Still Life On The Water

Mæva toyed with the idea of visiting her relatives in Valhalla but what she really wanted was to play with her siblings. She wondered what they were getting up to without her. She found it hard to believe that she was going to turn two soon. She'd officially be an adult. How depressing!

Mæva's musings were cut short by a commotion back near the willows. She whipped her head around to see a heron pecking at the head of a smaller, emaciated yearling. She quickly sprang into action, leaping off the log and racing toward the heron. Water and mud splashed up behind her as fangs found the heron's neck. She kicked off with her hind legs and used her momentum to shove the bird aside, allowing the follow through to carry her right onto of the bird, pinning it beneath her. She shook her head violently until it broke the heron's neck.

She didn't normally kill unless she was hungry but this other yearling clearly looked like she needed food. Mæva released the bird and turned to face the other girl with a grin. "You ok? You can eat this if you want."