FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Compound, tuned to my draw strength..." Bethany gestured at the bow and arrow set laid out on her bed. "Same brand the professionals use, even. Grandpa really went all out last year on Christmas gifts, and I've really been looking forward to trying these out for real."

The wolfess was going out to summer hunting camp soon. A busload of pred kids, and a couple busloads of prey kids, out in a woodland campground for most of a week. ... Except for the prey kids it was called 'survival camp', and they usually needed one or two buses less for the return trip.

"Yeah, these are really nice..." said Cindy as she picked up one of the arrows, examining it, gingerly touching the arrowhead to feel how sharp it was. "I wonder what it's like to get hit with one of these."

"I dunno. Probably stings? But any prey who get brought down have other stuff to worry about. We drag our captures back to the campsite and show them off like trophies..."

Cindy's eyes wandered over to the weighted net that was also laid out on the bed...

"Then we prep them and roast them at the evening campfire, and the whole camp feasts. The pred kids don't get to bring any outside food with em, so if there aren't many prey caught then they get really hungry, ha ha... one time all that got caught was a single deer and I swear the whole camp had their eyes glued on him the whole evening."

"Gosh..." said Cindy, who realized she was getting a bit too close to actually hurting herself with the arrow, and put it back on the bed. "It sounds amazing. I wish I was coming with you."

"Yeah?" said Bethany, who thankfully was sorting out some of the other hunting supplies she was packing in her luggage and not paying attention to the expressions on Cindy's face. "You never struck me as interested in being a hunter, Cinds."

"Yeah, well, you never know what hidden depths someone has," said the foxtaur, trying to put aside daydreams of Bethany dragging her restrained, arrow-punctured self back to an encampment of ravenous predators. "When do you leave, again?'

"It's not for a week," Bethany said with a grin as she dithered over jeans or camo cargo pants. "Thinking of signing up?"

Cindy stared at the arrows. Her hand went to her hidden secret, the pendant that she never took off. "Somehow, I don't think I'd be welcome."

Bethany paused and frowned. "Are you kidding? Taur kids never go to my camp." She paused and cocked her head. "Admittedly, that's because they have their own camps, but...we'd love to have you. At least that way we'd be sure we'd eat."

She winced slightly. "Yeah, I...doubt that."

Bethany put her hands on her hips, staring at her friend shrewdly. "Alright, spill."

Cindy blinked. "What?"

"You have been getting more and more depressed for months now. You always had this weird habit of spacing out and touching your chest, but it's been getting a lot worse, and you look like you want to cry whenever you do it."

Cindy jerked her hand away from her pendant, both her hearts exploding into a rapid staccato. "I...I..."

Bethany stepped up to her and put her hands on her shoulder. "Heck, I've caught you crying at night when I stay over, I figured that's why I haven't stayed over in a few months." She looked up into her friend's eyes, seeing the tears and panic starting to gather there, feeling her friend shake under her hands. "Jesus, Cindy. You look like you're going to pass out."

"I'm fine," she lied, but she couldn't get her voice over a whisper.

"Bullshit," Bethany said flatly. "I have known you for eight years. Something's hurting you, a lot."

Cindy's breath began to get short. "I..."

"Talk to me, Cinds," Bethany said softly. "I want to help."

Cindy looked away, tears starting to run down her face. "No, you wouldn't. No-one would."

Bethany rocked back. "Excuse you? I am your best fucking friend. When have I not been there for you?"

Cindy jerked away from her. "You don't even know me. I've been lying to you for years."

"Oh, please. I know you better than anyone, better than maybe even your parents-"

Cindy felt a flash of frustration and fury. She jerked around and grabbed the collar of her shirt, hauling it down. She reached into her shirt and snagged her pendant, lifting it out where Bethany could see. "Do you? Do you really? Cause fucking no-one knows me."

Bethany's eyes snapped down to the pendant and she froze. Cindy watched, breathing raggedly, scared out of her mind, as her best friend reached up to touch the little heart with a bite taken out of it. "Cindy, that's...what is that?"

Cindy snorted. "You know exactly what it is."

Bethany licked her muzzle, mouth working. "I mean, yeah, I do. But why are you wearing it?"

"I would think that would be obvious," Cindy said tiredly, watching her friend's face, seeing the miles and miles of denial.

"I...Cindy, that's a Prey League pendant."

"Yes, it is," Cindy said quietly. Her stomach settled and a sort of peace came over her. It was out. This was beyond her control now.

Bethany shook her head, her eyes never leaving the simple little necklace. "Prey wear those."

"Yes, we do," Cindy said softly.

The wolfess jerked at Cindy's inclusion of herself in that group. "You're a taur."

Cindy's face twisted. "Yeah, big fucking irony, isn't it?"

Bethany staggered back from her and sank down on the bed. "I don't understand."

The foxtaur sighed. "Since as far back as I could remember, I've dreamed of being eaten. My earliest dreams that I remember are of being cooked for my birthday. I can't...I can't go in the cafeteria without envying the kids on the buffet. I walk around, every day, in this stupid taur body, knowing that it's never going to happen. And it just fucking kills me, Beth. Do you have any idea how many times I've wanted to kill myself? How many times I've almost just given up?"

She stepped forward and lowered herself down so that she was at eye level with her friend, who looked shell-shocked. "You know, I once went to a green zone, when I was twelve, with my pendant out. And I got...so many confused and disgusted looks. The preds thought I was trying to trap them, the prey thought I was trying to trap them, no-one would come near me. I finally left because I was afraid someone was going to haul me back to my parents and tell them."

Bethany blew out a shaky breath. "You're serious."

Cindy's face twisted and she looked away. "Completely."

The wolfess shuddered. "Ok. Ok, my...my best friend is...is prey. My taur best friend. Is prey."

She mopped her face and stared at her knees for a moment. "So if you went to camp, you'd...you'd be on the prey side."

Cindy's shoulders twitched. "My parents would never agree to that. They'd slap me in counseling so fast your head would spin."

Beth looked sick. "They...you don't really think that, do you? That's illegal."

Cindy sighed. "I'm a taur, Beth. Do you really think they wouldn't try to cure me of thinking I was prey? Hell, don't you think there's something wrong with me?"

The wolfess grabbed her hands, clutching them tightly. "No. No, I don't."

Cindy twitched. "You...what?"

Bethany took a deep breath and managed a smile. "I'm...I'm in shock. I...I'm...I've never had a close prey friend, I'm...realizing that I'm going to lose you is...hard. I don't know how prey kids do this."

Cindy licked her lips. "I...but..." she blew out a breath and looked away. "You're not, though. No one will eat me."

"I think," Bethany said slowly, "That you should come to camp with me."

Cindy gave her a ghost of a smile. "Why? So I can wander around in the woods for a couple months and come home and never have anyone speak to me again?"

Bethany swallowed and squeezed her friend's hands. "The whole point of camp for prey is to come home."

"No one would hunt me, Beth. I wouldn't even have to try hard. I could skin myself and walk into the pred camp and no one would so much as nock an arrow."

Beth smiled. "First, I think you're exaggerating. Second..." Beth closed her eyes and took a shuddering breath. "I would hunt you."

The foxtaur felt like she'd been punched in the lungs. "You...would?"

Beth nodded. "Yes. Hell, you have no idea how hard camp is. The first thing every pred kid is going to want to do is take down the taur kid. The idea of you on the prey side will scare them."

Cindy sat back, head spinning. "I...I..." she swallowed. "My parents would never agree," she whispered.

"Your parents love you," Beth said softly. "And they're good people. They'll...they'll do what's right for you."

