With speed, agility, and luck Tah managed to run through the old growth forest following the trail of blood. The dying sun still provided light enough to see. Tah sent out pleas to the stars to have the great horn fall before the dark of night ate up the sight of him. Once the night chased all light he would have to fight the howling beasts that he knew would smell his fresh kill. 

Tah hurried. Around a stand of white pine he saw the great one fall on his hind legs. It rose quickly only to fall forward over its wobbling front legs. Tah dashed to the creature with his dagger drawn and he jumped upon the beast’s back. The elk stood again and snorted tossing its head back with force. He pranced around making a long high pitched scream throwing its head back and forth, side to side. 

Tah hung on. When most of the violent movement was done he pulled his hand off from his hold and stabbed. Right into the soft side of the great horn. He pulled back and did it again. And again. And again. It was a release of all Tah had been running through and waiting for. All the nights he read his stars, and all the day he followed the tracks. All of it ran through his body and his arm as he stabbed and stabbed.

He didn't stop until the elk fell. Even then he almost kept hold until the beast turned as if to fall right on Tah’s leg. Tah jumped. He rolled to the ground beside the great horn. He panted right with the last breaths of his kill. Turning his head he watched the rise and fall of the last shallow air. He rolled toward the elk. Taking his hand without the dagger clinging tight he pressed his palm flat against the bloody fur. He let the warmth of the blood drip through his fingers and down his arm.

Slowly he pushed himself onto his knees. The darkness was coming and Tah was not sure he would be able to get the kill back to his fire. How far had he run? He quickly began to cut through first the neck and then the shoulders. He dashed around as the light faded and found two stick long enough to pull and then others to weave through to provide a travois,. drager. Keeping ,most of the body in tack Tah rolled lifted, pushed the corpus onto the makeshift carrier. 

As darkness surrounded him he had the kill enough in place to begin the walk back to his fire. Carefully he retraced, once or twice changing his direction pulling the dead meat back to the mound he hoped still held light. In the distance he heard the cries of wolves.