Characters: Gaara
A/N
: I checked, and even though jackals usually group in mating pairs, they will occasionally form small packs.
Disclaimer
: I don't own Naruto.


They move with the wild grace only an animal who has never known the cruel touch of man can achieve. Sharp howls reach the chilly night air, one jackal signaling to another that there is a witness and that he is dangerous.

To say that these are the only animals Gaara could ever admire would be something of a falsehood. He notes the economy of the snake, the pragmatism of the scorpion, the artistry of the tarantula. The jackal, however, is the only one of these that could be called majestic.

Gaara feels almost at peace when he watches them run.

The pace of one of the jackals starts to flag—it is limping and whimpering audibly, it shadow quivering on the sand. The other jackals do not wait for it. There is no place for weakness in the desert.

An arm of sand reaches forth and crushes the jackal in its grip.

Gaara drinks blood and eats flesh. He moves on bathed and sated.