...
“Good camouflage, yes?” Vera beamed as she receded to the shadows...
... where her yellow eyes burnt brightly and her teeth glinted in the gloom.
...
The previous night, Lily had stayed safely tucked up in bed with the covers over her head, listening to the big winter storm as it swept through the forest.
Vera, on the other hand, had stood at the window, beaming and yelping with delight, as the rain beat down against the cosy cottage and the wind whipped - cold and fierce - against her face!
But even Vera wasn’t foolhardy enough to stand out in the darkness, in the middle of the gigantic storm!
However, the next morning Vera had obviously been busy: making a bow and sharpening some arrows, all fashioned out of the fallen branches.
She had been hunkered down for a while now - lying in wait for the deer to appear and munch on the fallen leaves....
Lily made her way over to Vera, who continued to lurk behind a leaf-laden branch as she scanned the horizon…
And so, the two friends settled down, remaining still and quiet, listening to the delicate sounds of the forest…
...
Lily sat and waited patiently. But soon, the clouds closed in and a chill struck the air.
It seemed as if their dinner would never appear.
Until, suddenly…
“…there…” Lily whispered, pointing to the brow of the hill.
Shhh now…
Vera raised her bow and aimed…
The arrow whipped through the air and found its target with a dull thud.
Vera let out a triumphant
“Yahoo!” and flew out of her hidey-hole with a single jump; hopping over the fallen trees with the lightest of feet towards her prey...