A Horse of the Wolves [AW]

He’d accepted Aurielle’s offer for him to essentially infiltrate the prey herds of Valhalla. He accepted the task without rancor or displeasure. He was part of the pack, now. She hadn’t required him to actively hunt his fellow prey creatures, merely to observe them as only another prey animal could.

He could get within touching and sniffing distance of the animals, and they wouldn’t bolt in fright. He was doing as such today, examining the herds, studying each animal, not only for lamenesses or illnesses, but for a certain something in their eye. A docile nature that might be less terrified of the possibility of domestication.

The wolves wished to build animal structures eventually. Oddly, it didn’t trouble him. The deer and bison, elk and moose were not of the higher thinking kind, like he and Acacia, Kamilah or Acacia’s friend Canyon—though that colt he’d never met. What had happened to those horses?

It helped that they weren’t planning on capturing the simple horses, either. Perhaps out of some respect for his mother’s name and past with the pack, Aurielle had never once considered hunting horses in all her life, apparently. He wouldn’t have held it against them hadthey hunted equines. It was part of life.

His tail flicked over his haunches, sending glowing hairs floating away. He was still very much a shaggy beast, but winter was drawing nearer to its rest and spring would be upon Valhalla in just a few more moons. Perhaps less. Of course, with how harsh the winter had been, he wouldn’t be surprised if it clung stubbornly before spring finally pried it free.

He marked out several animals that looked worse for wear, some that looked to be possible prospects for taming, and made his way toward the wall for a patrol. Isolde, having completed her aerial patrol, dropped to soar over his ears, and the stallion snorted softly at her, before he settled onto the wolf-track that now bore some of his own hoof prints.

He didn’t mark the same way as the wolves, instead leaving stud piles just outside the wall along the border as stallions were wont to do.

He paused, head high and scanning the plains beyond the wall with a keen squint as Isolde clicked above him.

Walk ---- "Speak" ---- "Hear" ---- Think