"I'm sorry, we're hunting a–What?" Despite all of Bambi's intimiating appearance with her imposing size, brooding eyes, and dark feathers–she was really a big softie. "Nukap," Shenzi explained again, "Invasive wild pigs." Pyro stood silently in the sand, a proud ruukan doe with a pelt as fiery as her attitude. She'd had dealings with those before–ferocious nukap–and was always willing to test the might of her hooves and antlers against them.

"Doesn't that seem cruel?" Bambi frowned a bit, shocked that the tsabhua spoke so easily of violence. "What do you mean?" Shenzi responded, oblivious. "We're omnivores—" She suddenly realized that Pyro, a known herbivore, was standing there. "I mean, didn't I see you cough down a whole rat earlier?"

"But–But that was my dinner!" Bambi yelped. Tears momentarily welled up in her eyes, but she swallowed it down, her muffled ruffle rattling from the breath. Pyro rolled her eyes, though she was even secretly skeptical about hunting alongside known predators. As a ruukan, she had scars deep under her fur from wolves who had faces and claws very similar to Shenzi's own. "The nukap are invasive," she declared, "They have to be hunted."

The black tsabhua shook her head and scraped the hot sweat off her brow. "We'll set off when the final drop of sunlight disappears beyond the horizon." Bambi gulped–that would be in about twenty minutes. Pyro stood strong and capable, staring off over the desert with a fierce determination as she mentally readied her body.

Night had shadowed across the desert, and while it had brought out the heart-stopping heat, it had replaced it with a bone-cold chill. The valleys and waves of sand appeared like a dark ocean, twisting and turning with high crests. Sand sparkled when hit by the glint of the only moon that was out, revealing hoof-shaped footprints traveling in a herd across the sliding sand.

"I hate sand," Bambi squeaked, touching it with the tip of her toe before fluttering back onto Pyro's red shoulders. "Are you going to complain the whole time?" The ruukan grumbled. "N-No," Bambi fluttered her wings, "I just–"

"Fly," Shenzi commanded, "Fly ahead and scout where the tracks are going. If you can do that for us, we'll handle the rest." The aerial gulped. With a wing beat, her hazel fur started high above them in the sky, glancing around for the nearest hoof prints. "They're this way!" Pyro declared, huffing air out of her snout. She pushed herself into a hard trot, leading Shenzi on behind her as she tracked the scent.

Bambi soared overhead, following the duo. When her keen eyes caught the tracks ahead, she gave a loud whistle and tilted her feathers to turn after the trail. Pyro raised her head, hearing the call. "Have you seen these nukap before, tsabhua?" The ruukan addressed her hunting partner. "No," Shenzi admitted. "But I know how to kill." In another life, wherein her Captain had been less concerned with jewels, she may have been a career hunter instead of a miner. Bambi's dark feathers risked disappearing into the night, and she had to sincerely focus on the skies to see the aerial. "They're brutal, wild beasts," Pyro shook her head, "Prepare yourself for war."

The hazel aerial swirled around, flapping back towards the two. "The herd is here–in the valley just overtop of that sand dune!" She gestured to a tall, dark wave of sand ahead. Pyro and Shenzi slowed to a trot, caring to silence themselves as they crept up the slippery terrain and gazed over the crest. Three dark-pelted swine dug with their noses underneath a small group of flowering cactus. One with frenzied, golden eyes pulled up a root and chewed it between dull teeth. "Ready?" Pyro scarcely breathed. "Now!" Shenzi roared.

The trio descended upon the three nukap like a stampede over the cliff of a hill. Pyro and Shenzi took opposite flanking positions, encircling the nukap. Had they attacked head-on, it likey would've turned into a chase rather than a fight. Bambi flew overhead, being the best assistance that she could think of: By shouting out the positions of the pig-like beasts. "They're forming a defense line!" She called, the image in her eye reflecting the nukap backing into a tight group with their tusks facing outwards towards the pursuers.

"We'll have to break them up!" Pyro took the lead, as the hunter with the most experience with these nukap. "Gotcha!" Shenzi, the survivalist of the team, jumped into action. She descended upon the nearest nukap, evading the large snout and tusks by instead hacking at the forelegs. The nukap squealed and jumped onto it's opposite leg, issuing alarm but not breaking. In an act carried by the heavens, Bambi's dark feathers swooped overhead. She razed her claws against the back of another nukap. This action sent it staring up in alarm, squealing, and trotting.

Pyro bulldozed it down with her horns—not a second of hesitation. As magical descendants, ruukan had massive racks of antlers–even the females like Pyro. Even the bulky pig was no match for them as they ensnared the beast like a thorned net, impaling into the soft flesh. While Bambi watched on, eyes alight with horror, Shenzi made a mad dash for the two other fleeing nukaps. Her run kicked up the sand, which in turn burned her eyes. The tsabhua went into a flying leap, managing to grab the nukap by its back legs with her claws.

Then Pyro ran fast, followed by quick-flying Bambi. "We got two!" Shenzi pointed out, sinking her teeth deeper into the squealing and writhing nukap under her paws. "We'll get three!" Pyro called, already in a full gallop against the midnight cold. Despite still being horrified, the aerial pushed herself to attack: Swooping in and clawing at the nukap's maw. It screamed and turned hard to the right, and in a dull crash, hoofprints fell over the creature.

Bambi shut her eyes as the two assailants evoked mercy onto the defeated prey. By the end, the trio of hunters had won a trio of fattened corpses. Their coarse pelts might make for fine leather, if shaved, but their prized meat was the greatest reward. Pyro would have none of it. She simply raised her head with pride and trotted away. "You really don't want anything?" Shenzi gasped, shocked. "Killing them is it's own reward," the ruukan doe answered, "Besides, I'm a herbivore." Bambi stared disturbed over the three bodies. "Well," Shenzi turned back to her, "Rough day. Want a porkchop?" The aerial gave an uneasy smile. That did sound good.