Ankh

With new pups, Ankh knew getting food would be a top priority for his mate. Sure, there was food around the Stores; but he wanted something special for Snowy Owl, and something healthy if the pups were to grow big and strong. Afterall, they were not only his future, but the future of the Diadem Pack.

Nose to the ground and ears and eyes alert, the small hybrid began to search about for any prey he could find.

*Heron*

A large, pale blue-gray bird lay on the ground a few yards from shore. He had long legs and an equally long, serpentine neck that ended in a sharp, needle-like beak. A blue heron. He was laying on his side, his feathers prodtruding at awkard angles from his body. One wing seemed to be pointed in an abnormal direction.

Spotting Ankh, the bird thrashed about, but didn't get anywhere. It seemed as though his wings were pinned against his body, as were one of his legs and his beak.

Ankh

Ankh, having lived around humans his entire life, paused to take a look around. If something strange was happening, always suspect humans first. But, as the small hybrid looked about, he failed to find any signs of humans. Recognizing the heron as an easy meal, Ankh trotted forward at a rapid pace, golden orbs fixed on the struggling bird.

He paused only a moment before the creature, then thrust his lean muzzle downward and tried to grab the bird by the head and end its life.

*Heron*

The heron struggled more, but couldn't get away from the prowling hunter. And, simple as that, Ankh clamped down on the bird's frail head and life was snuffed out like a flickering candle.

Now it is possible to see why the bird was so stricken. A length of fishingline had entangled the hapless creature. Ingestion of this line could be fatal, for it sometimes gets stuck along the digestive tract...

Ankh

Ankh looked over the bird once he had slain it. At a distance, he couldn't see the thin line that was wrapped about the body; but now, it was clear to him. He had learned long ago about how human things could be dangerous, so he took no risk here. He could see, after all, what it had done to the heron. He snapped at the line with determined patience until he had reduced it to fragments of tangled thread on the ground, laced with mangled, bloodied feathers. Picking up the bird, he trotted back to the Stores with it.