Dawn stirred with a whimper and a yawn, the sunlight through the hole in her tree disturbing her sleep. She didn't want to wake up yet , she was so very tired. She gave a grumpy growl and gradually got to her hooves. Taking a quick drink she realised her leg was hurting less now. She gave it a few experimental flexes and stretches and waited for the inevitable pain to come. To her amazement and delight she found beyond a little stiffness and a dull ache it didn't hurt her anymore.
She gave a happy little squeal as she realised what this meant, she could run again. The urge to dash outside and sprint around and play was strong within her. Only instinct told her not to, running out like that would get her eaten. Or at the very least tire her out making her easier to catch. So reluctantly she started her daily checks, stick, check. Nothing came to investigate her tapping? Check. Well all seemed to be clear, that was a good start.
Her stomach gurgled at her angrily, lately all she had been putting in it was grass, while grass was all very well and tasty her body needed more than it alone could provide her. Of course she didn't understand that at all, all she knew was she was getting hungrier every day and the grass wasn't working any more.
But what else was there to eat around here? She had tried eating some pretty red things a few days ago, she'd regretted that heavily later though as had been horribly horribly ill afterwards. So that was out but where else could she possibly find food way out here? With a cold feeling she realised there was something else living here, it had to eat, if she was going to survive she would have to watch and learn from the monsters.
The next few days were the scariest of her life, countless times she'd had to run for her life pursued by irate or hungry Timber Wolves, as over time she learned step by step where they could smell her and where they couldn't. Their ears were good too, too good really. More than once a snapped twig had told them of her presence at the most inconvenient of moments, at times like those she had to put every ounce of her will into nothing but running. Nothing else mattered, if you were hurt , you ran anyway. Speed was survival, and the little filly found she was rather fond of surviving, it was a good habit she would very much like to continue.
Her scarred legs and flank grew stronger and more muscled as time went on. Grass alone sustaining her for now, but that came at a cost, every muscle in her body ached, her bones creaked. But still she kept going, she watched them hunt from a safe distance, learning everything she could from them.
More than once she would have been willing to swear that one eye knew she was there. Yet for some reason he never alerted the rest of the pack. Maybe watching prey trying to learn amused him on some level. Day by day she observed for longer, now rail thin her tiredness starting to show, and one eye just tolerated her like a lone whelp. Days seemed to blur together now, days, weeks, even months passed her by. She couldn't keep living like this, her body was starting to fail her.
Then one day after a period of illness that had left her bound to her den for a few days she heard a noise outside. Once she was sure the coast was clear she poked her head from her sanctuary, right by the den entrance was a dead fish.
Carefully she nosed the dead creature half expecting it to suddenly spring back to life and bite her or something, but of course it didn't move . Strangely rather than finding herself absolutely horrified at the sight as she would have been a few short months ago Dawn found herself salivating. She didn't know she was suffering from severe malnutrition . She didn't know that her body desperately needed a source of salt and a few other minerals and fats if she was to survive out here. All she knew was that she was suddenly very, very hungry. So ignoring the ingrained feelings of disgust, and the rising feeling of bile in her stomach she lowered her head and did what she needed to. Truth be told she found it didn't taste half bad.
Meanwhile downwind of the fillies den one green eye watched carefully. Then with an amused sounding snort they slipped away into the trees.
From that day onward Dawn paid even more attention to the pack, even once outright approaching. That had proven to be a bad idea, Timber wolves did not particularly appreciate outsiders approaching the pack. Especially not toothless prey. They had pursued her quite a way to ensure that she got this message loud and clear. only her speed and knowledge of hiding places saved her from becoming a meal herself that day.
She took to not just keeping a single den, if one eye had found it so easily other predators could too, and a determined pack would if hungry enough work to dig her out now she was a little bigger.
But as time went on she learned how to approach from downwind, how to hide midstream, and countless other useful things. Her earth pony instincts helped too, she could feel a threat approaching from further away. As she watched she learned how they caught the fish. Her first few attempts at this were of course disastrous. Nearly resulting in her drowning herself more than once. Then one day she finally got it. Her heart swelling with pride at her success. Then she realised that this prey was not hers, she was hungry but she had debts to repay.
Later that day one eye's ears pricked up as they heard something shuffling round outside their den, When they peered outside their lair and were surprised to find a single , freshly caught fish just outside the doorway. Their jaws closed around it and they stepped back inside, the debt had been repaid.