Post by Sable on Jan 10, 2014 2:28:21 GMT -3
She'd been brought out on a hunt. Which was, she thought, ridiculous, because she couldn't really hunt anymore. She was old. She knew it. But Gabe had insisted, and in the end she'd given in. Dragged herself up, paced a bit to loosen that damn leg of hers, and followed the hunting party out of the camp into the woods, trailing along at the rear with a sigh at the foolishness of her presence. She just wanted to lie down, and rest, and continue to let the world go on by without her. She sighed, and then paused as the wolves did, peering around them to see a herd of deer in the distance.
Heads turned to blink at her, and she knew what they were thinking. She saved them the trouble of having to tell her to stay behind by easing into a thicket, out of sight. And they went on, slowly making their way toward and around the herd, carefully boxing in the herd. She watched from the cover of the brambles, watched the slow formation and then the hunt. It was over quickly enough, a doe heavy with young seized and dragged down. Then she was summoned, and she limped over as the first wolves began to feed. Fangs tore open the belly and one wolf snatched at the fawn inside, dragging it free and hauling it away from the rest.
The fawn stirred and bawled. And something with Sable snapped. As the wolf lowered her head to deal the young creature its death blow, she screamed and sprang, smashing into the female and forcing her away. Sable stood over the fawn, chest heaving, eyes suddenly bright with tears, and she couldn't help but remember her own pups as newborns, tiny, wet, helpless. The fawn might not be a wolf, but... Sable didn't finish the thought. She lowered her head to the fawn and licked it, peeling back the sac and roughly nudging and licking the tiny thing.
She could feel astonished stares burning into her, but she ignored them all. Standing by the creature, she continued licking, urging it to stand. And then promptly knocked it back over by licking it once more. The wolves slowly returned to their feast, filling their bellies, and then trailed off, carrying meat back to the pack. Sable waited for the fawn to grow steady, and then led him on, step by step... into a camp full of canines.
She didn't know exactly why she was doing this but she refused to think too hard on it. Irrational, yes, but she had done it and she would not stop now. She'd have to ask a favor of Libby, and she hoped the mother wouldn't refuse. She'd agreed to nurse a kit; how different was a now-orphan fawn? She nuzzled the gangly creature. "I name you... Taler."
And that was that.
Heads turned to blink at her, and she knew what they were thinking. She saved them the trouble of having to tell her to stay behind by easing into a thicket, out of sight. And they went on, slowly making their way toward and around the herd, carefully boxing in the herd. She watched from the cover of the brambles, watched the slow formation and then the hunt. It was over quickly enough, a doe heavy with young seized and dragged down. Then she was summoned, and she limped over as the first wolves began to feed. Fangs tore open the belly and one wolf snatched at the fawn inside, dragging it free and hauling it away from the rest.
The fawn stirred and bawled. And something with Sable snapped. As the wolf lowered her head to deal the young creature its death blow, she screamed and sprang, smashing into the female and forcing her away. Sable stood over the fawn, chest heaving, eyes suddenly bright with tears, and she couldn't help but remember her own pups as newborns, tiny, wet, helpless. The fawn might not be a wolf, but... Sable didn't finish the thought. She lowered her head to the fawn and licked it, peeling back the sac and roughly nudging and licking the tiny thing.
She could feel astonished stares burning into her, but she ignored them all. Standing by the creature, she continued licking, urging it to stand. And then promptly knocked it back over by licking it once more. The wolves slowly returned to their feast, filling their bellies, and then trailed off, carrying meat back to the pack. Sable waited for the fawn to grow steady, and then led him on, step by step... into a camp full of canines.
She didn't know exactly why she was doing this but she refused to think too hard on it. Irrational, yes, but she had done it and she would not stop now. She'd have to ask a favor of Libby, and she hoped the mother wouldn't refuse. She'd agreed to nurse a kit; how different was a now-orphan fawn? She nuzzled the gangly creature. "I name you... Taler."
And that was that.
