Hunting with Grandma

Mort kept pace like a trooper. She knew that it would be a bit more difficult for him, but the big woman refused to baby the boy. The harder he pushed, the stronger he would become. Most of his strength would be spent fighting the wind once they were upon the tundra. Caribou were rather small and it would be easy to bring one down.

At the edge of the tundra, the woman's lone eye stared out over the blowing expanse of land. From here, you couldn't see any caribou at all. That was the point. She brought Mortis here to push him. To make him stronger than he was before. To make him smarter than he was before. If the boy came away with some new knowledge, then her task was complete.

"If you're ready, follow me. We'll go straight ahead into the blizzard. If you get lost or if you need help, howl for me and I'll find you." She didn't want to treat Mortis like a child, so she wouldn't. He could follow her into this dangerous situation, but if he was in trouble, she would save him. It was the same that she would do for any wolf that followed her into a hunt.

Tucking black ears against her skull to keep out most of the wind, the big woman hunkered down to conserve body heat and moved away from the woods and onto the tundra. The wind was blowing hard so there were no tracks from the herd, but they left scat behind and tufts of fur clinging to bent reeds. When the wind spun, it brought the musty, warm smell of bodies right towards them. She knew they were going in the right direction.

A break in the wind brought the sight of the herd to the woman. She knew exactly where they were and how far away the end of the herd was. Casting her golden glance to Mort, she motioned for him to follow her. Body still held low, Resin crept towards the herd. She could feel the power of the wind pushing against her, but it wasn't enough to make her lose her footing. Luckily for them, the reindeer at the back of the herd was a plump male. They were all facing away from the wind which was to be expected.

Looking towards Mort once more, the woman nodded, then was off. Heavy paws carried her over the wind blow terrain. The blowing wind and snow muffled her approach and so she was neither seen nor heard until she was upon the back of her prey. Resin's heavy weight forced the ungulate off of its hooves, crashing hard to its side. She was atop it, teeth sinking into its shoulder as she held the kicking, bellowing beast down. Now it was all up to Mort.

WC-475
Total-1791