It had been several days since Aida had last enjoyed a decent meal. Travelling on her own made it almost impossible for the female to take down large prey, forcing her to focus her efforts on smaller species such as rabbits and marmots. The small mammals were quick though, and much too agile, often able to dart away from her gaping jaws and dive down into their hidden burrows before she’d even had the chance to tire herself out from the chase. The high population of coyotes in the area was also proving to be a problem. Their overwhelming stench had all the prey species on high alert. Aida could barely breathe without hearing some small creature scuttling away in the underbrush.

Hunting in the forest was certainly not going well for the lone female, so today Aida had decided to seek out a body of water to fish in. The river that cut through the fjord had proved much too turbulent the last time she had tried. The scratch to her shoulder left by the coyote pained her (though she was doing her best to ignore it), leaving her with a subtle limp as she moved her way westward through the tall white fir trees in search of calmer waters.

Eventually, through the maze of closely rooted trees and hanging vines, Aida thought she could make out the familiar glistening of water. As she slowly weaved her way closer, brushing the moss-covered vines to one side, her amber eyes focused on the image of the clouded sky that was reflected on the still, murky surface of the lake. The dark female neared the edge of the water, her left leg hanging hesitantly above the smooth slope of the dry bank as she stared down into the dark watery depths below.

As she stared down into the lake, her amber eyes squinted. It was hard trying to see past all the dirt and algae that polluted the water, but Aida knew that if she just focused enough she would be able to make out the faint dark shadows of fish swimming beneath its murky surface. It took a few moments for her vision to adjust, but once it did, Aida’s eyes did not move from the water and the forest around her seemed to grow dark, quiet and unfocused.

Carefully she lowered her left fore-paw to the ground and adjusted her weight so that she could stand perfectly still at the edge of the water. Her dark ears were cupped forward, alert, as the female listened out for any rippling or splashing sounds on the lake’s surface. Deliberately her amber gaze scanned the water. Aida’s jaws clenched when she suddenly spotted a dark streamline shadow moving through the gloom of the deep water further out. Fish!

The female’s tail swayed softly behind her in delight, her gaze continuing to follow the fish as it circled around until…

The distorted reflection of another wolf, their pale coat stark against the murky water of the lake, caught her off-guard. Aida’s head snapped up and her fur bristled momentarily as she shot a startled look across the lake towards the stranger. She hadn’t heard or smelt the other wolf arrive, having been too preoccupied with investigating the lake to notice. However, now that Aida had spotted them she was curious to know what they intended to do and how long they planned on staying. Fishing was best done without distractions, after all.

Aida watched the stranger quietly, waiting to see if they would notice her there.

Aida’s pale brows furrowed softly as the tawny female lifted her head to meet her amber gaze from across the lake. The dark female remained stable in her spot beside the water’s edge, her body stiffening slightly, unwilling to move despite the golden pair of eyes that now looked her up and down. She flared her nostrils, taking the opportunity to breathe in the stranger’s scent along with the cool breeze that hissed past her through the white fir trees. The scent of the tawny female was intermingled with that of others, her pack mates no doubt. Aida’s attention quickly shifted back to her surroundings as she cautiously inspected the nearby forest for any sign of others lurking about in the shadows, paranoid that she could be outnumbered at any moment.

She had been willing to assert herself above the two coyotes that had ambushed her at the fjord, but if she were to be faced with multiple pack wolves, Aida would not hesitate to make a swift exit. She was already injured and could not afford to get into any more unnecessary scuffles.

Dark ears pricked up at the female’s question, before falling flat as her amber gaze shifted back to stare into the murky water. “Trout, I think…” She replied, a little hesitantly as she continued to squint in search of the dark streamline shadow again to confirm her suspicion. “Too small to be a salmon.” Aida explained with a dismissive shrug of her shoulders as she glanced back to the tawny female. Still, whatever the fish was, it was big enough to provide a decent meal for one of them.

Aida lifted a brow as the tawny female stated she was far from her pack territory. The information offered her a small feeling of relief, knowing that she was not close to intruding on claimed territory. The dark female’s amber gaze returned back to the water as the stranger motioned towards it with her muzzle, though her focus swiftly returned to the other wolf as they began to wander in closer towards her, leaving nothing but their question hanging in the air between them.

Whilst Aida appreciated the boost to her ego, she did not like how the female presumed it okay to step towards her and join her beside the water. A spot that she had clearly found and claimed for herself. The dark female’s body stiffened up again, and her body turned to angle slightly away from the tawny wolf as she approached, obviously a little uncomfortable with her being there. “I come from a family of fishing wolves. It’s in my blood.” Aida explained, her shoulders hunched forwards slightly as she returned her furrowed gaze to the water as the other female did.

Aida became silent then and all of her attention suddenly focused on the shallow water just in front of them. Her ears pinned forwards and her amber eyes narrowed as she scanned the murky water for the large shadow she had spotted earlier. She was not interested in the smaller fish which darted about just beneath the surface. Aida wanted to sink her teeth into the larger fish which lingered further down along the muddy waterbed. Her limbs flinched instinctively as she spotted the dark shape again, circling its way back around towards the edge of the lake, swimming closer and closer until…

SPLASH!!!

The dark female dived her head into the lake, her jaws parted just wide enough to grasp the rainbow trout between her teeth. The fish struggled, flapping about between her jaws wildly as it attempted to dive away. Aida’s grasp was unyielding though. Slowly, Aida began to lift her head from the muddy, disturbed water, digging her paws hard against the dirt of the sloped bank as she pulled the silver fish from the lake. There was an obvious hint of pride in the way she lifted her head to display her catch, her pale chest puffing out in satisfaction, before she dashed the flopping fish violently to the ground behind her.

Aida’s eyes glanced up towards the tawny female, checking to see if she had been paying attention. Indeed she had been, and the dark female felt a swell of pride in her chest as she returned her amber gaze towards the trout she had caught, her tail swaying behind her contentedly. Not wanting to waste a moment before devouring her freshly caught meal, or even risk it flopping its way back into the water, Aida turned away from the lake and her tawny observer to approach the gasping fish.

The trout flopped around helplessly in the dirt, its operculum flapping open and its mouth gaping wide as it gasped for breath outside of the water. Aida approached it quickly, placing a paw firmly across its body to hold it down and keep it still before she reached forwards to crunch down on its head. The trout gave a final twitch before falling completely still, its scales quickly turning dry whilst exposed to the air. Aida licked her lips, before leaning over to grasp the fish in her mouth before swallowing down her meal in a few loud crunches, head included.

Licking her lips again, the dark female turned to look back towards the tawny wolf, just in time to see her head dive under the murky water in pursuit of a fish. Aida raised a single pale brow and watched with interest as the stranger emerged with an even larger trout (this caused her eyes to widen jealously, though she said nothing) before she began wrestling about with it. A grin pulled at her charcoal lips as she took amusement from the sight of the woman’s distress when the fish slapped her in the eye. When the fish was dropped, Aida thought it was all over, that the fish would be lost – but luckily the tawny wolf was quick to react and after a few attempts managed to clamp her jaws around the trout again and crush its head to mush.

When the female seemed to stand there, staring hesitantly at the mutilated trout before staring back at her, Aida finally moved to step towards her. The amused grin was still evident on her face as she eyed the large trout, her tongue sweeping hungrily across her lips, before she met the golden gaze of the stranger. “If you don’t eat it, I will.” She offered in a teasing manner, stopping short a few paces before settling down casually to sit. There was no point in wasting the food, no matter how disgusting it might have appeared.