A Special Hunt

Well.. at least he seemed to agree with her. That was enough to let the fawn woman relax a bit, a slow breath being released as she did. Maybe she could actually do this? Perhaps this might actually go well? Odette let a small smile pull at her lips, her hopes filling her chest and giving her confidence she didn't know she had. Suddenly Sirius indicated they were almost to the hunting grounds, and he wanted her to take the lead. A nervous lump once again formed at the back of her throat, but the woman would nod her head, indicating she understood her mission, and forced her nerves to step aside so she could work. Light liver brown nose swooped down to the dirt before her, trying to get a understand of what type of prey could be around. It would take her a few tries; the woman would trot a few steps, duck her head low, sniff, and move again.

Soon enough she found the particular scent, something full of musk and testosterone. Bull. Stepping forward a bit more, Odette would paw at the ground and reveal a deeply imprinted hoof mark. Lifting her head, she would turn back to Sirius with a small grin. "Found something." She would call out before setting off along the tracks, keeping her head level with her shoulders as she trotted. It would take some time to track down the creatures, as one hoof track turned into many, going in different directions but their end goal all the same. Coming up to a small knoll over the prairie, Odette pulled herself to a halt. Fawn ears perked on top of her crown, she could hear the snorts and scuffles of beast nearby. Turning to her hunting partner, Odette motioned to the knoll but spoke softly. "I'm going to take a look."

Crawling up the knoll with her body crouched low, stomach tucked and yet barely grazing over the ground, Odette found herself on top of the lookout and found her eyes widen at the view. There were definitely bison. Loads of them. Massive cows and bulls grazing lazily through the open grassland, eager to fill their large stomachs with as much fresh food as possible before winter struck. Cerulean eyes scanned the nearby options; most of them were healthy and strong looking cows, a very protective looking bull, and a few well protected calves. Crap, it would not be wise to pick a fight with any of the young adults, even if she had Sirius to battle them. Something large but maybe not quite as youthful or strong... scanning eyes rolled over the backs of several bison before she caught sight of graying hairs. The female honed in on the creature, watching it move about unsteadily, with clearly aching joints. Confident in her choice, Odette slid back down the knoll, careful to not trip on the small rocks as she did so.

Walking back up to Sirius, Odette smiled softly. "Large bison herd just beyond this knoll. Looks fairly youthful, lots of calves and strong adults, but there is one older bull. Probably the old leader. He seems like a good fit." Not only would it make it easier for the hunting party of two to take down such a beast, but it would be better for the herd life as well. After spending so much time and effort into charting the perfect breeding pairs for her chickens, Odette had become acutely aware of the herd life structure, and how to properly cull members. "Since there is only two of us, and I'm probably the faster one, while you're definitely the stronger one, why don't I cut the bull from the group and try to push him towards you? Once you get a good opportunity, hop in and try to go for the jugular. I'll try to take him down by the legs while you're at it. "

Even though the alpha had given her the go ahead to lead the hunt, she still felt it important to get his approval. Perhaps it was just something ingrained into her mind after serving him and his queen for so long, or perhaps she simply wanted her hunting partner to be on the same page as her. Nevertheless, she thought it important to identify their jobs, so that they could work in harmony and have the best change of scoring a meal while also ending the bulls life in a swift manner. Death was a necessary part of the circle of life, but that didn't mean the apex predators had to be cruel in their hunts.