Ezar's heart was beating fast as he looked down into the ravine that lay before him. Did he really hear what he just heard? There it was again, the sound that drove him to the edge of the forest. A whipered yelp, hoarse but clearly audible now. The tall hunter kneeled down and squinted, gazing into the dark abyss where the sound came from. Even though he was at the edge of the forest, the trees filtered out most of the sunlight which made it hard to see what exactly was making the noise. It was definitely some kind of animal, Ezar thought to himself. And it sounded like it was in distress.

There it was again, softer this time. It was almost like whatever was making the sound, was getting weaker and weaker. Ezar stood up again and swallowed hard, yeah that sound was definitely coming from down the ravine. He ran his hand over his face. The descent was going to be tricky but Ezar didn't hesitate and started the descent. Surely and carefully he descended into the ravine and let out a relieved sigh when his boots safely hit the forest floor. Finally, he could spotted the source of the yelping. He was surprised to find a trembling Tokota pup between the trees. Big, emerald eyes stared at him from the dark. They were filled with terror and the tiny pup backed into the leaves that were surrounding her. "Easy now, shhh. It's okay!" Ezar held out his hand, trying to calm the pup and showing her he meant no harm. It looked like a dire pup. Ezar swallowed hard, if her mother was nearby it could become dangerous for him. He wouldn't survive an attack by an adult dire Tokota, not even when he carried his full hunting gear.

Slowly he inched closer to the pup. "I'm not going to hurt you, okay?" He tried reassuring her. The pup stopped whimpering as if she understood him. "Where's your mom, huh?" Ezar mumbled and carefully stuck out his hand, reaching for the pup. She let out a soft rumbling growl and showed her teeth. "Alright, easy now." Even a bite from a dire pup as small as she could still cost him a finger. Ezar remained still until the pup settled. If her mother was around, she surely would've heard her by now, right? It was definitely strange for a pup this age to be all alone. Finally, the pup allowed Ezar to pet her. "See, I'm not that bad right?" He smiled softly and he noticed her trembling settled a bit. "I'm going to pick you up now okay?" Ezar spoke softly and carefully picked the pup up. He smiled at her and carefully cradled her against his chest. "Alright, let's get you out of here, girl."

art © me 2019
characters © me