I didn't want this meal to go!

Auster’s autumn had gone from a lighter chill at the beginning of the season to something far colder and the approach of the continent’s winter was on the horizon. Nights were getting colder, and as the sun started to sink beyond the horizon, bathing the world in a sea of oranges and golds of sunset, Alex could feel that temperature begin to shift and sink. It was going to be a colder night, and not exactly ideal for the not-yet yearling to be a couple territories away from his own, but Alexander felt that his reasoning for it would be justified. Sure his mom might be furious, especially when she came looking for him in a bit when the sun had actually set, but the boy was certain that she could also sympathize with his reasoning as well! Didn’t she always tell them to never give up and work towards what they wanted, despite what others said?

So when he had come across a prey animal he hadn’t tried for yet, the pup was eager to give it a go. Perhaps too eager. The young okapi that he’d approached in the Grapevine Cathedral retaliated as he attacked it, and even now Alexander was pressing on with a bruised shoulder from a kick. He had been lucky, he realized, the kick was aimed better. A blow with the force it had could have done some damage to his muzzle… but it hadn’t and that was what mattered to him. Just a small cut where the hoof clipped hiss skin and the bruising. What really mattered though was the fact he’d managed to injure it. Thanks to these saber fangs he had, he had an asset to doing damage. A bit awkward for biting sometimes, and sometimes they caused him to slur his words, but overall Alex was glad he had them. It made his efforts in hunting more successful, he felt like. And as he worked to take on larger prey with others, he was positive they would only continue to be useful.

Plus it seemed he had a natural talent for hunting. With only a little bit of guidance, primarily regarding the direction of the wind and tracking, Alexander was able to pick up on the rest as if he’d been doing it his entire life. Well, he pretty much had been, but he was good at it for someone who wasn’t even a yearling yet! That meant the world to him, especially because he was the son of Ethne’s Leader. She was the most important wolf he could think of, not that he had met anyone else in a leadership position yet. But for now, his focus wasn’t on his mother, but the good of the pack. He was sure that as it got even colder prey would be harder to find… and finding a younger okapi out of season had been nothing but pure, dumb luck. Finding it and finishing the kill was the only thing that mattered!

Crossing across the territory of The Runestones Alexander realized the okapi would be out of its element. His ears perked forward, catching sight of the occasional hard press of a track in the grass. Not that he needed to worry about those when it was bleeding from his previous attack. Injured, but the wound might not be fatal unless it got infected or bleed enough - a bite to the neck. It had shaken him, lashed out, and he got hit, stunned just long enough for it to slip past him. Alexander knew hunting was a game of patience though, and sometimes, the best thing you could do was press after frightened and injured prey to continue to wear it down. It was just a matter if his energy or the energy of his quarry would last longer. He could see it though, attempting to rest by one of the strange stones here. His paws carried him across the moor toward it, tail raised slightly above spine level behind him. The wind was in his favor at the moment, and, so long as it stayed that way, he should be able to get close before it noticed him. Especially with the metallic scent of blood from its own injury wafting up in its face. His body quivered with anticipation and the youth bunched his legs up under him. One… two… three!


Alexander exploded across the moor, hoping to close the remainder of the distance between them. His paws were not as light as he was hoping though, and, with a snort, the okapi lifted its head suddenly and turned to face the pup rushing headlong at it. It would stand its ground.

Alexander caught his mistake just in time. He pivoted, narrowly avoiding a stomp with both the okapi’s front legs as it lashed out in retaliation. Crap! He tried to spin back towards it with a growl, hoping it wouldn’t escape yet again.

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Word Count: 824 Words

"Alexander"