Thawing out breakfast

His meeting and trade with Artorias had been a successful one and he was already looking forward to returning to pick up the dagger he had ordered from the alpha and blacksmith. As he made his way from the southern continent to the northern one, he was discombobulated by the fact that Auster's temperatures were dipping drastically as the season shifted while Boreas was reaching the soaring temperatures of summer. He had made frequent trips to Auster over the last couple of seasons and every time he was met with heat that his thick coat was far from suited for, but this time around it was the opposite. It boggled his mind a bit and he already was not looking forward to the long trek across Boreas in this summer heat, but it could not be avoided.

He had set out very early in the morning with the hopes that he would be able to make it back to Elysium by nightfall, but now that he was greeted with Boreas' sudden heat wave he was quickly rethinking that plan. Because of his early departure he had not had much breakfast other than a small bit of dried meat so when he spotted a herd of smaller deer-like animals that were clearly trying to escape Auster's chilly weather he realized that he could have his breakfast to go. The was no cover out here on the bifrost and with the sand of the natural land bridge shifting under paw with each step the odds already felt stacked against him. He had never seen these animals before so he was not really sure what to expect from their behavior. Well, if he was already considering adding another day to his travel it was not like he was in a hurry and if he failed he was no better or worse than when he started.

He trailed behind them a ways along the bifrost into the rising warmth of Boreas' summer and he began to notice how the sand almost felt more compact and wet in places. Perhaps the sudden thaw had caused some higher water levels or the melting ice just added more water to the sand than usual. Regardless, it gave him a firmer ground to work with so he began to pick up the pace a bit, closing some more distance between himself and the small herd of dik dik till he was as close as he dared get and right when they started to pick up on his presence. He was not typically someone that used speed and agility to hunt–his heavy build and size were not very suited for it–but with no cover here for him to attempt an ambush he did not have a lot of options. His only saving grace was that they were still a bit of distance from the Boreas shore and that they were surrounded by water otherwise. Could dik dik swim? He supposed he was about to find out.

Just when he was sure that if he got any closer the dik dik would bolt, he coiled his legs under him and launched himself forward, pushing himself into a hard sprint toward his prey. The second his heavy paws started pounding across the sand the little deer bolted themselves, instinctually scattering, but seemingly realizing that there was nowhere to scatter to. He very nearly lost his footing on the sand a couple of times and that made this more difficult than it would have been otherwise. Luckily, one of the dik diks in its panic accidentally turned back toward him, seemingly thinking it might be able to slip past to head back the way it came toward Auster. That was his opportunity and he took it. He lunged for the animal, causing himself to slide a little less than gracefully across the surface of the bifrost in the process. He more barreled into the dik dik than caught it, but regardless he knocked the animal off of its hooves and he managed to snap his jaws around the back of its neck before he went tumbling to the ground himself.

The dik dik flailed in his grasp while he slipped to the ground, but he only bit down harder, keeping it from getting away while he started to right himself. The rest of the herd seemed to give up on their companion quickly and they gathered back up together to continue on their way to Boreas, though noticeably faster now that they understood the danger of being out in the wide open like this. It made him wonder how many of them would actually remain to migrate back to Auster when the seasons changed again and Boreas took on the chill of autumn. Either way, with a swift and lethal bite to the back of the dik dik's neck he snapped the vertebrae and the deer-like creature went limp. Dropping it for a moment with a sigh, he got himself back to his paws and shook the sand out of his fur. It was by far not his cleanest kill, but it was done and he would be able to have a good meal before he continued his trip home. Picking up the now deceased dik dik, Deimos began to carry it to the other side, finishing his trip across the bifrost and making his way into Boreas. After finding a tree to settle under for a bit he enjoyed his breakfast and went on his way.

"Deimos Mendacium"