Willows

Cairo's sudden lunge from the bushes caused the deer to skitter frantically, but he was already on him, sinking his teeth somewhere along the front of the deer. From that moment, the Malalia carted around on its right side, leaping up to snag a bite in the buck's throat. Her first try landed lower than she wanted, between the junction of its shoulder and neck. With her weight and Cairo's, the buck buckled to his knees, and was suddenly lurching backwards in an effort to escape.

The moment she let go seemed almost weightless; but Malalia dug her forepaw into the buck's side to push up and up and up, until her jaws bit successfully into the deer's throat. Her fangs cut easily through the skin and found its carotid artery underneath. She felt the blood rushing warmly down her chest, and in the same instant the buck suddenly jerked in pain. But the fight was doing out of him as fast as his blood, and its head became heavier and heavier in her grip as the life pulsed out of him. Soon, he was still.