Cindy shook all over as the thought of telling her parents loomed in front of her. "I...I...I don't know if I can do this."

Beth reached up and took her friend's face in her hands. "You can't keep living like this. It's...it's wrong. It's not healthy, it's...you shouldn't be thinking of killing yourself. If you're prey, you should be prey. That's the basis of our whole society. You deserve...you deserve to be eaten, if that's what you want."

Cindy stared at her, trembling. "What if they-"

"I'll come with you," Beth said, standing up. "And if they try to...correct...this, we'll go to...we'll go to the Prey League. They'll protect you, it's what they do."

Cindy swallowed convulsively. "OK."

Bethany helped her friend up and gave her a small smile. "Come on. Let's go do this."

The walk back to her house passed in a daze for the young foxtaur. She barely noticed the double takes of people around her as they caught sight of her pendant, and she clutched at Bethany's hand like a drowning woman. Bethany didn't let her stop on the doorstep, pulling her into the house firmly.

"Mrs. Lawson?" She called out.

"In the kitchen, Bethany dear!"

She pulled her terrified friend along into the kitchen to face her mother. Mrs. Lawson was a regular, bipedal fox, the taur genes coming from Cindy's father. She looked up from the table with a smile, which vanished at the sight of her shaking daughter. "Oh, my God, Cindy, what's wrong?"

Cindy stared at her, unable to actually speak the words. She raised a shaking hand and lifted her pendant up for her mother to see. Mrs. Lawson stared at it for a long moment. "Oh," she whispered.

There was silence in the kitchen for a long moment and then Mrs. Lawson stood up and walked over to her daughter. She reached up and gently pulled her into a hug.

"Oh, baby," she said softly. She hugged her tightly for a long moment and then pulled back, stroking her daughter's face. "How...how long have you felt this way?"

"Always," Cindy said in a whisper.

Mrs. Lawson took a shaky breath. "Ok. Ok, this is...baby, are you sure?"

Cindy nodded. "I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

"Sure of what?"

Cindy's ears laid flat against her head at the sound of her father's voice. She took a deep breath and turned around so he could see her pendant, holding her mother's hand and her best friend's hand tightly. She took a deep breath. "I'm prey, Daddy."

Mr. Lawson stared at her for a long moment. He walked past her in silence to the fridge and pulled out a beer. He popped the cap off and drained it in one long pull. Without skipping a beat, he slammed the bottle in the recycling bin hard enough to shatter it, making Cindy whimper and jerk back. He pulled out another and popped the cap off, then took a measured sip of it. He turned and looked at her with a neutral expression on his face.

"Wanna run that by me again?" he said softly.

Cindy took a shaky breath. "I'm prey," she whispered.

He turned the bottle over in his hands. "See, that's what I thought you said." He took another long pull, looking at her with cold eyes. "Way you're shaking and snivelling, I can't believe I didn't realize it before."

Mrs. Lawson stepped forward. "Phillip, calm down. You're scaring her."

His eyes flashed. "She's prey in a predator's house. She has every right to be scared."

His wife sucked in a breath. "She is our daughter."

"She wants to be meat!" he roared.

There was a ringing silence for a long few minutes. "I'll go to a shelter," Cindy whispered.

Mrs. Lawson grabbed her hand. "You'll do no such thing," she snapped.

Mr. Lawson barked out a laugh. "Well, she can't stay here."

His wife turned on him with a snarl. "You are not kicking our daughter out of this house."

"What daughter?" he said flatly. "I just see a prey animal, mewling to be eaten."

Mrs. Lawson stared at him for a long minute. "Get out."

His lips curled back. "I'm not leaving my house. That is."

Bethany cleared her throat. "She can stay with me."

He turned away with a shrug. "Enjoy her in good health."

Mrs. Lawson glared at him for a long moment. "Come on, baby. Let's go pack."

An hour later she was sitting in a hotel room, staring at the wall. She hadn't put her pendant away and she was starting to get used to the stares. Still, it was nice to be tucked away somewhere quiet. She looked up as her mom came into the room with takeout.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

Mrs. Lawson shook her head. "You have nothing to be sorry for, baby. It's your father who's being a bigoted asshole."

Cindy shivered and looked away.

"What...what made you decide to tell us?"

"I want to go to camp," she whispered.

Mrs. Lawson twitched sharply. "You...this summer?"

She nodded.

"I...you know what they do to prey kids at camp?"

Cindy looked up at her with a ghost of a smile. "There's no easy way to be prey, Mom. It's kinda a painful, fatal experience."

Her mother swallowed. "If...if I say yes, are you even going to try to come home to me?"

Cindy shrugged. "I don't know. Bethany thinks the preds will gang up on me real fast. I don't think anyone will even look at me."

Mrs. Lawson licked her lips. "I'm not ready to lose you," she said softly.

"I know," Cindy said quietly.

Mrs. Lawson stared at her meal for a few minutes. "Promise me that you'll at least try to come home."

