He kept his distance, curious but wary, and well aware of their difference in size and strength. Camouflage was his best defense, and the wolf's preoccupation with her prey... whatever that prey was. Something far too big for a fox to consider hunting, which made it all the more curious. So many creatures inside the confines of the barrier were stunted, lessened by the bubble's limits and shortages. Jigano couldn't help but want to know what had made the tracks the wolf followed, what it looked like, how it survived. Was it another seasonal oddity, like the gourds and luxere?
Or was it--
There was no sound, not at first. Only movement, white in the darkness as snow flew upwards, and then--
Teeth
The fox froze, crouching still and not even daring to breathe as the wolf was not so much devoured as swallowed whole, all her strength and fierceness come to naught against the great beast that parted the earth like water, burying itself once more beneath the snow and dirt and stones.
The fox waited seconds and then minutes, and then he ran, low and sleek and in utter panic. Across the snow, paws barely touching, away from the fields and into the forest, dodging trees and bushes and luxere he ran, seeking, in his heart, the only safety and comfort he knew in Caido, the fox's only friend.
For the night was long and cold and dark. And they were not alone in it.
Or was it--
There was no sound, not at first. Only movement, white in the darkness as snow flew upwards, and then--
Teeth
The fox froze, crouching still and not even daring to breathe as the wolf was not so much devoured as swallowed whole, all her strength and fierceness come to naught against the great beast that parted the earth like water, burying itself once more beneath the snow and dirt and stones.
The fox waited seconds and then minutes, and then he ran, low and sleek and in utter panic. Across the snow, paws barely touching, away from the fields and into the forest, dodging trees and bushes and luxere he ran, seeking, in his heart, the only safety and comfort he knew in Caido, the fox's only friend.
For the night was long and cold and dark. And they were not alone in it.
