Survival was key in the winter. There was the rare chance of prey, and if there just so happened to be any, you had to make no mistakes or that'd be one less meal for the Pack. You were a Hunter, so this burden was put on you whenever you'd go out to look for something.

Your Pack was a nice one to reside in. Your Alpha was strong-willed and determined, yet she was also very kind to you all. You grew up within this Pack, and you felt they taught you well. And one of them was your best friend: a fox named Lance. He was brought there as a cub when he was trying to hide from Loners, no family anywhere in sight. You've seen him in training; he practically had wolf blood running through his veins now.

You ran throughout the snowy field, the thick snow crunching beneath your paws. A jackrabbit with thick white fur was up ahead, and it seemed to be deaf, for the fact it wasn't moving at all while it's back was turned. You instantly pounced at it, pinning it down with one paw and managing to pin another with the other paw that was hiding.

"Get ready to meet your makers, puffballs." You murmured as the two rabbits squirmed beneath your paws with all the strength they could muster. You quickly grabbed the deaf one in your jaws, hearing a sickening crunch when you snapped it's spine. It went limp, and you dropped it next to you. "(Y/N), can I handle this one?" You turned to see none other than Lance, his orangish-white fur and black paws sticking out against the white snow.

You nodded, waiting for him to walk over before he snatched at the second rabbit. He managed to get his jaws wrapped around its throat, and you watched as he tore at it with his sharp canines. Something about the way he did it, though... it reminded you of a wolf tearing its prey apart. You shook your head, grabbing the other rabbit. "Come on, Alpha Cami wanted us to be back before sunset. Some Loners have been drawing near the territory lately."

You two set off, trotting at a steady pace in order to get back there at a decent time. The snow all around the forest mixed with the sunlight through the bare tree branches: it was a pretty sight. But, the sun was starting to gradually head more and more towards the edge of the sky, and you watched carefully; but, you two weren't even halfway there yet.

"Do you know where we're going?" Lance asked, his voice muffled. You stopped and turned to look at him, nodding. "Of course I do, ya ball of fluff!" You retorted, starting to walk again. You heard Lance sigh and start to follow again. Though, you stopped once more and signaled for Lance to do the same, and he crept up to your side to see what the problem was. You heard the same crunching snow from not too far away, and a scent wafted through the air; these definitely were Pack wolves, that was clear.

You watched as about four Loners stalked from the trees onto the path, glaring at you two. "(Y/N), what do we do?! We're outnumbered!" Lance growled quietly, his tone full of panic. You shook your head, turning to look at him. "Well, let's see if there's a way to get around this without giving up our prey or having to be mauled." He nodded, and you two walked up carefully to talk to them.

"You two! Pack wolf and... a fox?" One wolf walked up, his rust shaded fur all ragged. You nodded, and he just shook his head and continued. "Anyways, we noticed you two hunting... in our territory. We may not look the part, but together, and with a few new wolves, we are a proper Pack. This is our territory, and you invaded it." He explained, growling as his teeth were bared.

You tilted your head, setting the prey you had down on the ground and using a paw to cover it. "Well, we didn't see any sign of this area being used or claimed by any... Pack." You told him, your ears flattening sideways in confusion. He just growled at you, looking down at the prey for a few seconds. "Fine, then. Do this the hard way." He lunged at your paws, going for the rabbit. You snatched it up as fast as you could, backing up.

"Hey, hey! Take it easy!" Lance barked at him, his hackles raising and fur bristling up. The wolves looked at him, and a second with grey fur stepped towards him. You shouldered him, causing him to stumble away. The next thing you knew, the other two were running up and the Loners were attacking. "Lance, run!" You called, and you turned tail. He followed, and you two took a sharp right when there was a break in the trees.

You and Lance ran until you found an area where the trees were so close together, you wouldn't be able to crawl through. "Quick! Bury the prey under the snow! Looks like we'll have to fight." You warned, digging up some snow and dropping your rabbit into it. As you pawed the snow and covered it up, Lance started to do the same. As soon as he finished as well, the growls behind you two got closer.

You got into a defensive stance, and Lance crouched down, his tail curled. The wolves rushed up to you both, and you pounced at the one who seemed to be the Alpha; some Alpha, considering he was scrawny. Lance snarled and pounced at another, and you both started to attack. The other two went behind and started to dig up the prey. Lance barked at them aggressively, going after them. His bark... it was almost close to a Wolf's. You forgot that and went after the one next to him, sinking your fangs into their bony hides. They yelped, running off.

The one fighting with Lance didn't stand a chance, as after one bite to the back of the next they ran away. You two turned, growling at the remaining two. "Oh, no... they're too strong! Especially that stupid fox! Come on, let's just go!" Their 'Alpha' snarled, both him and the other wolf turning tail and running away. You and Lance stood there for a few seconds, regaining your energy, before you howled. You heard another wolf howl, and you turned to see Lance with his muzzle raised to the air, letting off a howl as well. You stopped, surprised.

"Did- did you just-?" You asked, and he nodded before you could finish. "Yeah! I felt the adrenaline rushing through me, all this strength... I almost felt like a real wolf!" He replied in disbelief. You two sat there for a minute, trying to comprehend what happened just now. But, instead of pondering all day, you two quickly dug up your prey and headed back home.