Otatso Wetlands night shadow

their peace disturbed, the caribou ran before sun eater as he charged them outside the forest.

belly filled, he did not hunt; he ran at the herds for the sake of it, testing them. among their number were old bulls who would see their end this winter, younger males already injured from the rut. here and there an antler had been shattered, and it was these weaker caribou whom sun eater meant to remember at a later time.

as the moon rose, he was a darkness upon the land, snaking up on white-tufted tails which bounded away in panic.

his teeth clicked loudly among them.

Movement made the man switch into hunting mode. 

He did not need to eat- but he did need to chase. A fleeing animal triggered the instinct to pursue, and when he saw Sun Eater move, he hastily picked himself up without bothering to shake free the dried grass, and bolt after the man. 

He wasn't sure if they were hunting- he remained an accomplice, watching for the shadow's cues. His gaze scanned the herd as they moved, a silvered sea of bounding caribou moving like waves in the moonlight. He noted those who bolted the fastest- who shouldered others aside, who blasted a warning with their nostrils. They were healthy, watchful, and unsympathetic to their herdmates. Ridgeback wanted to wrestle one to the ground simply because it shoved its way past the slower, weaker caribou-

but it was not the fleet that were their target.

ridgeback.

the name suited this man more than sheep killer. sun eater had almost called him lambkill. but the new title was fitting, and ran alongside the one his wife had taken.

it was good to have the hunter beside him, testing, watching.

"niłdzitaataande!" the caribou man shouted, motioning to the faintest path along which the herd was divvying itself in two.

between panicked bodies, he glimpsed a bull with a dire cut to his shoulder, veering hard to the right as clods of dirt flew into the air.

It wasn't easy, running at top speed with a head tilted in confusion- but Ridgeback managed well, maintaining his surprised expression for several strides when a word was shouted that he didn't recognize. He thought at first maybe it was several words slammed together- until he remembered that Sun Eater had a different mother tongue. He clamped his parted lips shut and turned his head forward, at first only noticing the broader path through the woodlands. 

The herd split, with some veering down a more subtle, narrow path. It might force them to fall into single line, and cause those at the rear to slow down so that they did not charge blindly side-by-side through branches that would snap and tear at their flesh. Puffs of breath blasted up into the tree limbs in a mist that might later turn to frost. There was hesitation, confusion- and amid the swarming mass of beige fur there was a rake of dark red on the shoulder of a bull who lunged to the right. Ridgeback heaved a breath, and cast a side-eye to Sun Eater, watching for the next direction.

often did sun eater place himself into the role of teacher, and this was one such movement.

he drove the bull through fireweave trees which shed their leaves and created obstacles of tumbled root; he slashed the hindquarters until shining blood spattered the ground.

as caribou peeled away from the killing path, the bull's stride became more desperate, more headlong. wounded animals ran down into gullies, and today would hardly be an exception.

plume revolved to keep him intent upon his quarry, sidelong glance reaching once for ridgeback.

The one they chased left a spattering of blood in its wake. Ridgeback was a cruel whip, surging forward to grab and brake, allowing the creature to pull his fangs through its flesh as it struggled from his grasp. Flying hooves sought only to put distance between them, but every now and again one would flash out with a quick kick to try and discourage the hunters that harried it. Its harrowed attempts would succeed, but only for a second. 

Second by second, it became abandoned by its peers, and strike by strike it would become weaker. While his own breath came in pants, the likelihood of a warm meal drew him forward. He took a risky bargain and nabbed the caribou just above its fetlock where the ligaments were tight, hanging on though the animal tried to jerk the limb forward to take another stride. It pulled Ridgeback forward, but he denied the animal the ability to put its hoof down until he released his grip, strumming the tendons with his fangs.