quite eradicated
baaaaaaaaaaaw Word Count » +3
Speed belonged to coyotes; to his mother, and his grandmother. Gabriel had given his son size, and weight, and Ezekiel was a compact thing. He was tall for a coyote, but not as large as a wolf despite his heavily muscled body. While he could run fast, he was a long-distance runner. In short spurts, someone larger could overtake him. At nearly twice his weight and a foot taller, Barry had that advantage now.
Yet instinct was powerful, and even if he could not keep up the chase, he would chase. This was the way of wild things, of canines, and of the domestic blood that filtered through wild veins. While this was a game, in some corner of his mind, he recognized that this play was a lesson. Grimly, his lips pulled away from yellowing teeth and a pink tongue that lolled out of his mouth. Barrett’s trail was easy for the experienced tracker to follow. He stunk like a male, a musky, awful scent that would have turned Zeke into a savage if they were on his territory.
The coyote hardly slowed at the stream, his father’s wide paws spread wide to carry him across the stones. His feet were used to rocky terrain and hardened so that the river-smoothed rocks were barely felt. He slowed only as Barrett’s scent shifted, and took a moment to sniff at either bank. At the eastern bank, Ezekiel spotted a single smudge of a pawprint and the wet, wolfish scent of another male. Ears high, he paused to lap up water.
The tactic changed. Ezekiel had no desire to hunt the distant cousin, but he feigned ignorance and began trotting through the woodland. Though he could not see the wolf, he could smell him. Every muscle was tense despite his languid pace and appearance.
@import url(http://bloodandfire.sleepyglow.net/publ ... s/zeke.css);
</style>
[/html]