Quanaq's Reckoning

Chapter 1

Quanaq poked his head out of the hole, sniffing what Yarrow was bringing home from the hunt this late morning. Freshly killed groundhog, his favourite!

"Hey Rask," he called out to his nephew, "look what your father brought!"

"Groundhog! Alright!" Rask cheered.

They rushed out the burrow towards Yarrow, who was panting with every step. He plopped the groundhog on the ground and soon came down with it.

"Eat up, Rask," Yarrow snarled. "I've worked very hard hunting this groundhog."

"Yeah, good morning to you too, Yarrow." Quanaq rolled his eyes.

"While you've been snoozing in the ground all morning, I had to run around the forest trying to find even a meadow vole! Not stalking and hunting, trying to look for something, anything. It was sheer luck that I could find this old groundhog that was too weak to run away."

"Hey Rask!" Quanaq reminded Rask, Rask's muzzle covered in blood. "Save the heart for me! So, anyway, that really exhausted you?"

"Well, of course, you trout-head! Look at the forest beyond the trees! Every day there is fewer and fewer prey in there. I had to travel farther than ever to find anything! It's like some other predator got to them before we even got our fair share!"

"This season has been especially lean, yes."

"Too bad your head isn't lean." Yarrow quipped, receiving Quanaq's punch to the arm as a response.

"Oh really Yarrow?"

"Yeah! And frankly, you could've saved that punch for the prey. Way too many times, I could see the prey from afar, but by the time I got close enough, they ran away! I wasted half the morning chasing prey around! You know I'm not getting any younger here!"

"Well you know Yarrow, the best hunt always comes after a hard chase."

Yarrow rolled his eyes. "I disagree, and you saying it like that doesn't make it true. Besides, you're making me old too. Time for me to eat!" Yarrow dove towards the lower legs, chomping away. Quanaq slid by Rask, who was chin-deep in offal, entire face covered with body fluids. Even with the groundhog's insides savagely exposed, the upper chest was still relatively intact. Quanaq lightly scowled. Time to do this again.

For a pine marten who lived many seasons, he still couldn't get over the messy method of getting the heart. Having blood and fat mat his upper front and arms like a kit after a rainstorm isn't exactly what Quanaq prefers when getting his succulent organ. But as he just said - and what Yarrow should've known already - is that the best hunt comes after a hard chase. Time for the hard chase of ripping it open.

Quanaq took a few deep breaths. He can do this, just like all the other times. He opened his jaw like a rattlesnake and bit right in the centreline, and with his teeth getting a firm grip on the hide, he lifted and twisted his muzzle about, tearing the skin and hair off, getting oils and blood on his muzzle. Next was the fatty layer. Thankfully he could use his forepaws for this; he never was a big fan of eating pure fat.

"C'mon, Quanaq," Yarrow spat impatiently, muzzle red like a cardinal. "Just shove your muzzle into it. No need to be so clean."

"Just let me get my heart my way, okay?" Quanaq pulled the two sides apart, his fingers slipping every so often from the innard's grease. Soon he widened the hole and exposed the ribs, all the while feeling the somewhat warm and slimy innards. He tore off the ribs, getting some sets but mostly single bones, bringing the lungs to light. He slightly pushed those aside, bringing the heart into view, front and centre.

"Finally." Quanaq said quietly to himself. He ripped off the blood vessels from the heart and started munching away. "Top front is open, Yarrow. Enjoy."