[Tokotas] Startling Moose

Sebastian’s PoV

Soft. Steady. Meticulous…

Misu’s paws, though large, made next to no noise as she placed each foot carefully in front of the other. Crouched low at her side was Dahl, and Nikita mimicked the two on her opposite flank. Even I kept my body close to the bushes, barely moving because—let’s be honest here—there was no way I could be as silent as these natural predators. I didn’t have the practice, and my species had long ago repressed the instinct.

Maria was not too far from my side. She was new-ish at this, though not entirely. New to Kiro and I more than anything. But today Kiro wasn’t around. It was just us, her Tokota Alcina, and my buddy Skarn—a Tokota borrowed. His handler wanted him trained in the finesse of hunting. Away from familiar Tokotas, who would act more like playful distractions.

Skarn stood way to the left. Far from me, and far from the other Tokotas as well. Unlike the rest, he was waiting patiently for his cue.

Independent as Alcina was, the more she hunted with the same group, the more collaborative she became. Probably because everyone here fell into their proper place, in her mind. Misu was the only challenge and even she was quick—although reluctant—to accept Alcina’s leadership, though as of late I noticed Nikita growing less and less tolerant of being bossed around…

Especially during hunts.

The moose ahead hadn’t noticed any of the Tokotas. She continued right on grazing; pulling strips of bark covered in wintery frost from the tree trunks. Teeth crunching as if nothing in the world could go wrong.

There were a lot of Tokota eyes gleaming in the moonlight that she had yet to see. Greens. Golds. Blues… A whole spectrum of colours reflecting the spirit of these wonderful—albeit powerful—animals.

Then Alcina took her chance.

In one instant the moose had turned just a touch away from us, and in the next, Nikita tripped up Alcina and the moose, startled by the clash of brutes nearby, bolted.

From my peripheral I saw Skarn jump into action. He sprinted after her, easily clearing the foliage. He was agile. Able to veer around the trees tighter than Dahl could, though bless his heart the big lout was trying. Misu stood, calmer than the rest, and rolled on over to step right in between Niki and Alcina’s teeth. She mouthed onto Niki’s muzzle. Held it shut without breaking the skin.

Alcina snarled from where she stood with her tail raised high.

Now that the moose couldn’t be startled any more than she already was, Maria and I made our way to the females.

“Play nicely,” she chided Alcina gently; but the Tokota did appear to settle down.

I made sure I was right in front of Nikita and eye-level with her before I spoke: “Cut it out,” a firm, but not angry, command. Then I stepped aside and gestured towards the valley, where Dahl and Skarn had the moose running to-and-fro between them. “Go!”

At first, nobody moved.

“Go, go, go!” I waved my hand for emphasis.

Misu bounded off obediently, and Alcina waited for a pat from Maria before she galloped after the piebald. Niki hung her head guiltily, tilting it sideways and huffing apologetically as she slipped by me, then sped up to regain the ground her newfound attitude had lost us.

If anything, I owed Maria an apology. “Sorry about that,” I dusted my hands together and sighed. “She’s gotten a bit…”

“She’s grown a spine?” Maria chimed. Shaking her head, she grinned. “No need to apologize for that. Come on, we’re missing all the fun!”

Laughing as she skipped by, I broke into a run to keep up.

As a safety precaution, both Maria and I were equipped with weapons. I had a bow and quiver strapped to my back and a pair of hunting knives at my belt. If it was absolutely necessary—and only then—I also had a rifle tucked up behind that quiver. Risking my own Tokotas if things got ugly was one thing; but risking someone else’s… well, if Skarn returned with an injury, I’d never be allowed to handle him again.

But for now, it was unnecessary.

Usually that was the case.

The moose was corralled between a ring of fully-grown Tokotas now. She called out, loudly, for help that didn’t exist and ran circles along the inside; dodging the snapping of teeth and swiping of massive claws.

It was sad to watch.

“Stop playing with her…” a hand reached back to the grip of my bow as I spoke.

Maria looked at me—I didn’t see her gaze, I just felt it—but I stayed by her on the outskirts of the pack.

One of Dahl’s ears flicked towards my mumbled voice. Nikita stepped forward and when she did, Alcina and Misu did as well. Skarn, however, was the hunter who nabbed the kill—he jumped in ahead of everyone else, using his weight to bring the moose down as he did.

It always had to be quick. Quick was key. The ruddy brown male made sure that it was, and Maria and I would ensure that none of it would go to waste.

When the moose finally stopped kicking, I shooed the gang of Tokotas away and kept them away until Maria returned with the ropes.

“Go on,” Maria pushed Alcina aside to give us enough room to bring the sled in. We roped the beast and strapped the haul to Skarn. Dahl was the biggest Tokota and could have easily pulled her; but this was Skarn’s takeaway from the hunt and we were going to let him take as much pride in it as he could.

He seemed to think dragging it back towards home was an honour.

That done, we tacked and mounted Dahl and Alcina. We would flank Skarn—moving along back at the moose carcass to prevent any other predators from stealing it—, leaving the lead positions up to Misu and Nikita.

We weren’t too far on our way when the Tokotas were on the alert again. Nikita paused mid-step, lifting her head higher to stare at a moving silhouette along the horizon.

Another moose. A bull, with antlers that barely outshone the rest of his bulk, obvious as it was from even this distance.

“Another one,” Maria muttered as Alcina stopped. Then Dahl, Misu, and Skarn did as well. “What do you think?”

Alcina chuffed and Skarn began to whine eagerly. Misu’s and Nikita’s tails both began to sway, one quicker than the other’s. Dahl was passive as always, panting as he glanced back at me for orders.

I smirked. “Doesn’t seem like we have much of a choice. Think we can use it all?”

“Even if we can’t, someone will want it.”

“Fair enough,” I spurred Dahl a short ways ahead and began to loosen Skarn’s anchor. “I’ll sit tight here and watch what we do have. You go on ahead.”

“Aye-aye!” Alcina and Maria were kicking up snow dust soon after. Dahl snuffed it out of his face and shook it from his neck ruff. The remaining three Tokotas quickly went after Maria, not inclined to miss a good hunt themselves.

To them I think it was a lot like a game. They were wild animals at heart. Predators. They practiced by chasing and pouncing on one another as pup’s, and even as adults I was certain they enjoyed it as play. Still, we prevented them from causing any unnecessary bloodshed. Trained them against the ‘game’, and turned it into a job.

At the end of the day, you could only do so much.

With no danger in sight at the present time, I laid forward on Dahl’s neck and rubbed my fingers under the thick fur. The warmth radiated right through my mitts. But from here, I had the perfect vantage point to watch the outcome of our second hunt that day. Two was a rare thing. Especially when my girls had a trip or two where they showed up empty-handed… The spirits must have been feeling generous.

Our second hunt would be brought to town and given to someone who needed it more. After all, the best way to show how grateful we were for the kindness was to pay forward the favour.