Alduin did not like being indebted to anyone. The feeling was terrible, and it filled his days with worry. Granted, he was certain Naniko was fine with whenever he repaid her and his newfound family in Anathema; but, the thought of owing them anything bothered him greatly. It wasn’t the fact that he was in debt that made him feel this way. No, it was knowing that he was given something from Anathema that he had not worked for—or helped hunt down, for that matter. But now that his strength had returned, he was making it a point to repay them ten-fold. He needed to give back to them, and he needed to make sure they would have enough. The thought drove him mad, and when he couldn’t sleep peacefully anymore he made a mad dash for the exit of Anathema’s caves, leaving many wolves questioning why he was in such a hurry. He hadn’t cared, though. Perhaps they would understand when he returned.
And so he ran. All four feet pounded mercilessly into the ground as they carried his unshifted form through ‘Souls. As much as he wanted to enjoy the scenery, the need to provide was overwhelming, so he kept his eyes trained forward and his nose titled into the winds. He had done his research while he was recovering, and assuming that the information he’d gathered from other pack members was correct, the reserve in the Western Tangles was abundant in elk. He wasn’t quite sure how he would manage to take down such a beast by himself; but Alduin was clever, and he would make his hunt successful. He took what information he had about the area and allowed his mind to twist and turn and craft ideas that would lead to his success. Not a moment of his flight was wasted on anything else. He would not fail.
As he reached his destination, the tantalizing scent of elk flooded his nose. His ears pricked forward and his tail began to flow in line with his back as his run slowed to a stalking pace. The area was fairly difficult to hide in, but it appeared to provide enough vegetation of medium height for Alduin to walk carefully and not alert his potential prey. As he crested a hill, he sighed in relief. His eyes were met with thick fog, a portion of land fenced off by barbed wire, and a few hearty, unknowing elk happily grazing. A grin crept onto his lips as he sat himself down at the top of the hill. For a while, he simply watched the elk, contemplating what form best suited a solo hunt. But which one to single out? There was the large elder elk, his proud horns held high for all to see. There were two females that stuck close by him, and three calves that trailed behind, nibbling at the grass and happily oblivious to their impending doom.
A hawk had swooped down on a mouse nearby, snapping a twig as its claws hit the ground instead of the poor rodent. Alduin was just as unfortunate. The damned bird had caused the elk to stampede away from the area, and he now his window of opportunity was shrinking far quicker than he had wanted. So he was off, feet digging into the ground as his body launched toward his fleeting prey. His heart raced and his eyes struggled to see what was before him, but he made every effort to keep up. By now, the male was out of the question, but he still had a shot at the females and calves. As he neared the backs of the baby elk, he barred his teeth, growling in anticipation. But, as luck would have it, the small herd darted left suddenly, revealing pieces of the barbed wire they had narrowly avoided. Alduin gasped as he gritted his teeth and dug his feet into the ground. Turning so harshly tore at his already worn feet, but it was better than having his body hurled into rusted wires.
Luck was with him that day, and he managed to evade a painful end to his hunt. The chase continued, but all that remained within sight was an injured cow. It was good enough for him. His eyes darted around him, checking quickly for possible wires. All that lay ahead was a path that was straight and narrow. Not everything was as it seemed, though, and Alduin gave one final glance around, just in case. Having found no flaw in his plan, he increased his speed despite the pounding of his heart and launched his body, fangs first.
The struggle was pointless. The cow knew that, but instinct demanded that she fight for her life. Her hooves flailed in every direction as the tundra wolf tripped her up by latching on to her tail. She fell hard, sliding a few feet before stopping and struggling to get back up. She had children, and she did not trust the other cow to raise them correctly. She feared for her life, but was more concerned for theirs. So she fought, and considered herself a worthy opponent for the wolf. While he had claws and fangs, she had desperation and hard-as-diamond hooves to smash in his face. But it seemed he was too strong for her, and his teeth found their way into her throat. That damned fence had cut too deeply into her back leg, and she was to pay for her failure. She cursed the gods for every terrible thing that had befallen her in her life, but cursed more that wretch that ran with her children. And then, everything went still. She said her goodbyes, and the world around her began to fade.
Alduin almost regretted taking the cow’s life. She was a mother to some of those calves, and he couldn’t help but wonder if they felt the same pains as he did when he’d lost his own parents. But just as the mother bear had fought and killed for her starving cub, he would do the same for his family in Anathema. He would, however, pay his respects—she deserved that much, at least. So as he freed the fallen cow from his blood-soaked teeth, Alduin bowed his head and closed his eyes, murmuring a few words of praise for the female. It wasn’t much, but he thought it to be enough. With that, he nodded to himself and stepped away from his fallen prey to shift. After all, he couldn’t very well carry such a large creature without hands.
Some time later, Alduin stood as Luperci, proud of his kill. He thanked the elk for her sacrifice once more as he lifted her body into his arms. He stared ahead at the path laid out before him. It would be a long journey home, but it would be worth it. His debt would be repaid, and he would have peace of mind knowing his pack would be well fed for at least one night because of him. And so he started home, one proud step at a time.
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