Sex: FemaleIn all her time, Pip couldn't recall ever feeling such a clenching in her belly. Even when she was at her most pregnant and practically starving all the time, it couldn't compare to actually starving. The loner's coat had lost its luster and her orange eyes no longer gleamed like a brilliant sunset. She'd thought that she had made so much progress. Grizzly Hollow had taught her how to hunt. They'd given her all the skills she needed to survive. So why was it so hard now? The worst of winter last year couldn't compare to this now - and winter had only just begun! The mute felt the cold keenly. No longer was her mate at her side to block the wind and provide the extra dose of warmth. No longer was Aegir near to give her someone to chase after and worry for. The loneliness could be as much a killer as the cold, she decided.
But that was enough feeling sorry for herself. If she wanted to live to see them again, she had to hunt and catch something. While fishing would have been far easier for her, the water was already too cold. With her lingering weakness, getting drenched was a poor idea. She couldn't imagine she would warm back up afterwards.
Her time in the mountains - while a pleasant idea - was a poor tactical decision in reality. There simply wasn't enough prey and the terrain was too harsh for her to traverse fast enough to catch anything used to such landscapes. If she was stronger, maybe. And while she wanted to avoid that pack of bullies, she had no doubt that they settled there for the prey available to them within the forests surrounded and cut-through by water. She could find something. She had to.
It wasn't until Pip reached a burned down section of forest that she found her first inkling of nearby prey. Despite the blackened landscape, there were sparse areas of greenery breaking through. Pip stood straighter, russet ears pinned forward while her nose worked double time. There. She stiffened as the hare looked her way. A heartbeat passed between the pair before they were off.
Using what speed her fatigued limbs would allow, the lithe female burst forward and ran down the panicked animal until her teeth found purchase over its back. In her desperation, it took only one brutal shake to break its spine. Pip crumpled to the ground and panted over her catch, relieved and exhausted. Such a short run had never winded her before.
The mute sat upright, one paw moving possessively over her prey, when she heard the crack of kindling under paw. Those bullies again?