Cindy took a deep breath. "I promise."

~~~~~

Cindy walked up to the staging area, looking at the busses with a knot in her stomach. The camp coordinators had been very nice about the whole thing, although they'd politely informed her that it would be starvation rations, eating canned meat only. She'd pointed out that she could easily manage the entire time without eating at all if she had to, which was in fact her intention.

The camp had provided a list of survival gear, most of which she didn't need. At mom's insistence, she was wearing a backpack with protein shakes and dietary supplements in it, and a pair of saddlebags with enough medical gear to outfit an army. She'd brushed up on her field medicine, with an emphasis on self treatment, trying to soothe her mother's fears that she was going off to die. But she had to admit that as an untrained prey in a life or death environment, her main advantages came, funny enough, from being a taur.

Mom stepped up beside her and took her hand. "This is not how I envisioned your first camp experience."

Cindy blew out a breath of laughter. "I never thought I'd get to have a proper camp experience."

Mom stepped around in front of her, taking her other hand and holding them tightly. "Remember, this is survival camp. I expect you to do your best to survive, young lady."

Cindy smiled and hugged her Mom. "I promise, Mom. I'll do my best."

Mom nodded and stepped back, blinking away tears. "I love you, baby. And I'm proud of you for being yourself."

Cindy swallowed past the lump in her throat. "I love you too," she said softly.

Mom cleared her throat. "Now go have fun, baby. I'll see you at the end of summer."

"See you at the end of summer," Cindy said with a smile.

She hugged her Mom one last time, then started forward toward the crowd of kids. She could see immediately that they were separated out, a big crowd of prey kids and a smaller cluster of preds. She faltered as she walked towards them, as eyes turned towards her. She was, as promised, the only taur here. The pred kids looked jubilant, and the prey kids reactions ranged from looking ill or scared to a few that looked anticipatory.

Bethany stepped out of the pred crowd and ran over to her, a wide grin on her face. "You came!"

She hugged her friend tightly for a moment, and then pulled back. She reached up and fingered Cindy's pendant. "You came as yourself," she said with a smaller smile.

Cindy shivered. "Yeah."

Bethany hugged her again. "I'm proud of you, Cinds." She grinned mischievously. "Although, you're going to hack off pretty much my whole side. Right now, they think you're the second coming."

She shivered and grinned for a moment. Then it faded as she stroked her best friend's arms. "Are you ready for this?"

Bethany smiled. "Are you?"

Cindy took a deep breath. "I think I can handle it." She grinned playfully. "I mean, I am a taur after all. I should be able to run rings around you."

Bethany barked out a laugh. "Oh, bring it, preygirl. There is nothing more satisfying than taking down cocky prey."

Cindy gave her a squeeze and stepped back. "You'll have to catch me, pred."

Laughing, Bethany mimed nocking an arrow, and then turned and stalked back to the preds. Cindy took a deep breath, trying not to notice all the eyes on her, and walked over to join the prey. She heard murmurs of confusion from the pred kids, turning to disbelief.

She stopped just short of the prey kids, who were staring at her. She could see some of them had noticed her pendant, but more of them were looking at her weird.

"Hi," she squeaked.

There was a long moment as they all stared at one another, and then the crowd shifted around. Her hearts fell as she thought they were backing away, but then the crowd parted and a coyote stepped out. She felt a shock of exuberance and relief at the sight of another predbodied prey.

"Hi," the coyote said softly, holding her hand out. "I'm Renata."

"Cindy," she said, shaking her hand.

Renata smiled and nodded at her pendant. "How long?"

"Have I been prey? I don't know, I can't remember not being prey. All my life, I guess," she said softly. The prey kids stared at her silently, and she smiled shyly. "How long have I been out? About a week."

Renata whistled softly. "And you're going to camp."

She nodded. "That's why I came out."

Renata nodded slowly. "How'd your parents take it?"

"Mom is trying to be supportive. Dad...kicked us out and disowned me."

"And straight to camp," Renata said slowly. "You got a deathwish?"

Cindy blushed and looked away. "I've had thoughts in that direction before, yeah."

Renata sighed. "Well, you wouldn't be the first kid to go to camp to tap out. Just try not to take anyone down with you, ok?"

She nodded. "I promised my mom I'd make a sincere effort."

The coyote shrugged. "Up to you," she said. She reached up and tapped Cindy's pendant. "You may want to take that off, though."

Cindy's hand shot up to clutch at it protectively. "Why?"

Renata tapped her own. "At camp, this is a promise. A promise that you'll protect the others. A promise that you'll do anything short of breaking the rules to get as many of us as possible out alive. If you're here to go, I don't want you confusing people."

Cindy stared at her for a long moment. "I'll keep it on, thanks."

Renata raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

The foxtaur nodded, her resolve building as she began to get a feel for the game. This was what it meant to be prey right now. She could do this.

"I'm the fastest, strongest, most durable person here. I have a small hospital in my saddlebags and training on how to use it. And," she said with a glance at the preds, "either I'm going to be a huge target, or they'll avoid me. Either way, I can help."

Renata stared at her critically. She turned to the person beside her and Cindy had to fight the urge to jump. She hadn't noticed the rabbit move.

"Glen? Your call."

The rabbit pursed his lips. "You have medical training? Why?"

She flushed. "Partly to treat wounds when hunting. Daddy thought an apex predator shouldn't show weakness. And partly," she said quietly, "because I wanted to connect with my prey side in a way my Daddy couldn't object to."

Glen nodded. "What have you got?"

"Painkillers, field splints, sutures, staples, antibiotics, enough gauze and pressure bandages to wrap me up twice, a surgical steel field knife, multiple disinfectants, field surgery tools, shock treatment, dehydration treatment, heat stroke treatment, and antivenom for the most common scorpions, spiders, and snakes at the campground."

The other prey kids had been creeping forward during her recitation, eyes widening as she continued listing things.

Glen's eyebrows were up by his ears. "You really came loaded."

Cindy coughed, embarrassed. "My mom wants me to come back in one piece, and...you'd be amazed what a taur can survive with the right first aid."

"And you'll use your knowledge and kit to help the others?"

Cindy nodded. "I want to help."

Glen considered her for a long moment. Then he turned and lowered his voice. "Pass the word. The taur's a league medic with an ambulance kit. What you can't patch yourself, try and get to her."

Cindy blushed. "Thank you."

He looked back at her. "Hold that thought til August 1st. Now, the signal for a medic this year is three whistles, long short long. You can track, right?"

She nodded.

"Good. Your job is to stay on the move and patch up as many people as possible."

"Got it," she said softly.

He nodded and stepped back. "Welcome to survival camp, kid."

~~~~~

The bus ride was long and quiet. The other prey kids talked softly among themselves, but they looked a little uncomfortable with her. She sat on the back bench of the bus, the only seat big enough for her, and closed her eyes, trying not to think of all the looks she was getting.

"So your dad really threw you out?"

Her eyes snapped open to see a mouse looking at her curiously. She mentally resolved to pay better attention to her surroundings. If the prey kids could sneak up on her this easily, the preds wouldn't have to work very hard.

"Um, yeah. He did. He said I was mewling meat begging to be eaten and that he didn't have a daughter anymore."

The mouse shuddered. "No offense, but taurs like your dad are why everyone's afraid of taurs."

She winced and looked away. "I've never been scared of a predator in my life before that, but...I can understand why people are afraid of us now."

The mouse held out his hand. "Andy."

She took it. "Cindy."

He grinned. "While I'm sorry about your Dad, I'm glad your first pred experience wasn't at camp. You can't afford not to be afraid of the preds."

She grinned. "I am a taur. Haven't you heard we're invincible?"

He snorted with laughter. "Arrow in the right place will kill anyone dead enough."

"I know," she said with a grin. "I don't honestly think I'm invincible. I'm just nervous."

"Well, that's understandable. My first camp I was scared to death."

She cocked her head curiously. "I know why I'm here, but why are you? Any of you?"

"Some kids get sent by their parents, to toughen them up or teach them how to survive. Some kids go because their friends are going. Some go to protect those who don't want to be here." He nodded at her, "some kids are here to live the prey experience. Some, like me, just enjoy running for our lives in a forest, surrounded by friends."

She blinked. "You enjoy being hunted?"

He grinned fiercely. "Best game around. Highest stakes, no holds barred, and if I fuck up? I get to ride a spit."

She swallowed and shifted to hide her uncomfortable arousal at his excitement. "You want to be cooked?"

He shrugged. "I'm an experience junkie. I mean, no one wants to die, but I'm a mouse. I'm going to die, probably sooner rather than later. And if I can go out in a blaze of adrenaline, feeling things I've never felt before? If the pred earns it? That's a death I'm comfortable with."

She smiled. "You're not wearing a League pendant though."

Andy laughed. "At home, you can't pry my colors off me. I'm gay, I'm prey, and I tart it up in hearts and rainbows 24/7. But I'm no-one's big brother. I'll help if I can, and I'll take help if it's offered, but I'm here to play and run." He cocked his head to one side. "Why volunteer to play medic first time out?"

Cindy shrugged. "I have the skills and the equipment. Why not?"

He grinned. "Well, you're basically making yourself the biggest target possible."

She blinked. "What?"

"Four priorities for the pred kids, in order: medics, league, pred traitors, staying fed."

Her mouth worked for a second. "Oh."

He laughed. "You didn't know."

She swallowed. "First camp, remember?"

He grinned. "Nervous?"

