Winter Turned Spring

Using a pine branch, he brushed the powder off his stockpile and gave a satisfied nod. The pile had become a makeshift compost pile, and radiated heat on the inside from the decomposing leaves. Perfect for warming up an enclosed area. He dipped into the entrance of the den and grabbed a satchel, and started to fill the bag with dry leaves from deeper inside the pile. The warmth steamed against his side, and he made a few trips to and from the inside of the den. Each time he walked inside, Aquilo had changed positions. On his back, on his side, curled into a donut…Aquilo shook his head and finished his task, lining the edges of the den with warm bedding.

He left again, snaking his way out of the narrow entrance and back towards the river, the satchel still on his side. He followed the river for around thirty minutes downstream, until he found the pond that paused the flow of the water before continuing down the mountain. The pond was mostly frozen over, but nothing that he couldn’t fix. He found a spot where the ice was the weakest, and used his claws to start carving a hole large enough for him to fit through. Thankfully he had a thick coat, because the water was unsurprisingly chilly. Without smashing the ice in this time, the large strix grasped the ice with his front claws and pushed it under and to the side, clearing an entrance for him. He tossed the satchel to the side, took a deep breath, and plunged in. The experienced fisher started to paddle towards the bottom of the pond, where the water was warmer and where he knew the fish were hiding. The temperature made them slow, and with his dark pelt, he was able to catch them off guard. He targeted a large catfish that was halfway under a piece of wood. He snuck up as close as he could, and dug his claws into his prey, dragging it out into the open water.

The fish, caught unawares, was still for a moment before beginning to thrash, attempting desperately to escape. However, Pharaoh had his claws deep into the fish’s side and a quick snap of his beak through the skull rendered the prey lifeless. With his lungs starting to strain and the cold seeping through his pelt, Pharaoh paddled back to the surface and used his neck to throw the fish onto the ice so that he could pull himself out. The ice cracked under his weight, and he had to try a few times before he was able to claw his way back onto solid land. Wrapping the fish in a soft leaf he had saved just for the occasion, he slipped the large fish into the bag, shook himself off, and started the journey back towards the den.

The smell of blood and food was finally enough to wake the other valleystrix, who stretched, yawned, and gave a sleepy smile at Pharaoh’s return. Pharaoh allowed Aquilo to tap his beak as an affectionate greeting, and started to prepare the fish. There wasn’t much to do, but he started to tear pieces off and lay them on a piece of bark making sure that the meal was split evenly between them. Pharaoh was never much of a talker, but he didn’t need to be while Aquilo was awake. The colorful male asked about how Pharaoh had slept, how he had caught the fish, where he had gone, why he smelled like pine, what the snow was like, and a million other things that Pharaoh had never even thought about. He carefully kept his grumpy exterior, not wanting to show any weakness to the semi-stranger that had just decided to live in his den, but Aquilo almost reminded him of what it must be like to be a chick. To see the world through a magical lens. As they ate and he listened to Aquilo talk, Pharaoh allowed himself just a moment to relax and he realized, that maybe he didn’t mind it so much.

Word count: 684