For Ayita! I just put private, but if you want others welcome, I can change the subject to that too. Doesn't matter to me. ^^
It was close, her big ol' sniffer never let her down. Malachi carried her muzzle high into the air, her nose wriggling as it scented out the distinguishing smell of running water. Her big paws carried themselves rather quickly, and she seemed to stop for nothing. The course of her beeline cut through several dense trees in the forest, and loose, overhanging bushes clung to her fur as she passed. She may have even gathered a scrape or two, but nothing would deter the creature from an early dinner.
Winter was approaching faster than she expected, and it was always the time when Malachi felt driven to eat more than her fill, and then sleep until the fresh sun of spring hit her eyelids. No one in her tribe could tell her otherwise, and no one answered Mala's question of hibernation. Oh, she tried to push it, sure, but instinct drove the creature to what she had to do, instead of staying awake to help out her family during the harsh winter. One spring, Mala even woke from her slumber to see newborn pups and their mother sticking close by, enjoying the warmth that came from her poofy fur and stored fat.
That thought alone temporarily stopped the beast's flight into a steady gait. How she loved looking after pups, watching their rambunctious behavior and imitating their elders. She especially loved when she pretended to be asleep when pup-sitting, and the occasional runt would try and sneak off for an adventure of their own. Mala's big paw would suddenly be in their way, pulling them back towards her, and Malachi laughed when the pup had such a wide-eyed look on their face of "How did you know?!". Presently, Malachi shook her head and grinned a toothy grin, a smile she always exaggerated in front of the young-ins. They'd be so surprised at how large her teeth were! Mala even heard a few exclaim that they wanted big teeth like that some day, too.
It didn't occur to Malachi how much noise she was making in her waddling towards a food source until she slowed her pace. The woods around her were eerily quiet. Even in the full afternoon, the dense trees could make this area seem like nighttime. The creature knew she had to hurry if she was ever hoping to get some food before the last traces of sun went to sleep. She listened as her paws thundered along the earth, which seemed to get more damp as she went along, the click-clack of her beaded necklace, and the huff-puff of her breath that could already taste that delicious fish. Malachi tried to be quiet.. she didn't want any predators to come along her way, after all. Especially a... and she even shuddered at the thought... a grizzly bear.
Her ears perked as she heard the sound of a rolling stream. "Finally,", she gasped, itching to get out into the open where no one or nothing could ambush her. The dense path opened up somewhat into a wide stream, which cut its way through the trees and winded onwards. Mala looked about at the expanse and shivered, though no wind was blowing, and scanned for a smaller section. The big creature ambled to her left, to where the stream narrowed a bit and had some rocks to jump on.
"Now that's what I call a perfect setting," Mala mumbled to no one in particular. She neared the waters edge and paused, looking down into her reflection. She could feel every ounce of her shake slightly in fear, but the rising hunger in her belly gave her no choice. Sighing, she put a big paw into the water and made a quick jump onto the first rock, which was only feet from the bank. The rock seemed a bit smaller, but she grabbed onto it with all fours with all her might, as her eyes cleverly scanned the running water for signs of fish. No matter how hungry she was, she learned to be patient, or else a meal would have to be found someplace else. Malachi was lucky that fish traveled this way, and in the last traces of sun she could see the shine of their scales glint up from the water. Suddenly, her creamy muzzle dived down into the stream, her necklace rolling just behind her ears due to gravity, but she came up empty. The creature shook her head, cursing slightly to herself, now having to wait for another scrumptious opportunity.
