The Hunt

Fang had been stalking the small herd of deer for several hours when the sky finally started to darken. She was only about seven miles away from the pack's den, but she had been gone since noon. The pack was hungry and expecting her to bring back a meal. She was determined to satisfy that hunger.1

For Fang, this was the best time of day to hunt. It was getting dark and the air was beginning to cool off. Being a dark, coal black, Fang was perfectly suited for hunting in the dark, being able to blend in perfectly with her surroundings. Scanning the area quickly ahead of her, she inhaled deeply through her nose.2

They were close, only about 2,000 feet away. Most of the deer were grazing in the small meadow Fang knew to be located on her left. There was a small creek that she could hear gurgling on her right. Scenting the air again, she noticed the faint scent of a young doe to her right near the creek. She crept silently closer.3

Slinking along so close to the ground that her stomach fur dragged along the saturated soil, Fang approached the doe from behind. Totally unaware of her impending doom, the doe continued to drink from the creek. She was facing away from Fang with her head lowered to the water's surface, so she could neither see or smell Fang's scent. Unless she made a noise, Fang would not be heard. She stopped and prepared herself to pounce.4

She inhaled slowly, quietly, and then she leaped forward onto the doe's back. Fang latched on to the doe's spine with her teeth while her claws ripped into the doe's sides. The doe ran around in circles, kicking wildly outward with her hind legs, in a desperate attempt at trying to rid herself of the weight on her back.5

The doe tired quickly. With Fang's weight on her back and the blood loss from the wounds caused by Fang's claws, she collapsed and proceeded to give up on life. Fang ended the poor doe's suffering with a bite to the windpipe.6

Fang then hefted the doe onto her back and began the slow process of walking it the seven miles back to the den. The pack would be happy with their alpha female.7

After only about four miles, with three left to go, Fang took notice of a small movement in her stomach. It felt as if something was poking her in the side, near her hind leg. And as quickly as she had felt it, it was gone. Shrugging it off as just a bush that she had brushed up against, she continued onward toward home.8

Fang was greeted happily with licks and tail wagging. She let the doe slide off her back and onto the ground outside the entrance to the den. She motioned for the pack to have their fill. Fang felt suddenly tired and not hungry. She walked slowly to the back of the den to rest for the night.