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Description
The day was brilliant, the sun shone bright and warm, but not oppressive. There was a slight breeze passing through in case you got too hot. Minami determined this to be the perfect day to go for a nice hunt. Better to do it now while the weather was nice than to wait until she absolutely needed to and risk fighting the elements. So she gathered her equipment and saddled her hunting party up with their necessary tack.

That day her party would consist of Argentum, Delphi, and... While she normally might have taken Elysium, she thought maybe this time she should take Bellona out with her. The akota had done well enough with her first meeting of the tokis, maybe taking them out hunting together would make for a good experience. No tack yet, though; that might be a little too far out of her comfort zone.

Minami carefully approached Bellona's space. "Hey, sweet girl. You want to come hunting with me?"

Bellona had been taking advantage of the lovely weather in her own way, dozing lazily in the sun. She cracked an eye open to stare at her handler across the way. She didn't move, but at least that meant she was listening.

"Come on, it will be fun, I promise! I'll bring some treats you can have if you do well." Minami knew her pack of tokis are extremely food motivated, so maybe Bell would be too.

The akota huffed out her nose and closed her eye again. Minami could swear she was smirking.

“Wha-?! Hey, come on, Bell, please! Just this once. If you really hate it then you’ll never have to come back again. It’s good to try new things.”

Minami couldn’t believe she was reduced to begging an animal, but a girl had to do what a girl had to do.

Bellona sighed out her nose, apparently realizing that Minami wasn’t going to be giving up any time soon. She got up with dramatic levels of slowness and stretched her limbs. Her strong jaws parted in a massive yawn. She fixed her handler with a dead stare as if asking, “Okay, you got me up, now what?”

Minami grinned, beyond relieved. Honestly, she wasn’t sure what she was going to do if Bellona didn’t agree to go. It wasn’t that she needed the akota to come along, but it would help with the socialization process.

“We don’t even have to do tack, okay? We can just go how you are.”

Minami had really hoped that would be reassuring for the akota, but she didn’t really react. Well at least no one could say she wasn’t trying.

“Come on, the others are already ready to go. They’re waiting for us.”

Minami took a few steps and looked back to make sure Bellona was following. Her heart fluttered a little when she saw the akota lumbering after her. She smiled at the large creature.

“You’ll have to be careful when we’re out there,” Minami told her. “If we’re too loud then we’ll alert our prey and it will run away. It’s a lot harder to catch when it’s running away, right?”

Bellona gave a huff to acknowledge her.

“When it’s time to pounce, I’ll give you a signal, okay?”

Minami snapped her fingers and pointed.

“Got it?”

Bellona inclined her head ever so slightly. Minami decided that that would have to suffice as a yes.

Soon they reached the edge of her territory where Argentum and Delphi were lying in wait. They got up and let out happy yips when they saw the approaching pair, their tails wagging happily.

“Alright, guys, we’re ready to head out. Let’s go!”

The group started their trek into the wild. The trio of tokotas had their ears perked and ready. The tokis held their noses near the ground, scrounging for any scents of prey. Bellona kept her head high, tasting the air and scanning the surroundings for anything the tokis might have missed.

After a few minutes of diligent scouring, Delphi paused and lifted her head. She swung her head around, searching for the source of the scent that had caught her attention. How she could see through the long hair in front of her eyes, Minami would never know.

She seemed to have found it, however, she gave a soft bark and crept off in another direction.

The rest of the party followed obediently. She had never led them astray before, there was no reason to start doubting her now.

As they approached the quarry with slow, carefully calculated steps, Minimi finally caught sight of it. There was a long legged buck with a rather impressive set of antlers grazing idly seemingly by himself.

The trio of tokotas tensed low to the ground, readying themselves to run and pounce on the unsuspecting deer.

The tense quiet was suddenly slashed by the exaggerated sound of a branch snapping. Minimi watched in guilty horror as the buck’s head shot up. His wide eyes met hers and he took off running like lightning ripping through the sky.

“Go! Go!”

There was no time to apologize, what was done was done and no amount of apologies could fix it anyway. Still, if her faithful hunting partners ran fast enough, she had faith they could catch up to the deer.

