The small boy lowered his body to the ground all most instantly. He had not smelt the scent on the breeze right away, it was Ferreiran’s voice that alerted him. His eyes darted in the direction the wolf had pointed out, his body tense. He kept his stomach laying flat along the ground, adjusting himself slightly. If the fawn heard them, or smelt them, it could dart off long before the boys managed to sink their teeth in.
That was a lot of pressure. Vaken could tell he was beginning to get tired from the rough housing, but he needed as much energy as he could muster up in order to eat. Saliva was beginning to form on the corner of his mouth as he watched the small doe grazing through. It did not seem fearful, or even aware of the danger it was in.
“Good,” the boy whispered, shifting his ears forward to listen to the deer’s footsteps. “We should move down wind."
![[Image: bountyhunter_otb_by_a_yellow_bird-dc8zt91.png]](https://orig00.deviantart.net/8e4d/f/2018/106/b/7/bountyhunter_otb_by_a_yellow_bird-dc8zt91.png)
The scruffy boy kept his gaze locked on Ferreiran, his upper lip racing in a short growl to catch his attention. “Go behind,” he ordered quietly. He didn’t want to just jump into action. He paid close attention as his friend, watching patiently as he adjusted himself into a better hunting position. He kept his eyes trained as the smaller darker wolf relocated himself downwind. Vaken stayed still, making sure the deer hadn’t caught sight or smell of the other wolf. His body was tense, on edge at the possibility of loosing such a quick meal. He watched as the deer lifted its head, scooping out the area. Holding his breath, the yearling relaxed when the stupid fawn returned back to its business. It had no idea the danger it was in.
Taking this as his chance to move, the yearling slowly followed after his friend. He was careful and quiet, lifting his paws out of the mud slowly to not make any noise. It was hard to move, that was undeniable, but they didn’t have much of an option. If they were struggling to move, the fawn would certainly struggle too. It would be easy to catch her and drag her to a less dirty area to feast. “Try and herd her farther from the others,” he whispered. “We’ll get her stuck deeper in the swamp.”
When the male attacked, Vaken let out a curse. They weren’t ready yet. They hadn’t gotten the prey far enough away to focus on slaughtering the young. He knew that, but it was too late to offer advice to the other wolf. Ferreiran jumped, aiming to tackle the kill. That is not what Vaken had asked. He had asked Ferreiran to lead the prey away from the herd, not pounce. Anger bubbled up in his throat, but he surpassed it in order to keep silent.
He watched as another deer trotted into the mix, protecting her young by trying to push Ferreiran away. He stayed painfully still but felt his face contort in rage. He was too hungry to mess around like this. The other wolf fumble off to the side, avoiding the confrontation. When he looked back, the boy wanted to attack him rather than the kill. “Let me handle it,” he hissed, jumping into the mix. His voice was pure venom. He couldn’t believe the other wolf’s audacity to nearly ruin the hunt, then ask for help. Vaken had given clear instructions.
Quickly, he came up with a new plan. He was going to separate the fawn from its mother. He would nip the creatures heels and lead it the opposite directions. Hopefully, the mother wouldn’t follow. If he could avoid her attacks, she’d surely stay close to the security of the herd rather than endanger herself. With that, he raced toward. Luckily, he was quick. Before the fawn could reach the safety of the herd, he cut it off.
He strategically placed himself between the young and its mother, making himself an obstacle. The fawn wanted the safety of a parent, but with the wolf in the mix, ran straight towards Ferreiran.
When Ferreiran landed the first blow, Vaken felt relief mixed with satisfaction. His bitterness towards Ferreiran lessened, but didn’t quickly vanish. He was still angry, but the pleasure of succeeding overwhelmed any other emotion. He watched the black wolf tear into the soft flesh from a few feet away, thankfulness lightening his mood. They were about to have a nice meal.
The fawn stumbled towards him, panic apparent in its small round eyes. Blood dripped from the throat into the muddy ground. The wound Ferreiran had created was quite large. The deer didn’t stand a chance. It stumbled, losing its balance due to the blood loss. When it fell, right in front of Vaken, the young boy let out a vicious snarl.
He grabbed it by the scruff, holding it still while it kicked at the floor beneath it. The taste of blood filled his mouth. The deer was still alive, but barely. He looked at Ferreiran with cold gold eyes, beckoning him over with his muzzle, the deer still desperate to escape. He held it still, waiting for it to drop dead or for Ferreiran to give the final blow.
Sex: Male