The Chase, The Prize [NATURE]

I can hear her heart beat.

I can taste the fear she exudes, like a shedding skin. Even here, among the fallen branches, the wild moss and the sprouting undergrowth, I can feel her pulsing heart, racing with the thrill of the chase. I raise my nose to the wind, feeling the unseen gift the mother gives carrying her musky scent and delicately caressing my senses as I feel her move.

I crouch down, all fours loping slowly forth as I test the wind time and time again, listen for the pulse of the earth telling me she is near, cowered away in some dark recess, hoping I will not find her. I can taste the scent of blood high in the air, the moon shining down from high above casts the world in an almost magical glow. I can see the slumbering and hidden life all around me, safe in their boles and holes, their warmth shining out to me like a beacon in the dim night.

She scatters, heavy feet upon a soft floor, muck slinging into the air as I pounce forth, seeing her wild eyes flash, her heartbeat race, seeking escape, seeking the shelter of her family. I lazily leap to a loftier place, watching as she disappears behind an ages old tree, her mouth curled back in fright, her fur flat against her body. I worry not, I know this one will be mine. She is young. I am not. She is fresh to this world. I am not. I am a leader. She is a follower.

I leap gracefully after her, watching in amusement as her legs flail about, seeking the ground. She jumps clumsily over a fallen stump, tripping on the numerous traps the mother has unwittingly lain for her. I pad over the uneven ground, as she stumbles, falls and attempts to get up again. Her dark eyes, filled with panic, gives me a lust I know only in the throes of the hunt. She finds her feet again, this time I snap at her, revealing my lust for blood, revealing the pointed spears that will be her eventual demise. She flees in rampant terror, as I grin a victorious smile.

Finally giving to the chase, I lurch my body to life, leaping from point to point, ever closing, as the stench of her terror fills my nostrils.

Then she is safe. Others surround her quickly, including the one I truly want. He is big, bigger than I. He is her father. I care not for his offspring. I want him. He is alpha. I am alpha. He stands his ground, levelling his mighty weapons in my direction as a warning to leave. I sneer, circling my foe, while his children skulk in the background. He pads the ground, shouting for me to leave in a rush of breath. I wait.

He charges. Then he realises his mistake. I do not hunt alone. From the sides they come, hidden until now. They lock down behind the great weapons, teeth gnashing, blood spurting. His eyes fill with terror as he is forced to the earth, his voice screaming for his kin to escape. Jaws clamp down, the rush of blood fills me with a sense of exhilaration. My foe dies, unaware of the true role of an Alpha.

It is not to hunt. It is to lead.

As my brothers claim their victory, that their children will feed tonight, and their families will find solace in the warmth a full belly provides, I gaze up at the young doe as the remainder of her family scatters into the wilderness. You were close to death tonight young one. Yet you realised your mistake too late, bringing us to our true prize.

Next time you may learn. Tonight, we feast.

reply to post by 74Templar


Wolves hunting deer redone. You can never go wrong adding a wolf in a story, as you will get a flag from me every time. Excellent read.

I like how the hunter left the younger doe to grow bigger. A sign of intelligence over instinct. SnF.

Wow, one of the best entries yet. Very well done sir. I truly enjoyed the descriptions in such detail and originality.

S&F

Thanks.

For some reason though, this one feels a bit "incomplete" to me, like it's missing something.

I would appreciate some critique on this one.

Originally posted by 74Templar
Thanks.

For some reason though, this one feels a bit "incomplete" to me, like it's missing something.

I would appreciate some critique on this one.

At first I was unsure if you were portraying a hunter or a wolf but that is actually what I liked best about it. At the end the full picture came clear and the details really stood out then.

Wow.. I was captivated!
I felt in the story none of the human trappings or reasoning. Only that which the predator would feel or appreciate. Well done, very well done!

As far as the critique, the only part that left me wishing I knew what happened is at the end, when they all turned away to flee, did she meet his eyes in that moment of truth?

the Gray Wolf ,,smiles