She blushed. "If I wasn't before, I am now."

~~~~~

The busses split off at the campground, the pred kids heading to cabins, the prey kids heading into the woods for the far side of the property. She climbed off the bus and joined the others as they gathered around a tall goat.

"Ok, kids, we'll keep this short and sweet. Your goal for the next two months is to stay alive. There are a handful of rules, and a couple things we should tell you. Do not leave the property. You have 400 acres to play in, that's more than enough. There are food dumps throughout the property if you run out of rations. The preds don't know where they are right now, but use them at your own risk."

"You may not under any circumstances use an edged, sharp, or artificial weapon. Sticks are fine, as is almost any damage you can do with your body. You may not kill."

"They bag you, they have you. Once that net comes down, you are done. As long as you're not bagged, feel free to keep fighting and running."

"Finally, please play fair. There's 200 of you and fifty of them. Yes, you absolutely could overwhelm them by sheer numbers, confine them, and draw lots to feed them cafeteria style. It's been done. It's not explicitly against the rules."

She looked around at the kids, seeing the looks of surprise on some faces. "But that's no fun for you, no fun for them, and not the point of survival camp. Are we clear?"

There was a round of nods.

"Ok, good. Last things. Here in a bit, there's going to be a really loud sound. From the moment you hear that sound, until the moment you hear it again two months from now, this course is live. Your safety ends with the horn and begins with the horn. Have fun, be safe, and stay alive."

The goat climbed back on the bus and they drove away. Cindy felt a tight knot in her stomach as she watched them go. She could do this. And, she admitted with a small smile to herself, Andy had a point: if she messed up, she got to be prey for real.

"Ok, League front and center!" Glen called.

She walked up shyly, staring at the ground, and took her place alongside maybe twenty other campers.

Glen spread his hands. "Campers, these are your backups. We will do anything short of break the rules to keep you alive. As long as you're not in a net, if we can get to you, we'll do our best to extract you. Yes, that absolutely means we will attack the preds. To call for help, one short whistle. You'll hear one of us whistle twice rapidly. We will do our best, but there's ten of you for every one of us and 400 acres of ground. Your best bet is not to need us."

"This," he said pulling Cindy forward, "is our medic."

There was a couple of whoops, and Glen grinned. "I see some of you know how much having a medic improves our chances. All of you know first aid. All of you should have some kit. If you can't patch yourself up, long short long. Cindy will come and help you out. Do not call the medic except for emergencies, we need her alive."

"Last things before we split up: two heads are better than one. If you're here with friends, stick together, watch each other's backs. If you're here to go?" A handful of campers raised their hands. "Now is your moment. Head straight that way, get taken down, give the rest of us time to dig in. Preds like an easy victory early, and they'll be nicer to you on night one before they get all the way into hunting mode. The rest of you, get the hell gone from here. The preds know where our staging area is. See you all in two months, ok?"

There was a round of nods and the crowd began to disperse at various paces in twos and threes. Glen stepped over to Cindy. "A moment?"

She nodded and stepped up to him. "What's up?"

"I didn't get a chance to explain earlier, so I'm going to do this fast before the horn sounds. You are our number one asset. You are the one that can keep us alive. I can't stop you from responding to general league calls, but I suggest you don't. You are also the only leaguer that can call for help, and the only leaguer we can call for help. Three short, rapid whistles to call one of us. Try not to need it, ok? More than one leaguer in one spot is a massive target."

"Got it," she said softly.

He hesitated. "I heard what you said to Renata. I know you're in a tough place. And I know a lot of predbodied prey are eager to get eaten. I just want you to promise me that you'll call a leaguer and pass off your kit if you decide to tap out. We need you, but we'll settle for your kit if you get tired of camp."

She swallowed. "I made a promise to my Mom, and another promise when I decided to wear my pendant. I'm here to play."

Glen looked into her eyes closely. "Ok. Hold onto that, you're going to need-."

There was a massive air raid siren that seemed to vibrate the air and rattle her teeth in her head. It went on for almost a minute and then she stood there blinking. "Could they make that any louder?" she grumbled, rubbing her ears.

Glen laughed. "The preds are inside when they do that. Got to kick things off with shock and awe, feed the paying customers."

Cindy rolled her eyes. "See you, Glen. Stay safe."

He nodded and set off at a jog into the woods. She watched him go for a moment and then took off in a different direction.

As she ran, a smile spread across her face and she felt her hearts singing. She was prey. High priority prey.

This was going to be a blast.

~~~~~

It was two days before she heard the first call. She'd stayed on the move, using her superior senses to track everyone around her and avoid absolutely everyone. Taur advantage for the win. She was chugging her daily protein shake, washing down a handful of dietary supplements, when the long short long sounded out. She noted the distance and direction and started off at her cruising speed. Another good reason for her to be the medic was that she could get from one end of the campground to the other in minutes. She kept her ears peeled for a follow up whistle, and her nose in the air tracking the people around her.

She skirted two hunting parties before she found the source of the whistle. Tucked away in a hollow was a pony boy, eyes and ears swiveling. She slowed down and listened. One of the pred parties she'd passed was headed in this direction, probably tracking the kid. She slipped out of cover and headed for him.

"What happened?" she said softly.

He turned his leg, revealing a deep gash on his thigh. "Arrow nicked me."

She reached into her bag, hunting around, and pulled out a stapler, antiseptic, and a strip of leather. "Bite this," she said holding it out.

He slipped it between his teeth she rapidly spritzed out the wound. He grunted and tensed up as it foamed. She listened for the preds, waiting as long as she could to let it disinfect before swabbing it out with gauze.

"Ok, here comes the shitty part," she whispered. He gave her a thumbs up, and she pressed the wound closed and then swiftly laid a line of staples down it, sealing it shut. He whimpered into the gag as the ten punctures went in, and then breathed hard as she started to pack up.

He flexed his leg, wincing a little, and then pulled the gag out and handed it to her. "Thanks, Doc."

She grinned and helped him to his feet. "Need a lift?"

He blinked. "What?"

She smiled mischievously. "I can lift four hundred pounds. I can carry you around them, get you behind them."

He grinned slowly. "I'd appreciate the hell out of that, Doc."

She stepped forward and scooped him up in a bridal carry, then took off, circling wide around the preds tracking him. She set him down and pointed. "That way's clear for now."

He blinked and took a deep breath. "Fuck, you're fast."

"All part of the service," she said with a salute.

He grinned and held out his hand. She shook it. "Good to have you on our side, Doc. Stay alive, ok?"

