Rattlesnake

"One way or another, we all feed the vultures."
~ A common saying amongst wolves

"Come on, chicks, looks like we have another one!"
On her call, her whole flock rose to the skies, ready to follow her. They kept circling above her, knowing very well she had to arrive at the pack first or they wouldn't let them near the corpse.
Rattlesnake took her time walking towards the column of smoking rising above a canyon a few miles south. The encounters with the packs, even though they were her livelihood, were never pleasant. The wolves despised the "Wing Masters" because they lived like scavengers, the coyotes despised them because they were wolves.
Without their work, diseases would spread without stop until they consumed the whole pack, but nobody saw it that way. They rather chose to believe that the Wing Masters were the ones spreading calamity, and kept away from them as good as possible. Some wolves even went so far as to outright accuse them of being the source of the very diseases that killed their loved ones, and hunted them down. No Wing Master stood a chance against an angry pack, as they used to travel alone with their flock from the moment they left behind apprenticeship and were announced a master.
They all regretted it in the end, because the next time they lit the signal fire, no Wing Master would show up. They'd all wait at the outskirts of the territory, until the diseases had done their work and consumed the pack.
Coyotes, for some reason, were more intelligent. Rattlesnake had never heard of a Wing Master getting hurt by a pack of coyotes.
When she reached the canyon, she was relieved to see that this time, it were coyotes calling. Most were hiding in their dens, the elders were waiting outside to show her to the quarantine den.
"How many?", she asked them.
"Two.", answered the oldest of them obviously nervous. Whatever they had, it probably took them fast and now the other were anxious to get them away from the den before it spread.
"What's the payment?"
The old coyote handed her a little bag filled with silver cones. It was a good amount, more than Rattlesnake was used to. It was probably from the bequest of the dead.
She entered the quarantine den and took a quick look at the corpses. Better to make sure they were actually dead before she took them. Sometimes, they were still suffering when she arrived and she needed to put them out of their misery. But not this time.
She threw them both over her back and carried them outside. The coyotes kept a safety distance, but they sent a young one over to her.
"She'll show you where you can bring them. When can we pick up the bones?"
"You should wait for a couple of days, maybe a week. I'll secure them in the common manner."
The little guide had her tail between her legs. Her fur looked rugged and her ribs were showing. Someone they thought expandable, no doubt.
Rattlesnake followed the pup away from the den, through some narrow passageways until the canyon widened again.
"We're here.", the pup said ducking out of the way as if she expected the wolf to snap at her.
"Thanks." Rattlesnake put the dead coyotes down and stepped away from them. The vultures, who had just waited for this, came down immediately and started to break open the bodies.
She thought the pup would leave now, but she kept sitting there, watching, ,with a nearly fascinated look on her face.
"I've never seen vultures like these.", she finally said.
"That's because they're not from here. We Wing Masters travel, and our vultures follow us. I was in the mountains when I completed my apprenticeship and became a master, and it's a tradition to start your flock wherever you start out. So mine are Bearded Vultures, but the next Wing Master you see will likely have others."
The pup wagged her tail, excited about her new knowledge. "And is it true that you're immune to diseases?"
"That's true. From the moment we undergo our first ritual to become an apprentice, we are immune to all illness. The gods made us this way so we could protect the packs from plagues."
"That's so cool!" She thought, for a moment. "And why can only wolves become wing masters?"
"Who says only wolves can?"
Now the little one looked nearly ashamed. "I just thought... I've only ever seen wolves do it."
"Me too. But if you wanna try, you can come with me. Doesn't look like anyone here would care much, anyway."
The pup seemed to shrink a little as she replied: "Yeah, that's true. My mom passed a few months ago. She didn't have a high rank, so neither do I." Then she looked up, with a little bit of hope in her eyes. "You'd really take me with you?"
"Sure. There's a first for everything.", Rattlesnake said. She knew very well what position the pup was in. And when food was scarce, the others here would let her starve. Maybe she'd never be able to become a Wing Master, since she wouldn't be big enough to carry a grown wolf by herself, but in that case, she'd stay an apprentice and help out in any way she could. They'd get by, somehow. It would draw more hate from the wolves, of course, but Rattlesnake wasn't one to be stopped by what others thought of her.
"What's your name, kid?"
"Toothpick."
"Nice to meet you, Toothpick. I'm Rattlesnake. And I'll teach you everything about our ancient ways."