Nature's Call
The sun shone brightly in the empty blue sky, not a cloud in sight. A calming wind blew through the air, just enough to add life to the scenery but not enough to disturb the peaceful woods below. A single, small bird flew by, stick lodged between its beak, and landed on the branch of a nearby tree. A grouping of similar sticks sat here, and the bird fondly dropped the new stick on top of the pile. It began to fashion a neat little nest, molding an indent into the middle and perching the whole structure onto the perfect spot of the tree branch. The bird hopped back and forth along the branch, working diligently and ruffling the many feathers on its back. After hours of hard work, it was done. Before the bird sat the most beautiful nest, perfectly symmetrical and right out in the open with a clear view of the beautiful sky.
The bird flew to the ground and found a particularly muddy spot by the edge of a pond. It landed at the edge and waited, searching for food. One, two . . . there! The bird jutted its beak forward and unearthed the head of a large, slimy worm. It pulled at its prize and more of the worm came, until it was finally done and the bird relaxed its head. The worm wobbled around, dim, unknowing, and very appetizing. With some effort the bird carried it up to its nest and settled down in the center, the worm hanging from its claw, twisting and acting worm-like. The bird shifted, getting nice and comfortable, before looking at its meal, ready to reward itself after all of its hard work. It opened its beak wide, about to swallow down the worm, when a hawk flew by and snatched up the bird in its talons. The bird chirped, but the hawk was already flying it towards its own nest, anticipating its own meal. The small bird dropped the worm and it fell through the air, gaining speed and momentum as it flew past the treetops and through the branches, straight onto a grey wolf's head. The wolf didn't notice, and the worm sat there until the wolf lowered its nose to sniff at something. The worm rolled off onto the ground and then buried itself into the earth.
Kenpatchi lifted his head and looked around, trying hard to maintain the scent he'd found. He sniffed the spot once more and took off in a particular direction, sure he was on the right track. Yes, the smell was growing strong and the scent was in the air, and it drew him closer until the squirrel he'd been tracking came into sight. Kenpatchi tensed, not daring to make a move or even to take a breath. He'd been tracking this same squirrel for hours, and finally it was right there. There had been trouble with Kenpatchi's hunts lately, and so he was very hungry, and very thin. For some reason, prey in the area was scarce, and the ones he did find escaped time after time. It had been this way for weeks and Kenpatchi needed to eat, soon. He focused on the squirrel in front of him. It was small, and wouldn't hold him over for very long, but at least it was food and he wouldn't starve. It waved its bushy tail in the air as it busied itself over an acorn, and Kenpatchi's mouth watered. He watched the squirrel, diligent and alert. Any time now, but he had to wait until the moment was right. . . . The squirrel lowered itself to the ground and set down its acorn. Right about . . .
A loud growl reverberated through the air and Kenpatchi's ears shot up with alarm. It only took him a moment to realize that it was his own belly complaining about the wait: What was taking so long? The squirrel heard the noise too and raised itself up on its hindpaws, ears and nose twitching. Kenpatchi bounded into the clearing, no time to waste, and jumped through the air, muscles rippling. He caught the squirrel in his forepaws and pinned it down, but he didn't have a good enough grip and the squirrel jumped out and darted up a nearby tree. Kenpatchi raised his eyes just in time to see the squirrel turn its head back to him and stick out its tongue before climbing higher up. Just like that, another meal was gone.
Kenpatchi swore to himself. That one had been so close! It turned out that in this instance, he was his own worst enemy. He eyed some fruit in a nearby bush and then shook his head with repulsion. No way was he going to degrade himself into acting like some herbivore. He had to keep up his hunt, and so he trotted off into the bushes and continued his search. He was met with the same results as before. There just wasn't enough prey around to keep a predator fed, and the ones that there were seemed to be too clever to fall for his wolfy shenanigans. Kenpatchi's stomach growled again and reminded him just how hungry he was, and it continued to act up, making him a beacon for any nearby prey he did happen to find. Kenpatchi was getting desperate. He was about to give up when he heard a voice nearby. He hid himself behind a tree.
"Was it this way? Or was it . . . this way? I wish I knew these woods better. What a place for me to end up . . ."
A large, black wolf was making its way unskillfully through the leaves and branches in its path. It looked extremely out of place with its bulk, and boy, was it huge! The thing must have been over 600 pounds, and Kenpatchi couldn't even fathom how such a creature could manage to get itself around from place to place, and walking on two legs, no less. This other wolf seemed lost and Kenpatchi approached him.
The wolf was looking this way and that with a very confused expression on his face until his gaze fell upon Kenpatchi's. His eyes lit up. "Boy, am I glad to see another wolf! I've been lost for a long time and I have no idea how to get back. Can you help me?"