"You too," she said softly.

~~~~~

Two weeks in and she'd treated a dozen moderate wounds without seeing a single predator. She occasionally heard the screams of a prey going down, so she knew the prey weren't having it all their own way. She'd counted six in the initial self-sacrificial party and she'd heard about fifteen screams. Assuming some of the prey went quietly, that was still pretty good. On the other hand, the preds had to be getting hungry at this point, and she had to assume they would start getting more organized or more brutal.

She heard the whistle and set off rapidly. Two weeks in the woods had taught her three things so far: first, there was a reason taurs didn't play at the normal pred kid camps, namely that her senses were so much better than everyone else's that she wasn't having too much trouble staying alone. The second was that arrows and knives were brutal things. Everyone she'd patched up had had a near miss, and they'd all required multiple staples to put them back together. The third was that a liquid diet sucked ass. She was starving, and she still had a month and a half to go.

A short run later, she caught the scent of blood and slowed down, coming in cautious. She wasn't sure if the preds could smell it, but she didn't want to take chances. She skirted the area, but didn't smell or hear any preds, so she closed in on the scent.

She stumbled to a halt, her gorge rising. Sitting against a tree trunk was a deer boy. He had an arrow through his gut and another through his leg. She took a deep breath and walked toward him. "How the hell did you get away?" she whispered, kneeling down.

He grimaced. "League saved my ass."

She nodded, grabbing her leather strip. "Bite, this is going to suck."

He slipped it between his teeth and bit down. She gently pressed on his stomach, feeling around to see what was hit. He screwed up his eyes and clenched his fists all through the exam, sinking down to shake and breathe when she pulled back.

"The good news is, I don't think they got your kidney or liver. The bad news is, they almost certainly got your stomach or your guts."

He breathed shallowly and pulled the strip out. "Anything you can do?"

She took a deep breath. "I can cut you open wider, go in and seal the damage, then stitch you back up. It'll hurt like fuck, the strongest thing I have on me is Tylenol, and you'll need a round of antibiotics."

He swallowed hard. "If you just pull it out and seal me up?"

"You'll be dead from sepsis in a week."

He shivered. "What are my chances if you do this?"

She bit her lip. "I don't know. If I get every nick, if you keep it clean, if you don't pull your stitches? You'll have a shot. Leg's going to slow you down a lot, too. If we were safe, I'd say you'd be fine, but..."

He nodded slowly. "Keep it clean, try not to be in a position to run, hope you're good at your job."

She blew out a breath. "Pretty much."

He swallowed again and nodded. "Do it, Doc. Some chance is better than none."

She reached into her pack and pulled out her surgical kit, then handed him a couple of pills. "To take the edge off."

He swallowed them dry and put the gag back in. Then he closed his eyes, laid his head back, and nodded to her.

Cindy blew out a shaky breath and used her field knife to cut open his shirt. She tried to stay with the original wound, slicing up from the arrow, then down, until she had an opening her hand could fit in. The smell of blood and meat rose up and she flushed with horror as her stomach growled. He didn't seem to have noticed, thankfully, so she tried to put it out of her mind and work quickly.

She splashed iodine into it, making him whimper, and then rapidly swabbed it out. She followed the arrow track, hunting bigger blood vessels that were leaking and closing them off with a chemical cautery pen, then looking for the holes in his guts. She used stitches for the internal stuff, since staples wouldn't melt. She spent about twenty minutes rapidly patching him up, on the alert for preds the whole time. She checked a couple more times, but she couldn't see anymore damage inside him. She carefully unscrewed the arrow head and then pulled the shaft back through him, rapidly stapling up the incision on the front and the wound on the back.

She smiled at him, reaching up to grab his chin. "Look at me."

He opened his eyes and she nodded, blowing out a sigh of relief. They were cloudy with pain, but his pupils were responsive and he tracked her fingers when she waved them in front of his eyes. "Ok, that's the shittiest part done with."

He grinned tiredly and gave her a thumbs up. She carefully got the arrow out of his leg, stitching it up on both sides, and then put bandages over all four wounds. She pulled out a couple of replacements and a pill card with a round of antibiotics. "Twice a day, morning and night, don't skip, finish the card. Try to keep the bandages clean, but change them if you have to. I know it's not exactly easy, but try to take it slow, ok?"

He nodded and moved carefully, flexing and twisting. "Shit, Doc, that actually feels like I might make it."

She blushed and smiled. "Thank me after you don't die of sepsis."

He grinned and gingerly pushed to his feet. He took a couple of careful steps and then grinned wider. "Little tight, and it burns, but I can put weight on it and move. You're a lifesaver, Doc."

Cindy put a hand on his shoulder. "Just stay alive, o-"

Her head shot up, nose in the air. "Preds. They must have caught the scent of blood."

He licked his lips. "Shit. What do we do?"

She took a deep breath and held out her arms. "I'll carry you. Come on."

He took a deep breath and stepped forward to be picked up. She pulled him into a bridal carry and took off at a jog, moving to stay down wind and heading for the river. She needed to get them off their trail.

He bit his lip, keeping his mouth shut about the smoothness of the ride. She was about halfway to the river, doubling back twice to avoid hunting parties, when to her absolute horror, her stomach growled again.

He looked up at her with a small grin. "Hungry, Doc?'

She shuddered. "I am so sorry, I've only been drinking protein shakes for a couple of weeks, I swear it's not you."

He chuckled. "You're a taur, doc, and I'm a wounded deer. Nothing to be ashamed of."

She swallowed. "No, seriously, I...the thought of eating you is making me sick," she said softly.

The deer looked at her curiously. "What the hell are you going to eat, then?"

She set him down by the river and shook out her arms.

"I don't know," she admitted.

~~~~~

After a month, she was slightly high from the constant gnawing in her stomach. The protein shakes and supplements were keeping her alive, but for a taur used to eating twenty or thirty pounds of meat a day, it wasn't enough. She knew, medically speaking, that she could last two months with just what she had. What she hadn't counted on was the loss of focus from hunger.

She was sitting in a sheltered spot under some rocks, the sun going down. The preds didn't usually hunt at night and her guard was down a little bit, listening to the silence of the forest. She didn't realize when her attention began to drift.

There was a hissing sound and then she gasped as an arrow slammed into her hindquarter. She shot to her feet, bolting into the darkness, on high alert and avoiding the sudden surround of threatening smells and sounds. Her heart was in her throat as she ran, ignoring the blossoms of pain in her hindquarter. She smelled a familiar scent and grinned fiercely as she ran. Beth had come close to her. There was a flurry of hisses as more arrows took flight and she bit back a yelp as one connected, slamming through her upper chest. A moment later she had left them behind, taur speed leaving the hunters in the dark. She made for the river and slipped into it, swimming up stream and away from the pred encampment, listening all the while. She slipped out of the river after half a mile and crawled onto shore, panting.

Cindy considered her options. She had two arrows, one that would leave a hole in her back that she couldn't patch. She gritted her teeth and let out three short whistles, hoping a leaguer would find her before a pred did. In the meantime...

She twisted around, hissing at the stabbing pain in her chest, and went to work on the arrow in her hindquarters. It was in, but not out and she grimly realized she was going to have to cut it out. She grabbed her knife, popped the gag in her mouth, and went to work. Two quick slices left her panting and she gently worked the arrow out. She poured iodine on the wound, hissing as it burned. She was reaching for her suture kit when she heard two whistles. She breathed a little bit easier, but kept her ears and nose open in case it was the preds tracking her. There wasn't a lot of whistle traffic this late.

The foxtaur was sweating and biting the leather almost in half by the time she managed to get the wound on her hindquarters closed. Fortunately, it was in the meaty part, what on a biped would be the gluteus, so it wouldn't slow her down appreciably. Three inches forward and they'd have nicked a major muscle, partially crippling her leg. Four inches down and they would have severed a tendon that would have completely crippled her leg. She'd gotten lucky.

She smelled pred and nearly dove into the stream before she recognized the smell. "Renata," she breathed, sinking back down onto her haunches.

The coyote slipped out of the trees staring at her in horror. "Oh my God, Doc."

Cindy grinned, wincing. "Believe it or not it's not as bad as it looks."

Renata knelt down next to her. "Really? Cause it looks like you have a punctured lung."

Cindy grimaced and nodded. "I do, yeah. The good news is, they fell for the ol' taur trickery."

Renata stared at her. "You've been shot in the lung and that's good news."

Cindy smiled. "I have four lungs, Renata. This is the smallest of the four, my right secondary." She reached back and put a hand on her lower torso, where thick ribs protected her. "If they'd managed to get an arrow in here, I'd be fucked. But they shot at my upper torso-"

Renata grinned. "Because that's where the important stuff is on a biped."

Cindy nodded. "I need you to help me seal up the back."

"I mean...I can do basic stitching, but...I don't know how I'm going to seal up your lung."

Cindy licked her muzzle. "You're not. You're going to take a cautery pen and seal the edges of the puncture as best you can so I don't aspirate blood. Then you're going to suture me closed."

Renata frowned. "But-"

"Trust me, it'll be fine. Now take the pen and get ready to start sealing once the arrow comes out."

