Between Two Evils sp

With an arrow ready on her bow, Kwikstaart crouched behind a bush. She peered down the arrow shaft through the branches of the bushes. With her cheek resting against the bowstring and her eyes fixed on the opening in the trees at the edge of the forest, she waited. She had already heard the distinctive hoofbeats of deer. Kwikstaart checked the direction of the wind. She had pulled out a hair from her head and had hung it over a branch directly in front of her. If the wind had changed, it would have become pointless to wait any longer. The scent of her body and that of her companion Sluipende Puma would have been carried by the wind to their prey and the shy animals would avoid this watering hole.
Behind her, Kwikstaart heard the soft tapping of the beads of a necklace. Her friend Sluipende Puma thoughtlessly let beads slip through her fingers. Sluipende Puma was bored. Kwikstaart had instructed her to keep quiet, but she was very bad at it. Just as Kwikstaart was about to ask Sluipende Puma again to be silent, she saw the head of a deer emerge through the opening. It stood motionless and, twisting its ears, surveying the pool's surroundings closely. Kwikstaart feared it had heard the soft ticking sounds. The sound could not be identified by the animal.

Sluipende Puma gave up and ran after Kwikstaart into the woods. Kwikstaart followed the trail. She inspected the undergrowth, looking past low-hanging branches. A few dozen paces into the woods did she see what she was looking for. Drops of light red, almost pink, blood lay scattered on the foliage of a bush. A few steps further there was even a puddle on a leaf. It had air bubbles in it. “The lungs, Sluipende Puma!” Kwikstaart concluded, beckoning her friend along. Both continued in the direction indicated by the trail of blood.
"Do you think it will get far?" asked Sluipende Puma.
Kwikstaart shrugged, guarding the surroundings, keeping her bow ready. It wouldn't be the first time a predator tried to take control of the game she shot.
At last, they reached a clearing where the animal had succumbed. The mother sniffed at her foal and nudged it gently on the side with her nose, as if to persuade it to get up again. She startled at the sound of the two girls’ approach. She turned abruptly and disappeared into the undergrowth with a few quick jumps.
Sluipende Puma was about to kneel at the game, but Kwikstaart quickly pulled her to her feet. 'It might be still alive.' she warned. Sluipende Puma glanced at the sharp hooves and decided to keep a safe distance. Kwikstaart picked up a long twig and she tapped the eyeball with the end of it. The eye did not blink. "It's dead! Come on, get to work.” Kwikstaart said, reaching for her hunting knife. Sluipende Puma pulled up a hind leg and with quick strokes Kwikstaart cut the scent glands from the carcass. She carefully put them in a leather bag and went around the deer, making a cut in the skin that stretched across the chest. Kwikstaart cut over the breast and the stomach, while Sluipende Puma held the paws in the air, her head turned and swallowing hard.
“The front paws, Sluipende Puma!” asked Kwikstaart, stepping back. Sluipende Puma changed her position and pulled the animal up by its front legs. The entrails slid out. Kwikstaart leaned forward and entered the animal's carcass with both hands to cut loose the connective tissue around the stomach.
"Oh, this so gross." remarked Sluipende Puma, shivering. She was trying not to stare at the entrails steaming in the grass. Kwikstaart

smiled. "Want some liver?" she teased, pulling out the organ. That was too much for Sluipende Puma. She let go of the paws and, retching, headed for the bushes. Chuckling, Kwikstaart continued her work. By the time Kwikstaart was done with the butchering, Sluipende Puma felt well enough to return, and together they hoisted a branch from which their loot was hung onto their shoulders. Back at the waterhole, the girls waded into the water and rinsed the carcass clean. “Get some rest?” Sluipende Puma suggested, untangling her wet hair.
"Better not," said Kwikstaart, glancing up through the foliage above them. "It's too hot to leave our loot too long, and besides, it's getting late." Sluipende Puma looked at the sun and nodded. Kwikstaart took hold of her end of the branch to hoist it onto her shoulder, but Sluipende Puma made no attempt to pick up her end yet.
'Kwikstaart? Can I ask a favor?'
Kwikstaart impatiently gave her a curt nod.
"Could I have the skin of the deer?" Sluipende Puma smiled her sweetest smile.
“I killed it!” Kwikstaart protested.
"Of course. You did. That's why I'm asking, right?" Sluipende Puma said soothingly. "I want a deerskin so bad, and you know I'm not as good a hunter as you are!" Seeing Kwikstaart about to give in, she added. "You already have so many, and I don't have even one. Please?'
“Well, Okay. If you must.” Kwikstaart conceded.
“Thank you. You're a real friend!” beamed Sluipende Puma. “But uh…, if mom asks, would you say I shot it?”
Kwikstaart raised an eyebrow. "I don't think there's much chance of your mother asking me anything, don't you think?" “Um, oh yes.” Sluipende Puma replied, biting her lip. "No, I don't think that's likely, no."
"Well, shall we, then?" suggested Kwikstaart.
"Yes, let’s go!" answered Sluipende Puma relieved. She took her end of the branch and hoisted it onto her shoulder.

It stood with its ears forward, staring in the direction of the two girls. Kwikstaart held her breath and mentally cursed her friend. The persistence of the sound seemed to reassure the deer, however. It even seemed to make her curious. Inquisitive, it took a step forward toward the hiding place. Kwikstaart now hoped that Sluipende Puma would continue. She gently drew the feathered tail of the arrow back onto the bowstring.
Impatiently, other deer pushed past the lead deer to the watering hole, and Kwikstaart spotted her prey. A foal of a few months old was allowed game and Kwikstaart chose one that hopped along with her mother on her way to the water's edge. She traced with the point of her arrow where it should enter the body just behind the front legs. She then pointed the arrow slightly downward and let go. Sluipende Puma heard the vibration of the bowstring and looked up. She straightened from her sitting position to peer through the gaps between the branches and just caught sight of the last animals of the herd disappearing into the woods. “Do you have one?” she whispered excitedly.
Kwikstaart shrugged and picked up another arrow. She docked it and shifted her body to relax her muscles. Sluipende Puma had already risen. "Come on, let's go see," she suggested.
"Wait, wait." said Kwikstaart calmly.
Sluipende Puma knelt and peered through the undergrowth again. "They're all gone, you know. Are you sure you hit one?” Kwikstaart shook her head in denial. She hadn't seen the arrow strike. In the sudden disarray of the fleeing deer, Kwikstaart had lost sight of her prey. She knew, however, that if she had hit him where she aimed, it wouldn't get very far. Sluipende Puma lacked Kwikstaart’s patience and squeezed her way out through the opening. She ran around the bushes of their hiding place to the waterhole and looked around at the place where the deer had just been drinking. "I don't see an arrow, Kwikstaart." she called over her shoulder. She walked around searching, looking for blood. Instead of aiding her search, Kwikstaart walked on to where the deer had disappeared into the woods. “Not there, Sluipende Puma!” she said to her friend as she passed.