In The Woods Somewhere : Silver Hollow

Fleas.

Chapter 1: Fleas.

While the morning haze steadily crept above the horizon, a small wolf pack had already started their morning routines, this pack had settled in the middle of the forest, using small assortments of large rocks and old withered tree hollows as dens.

Cobalt, a slightly scruffy looking young black wolf. Was one of the first to wake up this morning, he'd took a trip down to the nearby creek to refresh himself.

"Cobalt! You're up already? That's unusual." a female albino wolf named Bria trotted over to him.

"I thought I'd get up early, I have to get herbs for my fathers wound," He shuffled in place, licking the excess water that dripped from his snout.

"wound?" Bria looked intrigued, and slightly confused, Cobalt's father (the leader of the pack) hadn't been hunting for a while. How would he have gotten an injury?

"Yes, wound, he's been continuously scratting at his stomach. For what reason, I don't know. Maybe fleas?" He now started nervously checking himself for the little critters that could be crawling around in his fur.

Bria yawned, "Probably, I'll leave you to it. unless you want me to come?" She looked at cobalt, intently awaiting her answer.

"If you'd like to come, then yes, you can help me find Dock leaves." Cobalt gave her a small welcoming smile.

The two wandered into the open forest, scanning the floor quietly,

The forest was calm, the morning sun shining through the gaps in the trees, along with a small breeze, a perfectly pleasent walk for both of them.

Bria paused for a moment. smelling the air around them, her nose scrunched up slightly, a terrible stench filling her nostrils

"My god- do you smell that?" she backed away dramatically, burying her nose in the soil at her feet to drown out the smell.

Unfortunately, cobalt wasn't listening. His attention was on something else - his ears pushed forward, listening to the quiet rustling Infront of them.

After covering her nose with mud, Bria looked up, jumping slightly at a figure stumbling out of the forest shrubbery. It was a small buck, missing an antler.
it had noticed them, though it was clearly focused of something else.

".. How odd. It sees us, yet it's not fleeing." Cobalt spoke quietly, a curious tone in his voice.

"Look at it's mouth.." Bria licked her lips, finding the white throth dripping out of the deers mouth rather discusting.

The buck looked as if it were about to collapse, the way it stumbled toward a nearby tree, holding itself up by pressing his head against it.

Both wolves watched intently, bria was less interested in it then cobalt, "it looks as though it's been attacked, look at it's stomach-" He was cut off by a loud cracking noise. The buck had started battering it's head against the tree, noisily waling in pain as if it were being forced to do so.

The two looked on in disbelief, the animal was voluntarily killing itself. Cobalts ears flattened, disturbed at the sight.

The bucks antler eventually collapsed into his skull, it's body slumped against the tree. Twitching and spasming. Cobalt trotted over immediately to inspect it's dead body, avoiding it's head. He wasn't thrilled at the sight of it's spilled brains, unlike most wolves who would've dove right into the meat without a second thought. He kept his distance, sniffing at the body, scanning over it with his icy blue eyes.

"Eugh." Bria scoffed, "he has bloody fleas, look at him, he's infested!" she trotted on the spot, shaking her fur. She hated fleas. "those itchy beasts better think twice before wriggling onto my fur. I'd rather burn it off." She spoke as if the small insects could really hear her.