Series: "Coyotes of the Prairie" Scene 6 of 7 "Hunger and Resolve"**

Snow crunched beneath his paws as the coyote moved with purpose, muscles taut beneath his thick winter coat. The storm had passed, leaving behind a silent world wrapped in white and shadow. The tracks he followed, sharp and solitary, marked a determined path across the drifts—each step a promise to yield food.

His amber eyes scanned the endless horizon, reading the wind, the land, the language of survival etched in movement and scent. Far off, the butte stood like an ancient sentinel, unmoved by time or storm.

There was no panic in his pace—only focus. Winter had teeth, but so did he. This was the season of hunger, of miles walked for the chance of a meal. And still, he pressed forward—driven by instinct, sharpened by solitude, sustained by the unbreakable will to endure.