The Sunspire a man of words and not of deeds

The stranger, without the physical or mental fortitude to go on, let Exousia proceed alone. She would not stop for him. And why would she be worried that such a poor excuse for a deerchaser could take anything from her? (It didn’t occur to her that he had a pack supporting him.) She had worked hard for this meal, as she had with so many others like it, and there was nothing in her mind that said to give up now – not when victory felt close at hand.

As the relentless terminator crested the snowy rise her quarry had disappeared behind, she looked down to see why she had felt so sure of herself. The buck lay crumpled at the base of the mound, its heart having given out mere seconds after it was out of view.

Her tail lifted, waving like a proud banner, as she laughed, feeling both relieved and somewhat vindicated. Exousia vanished behind the snowdrift, eager to rip into the fresh meat below.