like the caribou calf before her – had managed to get trapped within the mud. Fortunately for her Lorcan was not a cannibal. Salmon pink tongue swept across his blood-stained muzzle, removing the last of the bile from his lips, as he approached her slowly to avoid the hazardous mud. Stopping at around a metre away, he paused, his golden eyes trailing along the deep scar that tarnished her muzzle before flickering up to greet her pitiful silver stare. Refusing to step closer, and potentially get trapped into the mud alongside her, Lorcan sought an alternative approach. He couldn’t reach her from where he was standing, but perhaps a branch could help. “Don’t move, you’ll only sink deeper.” He ordered, turning on his heals to face the direction of the trees before quickly glancing back. “I’ll go find a branch to pull you out with.” He said reassuringly, before hurrying off through the rain.

As Lorcan galloped towards the trees, his head waved around frantically as he searched desperately for a branch strong and study enough to pull the female out. He approached the first tree, lifting his head up to nudge his muzzle against the lowest hanging branch and recoiled when it trembled. Too flimsy! Next he approached a more sturdy-looking branch on a different tree, but was again disappointed when he found it was too thick for him to clamp his jaws around. His third attempt lead him to a thinner branch, which whilst it did not wobble when he nudged it, was far too brittle and snapped in his grasp.

A low growl rumbled in his chest as he grew increasingly frustrated – until finally he approached a forth tree, and found a branch (whilst half broken, hanging from the boughs of the tree) to be sturdy enough to withstand his grip and nudges, but slender enough for him to grip his jaws around. Perfect. Leaping up, Lorcan snatched the branch between his teeth and pulled it down with him, flinching slightly at the almighty snap that sounded as it broke away completely.

Now, with the large branch clamped between his jaws, Lorcan ran back to the edge of the lake – with the branch that spanned three metres across. Upon reaching the girl, who was still firmly stuck in the mud, Lorcan angled the branch lengthways towards her, before dropping it to the ground. “Grab on!” He barked hurriedly. With his paw he pushed the pointed end closer towards her for her bite onto, and then, clamping his jaws around the other end, Lorcan dug his heels into the ground and hauled the weight backwards, feeling his paws push deeper into the soil as he stepped back.

To Lorcan’s, and undoubtedly the girl’s relief, he managed to pull her out of the deep sticky mud and back onto more solid ground. When the female dropped the stick, Lorcan wasted no time before swinging it out of his own mouth, sending it hurtling through the air to ungracefully discard it. The subordinate watched with baited breath and concern growing in his golden gaze as he watched the female stand with trembling knees and gasping breath. Cautiously, Lorcan moved in to stand beside her, to support her trembling figure - but found his action too late, as she collapsed onto one side. Golden eyes widened and he immediately moved in closer still and tried to nudge her face with muzzle, attempting to turn her face towards his. “Are you okay?” He breathed, trying to remain calm and reassuring.

As the rain continued to beat down, Lorcan could see the scars the tarnished her body beneath her slicked white fur and as she turned her silver gaze up towards him, he couldn’t help but frown at the missing tip to her left ear – and when she posed the question towards him, Lorcan felt his frown deepen as he leaned in closer to sweep his gaze along her scar-ridden body in concern. “Yes..” He replied, a twinge of confusion in his voice. “Did you not think I would?” He asked, his tone growing warmer as he lowered his muzzle and held it against her small shoulder, to provide her some support should she try to get up. “I think it’s best we get you out of the rain..” He suggested calmly, hoping that the female would trust him enough to agree. Whilst he wasn't overly thrilled with the idea of sharing his meal and shelter, he knew the young female was in need of some comfort.

When the young female tensed as he moved in to nudge her, Lorcan slowly took a step back, not wanting to make her feel any more uncomfortable than she presumably already felt, and cleared his throat for lack of things to say in that moment. However, he was reassured when she nodded to confirm that she was unharmed. Lorcan nodded his head back towards her in reassurance. “Good, you’ve still got all your toes left then?” He had joked, before suddenly catching a glimpse of the notch that was missing out of her left ear and found himself suddenly regretting everything that he’d said.

The girls question broke through the awkward silence, and Lorcan found himself turning his head to one side, a single white brow raised in disbelief. “No, it’s just the right thing to do. I couldn’t just leave you there to get mauled by some hungry bear.” He stated simply, before pausing a moment as a frown flickered across his features. That would certainly be a grizzly death. Allowing the girl to stand on her own, refusing his support, Lorcan hovered next to her anyway to catch her should she slip and fall in her shaken state before stepping away and walking slowly back towards the hollow tree, pausing every so often to check that the female was following along. “Lorcan, Miss. Towards that hollow tree over there – hopefully there’s enough room for us both. I’ve got some food stashed in there too, which you’re welcome to if you’d like?”

Upon reaching the entrance of the hollow tree, Lorcan held back and allowed the young female to enter first and settle beside the caribou carcass. He would go in second and block out the rain.