Ashley A.

9.20.11

B-4

Short Story

 

The hunt would begin at dawn. My sister, Arainne and I would be leaving to kill our first deer together. An elder pack member would tag along without being seen to evaluate our skill. I lay down beside Arainne in our packs’ dense cave. She was already asleep. My eyes drifted and my blinking became slower and slower as I dreamt about the day ahead.

 

My paws drummed on the forest floor. The young buck galloped a few yards ahead of me, and Arainne was off to my left. I glanced in her direction. All I saw was shadows, greenery, and flashes of her silver fur, not unlike mine, here and there in the gaps of foliage. I wondered how the elder could keep up with us. Maybe he went out earlier than us to scout out the area. I had almost forgotten about our prey. I glanced back and saw its backside leaping through an arch of bright light that led to the meadow. Arainne and I pursued cautiously.

 

The meadow is always bright. Even at night it had the moon to light it. We halted at the highest point of the meadow and used all of our senses to locate the herd. Arainne spotted them grazing in the middle of the meadow and yipped at me. We trotted as close as we dared and then crouched down, crawling. My eyes immediately went to the young buck we’d been hunting. He stood by a doe and a spotted fawn.

 

The buck undoubtedly heard something because his head jerked up and his ears perked. A few of the deer grunted and took off sprinting. After several seconds, the rest of the herd followed. Arainne ran to the east of the herd and I was on the west. The buck we’d been tracking had stopped over the stumbling fawn. We circled the buck, and he mauled the earth in fright. Arainne gazed at me through the long grass. I flicked my left ear in agreement and leaped out in front of the deer as she jumped it from behind. Arainne sunk her fangs into the bucks’ hindquarters and I went for the neck. Just before I could latch my teeth down, an earsplitting shot filled the air, scaring anything within a mile.

 

I toppled in front of the deer and it kicked Arainne to the ground. Another shot exploded. It made my ears ring and my skull pulse. The herd was already dashing ahead; in the wrong direction. We backed away and turned to flee the meadow into the secure forest, only to double back again when we saw a blazing fire in our path. I looked everywhere for an escape route. The east, west, and north sides of the meadow were all ablaze. The only way to go was south, where the herd went and the gunshots were coming from.

 

The air filled with foul smoke that seeped into our lungs and clouded our thoughts. I heard more shouts and the cries of the herd at the same time as gunshots filled the thick air. Arainne yelped and crashed to the ground. I whipped around to see her struggling to get up. There was a small, thin stick with a furry colorful ball on the end stinking out of her flank.

 

She barked a warning to me before her head hit the ground. Something sharp pricked the base of my neck. I growled and shook my head in frustration. I could barley see or smell anything. I had to keep blinking and sneezing. My chest burned and my tail was singed. Where was the elder? Why wasn’t he helping us?

 

I grimaced as the same sharp feeling hit my spine. I slowly turned around. A hairy faced man stood in front of me holding a strange gun. My fur bristled up and I bared my teeth. My eyelids grew heavy and I sneezed.

The man’s body trembled as he roared with laughter. I tried to tackle him, but my paws wouldn’t seem to work correctly and I fell forward. I attempted to lift my front legs and scoot up into a sitting, then standing position, but it felt like I was moving down. I collapsed on my side and stared at Arianne. She looked like she was asleep. I knew she wasn’t dead because her flank rose and fell with each slow breath. Her muzzle and legs were tied together.  Some other men had brought over a large cage and were pulling her in it. The air was bitter from the fire and damp from the upcoming rainfall. I couldn’t hear the herd anymore. They either got away or died. I huffed and closed my eyes, with no idea where they were taking us or where our elder was.