Big Salmon Lake A Moment Away

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.