She swiftly put the leather back in her mouth and unscrewed the arrowhead. She pushed it back, gritting her teeth and chewing on the leather as it burned sliding out of her. Renata got hold of it and pulled it the rest of the way out. She held her breath as she pressed the cautery pen into the wound, burning the edges of the puncture in her lung. She made sure she got all of it, and then capped the pen. Now came the sucky part.

She breathed out as deep as she could, compressing her upper lungs as tightly as she could manage, and then reached into her chest wound and collapsed her lung. She coughed sharply a couple of times and then took a deep, shaky breath. "Ow."

She grabbed her sutures and started sewing up her chest. She grimaced as she looked down and realized she was going to have a lovely scar on her breast if she survived.

Renata tied off the stitches in her back. "You ok?"

She swallowed a couple of times, shaking her head as the adrenaline started to fade. She took the leather out of her mouth and panted softly for a moment. "I will be."

"How'd you fix the lung?"

She smiled tiredly. "I didn't. I collapsed it."

The coyote sucked in a breath. "Jesus, Doc."

Cindy rubbed her temples. "If I'm lucky, and if I make it through this, a good doctor can hopefully repair and reinflate it, but...I think I'm down one lung."

Renata touched her back gently. "How did they get so close to you? I thought you were superman or something."

Cindy shrugged. "I got sloppy. My head drifted."

There was silence for a moment. "I've had a few kids tell me that your stomach has been growling a lot lately. You hit a food dump yet?"

She shook her head. "No, I brought my own rations."

Renata walked around in front of her and knelt down. "Hmmm...only been out as prey for a week, thinks she's invincible...what have you been eating, Doc?"

Cindy swallowed. "I have protein shakes and dietary supplements."

The coyote stared at her for a long moment. "You're kidding."

"No? I checked, it's a nutritionally complete diet-"

Renata flicked her on the forehead. "You're an idiot."

Cindy blinked. "I-"

"You've been running around at lightspeed, carrying people to safety, for a month. And you've been doing this on a starvation diet." She grabbed her shoulder gently. "Doc, we need you. You've saved a lot of lives, and you've got a lot more you can save. But you need to eat."

She grimaced. "Yeah, eat what? I didn't bring anything else."

The coyote shrugged off her backpack. She reached inside and pulled out a little foil packet. "The stuff I brought tastes better, but you can find this at the dumps."

Cindy took it gingerly. She looked at Renata carefully for a moment, and then pulled the foil open. She sniffed it and then gagged, jerking it away from her face. "No. Absolutely not."

"Cindy-"

"I see them," she snapped. She swallowed, and looked away. "I hear them. When I smell...when I smell meat, I see the people I help. Other prey kids. Prey kids like me." She shuddered. "I can't...I can't eat people."

Renata stared at her for a long moment. "You're going to tap out."

"Not til the end of camp. I'll keep my promises. But on the last day, I'm walking into pred central and have a talk with my friend Bethany." She smiled and traced the stitches on her chest. "She got me once already."

Renata held up the foil packet. "Before you do that, I want you to listen to me very carefully. This," she held the packet out to her, "is not a person."

She licked her lips. "I know. I know, it's just a piece of meat now. Look, I believe in the nobility of prey. I believe that it is good and beautiful to be prey. I just don't want to eat them anymore."

The coyote sighed. "No, Doc, it's literally not people. No-one died for this."

Cindy stared at her. "Bull, I know rabbit when I smell it."

Renata sighed. "Alright, maybe going for the high end stuff first wasn't the best idea." She rooted around in her backpack and pulled out a clear plastic packet with a grayish lump that had artificial sear marks on it. "Here, try this one. This is what you find at the food dumps."

Cindy frowned as she looked at it in confusion. "What the hell is that?"

"Open it."

She tore the packet open and took a tentative sniff. She frowned and took a deeper sniff. "That's...it's...it's like...what is it?"

"It's called TVP. Textured vegetable protein. It looks like meat, feels like meat, digests like meat, smells and tastes like meat if you do it right. But it's made of plants."

Cindy licked her muzzle and pulled the little gray lump out of the plastic. She took a small bite. "Oh ma gah," she whispered, licking her lips. "That tastsh amazing."

She tore into it, scarfing it down in four bites. Renata blinked. "You are officially the first person I have ever met that actually likes the cheap stuff."

Cindy licked her lips again. "It tastes like food, but it doesn't taste like people. I think it's my new favorite thing. Um, can I, um..."

Renata pulled out another one and handed it to her. "You didn't honestly think any of us can stand to eat prey anymore did you?"

She blushed and took a bite of the wonderfully meaty non-meat. "I...I never thought that far ahead," she admitted softly

The coyote snickered. "We make it through this, I'll show you where to get it. If you make it and I don't, just look it up on the internet."

Cindy shivered. "You're going to make it, Renata."

The coyote stood up and dusted herself off. "With you watching our backs, Doc? I think I just might. Now," she held out a hand to help Cindy up, "let's go get you some food."

Cindy grinned. "Best thing I've heard in a month."

~~~~~

She was feeling better with food in her stomach. Not as much as she was used to still, but between the shakes, the supplements, and now the little fake patties she treated herself to when she woke up, she could focus again. That was good, because this close to the end, the preds were pushing hard. She was run off her legs treating near misses, and she'd pulled a couple dozen arrows out of legs and arms and shoulders in just the past week. They were starting to use almost exclusively broadheads, too, no more slowing the prey down so they could run them down, just straight up trying to incapacitate them. It took her longer to stitch them up, especially since she was out of staples at this point.

The foxtaur was taking a breather, checking over her own wounds for signs of infection. Given her incredibly redundant immune system, another gift of taur biology, she'd made the call to save the antibiotics for her patients and hope she could squeak by without them. So far, it seemed to be working out, but if she made it through this, she was going to have to see a real doctor pretty soon.

Long short long sounded off not too far away, and she tugged her shirt back down. She took off at a trot, thankful again that Renata had helped her out with food, because three weeks ago, she would have been pushing not to pass out at this pace. The signal was not repeated, so the patient was probably stationary, and as she got closer, she thought she saw why. There were preds scattered around the area, combing for the prey, and she had to be careful as she slipped by them.

She smelled blood as she crept closer to where she'd heard the signal come from, and then she smelled another scent. Her eyes widened and her stomach twisted as she slipped out to find Andy sitting under a tree, arms crossed over his chest, and arrow through and through his torso, and another through his shoulder.

"Come on," she whispered, softly, trying not to think about where the lower arrow was, "let's get you somewhere safe so I can work on you."

Andy opened his eyes and grinned. "Wait, Doc. Before you move me, take a look. I think it's bad."

She swallowed and knelt down. She offered him her tattered leather strip and he took it, sliding it between his teeth. He didn't make a sound as she pressed and felt around the arrow, ignoring the one in his shoulder. That would call for a sling and some therapy, and she wasn't worried about it. The one in his gut...

Cindy sat back, a lump in her throat. "Yeah, it's bad. They got your kidney."

He blew out a breath through his nose and pulled the leather strip out of his mouth. "How bad is that? Can you fix it?"

She licked her muzzle. "Yes and no. If I can get you somewhere safe, I can...I can open you up, remove the kidney, seal all the blood vessels. You'd need to go straight from camp to the hospital to get checked out, but...with antibiotics, you'd have a chance."

Andy stared at her in silence for a moment. "That sounds like a hail mary, Doc."

Cindy shivered. "You've only got a week, Andy. One week, and we walk out of here. You can...I can stash you up a tree with rations-"

He let out a wheezing laugh. "Doc, there comes a time in every mouse's life when he knows to pack it in. Emergency surgery on a forest floor to remove a kidney is pretty much a sign from God that the time is now."

Cindy swallowed and took his hands. "Andy, you can walk away from this. I can do this, I can make it happen."

He squeezed her hands gently. "I'm not doubting your mad skills, Doc. But they got me. I just needed to hear it from you."

"But-"

He smiled and winced. "I'm ok, Doc. I'm tapping out, my call. Don't feel bad about this, ok?"

She swallowed hard and brushed her eyes. "If you're sure," she said softly.

He nodded and reached down, fishing in his pocket. He pulled out a Prey League pendant and slipped it around his neck. "Got to go out wearing my colors," he said softly. He smiled at her and put his hand on her shoulder. "I am proud prey, Doc. There's no shame in getting got. Now, get lost before I call them in, ok? And stay alive."

She nodded and reached up to press his hand to her shoulder. "Good luck, Andy."

He grinned mischievously. "Hey, look on the bright side: isn't kidney pain the worst pain there is?"

She whuffed with helpless laughter and nodded, brushing her eyes.

"Then it can only get better from here," he said, laying his head back with a wince. "Get out of here, Doc. I'll be fine."

She stood up and triangulated the preds around her, setting off at a quick pace through the trees. She was just getting clear of them when she heard Andy's voice raised behind her, cheerful and filled with mischief.

"Olly-olly-oxen-free! Mouse down! Come and get it, guys!"

She brushed her eyes and ran.

