Dragonfly’s tail waved as his surprise at her origins. At least she had managed some individuality among others he probably had met. Her pleasant grin turned into an entertained smile as she listened to his humorously delivered reasons for remaining a loner. He took life with such a comedic edge! It was easy to have fun with him. In response to his flirtatious “One must keep on their toes, you know,” and wink, she played along by hopping unto the tips of her pads and prancing beside him with fancy paws.

She raised her eye ridges twice at him, and then smoothly dropped her elevated gate into a stretched stalk as they entered the area of their hunt that required silence. Dragonfly was astounded by the accuracy in which Jackdaw had lead them to their prey; they didn’t need to adjust their position to remain undetected by the deer heard. She expected him to finish leading the hunt, being as he’d done such a spectacular job of tracking, but he made eye contact with her and made his expectations clear when he allowed her to step a few paces ahead of him.

Oh dear. Dragonfly felt her hear flutter up towards her mouth in a lump. The pressure of being called on to impress was more than she had expected. Her mind whirled for a moment with everything she should do for a successful hunt all at once! The flurry of thoughts was hard to follow, and so quick, that she couldn’t enact it. In response to her chaotic catastrophe of thoughts, Dragonfly froze to focus herself.

She’d done this a hundred times! It would go well if she didn’t think to much about it. With a soft breath out, Dragonfly proceeded carefully nearer to the deer. She waved a paw at Jackdaw to tell him to stay in a spot where a fawn was ambling towards. Then, she slunk through the brush like a slinky around the herd. She would be able to scare the deer enough to send the adults flying in one direction, and a particular fawn in the direction of Jackdaw; deer were nice in that they left their young behind unlike and elk or moose, who who defend a fawn.

Dragonfly worked her way 180 degrees so that the fawn she’d selected would be sandwiched between her and her hunting teammate. With impeccable timing, she arrived just when there was visible space between the fawn and its mother. She launched herself out into the open instinctually, her vivid eyes focused intently on her target. The rush of leaves sent the deer into a panic! all of them moved away from her, and the fawn moved in the direction it most naturally could; forwards, and towards Dragonfly’s hidden partner in crime.