It was her first lengthy excursion from Nomad's Pass, a trek which sent her in a direction she'd never taken before, through lands unfamiliar to her. She did not worry about finding her way back- the ground was slightly moist and she left behind an easy-spotted set of tracks, and she did not expect it would rain during the day and wash away her scent. And even if it did, Sagacity's sense of direction was very keen and had never led her astray before, and if she did get turned around, she could always simply try to spot the landmark that was the Mountain of Dire and head toward it in order to get home.It was not the thought of getting lost that kept her senses on high alert, but the fact that she had only just recovered from the attack and was aware, now, that other wolves could hurt her. Her invincibility complex had kicked the bucket, fortunately for her, and she now knew her own mortality and weakness. But she was a scout and would not let any apprehensions get in the way of her travels- the best way to cure any anxiety about being out on her own was to go ahead, strike out on another solo mission and put faith in her own abilities.
The forest she happened upon was dark and deep, and the ground and many of the trees were covered in a layer of soft green moss. Echoing through the forest were the sounds of foxes talking to one another- ugly barks and shrieks that seemed to belong to a whole battalion of them, though Sagacity could only make out four distinct voices. Still, it was unusual, she thought, to hear so many of them. It was mid-morning, though, and the forest was isolated- they most have loved it there, and there would be many great places for a fox den. Curious about the red-coated creatures and the prospect of fox kits as an easy meal, she ventured further into the forest, following along the criss-crossing trails they'd left behind.
The scent of a female fox was particularly heavy along one trail which had been so frequently traveled that she'd left a little path in the moss. Surely, Sagacity thought, it would lead to a den and naturally, it did. She approached quietly, peering over a mossy stump to check out the den's area before moving in for a closer look. The mother fox was not around- she'd likely gone out hunting...But three kits played out in the open where sunshine came down through the boughs above. They looked healthy, free of the disease she'd seen foxes carry so often. They were unprotected and unable to defend themselves, and had very little instinct which told them danger was near. She circled around, out of sight, so as to creep closer to the den's mouth, and hunkered down, waiting for them to stray just a bit further out into the open.
When they did, she bounded forward, placing herself between the kits and the den as swiftly as she could. They fox kits cried out and one foolishly made a dash for the den, stupidly certain it could blitz between her legs and into safety- the only place it knew to go. The other two bounded back a few steps and scattered when Sagacity made a lunge for the most foolhardy of the bunch which had made a run for the den. With a snap of her teeth and a high squeal, the fox kit's life was cut short. It would make a little snack for the huntress, but in the midst of such vulnerable prey she couldn't stop. She lunged after one of the other kits which zig-zagged this way and that in an effort to escape her. In her peripheral vision she saw the other make it to the den and safety, but she didn't care- she wanted this one, and with a swipe of a paw she knocked its hind feet out from under it and descended upon it in an instant.
Two fox kits. But the third was in the den and knowing it was there and safe angered her. She wanted to eat- she felt voracious all of a sudden, appetite whetted by the taste of blood. She stuck her head in the den's mouth and snapped her jaws together- she could smell the kit in there, and began to dig frantically at the den's mouth, widening it, and then tried again. It was still out of reach. She growled and began to dig more, scraping away the earth and kicking it out behind her, destroying the vixen's handiwork in an effort to also destroy her last surviving kit. It squealed as Sagacity shoved her front quarters into the den again, and it bit at her face, but this brought her close enough to grab it by the fur on its side and reef it out of the den. Savagely, feeling hatred for the tiny thing, she shook it before killing it in a fit of rage.
She now had three fox kits and didn't care at all whether the vixen showed up. The fox could do nothing now, and wouldn't likely chance its own life for the sake of three corpses. Sagacity gathered the three dead kits together and for a moment she looked at them. She growled; she knew what it felt like to have her own young killed. And revenge seemed like the only way to help ease the pain. Two of the fox kits were eaten in an instant, and the other she picked up by its scruff and began to carry it away from the horrific scene as gently as she might have carried her own young.
Table by Tyrant <3