TEMPORARY INSANITY

Man, they had been walking forever! He didn't really know why they had to leave their den in the mountains, but dad seemed like he was in a hurry to get them out of there. And now, here they were. In a place he had never been, and honestly, the young boy was pretty excited! The star clad boy bounced around his fathers ankles, occasionally trying to dart off only to be herded right back on the path. But finally, they had come to a stop and he grinned and wagged his tail when his dad exclaimed that they were "here." Wherever and whatever here was, Ares liked it. By now, his fangs had grown more pronounced and were peeking well past his lips. They didn't do anything for the boy now but get in the way, but he was sure he'd be useful as a can opener at some point in his life.

Eyes gleamed as he quickly made to escape. He was hungry and he wanted to try and hunt his own food for once. He was close to his first year, surely he could hunt something like a big boy now right? He peeked at his dad for a moment, and once he figured the coast was clear, he snuck off. He did it quickly too, racing away before he could be caught and hid away in the dry brush. After a moment, his mind wandered to the world around him as he then tried to figure out what he would hunt. He had to find something, there had to be something around here right? That question was quickly answered when he caught sight of movement nearby. Quietly, he stalked forward until he spotted a young prairie chicken. It was lying there beneath a shrub, relatively close to where Ares sat.

Hungry gaze watched it, but it didn't take long for him to decide that this is what he would try to hunt. This was going to be his prize, and he would catch it no matter what. He would make his dad proud! Show him that he was capable of doing something on his own. With that resolve in mind, Ares began to stalk closer, body pressed low to the ground as he tried to avoid catching the birds eye. He took small steps, trying his best to keep from startling the bird. So far, he was doing a decent job at staying in its blind spot, and whenever it looked in his direction he crouched low beneath the dry shrubbery and remained still. Luckily, his fur blended well enough with the drier landscape, something he was thankful for.

Closer still he went, and when he felt he was close enough, he pounced! But alas, he had miscalculated as fangs closed around the chickens left wing. Startled, the fowl made a commotion and flapped around, causing Ares to yank out the feathers he had gripped in his teeth. After a moment of hesitation, he gave chase. He wasn't about to let this chicken get away from him! With feathers still clinging to his mouth, he chased after the bird. They zig zagged and ran left and right with Ares gaining ground on it. The only thing that annoyed him was when the bird had attempted several times to fly, but because Ares had yanked a few much needed feathers, it was having major difficulty trying to do so. It would go several feet before landing again, and again, and again. But Ares wouldn't give up.

He chased after it, waiting for it to rise into the air again. When it finally did, he pushed himself until he was running beneath it. Head was tilted upward, eyes locked on the bird as it began to descend again. Hind legs coiled for a moment before launching upwards, jaws opening as he launched himself towards the bird. As soon as he felt feathers between his jaws, he clamped down and landed ungracefully on the ground. He slid a few feet due to the momentum he had from running and jumping, and for a moment, the bird was flung from his jaws. Scrambling to his feet, he quickly regained control of the fowl. With loud protests from his prey, Ares quickly shook his head until he heard the audible snap of the birds bones and then...silence.

Standing there winded for several moments, feathers were scattered all around him. Pleased with his catch, he sauntered back towards his dad with his head held high, a wagging tail, and proud gleam in his eye. He had caught his first prey all on his own! Dad would be proud, right!?

Just as he climbed back up the knoll, a red figure had appeared with his dad, and he halted in his tracks. "Whoooaaa!!" Although he was no stranger to colorful wolves, or star clad ones for that matter, he was immediately intrigued by this woman who had materialized from nowhere. He bounded over to her, ears perking as he caught his fathers name. So she knew dad!? That meant she meant something to them right? He didn't know quite yet, but boy was he going to find out! "Hiya! Who're you? W'as your name? You know da? How come you don't have fengs? You're reeaaall purdy ya know? Dad ain't as purdy as you!" He bounced between her and his dad, tail wagging madly. He was excited to meet someone new, especially someone who had stars on their pelt too! He was so excited in fact, that he had dropped his chicken on the way and forgot about it for now.