A Special Hunt

Relief flooded the woman's chest to hear the Warlord was pleased with her assessment. At least she had learned something right, between her ridiculing family and her self-taught experiments with the chickens. At the sound of his warning to be cautious, mentioning Zee, the fawn female offered a nervous grin. "Wasn't planning on it, uh, Sir!" She laughed, trying to fake her courage and ease his worries all in one. Cerulean blue orbs would watch as the massive male moved off to get into position, her gaze trailing his form until it was no longer in sight. From there, Odette would slip her body up the knoll once more, settling close against the ground as she allowed herself to watch the herd for several minutes. She was attempting to learn the patterns of the herd members; who would lift their head to scout, who would be tending to the calves, and where the lead bull kept his sights. They moved together in a very harmonious fashion, a natural flow that mimicked starlings and their murmurations.

Suddenly she saw it; a moment where the lead bull would turn his attention from the bulk of the herd and focus on his offspring, there, Odette made her first move. It was like a ticking clock, where the female would slink her way along the ground, hiding along the tall grass as she made her approach. Blue orbs constantly turning between the the heads of the cattle; but her sights always tuned into the old bull she targeted. Odette would inch several feet forward, a painfully slow process, before stopping just before the lead bull turned his eyes. It was a very narrow window, and it took the woman a bit longer than she would have liked to reach her position. A spot where Odette could force the herd to run, and she would cut through the back end, separating the slow, including her elderly bull. With any luck... the leader would be more focused on the young, and less focused on Odette. She would watch for a few minutes more, until all heads seemed to turn from her direction, and she took off like a flash.

Outstretched paws hit the dirt with intention, causing pebbles and sand to kick up in her wake. Ears flattened against her skull and her eyes narrowed against any potential airborne debris. The herd was startled, their cries of fear and shock muddling together as she pushed them forward, hopefully towards Sirius. Among the commotion, Odette caught a glimpse of the lead bull coming to charge her, but was caught off guard by a lost calf, and was forced to turn away. Odette could quickly sigh in relief before she charged forward, snarling at the slow moving buffalo, demanding they turn onto a new path while the rest of the herd ran on, separating them and driving them towards Sirius. Most importantly, the elder bull, whose graying eyes seemed to shake in fear, as if he already knew he was the intended target. With another slice through dwindling herd, Odette jumped between darting bison and quickly ran to the aging bull, biting at his sides to get him to peel off from the other herd members. It seemed to be working, until the old bull pulled an old move, and came to an aggressive halt in the meadow, turning cracked and battered horns towards Odette.

Her blue orbs turned wide as Odette put the breaks on, when the dust settled, the ground only hummed with the fading herd, and the loud snorts of a very angry bull. "Okay... now would be a good time Sirius..." she mumbled, tensing her muscles for the ending attack.


Art by Amphispiza. Table by Sea.