Here Comes Peter Cottontail

Mæva rolled in the grass, enjoying the feeling of sunshine on her belly as she gazed up at the bright blue sky. It did not take long for her to get restless. She flipped over onto her belly and decided to go off hunting. Maybe this time she would be able to catch something all by herself and take it back to show off to her father. She had done a bit of hunting with the band, starting to join them on hunts when she turned six months old but she'd never really had a successful solo hunt. Unless bugs counted. She'd eaten a lot of bugs as a pup but in her mind that was not a real hunt. A real hunt meant catching a mammal or a bird. Something big enough to fill her belly. A solid meal.

Her father was off taking care of business so she decided to amuse herself with trying to find something on the prairie to hunt. In the distance she did spy some bison but knew much better than to tangle with the larger creatures. She dreamed of hunting them but it would take a large group. Best to focus on something closer to her size to minimize the risk of injury and increase her chances of success. Mæva set her nose to the ground and began sifting through the scents there. She picked up the fresh scent of a hare and started tracking the small furry creature.

She worked her way across the grassy plains then frozen when she caught sight of the hare chewing on grass not too far away. At first she was hoping to slink down and sneak up on it but it was clear the hare sensed something was wrong. She held still, willing it to go back to its business. The hare stopped chewing, swallowed, then stood up on its hind legs, peering over the grasses right at her. Shit. The rabbit turned and raced across the plains. Mæva launched herself forward and gave chase after the hare, hoping that she'd be able to catch up with it. Her graceful legs ate up the distance but the hare still managed to stay ahead of her. Just as she was starting to catch up with it, the hare dove suddenly to her left.

Mæva quickly followed, tongue lolling out of her mouth as she raced after the creature, panting. It dove around a large puddle but she opted to just race through it, kicking up water and mud as she narrowed in on the rabbit. She was determined to catch it and as long as she could keep it away from a burrow she might stand a chance. They were in a large open plain with little cover and she felt confident in her stamina. If she had to she'd chase the hare until it tired but at the same time she worried she was getting too far away from her father. How long could a rabbit run for anyway? How much ground would they cover if she tried to go ahead and run the rabbit all the way down.

Suddenly, the hare doubled back, racing right past her. Mæva twisted her head to the side, jaws wide as she snapped at the hare, just missing. Crap! Mæva spun around and raced after the rabbit, putting on a burst of speed to make up for lost time. Surely it would be tiring out! She hoped so anyway. She was suddenly wishing, Geira, her caracal companion were here. The agile cat had no problem with catching rabbits but that would defeat the purpose. This was her first solo hunt, completely solo. No adults, no companions, just her and she was determined to be successful this time.

Putting on another burst of speed Mæva raced forward, quickly gaining ground on the rabbit. She was so close she could taste it! Mæva reached out, jaws wide as she snapped at the rabbit but she just missed. Her fangs latched onto its cottony tail, pulling out tufts of fur but ultimately failing to seize hold of the rabbit itself. Oh this was frustrating! She was panting heavily now but she still wasn't ready to give up. She was going to get this rabbit if it was the last thing she did. She saw a stream up ahead and sure enough the rabbit changed direction to move along the stream. Mæva did the same to follow after the rabbit. If she could just keep the pressure on maybe she could get it to tire. Mæva thought of wolves as endurance hunters and rabbits as sprinters so she hoped to use that to her advantage, she also hoped it was true as the hare was giving her a run for her money.

The hare shifted suddenly to her right, racing away from the stream and Mæva quickly adjusted to continue the chase. She was getting tired but her sheer stubbornness and determination kept her going. The young wolf set herself on the task before her and with another burst of speed she gave it one last shot. Mæva barreled after the hare, twisting and turning with the prey animal until at last she reached out her fangs and seized one of its back legs. The rabbit immediately squealed and flailed. She let go fort he split second it took her to get her jaws around its throat.

In a moment the squealing was silenced. The hare still twitched and flailed in her jaws but then it eventually lay still. Mæva held on for a few minutes more for good measure even though she knew rabbits didn't usually play dead. She would hate to let go too soon and then lose all the effort she put into the hunt. Finally she released her jaws and gazed down at the rabbit she'd successful felled. Grinning she let out a whoop of joy before seizing the rabbit in her jaws and carting it off to show her father.