~~~~~

She was kneeling over a rabbit girl, smiling as she worked. "You got really lucky, Mandy."

The rabbit grinned sheepishly. "I know," she said, looking at the cuts on her arm and legs. Cindy had already pulled the arrow out of her shoulder and patched it up. The other arrows had grazed her, and it was a miracle the hail of shafts hadn't turned her into a pin cushion. "I had to draw them off, though. They were gunning for my friends."

Cindy nodded, working quickly to stitch up the last cut on her leg. "You did good. I can hear them searching still. They're not looking for your frie-"

She nearly fumbled the needle as a blast of sound filled the air. Her eyes widened as she and Mandy looked at each other, wonder filling their eyes.

The sound died away and whoops and shouts filled the forest, Cindy and Mandy joining into the celebration.

"We made it," Cindy said softly, sagging with relief. She took a moment to breathe it in, and then set to work finishing the stitches.

Ten minutes later, she helped Mandy to her feet. The rabbit girl blew out a breath and stretched, wincing. "Thanks, Doc. Feels good."

Cindy smiled and patted her back. "And you're going to have a year to recover." She felt her shoulders relaxing for the first time in two months. "So, um, have you done this before?"

Mandy nodded. "That's right, it's your first camp. Come on, we head back to the staging area."

The two girls walked through the woods, free and easy. Not looking over their shoulders, no pressure. They came to the staging area and Cindy walked over to a bench, sinking down on it with a sigh of relief. She was looking forward to her bed. To hugging her mom. To eating a decent meal without looking over her shoulder. She blushed as she wondered how she was going to tell her mother she was a vegetarian now.

"Doc!"

Her eyes flew open and she looked up to find the deer boy she'd patched up. "Hey! You made it!"

He grinned and walked over to her, raising up his shirt. She looked at the incision, standing up to run her fingers over it. "You're healing ok. Any pain, discomfort, nausea?"

He shook his head. "Tight, a little. But not bad."

Cindy smiled and nodded. "Good. I'm glad you made it."

He grinned. "Me too. Couldn't have made it without you, Doc."

She hugged him, looking around as more and more kids filed into the clearing. She grinned at seeing so many of them, eyes out for pendants. Glen spotted her and walked over, a wide smile on his face.

"You," he said as he pulled her into a hug, "are a godsend."

She blushed and hugged him back. "Just doing my best to help."

"Renata said you took a bad hit. How you holding up?"

She rubbed her chest, smiling. "I got sloppy. Cost me a lung."

He blinked. "You...what?"

She shrugged. "I've got four, and it was one of the backup lungs. I'll get it checked out, but I'll be fine."

He shook his head slowly. "I knew taurs were tough, but...damn."

She laughed softly. "Yeah, well. How many of the other leaguers made it?"

Glen shrugged. "Still waiting on a head count. I saw a couple of the others on my way here."

Cindy nodded. "How will we know that everyone made it back?"

"They'll sweep the campground, but once the horn goes off, we're all friends here. The preds will help, along with their counselors. But at this point, anyone left should be mobile."

She hesitated. "Should I-"

He smiled. "Just relax, Doc. You did your part."

She nodded and sat down on the bench, blowing out a breath. "That was intense," she said softly.

He sat down next to her, putting an arm around her shoulders. "Was it worth it?"

She licked her muzzle and smiled. "Yeah. I've...I've never felt so comfortable in my skin. I feel...I feel right."

"That's the prey side talking," he said with a smile.

"Hell of a rush, huh?"

She looked back and saw Renata walking into the clearing. "Yeah. Glad you made it!"

The coyote stretched and grinned. "Me too."

They sat quietly, watching over the next couple of hours as more and more kids filed in. She counted quietly, blowing out a breath when she hit a hundred.

"So many," she said softly.

Glen nodded. "It was a good year. The preds had to work for it."

She nodded. "Not the best, though? My friend was telling me there was a year they only got one?"

Glen chuckled. "That was a hell of a year. I was 11. The preds were going nuts."

"How did you pull it off?"

He shrugged. "We had a lot of league that year. The preds didn't know what hit 'em. We'd have walked away clean, but Daniel, our head leaguer, felt bad for them.

She nodded, licked her muzzle. "Why don't we do that every year? If the goal is to get out alive-"

Glen smiled. "That takes coordination, planning, and a lot of league. Besides, most years...we just come to play. Would you have wanted to do that?"

She hesitated. "No, I guess not."

He smiled wider. "Yeah." He stood up. "Come on, come stand with us."

He stood up and walked to the center of the clearing. She watched as other leaguers filtered towards him. She counted 14, including herself, and shivered.

"Alright guys, listen up! I'm happy to see so many of you, it's been a good year. I hope everyone had at least some fun, and that you come back next year if you wanna," he stepped aside and nodded at Cindy. "I'd also like to take a moment to give a shout out to our medic, Doc Lawson."

There was a round of cheers and Cindy smiled and waved shyly.

"Ok, let's get on these nice, comfy busses, and get home to our families and beds, people. Good camp, and congrats on making it!"

