My Hunt

That's it. Just a little more and the trap will be set. I was looking at a three horned food. This is all too easy. Three horns never seem to be that hard when a plan comes together. I could see it through the bushes. It looked so good. So much meat. Food. Good. The herd is far away. All too easy three horn.

My father will be proud. This is my first hunt. This will be a good hunt. He has taught me well. He knows much more than any other male in our pack. He has taught me well. That is why he is the Alpha- Male. And he has taught me well.

I can see the female with the scar now. Not far behind the three horn. Then I looked to the side. The one with the red stripe is in place. Then to the other side. The one with large hump is ready. All too easy. Soon we will have plenty of food. Soon father will be proud. I stepped. No. A noise, I had made a noise. The female looked at me now. She seemed angry. I have endangered the hunt. The three horn stopped grazing and looked around. Not easy. It stepped towards its herd.

" Rrrrraaaarrrrrr!!"

The female said. The call to attack. Out from the bushes came my pack. We ran towards the three horn. The one with the red stripe got to it first. Jumping in grace he landed on its back. Biting and tearing the food's flesh. It seemed good. I jumped, I landed. I started to tear with my toe claw. It felt good. My father will be proud. No. I am too close to the three horn's head. Father warned me of this. Get too close to a three horn's head is bad. It jerked its head at me, and I could see its eyes. The eyes full of fear and pain, but also the will to survive. Like all of us. It got one of its horns around me and drove me into the ground. It hurt. My blood fell to the ground. A wound. A wound I would recover from. Pain. I felt pain. So much pain. I saw my blood, and I looked at my pack killing the three horn. It was bleeding. Like me. It felt pain, like me. It was just like me, able to feel pain and fear. Why? Why do we put other things in so much pain?

The three horn fell to the ground. It was dead. My first hunt. As I went towards the food I found a place to eat. I looked back towards its herd. There I saw its family. It had family. They must feel pain too. How can we do this. I looked at the three horn. Its eyes still open. I couldn't eat it. It was just like me.

I got the female.

" ( in raptor tongue) How can we do this?"

"what?"

" Eat a creature who is just like us. It feels pain. Just like me."

She paused for a second.

"When you leaped on it, it felt good?"

"yes. . . "

"that is because it is was we are suppose to do. The plant eaters eat plants. We eat plant eaters."

"But why?"

"That is how it is. . . You saw in its eyes the will to survive?"

"yes. . . "

"It is that will that drives us to kill them. Without them we would die. It has been that way for all time. They get eaten by us. This is how we survive."

I looked down it still didn't feel right.

"come my son. Let us join in the food. You must be hungry. . . Please eat young one. IT is our way. . ."

I nodded my head. It still didn't feel right. But that is how it is. I walked with my mother the great female with a scar down her eye. My mother. A wise mother. A good hunter.

"I am proud of you. Not many of us realize the pain we must give to survive. Not even your father. My son you are special."

My mother was proud of me not for my skill, but for my thoughts. It felt good. She was proud of me. My father was proud of me. But I wasn't sure I was proud of him. But this is the way. We kill plant eaters. That is that.

I put my head in the body, and ate some meat.