“Oh shit,” the hawk thought, as its shadow fell directly over Mouse. But Mouse continued to forage, unaware of the danger above. The hawk, cursing his sloppiness, adjusted his angle to account for the sun and started the dive. An instant before the fatal impact, Mouse surprisingly darted clear of danger. Before the hawk could react the trap was sprung, Cat pounced from the tall grass and locked her jaws around the hawk’s throat. As the hawk sputtered “What the fu-” SNAP went his neck.
There was no cheering, nor tiny high fives. Mouse and Cat simply set to the work of preparing the kill for supper and travel. The hunt each day was all that kept the unlikely pair from murdering each other during the night. Or so Mouse thought. But Cat was bound by a promise, a promise she cursed herself daily for making, but that she could never break.