She climbed on the bus with the other prey kids, walked to the back, and settled down for the ride.

~~~~~

Cindy stepped off the bus, breathing deep, feeling her collapsed lung with the movement, but otherwise just happy to be alive.

"Baby!"

She grinned and ran to her mother, pulling her into a hug. "Hi, mama."

Mrs. Lawson pulled back, drinking in the sight of her daughter. "Are you alright?"

She grinned. "I'm fine, mama. I feel amazing."

Mrs. Lawson rubbed her arms. "You didn't get hurt?"

Cindy blushed. "No, I...I got hurt. I'm going to need to see a doctor."

Her mother's eyes widened. "Where? What happened?"

"It's ok, mama. I patched myself up with a little help." She hugged her mother tightly. "I'm prey, mama. It was camp. These things happen."

Mrs. Lawson took a shuddering breath. "I was so scared."

Cindy rubbed her back, enjoying the closeness. "I'm fine, though, mama. And I helped a lot of kids."

"Excuse me?"

Cindy turned and smiled. "Mom, this is a friend of mine, Renata."

Mrs. Lawson smiled and reached out to shake the girl's hand. "Nice to meet you."

Renata smiled. "Cindy told us it was your idea to turn her into a traveling hospital."

She blinked. "Um, yes. I wanted to be sure she came back."

Renata stepped forward and hugged her. "Thank you. Your daughter was our medic. She saved a lot of lives."

Mrs. Lawson blinked and hugged her back. "Good to hear."

Someone cleared their throat and Cindy turned. "Beth!"

She disengaged from her mother and stepped forward to hug her friend. Bethany's hug was hesitant and Cindy pulled back, frowning. "What?"

The wolfess looked at her carefully. "Are...are we ok?"

Cindy laughed. "Why wouldn't we be?"

Renata stepped over. "Beth? Isn't she the one who-"

Cindy shook her head quickly, sliding her eyes to her mother.

Mrs. Lawson was quick, though. "The one who what?"

Cindy took a deep breath. "Mom, it was survival camp. We were on opposite sides."

Her mom stared at Beth. "You shot my daughter?"

Bethany raised her hands and stepped back. "I'll just-"

Cindy grabbed her. "Stay right here. Mom, Bethany is my best friend. It was camp."

Everyone stared at her, and Cindy looked at them with a frown. "Come on, really? I went into this to be prey. Bethany is a pred. We were on opposite sides, I was a high priority target."

Mrs. Lawson looked away. Renata considered her for a long moment. "Damn, you are league through and through, huh?"

Cindy smiled and hugged her friend. "I am, yeah."

Bethany stared at her in amazement. "So...we're ok?"

"Yes, oh my god, will you stop freaking out?"

The wolfess hugged her friend tightly. "I'm glad you made it, Cinds."

Cindy grinned and hugged her more tightly. "Me too."

She pulled back and looked at her mom. "I am starving. Can we go get something to eat?"

Mrs. Lawson smiled. "Um, yeah. Absolutely."

CIndy looked at Beth. "Come with? We'll swap camp stories."

The wolfess grinned. "I'd love to. Let me just call my parents."

As Bethany walked away, Mrs. Lawson put a hand on Cindy's shoulder. "Cindy-"

The foxtaur let out a frustrated sigh. "Mom. she did what she was supposed to. She hunted me. And I appreciate her for respecting me enough not to let our friendship put her off. She's a pred. I'm prey. It was camp."

Renata grinned. "Your daughter has a point, ma'am."

Mrs. Lawson bit her lip, and Cindy watched as something realigned in her eyes. "Ok. Ok, you can still be friends with her, if that's what you want. But...I want you to check in with me when you're with her. Don't let her take you into a green zone. No staying the night at her house, she comes to us if she wants to sleep over."

Cindy opened her mouth and Renata put a hand on her arm. "Cindy, your mom just realized what it means that you're prey with a pred friend. Those are good rules to follow."

The foxtaur licked her muzzle. "OK. I promise."

Bethany came back with a smile. "All clear. Do you mind if I put my luggage in your trunk, Mrs. Lawson?"

Cindy's mom looked at Bethany measuringly. "No, that's fine. I'll unlock it for you." She turned away and walked back to the van as Bethany went to get her stuff.

Renata touched her arm. "Remember you're not superman, ok, Doc? Preds are preds. You are prey."

Cindy nodded. "I know. I've spent the past two months learning what that means. But I'm not going to let a little thing like being on opposite ends of the food chain ruin my oldest friendship."

The coyote nodded. "Let me know if you still feel that way after she tries to eat you."

The foxtaur touched her chest. "She already tried. She shot me. I promise you, I am ok with her."

Renata rubbed her arm gently for a moment, then reached into her pocket and pulled out a little card. She handed it to Cindy silently.

Cindy took it, turning it over. It had a phone number, an address, and the Prey League symbol on it. Renata gave her arm a squeeze and stepped away. "Come to a meeting, Doc. Get to know your people when there's not a threat of imminent death."

"I will," she said shyly. "Looking forward to it."

The coyote waved and headed off into the crowd of kids.

Cindy tucked the card into one of her pouches and looked around for her mom or Bethany.

"Hey you! Preybitch!"

Her head snapped around and her heart rate tripled as a young lion stomped over to her with a bear and a dog in tow. "M-Me?"

He stalked up to her and took a deep breath through his nose. "God, you really are prey, aren't you? I can smell the fear on you."

Cindy swallowed and firmed up her shoulders. "Yeah, I am."

He grinned and suddenly the menace melted away. "You were a bitch in the woods. You were the medic, weren't you?"

Cindy stared at him, still trying to calm her nerves. "Yeah, that was me."

He held out a hand. She stared at it for a moment and then took it gingerly. He gave it a firm shake.

"Me and my crew want a rematch. You coming back next year?"

She blew out a slow breath and managed a smile. "Wouldn't miss it."

He grinned and mimed nocking an arrow. "Good. Cause next year I'm going home with your pelt."

She blushed and smiled genuinely. "You'll have to catch me, pred."

He laughed and turned away, walking off with his friends. Mom stepped up behind her and put a hand at the base of her upper back. "More friends?"

Cindy shivered and shook her head. "No, just pred kids messing with me."

Mrs. Lawson winced. "Come on, baby, let's get you something to eat."

The bench seat in the van was luxurious, a seat that was actually meant for her. She sank into it with a groan of relief. Bethany hopped in next to her, and they started off.

"Oh, your phone's in the console."

Cindy grinned and retrieved it. A few messages from acquaintances, but nothing really of import. She was considering pulling up a social messaging site when there was a ping and a message from Bethany popped up.

So I did get you? How did you know it was me?

Cindy smiled. Recognized the arrow, smelled you on the fletching.

Bethany nodded. How bad was it?

It was a good shot. :) You took out one of my secondary lungs.

Bethany choked and stared at her friend in alarm. "I-"

Cindy's eyes widened and she shook her head slightly. I'll tell her later. Maybe.

The wolfess licked her muzzle. Cindy, I nearly killed you. Why are you being so nice to me?

Cindy frowned at her. You weren't expecting us to be friends after camp, were you

Bethany looked out the window for a long moment. No. TBH, I wasn't expecting you to make it. I thought you were going to play to go.

Cindy put an arm around her friend and hugged her. I found out that sometimes being prey means staying alive.

Beth nodded and hugged her back. "I'm glad you're alive," she whispered. "And that you're still speaking to me."

They pulled up at the restaurant and Cindy grinned. "You're my best friend, Beth."

They got out of the car and headed inside. They got seated and the waiter, a rabbit, brought them their menus and got their drink orders. "Need a minute to look?"

Cindy took a deep breath. "Do you, um, have soy burgers? Or any TVP products?"

She tried to ignore the stares from her friend and mother, focusing on the waiter. He blinked slowly, and then looked down at her pendant, hanging free on her chest. "Uh, yeah. Let, um, let me get you the prey menu."

She blushed. "Thanks."

She took a sip of her soda, and then finally looked over at the stunned looks on her tablemates faces."What?"

Bethany hesitated. "You...don't eat meat? Anymore?"

Cindy swallowed and shook her head. "Nope. Can't take it."

Mrs. Lawson blew out a slow breath. "Do you know where you can get this stuff?"

Cindy nodded. "Renata is going to show me where to get it."

Bethany stared at her silently. "So that's it. You're absolutely, one hundred percent prey."

Cindy nodded her thanks as the waiter set a different menu in front of her. "Yep." she smiled at them as she opened the menu, grinning at the sight of steaks she could eat. "Prey all the way through."