It felt like seconds had gone by from the time that the hunt had started until the first buck was down, slowing the other as it made an attempt at a run while dragging the dead deer. It was a morbid scene, really, but she didn’t look away in fear that she would miss something important. She took in everything with her bright, intelligent honey-amber gaze. Sven leading the charge once again, Ravenna acting as a burly herder, Odin throwing his weight into it, and Leotie enacting nips here and there. They were like a well oiled machine, proficient in their movements and quick to get everything turned the way they wanted it to.

Her auds perked as Sven came toward her, her attention focusing on him as he spoke with serious eyes. Of course she had figured that, even with it on the ground, there was still a chance it could hurt her or them. Instinct was a strong thing, especially when it came to fighting for one’s life. It existed in every living being, the stag being certainly no exception. She knew that if it saw a chance to escape, it would take it. It was the way the world turned. Addy nodded to her cousin in understanding, her expression serious to show that she understood what he was saying. The girl trailed along down the slope, getting closer to the pinned animal.

It watched her with understandably weary eyes, a certain knowledge within their depths of what was about to transpire. She dipped her muzzle toward the animal, nostrils twitching as she sniffed. It tossed it’s head at her and she skittered back in order to avoid the antlers, though it made no attempt to get to its feet. It had no strength except to move its head, but that could still be dangerous. Yet, she stayed at the front because she knew that was where she needed to be. She carefully watched it’s movements, pacing and occasionally reaching in to nip and watch what its reaction told her. Most of them ended with her avoiding being skewered by the bony appendages, but after another attempt she noticed a small difference. It wasn’t able to move its head one way as much as the other, likely due to an injury around the shoulder or neck. It left a small opening, and if she was quick enough she would be able to sneak beneath the wrack before it would get her.

The girl feigned to the side before quickly lunging forward, her teeth finding purchase on its lower windpipe and jugular. She held on for dear life as the massive animal began to thrash, her own body whipping around and dropping and rising to try and keep up with the movements. The more it fought, however, the more blood that it lost and the weaker it became. Her dark mouth, cheeks, neck, and chest were coated in the perfume of death and she blew the liquid from her nostrils in an attempt to keep breathing. Her head thrashed, tearing the muscle strands and slowly digging further into the windpipe until it was gasping, an odd honking noise escaping as it exhaled before its head fell and laid still. It took a few more moments before it would move no more.

Finally, she released her hold and sat back with her chest heaving. She worked her jaw around in an attempt to loosen it from the stiffness after her death hold. Still, she held the bright grin of victory on her cheeks. She’d done it.

She watched as her cousins gazed at her with pride, her tail swishing happily behind her thick frame. She accepted the congratulations with a dip of her head, rising to her legs as orders were given to move the carcass. She was quick to sink her teeth once again in the flesh, waiting for the signal before they began dragging it back to the territory where she’d happily show her father and Romanov what she’d accomplished.

Fade