Citizen 854 Novudis

There it was. Thirty paces out, with a distinctive dark stripe running down its spine. Her family had been hunting the lead buck of this particular herd for years now, and she refused to be any different. Sure, she wasn't anywhere as large as Kneeven or Myrine, but she was fast, and that was all you really needed when it came to deer. Just catch hold of them, and the hunt is already a success. Novu had spent months training on rabbits of all things, and while her record wasn't as great as she would like, they had the cowards way out of hiding in burrows. A deer didn't have that luxury. 

Novudis closed her eyes for a moment, cataloging the next steps in her head to make sure she was ready. She was well rested, mostly downwind, hidden well by the undergrowth around her, and knew roughly where she was. She would need to focus on running the deer to the south, however, if she wanted to have an easier time carrying it back home. Peering up at the surface of the dome, it was clear she would need to reposition herself a bit to make sure it ran the right way. It was time to move.

She snuck through the undergrowth, careful not to make too much noise as she repositioned herself as needed. Her eyes would be focused on the deer as she moved, mainly focused on the lead buck. Her face formed into a confident smile. She was so close that she could almost taste it. She looked up at the sky again, Perfect. Everything was almost in order, just a couple more steps and she could spring forward towards her prey. Just need to not mess up

*Snap.*

She froze, Time seemed to slow down as she processed the sound. Then the sound of movement and the bolting of the herd snapped her back to reality. A curse escaped her lips as she burst out of the undergrowth after them. She ignored how the plants and branches snagged onto her fur, tearing out small tufts as she barreled after the escaping herd, determined to catch her prey. She Leapt Over fallen branches and rocks and narrowly managed to avoid smacking her head on a low-hanging branch as she rushed by.

She muttered curses under her breath. After all her careful planning and practice, it had to be a branch? Slowly, She Started catching up to the panicking herd of deer, her eyes darting around to try and spot the lead buck in the madness. Her eyes soon locked onto the buck, seeing the distinctive design of his pelt among the herd.

It didn't take long for her to lose sight of the animal again. In their panic, the other deer were running around her, running into her legs and sides. She was practically knocked off course as she tripped and stumbled over the panicking cervine. Curses slipped from her maw as her eyes flicked around, looking for the buck's pelt or horns among the herd. Different thoughts flashed through her mind. Among them, thoughts of doubt, what If she lost it- No. She banished that thought with a growl, She was only gonna let this hunt end one way.

Then, she once again caught sight of the buck, breaking off to the side of the herd. Determined not to have anything else separate her from her target, she forced her way through the herd. She eventually broke out, barreling after the buck. Managing to separate it from the herd, it eventually found itself alone, running for its life, With novu on its hind. This time, no matter how it weaved through the trees, it wasn't able to shake the rex off its trail. Slowly, Novu caught up to the buck, and then. .

She lunged, pushing herself forwards in a burst, jaws opened wide, jaws which then snapped around the buck's hind leg. She then stopped, using her weight to stop it and wrestle the buck to the ground. Pinning its body to the ground, she wrapped her paws around the base of its horns to hold its head still, Before giving its head a violent twist, Snapping its neck.

It almost took her a minute to process the hunt was over, and the buck's body was still. She slowly got up, catching her breath as she stared at the cooling corpse, still except for the occasional muscle spasm. As she looked up to the sky, basking in her victory, she paused. The chaos must have gotten her turned around, as she had ended up going north. She cursed under her breath, looking back down and picking up the corpse, slinging it over her back. This was gonna be a long walk home.

Artists: VincedMeat & BabyKitten