Back From The Edge

Regulus was feeling much better, now that he was over the worst of the illness that both he and his mother had experienced. A nasty cold, but the last traces of it were fading, and they were no longer contagious. He could breathe, and he could hear. He was out, finally stretching his legs. It felt great to run again, even if he had to take it slow. He also took the time to explore the spring wildlife. It was mid spring, and yet there was still the faintest hint of nippiness to the air. He enjoyed the crisp scent, and again reveled in the fact that he could smell the crisp air. A fresh scent of deer caught his nose, and his path veered abruptly, his claws grasping at mud before he found traction again and started off at a slower pace, content to track the deer. Maybe he would be able to get back into hunting again.

The trail meandered from bush to bush in the wooded areas, and he took his time, analyzing the scent for any signs of weakness. No blood, no scent of decay that might signify a festering wound, and the tracks were evenly spaced, with no uncharacteristic deepening of one track in comparison to the other four feet. Thus far, his first deer tracking mission seemed to be following a perfectly healthy specimen. Phooey. He deviated from the trail, nose lifting into the breeze and questing for any airborne smells that might be interesting. He thought he caught a whiff of one of the herbs Zuriel and their Father often brought back to the family den. He’d heard his mother snarl at their father about hiding something like healing from her, considering who her mother had been. He himself didn’t quite get why his father had been so lax in just telling her. Healing was perfectly awesome. It helped wolves get better, like himself and his mother. Of course, he had more interest in fighting and hunting, but he’d been interested enough to take in a lot of his grandmothers knowledge as a pup, and plenty of Zuriels growing knowledge while he’d been sick.

Another scent, this one far more interesting, snagged his attention, and he was off at a trot, following the scent of a deer into the plains, noting the drops of blood on the ground. Oh now this was far more interesting. He slowed to a walk, taking his time to note all the details of the deers trail. The blood was recent, maybe within the hour, and the track pattern was uneven, with the right side being deeper than the left. So the prey must have been injured on the left side, though he wouldn’t know exactly where until he got a look at the beast. He tracked the animal for an hour, and finally, as he crossed back into a wooded portion of the plains, he looked up and crouched low, quite happy to stop and rest as he surveyed the deer. Eww. Its left side was toward him, enough that he could see the gaping wound in its flank. It looked a bit like a big cat had managed to get a hold of it, but had lost it, leaving deep claw wounds in its side, enough that a bit of the entrails was visible. Flies badgered the wound incessantly.

The deer had been too busy fending off the flies to notice the bright red wolf hunkered behind it, and the wind was blowing in Regulus’ direction. He took the opportunity to decide on what to do. The deer was probably a fawn from last year; it was still small compared to an adult. Thus, he might be able to bring it down alone. And, really, it was too late to call for Zuriel, or for that matter Tornach, who was easily becoming big enough to hunt with him. Finally, he decided to take the gamble and rose slowly, starting forward with a low bark that sent the deer lunging forward in surprise. It was evident immediately that the deer was in pain, because it didn’t keep running for long, instead slowing, holding itself carefully. Better to end this quickly. Regulus lunged into a sprint and forced the deer into a frantic run. The adrenaline burst for the deer faded quickly, and Regulus finished the chase with a lunge for the throat, bringing his weight to bear into the animals shoulder to knock it off stride. The whole thing was over rather swiftly. Regulus stepped back, licking the blood from his jaws as he lowered himself to his haunches for a breather. Dinner was served, even if Zuriel would have his hide for the exertion.