The Adventures of Olund and Sidon

Chapter 3, Lost

The alliance with the wolves worked well and the two brothers were quickly accepted into the pack. The wolves, first wary of their presence, soon grew very fond of them. The snow leopards shared a small tent on the outskirts of the camp. The wolves were sociable by nature, a stark contrast to the solitary tendencies of the cats. The tents were simple in their design. Comfort and warmth were secondary to mobility. The wolves were always ready to pack everything and move at a moments notice.

The group was getting increasingly desperate. Everyone was on the brink of starvation and none of the scouts had caught wind of any prey. Panic was setting in, and even the strongest of their number was feeling the effects of malnourishment. Today's hunt had the pack run briskly to the north and east. After an hour of running, the wolves picked up a new scent. One of the scouts spotted a new prey. Bison, a whole herd was nearby. They easily spotted the thousand strong heard. No one from the pack had ever hunted bison before. The sightings were too rare, and the bison too dangerous. They could easily crush any wolf or cat under their immense weight or eviscerate with their sharp horns. The previous days had offered nothing to the wolves. This was an opportunity too good to pass up. The pathfinders returned to the rest of the hunters and told them the news. Emboldened by their hunger and number of hunters, the pack got ready to attack.

"Bison?" asked Trin enthusiastically. "At least a thousand." Replied Olund. The young wolves were eager to go, but the elders advised caution.

"We know nothing about bison." Said one of the older hunters. "Attacking them is a mistake that will cost many lives."

"You are right, we are not experienced in this hunt, but we need to do this. Food is scarce, and we have many to feed. We may never receive an opportunity like this again. We must attack, but we will do so carefully." Said Trin. This answer seemed to satisfy everyone. They spent the next hour discussing how they could possibly hunt this new prey that they knew nothing about.

"We will attack the weakest in their herd." Ordered Trin. "Ha! The weakest of those bison is five times stronger than the strongest wolf!" replied one of the hunters. "Then we will have to outnumber and outfight him." Said Trin.

The fifty strong pack shadowed the bison for the better part of the morning. The bison grazed in near silence, not chatting and socializing like the deer the wolves were used to. The behemoths saw the pack, but it raised little concern among their ranks. The bison didn't expect the wolves to attack. The wolves were starving and were noticeably lanky as of late. The young bison were protected by a ring of muscle. There was no way to reach them without first fighting the strongest of the herd, a prospect not even the boldest of the wolves thought favorable.

"Sidon," said Olund, "Yes," replied the small cat. "This is too big a fight for you. This is not safe for anyone and I don't want you to get hurt. If you wait right here, you will be safe." Sidon was disappointed. He knew as well as anyone that bison sightings were few and far between. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity and he didn't want to miss it. However, he begrudgingly agreed to his brother's terms. Sidon sat down in the grass to the south and west of the herd and watched the desperate offensive.

The attack started like any other. The pack of wolves trotted towards the herd in an attempt to convince the bison to run. It worked. The bison didn't think the wolves would attack, so when it came they were unprepared. Chaos ensued. The earth shook under the weight of the thousands of hooves. They ran north-east as fast as they could. The old and weak fell behind and were tackled by the hunters. Without warning, the herd changed directions. They turned around and charged the wolf pack. Both sides ran aimlessly in the panic. The wolves scattered out of the way of the stampede, but the bison did not turn to follow them. Both sides only wanted to flee the other. The wall of bison blew out of the clearing and towards the forest, heading straight towards Sidon. The small cat jumped to his feet and ran away as fast as he could. The herd was faster than the young boy, and they soon over took him.