Broken Boulder and all that doin' takes energy

Once the Keil siblings had taken hold of the deer's back end, Lily felt confident enough to surge forward, nipping at the creature's left flank. Small as she was, she couldn't find purchase, and bobbed up and down, desperately futile, like a child trying to swim on their own for the first time. Finally, though, she gave a mighty leap upwards and latched on, claws raking the animal's belly.

Her teeth gripped the fleshy bulge of abdomen, and gravity pulled her down, taking a chunk of deer with her. The prey bleated in pain, and blood oozed over her muzzle; she swallowed the chunk without a second thought and continued her assault, eyes squeezed shut to protect them from any fluids.

Unknown to her, Ali delivered the death blow, and the deer came crashing down, Lily skittering backward to avoid it falling on top of her. Her muzzle and ruff were matted with wet, hot blood, and she felt breathless and dazed, her body shuddering from the adrenaline still coursing through her. Her eyes flashed like fire, fur bristling.

Without a second thought, Lily dove into the carcass, picking up where she left off and taking huge gulps of meat, barely chewing. Suddenly, she was ravenous.