So the two tokis tore off after their prey like someone had lit a fire underneath their paws. It caused just about everything else in the area to also flee like their lives depended on it, but they were determined to get this one.

Bellona ran after them, but her greater bulk prevented her from going as far quite as fast.

Minami ran just behind the akota. Unfortunately humans just didn’t have the same levels of speed or stamina, but she would put forth her best effort!

It didn’t take long before Minami lost sight of the tokis. She wasn’t worried, though. She knew once they got the mark they’d be back before long. She kept going regardless so she could offer them assistance or further guidance should they need it.

Unfortunately, she was thinking more about her party and less about where she was going. She ended up slipping on who knew what, probably another stray twig or an unfortunately large root, and going for a tumble down a ravine. She let out a surprised cry while she fell until she hit the dirt again. When she got to the end all she could do was whimper in pain.

Her clothes had torn in spots and the skin underneath ended up damaged. There was blood, but thankfully, it wasn’t too bad. Her head was spinning and she let out a weak cry for help.

She didn’t think her injuries were bad enough to kill her, but the longer she laid there the worse her worries got.

There was rustling in the brush nearby and her breath stopped. A large predator wouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of her vulnerable state and make her their next meal. Minami looked around frantically. Her legs were all but useless, but maybe she could drag herself into cover and the animal would leave her alone.

“Ah! Bell!” Minami nearly cried when she saw the akota appear from the foliage.

Bellona’s gaze fixed on Minami, quickly appraising the situation. She came over, gently sniffing her handler.

“I fell, Bell. I need help. Can you do that for me?”

Bellona watched her for a moment. Minami desperately wished she could understand the thoughts that passed through her akota’s mind.

Bellona laid down beside her handler and pushed her head under her arm. She tried to get Minami to get on her back.

It took a few tries, but Minami picked up the hint. She was skeptical at first. This was the first time Bellona had let Minami touch her. She couldn’t be more thankful. A lot of sweat and pain later, Minami had managed to settle on the akota’s back.

Bellona waited until her handler was ready and took her back home with careful steps to avoid agitating her injuries any further.

Description
The day was brilliant, the sun shone bright and warm, but not oppressive. There was a slight breeze passing through in case you got too hot. Minami determined this to be the perfect day to go for a nice hunt. Better to do it now while the weather was nice than to wait until she absolutely needed to and risk fighting the elements. So she gathered her equipment and saddled her hunting party up with their necessary tack.

That day her party would consist of Argentum, Delphi, and... While she normally might have taken Elysium, she thought maybe this time she should take Bellona out with her. The akota had done well enough with her first meeting of the tokis, maybe taking them out hunting together would make for a good experience. No tack yet, though; that might be a little too far out of her comfort zone.

Minami carefully approached Bellona's space. "Hey, sweet girl. You want to come hunting with me?"

Bellona had been taking advantage of the lovely weather in her own way, dozing lazily in the sun. She cracked an eye open to stare at her handler across the way. She didn't move, but at least that meant she was listening.

"Come on, it will be fun, I promise! I'll bring some treats you can have if you do well." Minami knew her pack of tokis are extremely food motivated, so maybe Bell would be too.

The akota huffed out her nose and closed her eye again. Minami could swear she was smirking.

“Wha-?! Hey, come on, Bell, please! Just this once. If you really hate it then you’ll never have to come back again. It’s good to try new things.”

Minami couldn’t believe she was reduced to begging an animal, but a girl had to do what a girl had to do.

Bellona sighed out her nose, apparently realizing that Minami wasn’t going to be giving up any time soon. She got up with dramatic levels of slowness and stretched her limbs. Her strong jaws parted in a massive yawn. She fixed her handler with a dead stare as if asking, “Okay, you got me up, now what?”

Minami grinned, beyond relieved. Honestly, she wasn’t sure what she was going to do if Bellona didn’t agree to go. It wasn’t that she needed the akota to come along, but it would help with the socialization process.

“We don’t even have to do tack, okay? We can just go how you are.”

Minami had really hoped that would be reassuring for the akota, but she didn’t really react. Well at least no one could say she wasn’t trying.

“Come on, the others are already ready to go. They’re waiting for us.”

