Jasper's Hunt

Jasper

Jasper bellied through the undergrowth, the pine needles clinging to his fur and the scent of deer in his nose. The herd was gathered in a little glade, the mothers making nests out of the grass in which they lay with their young, whilst the buck with his head of dangerous horns watched over them. The herd was restless, the mother’s eyes opening frequently and their ears twitching. They knew that the pack hunted the woods but counted on their stillness and camouflage to hide them from sight.

This was not their night.

The pack circled them. When the wolves were in position, downwind so that the keen noses of the deer could not detect them, they filled the gap so that their scent would reach the buck. Jasper saw the great beast tense, his head lifting, his nostrils sucking in as he identified the predators. The mothers and their babies became alert. For a moment, nothing happened, and then there was a break, and suddenly deer scattered wildly, and the wolves dived in, dodging the