--Finally a place to, rest?

Quick steps danced across wet grass, sleet remains to splash up to the heels of the wolf. Long and slender legs held the slim, lithe body as he strode slowly to the water that babbled nearby. His pinkish tongue looked pale and dry as it hung from his parted jaws, his chest heaving frantic and quick panting came deep from the male due to exhaustion riddling the sleek, silver and black male. Quaking limbs held him up as the dark male wolf carried himself the short steps to the water's edge. Serpentine, the black male with streaks of white and silver peppering his coat, turned to check behind him just before his head dipped to the surface of the cool water and the tongue of the male lapped out across the water's top, forcing ripples to form and bounce on the water.

Cool and refreshing water slid down to his gullet, his final gulp was hesitated, unsure if he should take his last drink. But meticulously, he'd counted his laps to ten. Finishing not when satisfied, but when content with the amount of slaps his tongue created over the water's top. Prying his wide head from the water, golden eyes traced the area and realized his entrance had caused the small space around him to fall quiet. Birds chirped at a distance, but where Serpentine sat it was no longer lively as it was before he'd come across the pleasant sight of water. Selfishly, ignorantly, he'd barged into the clearing without thinking ahead of time, no doubt scaring off any lingering animals resting or grazing here. A wrinkle hit his muzzle as he realized this and he grunted in disdain. No other animals meant no food-- now he was in a predicament. Maybe, he thought, to hide and wait for animals to grow comfortable again with the area. Humming gently the male curled his tail in a twitch and allowed it to relax again.

Serepentine's head lowered and his chest drew a long breath in, sniffing the grassy ground below him. Picking up a scent of rabbit, fish, and bear from an assumed fishing trip the bear took earlier in the week. The scent of deer lingered but was fading at this point-- too old to bother with, the coal male thought to himself. A snuff in the air caught ash in his nostrils, sniffling first before sneezing and shaking his head from the invasion in his nose. Serpentine regained his focus, balance, and guard after his sneeze, eyes shifting from one side to the next, giving a brief grumble before moving on away from the water full of fish. Stepping with one paw in front of the other, the male wolf slunk through the field as he sniffed the ground here and there, thinking that if rabbits were here there must be a warren nearby. Using his sense of smell to guide him, he popped up over a small hill and saw a torn-up patch of land with plenty of holes entering and exiting the raised earth. A rabbit's warren, for sure as his father had taught him right.

Remembering the past he had, the young pup and his father went on a long trip to scout the land for an unclaimed land bit to use as their home. Running into packs, being chased off hunts, and missing meals, the two were growing hungry when his father, Korth, spoke up about rabbit hunting. "The important part of hunting rabbits isn't about chasing them down, it's outsmarting them before they find their way back to the warren." The two were planning to hunt a horde of rabbits nearby when the hunt was interrupted by a falcon hunting the same group of rabbits. Serpentine took a leap into the mess of feathers and fur being torn up, grabbing a fat rabbit among the chaos. Unable to clench his teeth around the fat neck of the oversized rodent, Serpentine took his prey and began to beat it against the ground to stun the animal. Korth had run in at the time, snatching the meal before the two lost another morsel. Serpentine ate with his father that night, and regardless of the growls they shared and gave one another, the two pleasantly shared the meal in the final venture of their scouting adventure.

All while this memory played, Serpentine stalked the rabbits brave enough to keep lookout, his paws landing on soft and wet grass, parting and squishing under his weight. The sudden burst of movement startled one of the bucks and off the group went to scatter across the field and hide into the warren. Serpentine wasted no time in chasing after one of the bucks, a medium yet stocky sized rodent running in circles at first before realizing where it had to go. Paws landed rhythmically while he shoved off and caught up to the startled hare, his muzzle lowering when he neared it to get a better chance at grabbing the animal. Teeth revealed as he parted his jaws and a quick snatch caught the back of the rabbit-- a squeal of terror and pain crawling from the prey. The wolf's head shook violently and teeth sank into the back muscles of the squirming animal locked between two pairs of teeth. Bloodstained the fur of both creatures, but only one prevailed in the fight for survival-- and he had diligently fought for his meal in his own mind.

Moving quickly away from the warren, he'd taken up a spot near the water-- a raised platform of rock resting flat against the water's bank. Moss covered the top of the hard surface, creating plush padding underneath his belly and legs as he lies, now chewing at the meal he caught. What was he doing here, he thought. Had another wolf arrived and asked him this, Serpentine honestly had one answer. He escaped. Serpentine remembered the panic his small family had when the earth shook so violently and the sky turned grey with thick ash. He was nowhere near the volcano when it erupted, but his family had been roaming around pretty close to the affected areas. Serpentine split off from his family so suddenly he barely remembered them calling out in confusion, why did he go the other way? Asking himself this, he sat up with his tongue cleaning his maw. He thought to himself, how nice it was to stay here, perhaps even sleep a while to regain his energy. No one seemed to wander by and it wasn't as dangerous as where he'd come from, or so he felt.

Eyes grew heavy in his thought of rest, he needed the slumber as it stood. However, Serpentine gave a grunt and shook his head, propping himself up to an alert position as he lies on the rock. Goldenrod eyes scanned the area in front of him, so tired he'd forgotten to check his backside. Serpentine rested, waiting for evening to come for a chance to fully rest. His leftovers rest beside him, water babbled at his far side, and a comfortable rock lies underneath his body. What more could he ask for? He thought to himself, before lowering his head and observing closely for movement.