Branches snapped and snagged in Neela's fur as the collie barrelled past but she gave them no notice, her attention captured by the small deer in-front of her; by a stroke of luck Neela had somehow managed to chase the deer back onto Casa land as she was returning from her trip to Cercatori de Arte and she had no intention of losing it. Neela had attempted to hunt on the trip outwards but had been unsuccessful and both the journey and the effort of her failed hunt had left her hungry.
Neela wasn't the best at hunting on land, she had bad endurance and little strength to wrestle down her prey and altogether she had much more success fishing, but she had gotten lucky and hit the deer with a throwing knife to the thigh, which was slowing it down. Factor in Neela's speed, which was good, and the fact that her small, lithe Lupus form was much more agile that the deer, able to duck and weave around major obstacles much quicker, and Neela was slowly gaining.
The final stroke for the deer came from above. While the chicks were lagging behind somewhat Grynn had surged ahead, her fully grown body capable of reaching speeds far beyond any other animal in the world when in flight. When she swooped down to strike the deer Neela couldn't even see her, only the spurt of blood from the deer's face that marked her passing. Stunned by the sudden pain the deer reared upwards and Neela threw herself forwards, landing on its back with her jaw clamped around its neck.
One short but frantic struggle later the deer was dead and Neela collapsed, panting, by its side. Neela was much more suited to combat in Optime form, weaving around her foe and delivering quick shrieks with her knives, and the frantic grappling that had just occurred strained her endurance. Neela heard a fluttering besides her as Grynn and the chicks descended to pick at the carcass but for the moment she didn't move and eat any herself, instead she just lay there and panted to try and cool herself down.
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