Hunt the Fox

Winter was slowly turning to spring, with grass peeking through the snow. Small tufts were everywhere, giving a sense of new birth, a sense of hope. The sun beat down upon the forest, turning everything into a bright, sparkling, glowing world. It was picturesque, the way the world appeared. More than picturesque, it was perfect. The best day to go out on a hunt. The Tokotas were restless, eager to enjoy the sun and catch some new prey. Today, Luke was once again taking on a dangerous fox hunt in rabbit form. His Tokotas, along with some friends, would both catch prey and defend Luke from becoming prey himself. Of Lukes pack, Partas and Kuon were along for the day. Partas the large tawny male, with his white stripe on his forehead. All Partas loved was hunting, so he was pleased to take part once again. Kuon was a small piebald male, playful and obnoxious. Kuon also suffered from an inability to stand still for any moment, and so was energetically running around the pack.

Now, three other Tokotas were being led by Luke. Khal being one of them, a male in the prime of his life. Khal disliked having a handler ride on him, and so Luke hopped along, avoiding the sharp teeth. A lack of morals on Khals part made this hunt a little dangerous, with the potential of sadism occurring. Poor prey, hopefully it was fast. Ghel was also here today, and she was another short tempered Tokota. Since her dislike mostly ran towards females, she was being kept far away from the last member of the hunting party. Monet. A beautiful female, with patches of colour showing on her white coat, like grass peeking through the snow. Each Tokota had its own personality, its own attitude to life. And its own attitude to the hunt. This should be a fun day, that is for certain.

The group set out, with Luke riding on the back of Monet. Monet was gentle, and so pretty. Her luxurious fur was a miracle to rest on. Partas scouted the trail ahead, accompanied by Ghel. They were both the best trackers of the group, when it came to scent. Khal and Kuon were in charge of tracking through sound, listening intently for the scurrying of paws, or the beat of hooves on the snow. Monet and Luke remained in the centre of the group, searching for both sound and scent. In this way, they intended to make the most of the group, utilising each ones strengths to their advantage. Whilst separating those that did not get along, of course.

A rumble echoed around the group, startling Khal. Was it an attack? Was a bear about to rampage down on them? No. Nothing as scary as that. Or as tempting, if you were Khal or Partas. Khal was welcoming the taste of blood, the kill, and Partas just wanted to catch something. In fact, the noise was coming from a much closer source. Not outside the group, but inside. It was the sound of Ghel’s stomach. It was rumbling, gurgling, making all sorts or worrying noises. Ghel gave a huff of annoyance, and continued on, more determined now. She picked up the pace, speeding the group along. The hunt must occur before her stomach ate itself in its hunger. She was always hungry, always ready to eat. Ready to devour a succulent, juicy meal, cooked or raw. Whatever she caught, or whatever her handler provided for her.

A grin was present on Kuon’s furry face, finding amusement in the hunger. He found amusement in most things, and was currently barely resisting causing trouble. Kuon felt slightly ignored by Luke, his handler, not Monet’s handler. Why must Luke sit on another? Luckily for them, hunger drove him on determinedly, keeping his mind focused on the hunt ahead. His stomach was also complaining, but not as badly. The rest shared a look, they were feeling hungry too. With that decided, they hurried on. Prey would stand no chance against this group, not this day. Not when all were this determined to catch fresh meat.

A rustle in the undergrowth ahead made them pause. It sounded small, possibly too small to bother with. But it may be a fox, and hunting foxes was a well-loved Tokota tradition. Their meat was so tasty, and the fur so useful for clothing or bedding. Monet especially wanted to catch a fox, as it was her favourite prey.

Stalking forward, Monet took the initiative to find out what the noise was coming from. A fuzzy tail swished forwards and backwards, sweeping the air under her nose. It was a fox! A clueless one at that, to not detect a pack of Tokotas and one rabbit. The entire group managed to circle around the unsuspecting little fox, and sit there staring at it in shock. It continued to dig about in the dirt, hunting for something itself. Getting bored of the delay, Khal snapped. He pounced, taking the fox out by brute force. I shall not go into the details, but let’s just say one carcass was added to the total of today. Khal slung the body along his back, and set off, wanting to hurry and catch more prey.

So the group continued onwards, on the hunt once more. The scent of prey so close was a distraction to them all, throwing off their tracking. Was there something behind? No, it was just Khal with the fox along his back. Monet sniffed in irritation, and nuzzled Luke, thankful that Khal had not gotten close to him. Or that Ghel had not either. Both would potentially forget their obedience and cause damage to his fragile body. Monet’s motherly instincts were kicking in where Luke was concerned.

Kuon was the one to find the next trail, another fox judging by the paw prints. He ran ahead, finding not one, but three foxes. Ghel snapped one up, Partas the other. Soon, more would fall prey to their jaws. The wind rustled the tree leaves, sending a soothing touch over the Tokotas. The wind certainly calmed Ghel a little, as she appeared to settle down, walking with a more limber, relaxed stride.

As the day progressed, more and more prey did fall victim to the group. Khal, Ghel, Partas, Kuon and Monet each caught at least one fox, as it appeared that foxes were plentiful today. Who knew where the overflow of foxes was coming from? Whatever was causing this, Luke was pleased. More prey meant more food, and more food meant happier Tokotas. And if he returned the Tokotas happy to their owners, complete with prey, then that meant happy handlers and happy Luke. Maybe he should charge just to take others Tokotas out for them, to exercise them, to help them hunt. He certainly loved the day trips into the forest.

Soon, it was time to call it quits. The Tokotas were beginning to tire, and tiredness made them all snappy. And for the easily annoyed ones, they just became unmanageable. Before accidents happened, it was time to head home. And to return Khal, Ghel and Monet to their rightful owners. Complete with prey, hopefully. Unless it was eaten on the journey home, but that should not happen. Surely they could hold onto their appetites a little while longer? Let’s hope. Somehow, the journey home felt like it stretched on forever, a never ending trek across the wilderness. By the time they were anywhere near camp, everyone’s paws were aching. Even Luke’s, for he had changed back into a human and walked next to the pack. All to spare Monet or one of the others the extra burden.