Children of the Moon

Chapter 12 - The Hunt

---Nyra’s POV---

The moon was full, hovering in the sky and illuminating the plains and our pack as we slowly made our way to the hunting grounds. It had been two months ago that the humans captured Coda and me but Coda’s paw was completely fine. The leaves that had been wrapped around his paw were gone, being ripped of by Coda when it started to itch.

My eyes scanned the surroundings as I walked up to Keeran and tilted my head to look up at him. His long strides were efficient, devouring distance with each step he took but I didn’t have any trouble keeping up with him. Coda, Roku and I were as large as the adults by now, although we still needed to gain some pounds to actually look like an adult.

The fact that we could keep up and that we were big enough to hunt was the reason that father had called in for a hunt, where we would learn the true meaning of being a wolf. We knew when our prey was ill, when it was injured and we aimed for the sick and weaker animals.

At first I felt bad when mom told me how we hunted but she revealed it was for the best of the herds. If we didn’t pick the sick and weak out, they would starve to death in the harsh winters ahead, or they would multiply and pass their weaker spirit to their offspring. It made sense when you stopped and thought about it.

We stopped at the edge of a small hill, so we could overlook the large herd of deer that were grazing there. I cocked my head and whimpered softly, excited that we were going to hunt for the very first time. Mom walked up to us and laid down in front of us, her back turned to the herd.

“Now, listen to me. Deer have weaker eyes than us but their sense of smell is good, as well as their hearing. Use your own nose and eyes to pick your target out. Trust your instincts. Your mentor will go with you but they won’t interfere unless you’re at risk of getting hurt.”

My ear twitched in the direction of the hooves thudding on the vast grass plains, occasionally a sharp thud when the hoof collided with a stone. I barely noticed Keeran sitting somewhere behind me because my head was going in overdrive from all those sounds, sights and scents.

As soon as mom gave us the signal to go out and hunt, each one of us darted in a different direction, as a precaution so we wouldn’t disturb each others hunt too badly. I walked around the herd in a wolf pace, not too swiftly to spook the herd but not too slowly either.

Several of the does looked up at me, eying me warily before they continued grazing, occasionally popping their heads up to watch my family. I turned and ventured into the herd, making them step out of my way but they didn’t break in a run.

Just as I walked past a small group of does accompanied by a buck, I saw a doe limp in my peripheral vision and stopped. Flaring my nostrils, I locked onto the scent of the animal as I trotted closer, circling the group where she was hiding in. Why was she limping?

Keeran stuck to me like a shadow, although he kept a fair distance away from me so I had room to move. The doe moved again, and this time I could see why she limped; one of her front legs seemed to be abnormal, as she couldn’t bend it at the joints.

So she can’t run as fast as the other deer…

My mind instantly focused on the animal as my head lowered down until it hovered just below my shoulders, my whole posture changing. The deer around me instantly spotted the change because they all raised their heads, stomping a hoof on the grass.

Before one of them could form the alarm-call, I flexed my muscles and started my hunt, lunging right for the group of deer that held my prey. They scattered, leaving the target along with a few bucks and does running for safety.