Biding Time {OPEN}

Nicky didn’t think very often of her old pack, even though they were family. She didn’t feel guilty for not making any effort or taking the time to remember them. She did not expect them to think of her. She was certain that she had never done anything worth remembering. Maybe there was a story of two to tell of her younger self getting into trouble, a ruthless rascal with something always up her sleeves. It had been another time in her life, it was her history, and she had no reason to remain and dwell on it. No desire to, either. It wasn’t that she had forgotten about them entirely. They crossed her mind now, as she left the outskirts of Eastmoor and headed into the wilderness. She hadn’t been out here in quite some time, but she recalled the lay of the land. She halfway expected to run into them sometime when she was out here.

The coyote kept an easy pace, nothing strenuous or tiring. All the same, she grew thirsty and headed for the nearest water source. She could already hear it in the distance as she made her way down the side of the valley. The sunshine felt lovely, breaking the crisp winter air into something much softer; spring. There were no fresh scent markings in the area and a herd of deer had passed through recently. Nicky presumed that they had also come for a refreshing drink. At the river, she stood on the smooth pebbles at the bank and dipped her head to lap up the cool liquid. Across the way there was another canine, a wolf from the looks of it. She had been aware of it once she had reached the valley floor, though the animal was very well camouflaged with her red-gray coat in the dry and yellow-brown grass that had yet to recover from winter. Nicky assumed that she had also been seen or smelt, as she had not been sneaky or stealthy in her approach. Her interest piqued, she picked her was across the shallow riverbed, using the wide, flat rocks as stepping stones when she could to remain as dry as possible. A basking otter slipped down from its spot upon a warm rock and disappeared into the stream, leaving only a damp otter-shaped impression on the surface of the stone. The water was frigid, its temperature low from the melting snow up in the mountaintops. Shaking off her paws on the other side, she paused to observe the other animal again. From this closer vantage point, she could see that the wolf had made a kill earlier in the day.

Once she was even closer, Nicky realized that the wolf was not as large as she had expected. In fact, she was very small. It was hard to guess with her lying prostrate in the weeds, but Nicky didn’t think that they were very far apart in stature. She was slightly bulkier than the wolf, but she could blame that on her easy meals in town and pure laziness. She ran her nose over the air, smelling what was left of the fawn’s carcass.

“Nice catch,” she commented and for once, there was a lack of sarcasm in her voice. It was impressive, even for a full sized wolf. Nicky knew the speed and precision that had to be involved in hunting a healthy young deer. She knew well enough, enough to know that she hadn’t eaten deer in months. She didn’t try anymore. Lack of motivation did wonders for reducing the size of your prey. The coyote had never been a picky eater.

She remained on all four feet, not afraid, simply watchful, wide ears tipped forward. Coyotes were not always welcomed with open arms by wolves. Quite the opposite, in fact. They were often considered to be varmints, no good even for eating. Pests that needed to be exterminated. Nicky would wait and see how she was received before sitting at ease. She wasn’t about to confirm the preconceived stereotypes of her kind by stealing a bite of the wolf’s meal, tempted as she was to be cheeky and stir things up before they even began. As it was, she was already licking her lips.