Big Salmon Lake A Moment Away

Qadira had not strayed far from Moonglow for many months now. But Spring was here, and so now, the mercenary woman wandered. It was only for today - she'd grown quite fond of the village, and had come to feel as if she were truly a part of it. She'd made it to the edge of a large lake that was thankfully mostly thawed; there were chunks of ice floating in it, but it was nearly all melted. Here, she took a long draught, and had half a mind to try and catch herself a meal.

the pronghorns were fast fast fast. 

but it was spring now, and some were still fat or newborn, and heshe was faster.

it came to drink from the lake, old thing with large belly and limping step speaking of escaping death at a time when it was younger and could kick and run with greater freedom.

but it was heavy and aged now and it bent its head to drink the icewater, and the dog stalked.

shehe was approaching with slowness that heshe wasn't trained for and so with each pawstep it became more apparent the quarry was in some way wrong or ill or weakened enough not to hear nor see the grassblade-thin hunteress come closer and closer and closer.

the dog was, for hisher part, unaware of the presence of another beast.

Tag for reference!

Downwind, Qadira caught scents of prey and... something else. She looked up, jade eyes scanning the horizon, and it was there that she saw it — a pronghorn drinking, yet unaware of her presence. And then, movement beyond — a canine creature stalking the unaware prey.

Qadira moved forward, slinking along. She would help the creature, if she could. She could bring meat back to the village, and perhaps it's horns and pelt. Gifts, she pondered, for @Kukutux and her whelps.

step after step after step-

every muscle was coiled springlike and pupils dilated like bottomless pits in loamy soil awaiting something to stumble and fall into them. 

despite caution heshe almost wanted to be spotted to have reason to leap and bark and chase and bite-

shehe would be granted that wish.

some old sense must've flared with the old pronghorn doe because it lifted and twisted its head and saw the dog and in a moment of stillness it was just the doe and the hunteress staring gazing into one another and it all lasted three heartbeats-

and as both hearts quickened, the moment shortened.

the antelope sprung and made a sharp turn away, and the greyhound sprang forth and at once they were in a race along the rim of the watering hole

and straight towards the wolf waiting in hiding.

I like to roll hunt stuff, so here's hers!

Another hunt, another beast to fell — this one was not so strong, she could tell in its gait. It was likely old, or injured, and it was running straight into her, blind. She leapt from the underbrush with great power and accuracy; the mercenary woman caught it hard by the shoulder, and it was here that she dragged her weight back, slowing it. They would feast well, it was only minutes away.

rolled too!

focused fully body heart soul on the quarry heshe did not spot the beast until the antelope stumbled and slowed and shehe saw something large and well-furred latched onto its shoulder.

but the hunt took precedence.

there were never any lessons on taking down antelopegoatdeer things in herhis life and so heshe had to learn by practice and logic and strong instinct and all those things told herhim to stay away from the parts of the prey that could hit and kick and break a bone.

shehe took to the side opposite the beast and bit into the belly with intent to tear and bleed out the quarry, but the animal was old and knowing.

with two predators on either side it could not run, and so it dropped onto its knees, very nearly twisting the greyhound's neck by doing so.

it turtled down, tucked in its limbs, swollen belly and that within it protected, and kept only its head raised high, and the look within its brown eye was that of something the dog did not like to see on the face of hisher preyfoodmeal.

but shehe was livid and persistent, and kept attempting to tear into the doe's leathery old skin teeth flashing with each mindless bite but the animal remained stone-still.

die die die die die die die die die die