Kenpatchi took a step forward and watched the huge creature, his eyes gleaming. His fur stood on end, not out of fear but out of anticipation, and his stomach growled once more, reminding him of what he was here for. He took another step forward, and this time it didn't look like his prey was going to go anywhere.
"I'm Dation," continued the other wolf cheerfully, oblivious to Kenpatchi's hungry stare. "See, I was at this beach, and there was this raccoon. I think he said his name was, I dunno, Ma- Hey, what are you doing? . . . What - Get off me! Argh!!"
Kenpatchi had just jumped at the wolf named Dation and knocked him and his heavy bulk to the ground. Dation fell over with a yelp, carried by his own weight, and hit the ground hard. Kenpatchi pinned him down with his forepaws, and Dation batted at the wolf on top of him. Kenpatchi laughed out loud.
"Listen, bud," he said smoothly, licking his chops once, twice, three times. "I'm going to be straight with you. I have been searching for days and days and I haven't been able to find anything to eat. I'm desperate here, and sometimes a wolf's gotta do what a wolf's gotta do." He took a nice, long lick at one of Dation's paws and shuddered with delight. Finally, something that wasn't going to fight back. Much.
Dation clawed at the ground in a desperate attempt to get away. "No!" he yelled. With the grey wolf on top of him, holding him down, and his own weight anchoring him, he wasn't going to get anywhere. "Not again!" he cried.
Kenpatchi didn't know what he was talking about, but he didn't care much, either. He was too hungry, and he took one look at the massive sack of meat below him before deciding that he'd had enough waiting to last him a lifetime. He slurped along the wolf's face and gave him a slightly apologetic look before shuddering and enveloping his snout with his warm tongue and salivating maw. The wolf struggled about, unable to do anything to stop himself from being consumed by the much smaller wolf. Kenpatchi closed his eyes with bliss and took his first gulp, drawing the still-complaining wolf into his throat. He gave a large sigh of content and continued.
Kenpatchi had eaten large meals before, and so he knew how to do the job. The wolf was pudgy and fat, but that didn't stop Kenpatchi from swallowing his head, neck, and even his shoulders. He salivated over the wolf's sagging chest and slid that down too, but it was the belly that posed the real problem. That thing was huge. As Kenpatchi stared at it he found that he couldn't see past it, even if he twisted his head to the side. This was going to be hard, but Kenpatchi was determined. He took a deep breath and went in.
He opened his jaws as wide as they would allow, and then he heard a crack. He shuddered, but with his jaws unhinged he would be able to accomplish the task more easily. The other wolf was still moving around, still trying to escape. Under normal circumstances this would have been a far more enjoyable experience, but with the monumentally huge task before him it just annoyed Kenpatchi. He bit into the wolf's huge belly and that, thankfully, made him still. He wrapped his lips around whatever furry flesh he could and started to edge himself forward, inch by inch. It took several long minutes, if not hours, to finish the job, and by then Kenpatchi felt more like a snake than a wolf, and he was tired beyond belief. His jaws were stretched so much that he felt like they were going to rip apart, and his throat ached something awful. He almost didn't notice that he wasn't hungry anymore, but the previous feeling of discomfort was so great that he couldn't help but to be appreciative. He tiredly scarfed down the legs, which were now kicking again, although he didn't really care as they were relatively easy to manage after the huge belly. Then he couldn't get any further. Dation's footpaws rested at the opening to his maw, wriggling about fearfully, and he couldn't bear to swallow them. His own stomach was painfully distended, and he laid on his back with a paw rested on top of it to quell the activity inside.
Kenpatchi amused himself with licking at the paws every now and then, watching them struggle with renewed energy every time he gave them a slurp. The tip of Dation's tail would spasm violently, and his toes would flex and dance as though each going over gave them a life of their own. Kenpatchi's eyes felt as though they had lead weights hanging from them and he gratefully closed them shut. He was so tired, but he glowed with pleasure and pride after the job he'd accomplished. He drifted off to sleep, lulled by his prey's continuous movement. Finally, right before he fell into a deep slumber, he reflexively swallowed down the wolf's paws and tail. He smiled as his belly closed on its meal and Dation reacted with more squirming from inside.
Under the two wolves, the grass continued to grow at its slow, patient speed. Overhead the sun continued to shine, although at this point it was getting ready to fall asleep itself for the night. In a tree nearby a family of birds settled into their generations-old nest, hidden away safely inside a tree where predators couldn't reach them, and far away a hawk perched with her babies, twittering happily, well-fed and content. Deep underground there were ants and insects, bugs and slimy things, although there was one less worm, now food for another creature, who was kept alive and well thanks to its meal. At some point, all beings become food for another, and when that will happen is only a matter of time. As with the wolf, now kept well-fed by his brother wolf, who in turn has been sustained by another. It is up to the individual to decide how he will respond to his belly's call, for that is the way of nature, and that is how nature responds.