Minami took a few steps and looked back to make sure Bellona was following. Her heart fluttered a little when she saw the akota lumbering after her. She smiled at the large creature.

“You’ll have to be careful when we’re out there,” Minami told her. “If we’re too loud then we’ll alert our prey and it will run away. It’s a lot harder to catch when it’s running away, right?”

Bellona gave a huff to acknowledge her.

“When it’s time to pounce, I’ll give you a signal, okay?”

Minami snapped her fingers and pointed.

“Got it?”

Bellona inclined her head ever so slightly. Minami decided that that would have to suffice as a yes.

Soon they reached the edge of her territory where Argentum and Delphi were lying in wait. They got up and let out happy yips when they saw the approaching pair, their tails wagging happily.

“Alright, guys, we’re ready to head out. Let’s go!”

The group started their trek into the wild. The trio of tokotas had their ears perked and ready. The tokis held their noses near the ground, scrounging for any scents of prey. Bellona kept her head high, tasting the air and scanning the surroundings for anything the tokis might have missed.

After a few minutes of diligent scouring, Delphi paused and lifted her head. She swung her head around, searching for the source of the scent that had caught her attention. How she could see through the long hair in front of her eyes, Minami would never know.

She seemed to have found it, however, she gave a soft bark and crept off in another direction.

The rest of the party followed obediently. She had never led them astray before, there was no reason to start doubting her now.

As they approached the quarry with slow, carefully calculated steps, Minimi finally caught sight of it. There was a long legged buck with a rather impressive set of antlers grazing idly seemingly by himself.

The trio of tokotas tensed low to the ground, readying themselves to run and pounce on the unsuspecting deer.

The tense quiet was suddenly slashed by the exaggerated sound of a branch snapping. Minimi watched in guilty horror as the buck’s head shot up. His wide eyes met hers and he took off running like lightning ripping through the sky.

“Go! Go!”

There was no time to apologize, what was done was done and no amount of apologies could fix it anyway. Still, if her faithful hunting partners ran fast enough, she had faith they could catch up to the deer.

So the two tokis tore off after their prey like someone had lit a fire underneath their paws. It caused just about everything else in the area to also flee like their lives depended on it, but they were determined to get this one.

Bellona ran after them, but her greater bulk prevented her from going as far quite as fast.

Minami ran just behind the akota. Unfortunately humans just didn’t have the same levels of speed or stamina, but she would put forth her best effort!

It didn’t take long before Minami lost sight of the tokis. She wasn’t worried, though. She knew once they got the mark they’d be back before long. She kept going regardless so she could offer them assistance or further guidance should they need it.

Unfortunately, she was thinking more about her party and less about where she was going. She ended up slipping on who knew what, probably another stray twig or an unfortunately large root, and going for a tumble down a ravine. She let out a surprised cry while she fell until she hit the dirt again. When she got to the end all she could do was whimper in pain.

Her clothes had torn in spots and the skin underneath ended up damaged. There was blood, but thankfully, it wasn’t too bad. Her head was spinning and she let out a weak cry for help.

She didn’t think her injuries were bad enough to kill her, but the longer she laid there the worse her worries got.

There was rustling in the brush nearby and her breath stopped. A large predator wouldn’t hesitate to take advantage of her vulnerable state and make her their next meal. Minami looked around frantically. Her legs were all but useless, but maybe she could drag herself into cover and the animal would leave her alone.

“Ah! Bell!” Minami nearly cried when she saw the akota appear from the foliage.

Bellona’s gaze fixed on Minami, quickly appraising the situation. She came over, gently sniffing her handler.

“I fell, Bell. I need help. Can you do that for me?”

Bellona watched her for a moment. Minami desperately wished she could understand the thoughts that passed through her akota’s mind.

Bellona laid down beside her handler and pushed her head under her arm. She tried to get Minami to get on her back.

It took a few tries, but Minami picked up the hint. She was skeptical at first. This was the first time Bellona had let Minami touch her. She couldn’t be more thankful. A lot of sweat and pain later, Minami had managed to settle on the akota’s back.

Bellona waited until her handler was ready and took her back home with careful steps to avoid agitating her injuries any further.