let the ashes fall [open]

deep angry growl grabbed Desoto’s attention so quickly his brain almost got whip lash, his mind had trailed off while he wandered without purpose through the forested landscape. The growl it would seem wasn’t as dangerous as he had first thought; it was his gut, reminding him he had had a full meal in a while. A second more painful gut growl ripped through his bulking body, ok it was a long while. Three days ago maybe, it had been a dead rabbit; eating already dead animals wasn’t his go to choice, but when you’re starving you gotta do, whatcha gotta do.

Desoto had been spent the past week or so following the scent of freshwater, or so he hoped. Occasionally the sound of running water was audible, so the hope of fish was high on his list. However; the quest to find it proved more difficult than he’d initially thought. The forested area he found himself in was growing increasingly more dense with underbrush and trees, the rocks even grew later and more difficult to scale. As his pathing became more difficult to traverse the distant sound of running water grew more faint, but the smell of water increased. Before long the dense foliage began to thin out, the terrain below his paws grew damp and swampy, sunlight peer through the tree branches before him. Grizzly Lake. Obviously the name was unknown to Desoto; but he had no interest in what it was called.

Breaking from a standstill to a full stretched run, Desoto barreled toward the shoreline, his stocky body almost resembled a galloping grizzly as he ascended on the water. The cool water was a friendly greeting to his travel weary feet, splashing it across his deep chest wetting his thick matted fur, plunging his face to the water to lap at the water deeply. Chug, chug, chug! Drink like a frat boy! Drinking far too much water before stopping; he’d probably regret that later, but for now he regretted nothing.

Now taking this time to fully register where he was. Intelligent dark eyes take in his surroundings, from the beautiful blue lake he stood in to the island that populated the center. The wooden bridges striking his interest briefly, “Hmmm, what do we have here?” he uttered deeply to himself. Striding to the shoreline, his coat heavy with water, bracing his legs he shook spraying the excess from his body. The water in his gut shifted heavy as he moved in a horribly unpleasant way.

Stepping onto the wooden bridge structures that lead to the isle, Desoto lowed his head to sniff it in an inquisitive way. It was definitely wood, but certainly never in a way he had seen before. The structure creaked and shifted in an unsettling way, decades without maintenance had certainly taken it’s toll on the structure. Missing or broken boards a plenty, a support post appeared to be broken on one bridge cause it to sag into the water. Curious to know what treasures this island held, Desoto carefully made his way across the bridge; ensuring he stayed away from any soft spots in the wood.

Nearing the island, the cry of a distressed animal met Desoto’s ears, causing him to pause. Ears straining to detect the source of the cry. There! Contained in a neighboring bridge was a young fawn, it would appear to have its leg caught in a broken board on the bridge. A quick assessment didn’t detect any other deer, they must have moved on; no predators yet or so it would appear, but probably not for long. No stealth required. Barrelling strides carry Desoto toward the fawn, his heft body colliding into the fawn. It continued to cry out until it’s air was cut off by a strong set of jaws. Desoto held on until the fawn fell limp in his mouth, normally he would have pulled the fawn into the woods to enjoy his meal, but he wouldn’t pull the fawn free either, so the bridge would have to do. He’d have to eat quickly, he would likely have other predators or other unwanted visitors join soon.

open / 693 words