Her nose brushed against the sandy ground as she walked and sniffed, trying to find the cougars that the Earth God spoke of. She snorted as sand entered her nostrils then sneezed and raised her head to look around. The land was barely more than a wasteland. Why cougars would want to call this home was beyond her. The prey had to be minimal with shade and water even more minimal. No wonder their young were dying quickly and she needed to help them.

Her tail slapped against her flanks as she continued to walk. Every now and again the the wind would carry the scent of the big cats, but she could not see them. Their tanned coats helped them to blend with their surroundings. It seemed that she would have to rely on her hearing and smell to find them since the Earth God didn't tell her exactly where to look.

The mare's ears twitched as the sounds of voices filtered in. She stopped and listened to them as they bitched and moaned about missing a kill and the Earth God. A grin cracked her lips when one of them asked if they could eat her only to be reprimanded by another. They could try to kill her. They might even succeed, but she wouldn't go down without a fight. She would burn them all.

"Don't anger them, Histe." Huinne's voice reminded her.

It was then that she realized that the wind had begin to pick up, a telltale sign that she was brewing a storm. Histe forced herself to calm as she scanned the horizon before finally locating the cougars. Boldly, she strode toward them, head raised and tail lashing at her hocks, even when she stopped and looked at them.

"The Earth God sent me to aide you." She said, her voice as gruff as it usually was.

The mare's pale eyes narrowed on the female cougar as she said that she was unneeded. It took all her strength not to bite back and point out the tribe's decline in numbers that was statement enough that they needed all the help they could get. Her eyes slid over to the male that spoke next, suggesting that she mask their scent.

"I have magic." She answered the cougars. "I summon burning rain. You would not find it effective." They would only yowl and complain about the burning instead of appreciate it like she did.

"I will hunt and kill your deer myself." She decided rather quickly. "Come along only if you believe you will not slow me down." She turned, then, and began to trot away to find one of the herds that the cougars spoke of.

"Only one of them is coming."

"I know." Histe answered gruffly, casting a glance at the male that had decided to come along with her. One ear tilted toward him as he called the rest of the tribe fools and said that he would hunt with her. "Don't slow me down." She warned the cougar before transitioning into a swift canter. Her nares flared as she moved, taking in the scents of the land around her, searching out that herd.

The mare suddenly slowed to a stop and looked at the cougar. Smell that?" She asked, a wicked little grin creasing her lips. The mare slapped her tail against her flanks and walked forward to one of the many boulders that dotted the desert. Histe sidled up along side it then peeked around it at the deer that had gathered there.

"Stay here." She instructed without looking at Merikh. "If they come this way kill one." With that said she slipped away from the boulder and walked forward, her head down as she emulated grazingAll she needed to do was get close to one of them. Once she was close all she needed to do was strike one in the head. It would go down, she was confident. Then she would smash its head in.

Histe moved easily and fluidly toward the deer herd, continuing to pretend like she was grazing all the while. She grabbed a mouthful of grass then lifted her head and chewed as she looked around casually, her ears flicking back and forth as if she were listening for a predator.

The mare lowered her head once more and continued to creep closer to the herd, effectively maneuvering around the deer until she came to a stop standing in front of one of them. One of her ears tilted back and she watched the deer, waiting for it to lower its head. When it did she sent a powerful kick in its direction, aiming to smash the animal's skull and kill it quickly.

There was the sound of bone crunching as her hoof smashed in the deer's skull. It went down quickly, without a fight and the herd bolted. Histe lifted her head, her pale eyes going back to where she had told the cougar to hide and a grin creased her lips as she watched it take down another one of the deer. That was all she needed to complete the task the female cougar had put before her.

She snorted at the cougar when he said they needed to bring the deer back. She very well knew that and didn't need the cougar to tell her what to do.

"Carry them."

Histe snorted again at her father's voice then lowered her head to the deer's midsection and began to lift it. She was able to slide the animal over her neck and hefted it onto her back then turned and walked toward the cougar. "Put it on my back, you dragging that will take forever." And she wanted to be done with hunting for the cougars.

The mare moved quickly through the desert even with the weight of two dead deer slung across her back. Their blood ran in rivulets down her sides and dripped into the sand, leaving a trail as they walked. The feel of blood should have been off putting, but its warmth excited the mare. It made her eyes burn with the desire to kill.

She shook the dead deer from her back when they finally reached the pack of cougars and she watched them intently as they ripped through flesh and tore chunks of meat from the dead animals. Only when the cougar spoke did her attention turn from the pack.

"Isn't a companion what you came here for?"

Histe tilted her ears back, but ignored her brother's stupid question. "Yes." She finally said. "Eat your fill, then we leave."