if I could write you a song

The grass rustled behind him, and the male was nearly instantly on red alert. Rising to his feet, he clutched the rotting carcass of the rat tightly between his teeth, unwilling to relinquish his meagre meal. A small form parted the foliage. Though it might have been foolish, he felt instant relief knowing that he would be capable of facing off with this one. The fear that clouded his mind began to clear, and he began to note the strangers appearance. Eyeless, with heavy scarring around empty sockets. Littered with as many old wounds as he himself bore, missing both tail and a hind foot. For a moment, he felt glad that he still retained all of his limbs, though one was mostly useless as anything but a stilt upon which to prop his weight. Then, he noticed, she was round with pups. The hare in her jaws looked far more appetizing than his own meal, and he began to wonder where everyone was finding these creatures.

Feeling like an idiot, the male dropped his rat unceremoniously onto the ground. "Sorry, ma'am," he rasped, tail curling tightly against his belly. He backed up a few paces, and stepped to one side. "I didn't mean to get underfoot." he added for good measure. She was certainly far stronger than him, to cope with such heavy damage to her body. He owed her the respect he would lend one of his masters, certainly.