pull the pulse out a soldier and bolt

He considered themselves lucky, at least in the sense that they ended up not too far off from where the deer had settled themselves. A bit off-center, Mordecai knew that they could correct themselves in due time. The only signal he gave that they were making the attack came in the form of a snarl, bubbling free in the depths of his chest as he tore after the deer. The does were quick to rise, but the fawns made a staggering attempt at getting to their feet through clinging thick sleep.

It made no difference to Mordecai, who moved to spread the herd and drive them towards the interior of the Spine. The slope beneath his feet slowed him minutely, but he, as the others hopefully, had garnered the stamina to crest the slopes towards their basined interior. With the forests shooting past him, he could not readily pinpoint where his companions were in the darkness. But he knew that they were there, and that the cadence that now filled the night consisted of their dutiful run and the fearful stamp of the ungulates.

And he felt confident they would have them soon.