“I am strong. I am fast and brave. I hunt for my people.” Uncle Snake’s good right eye narrowed fiercely. “We will kill many!” Leopard Paw said. “Quiet,” Frog said. “The prey approaches.” “Truly,” Leopard Paw said, “Sky Woman is a mighty dancer.” The brush on the far side of the clearing rustled, and a hog’s bristly head poked through. They froze: the pig was still beyond spear or arrow range. It sniffed the air. Would the breeze betray them? Curse it, they were upwind and had not masked their scent. “You are thirsty, so thirsty,” Frog coaxed. “The water is cool. Come to the water …” Instead, perhaps sensing danger, the hog backed away. The shadows lengthened and then shrank once again. Although they waited with both patience and skill, they gained nothing. “Let’s go back,” Frog said. “Perhaps some of the others were more fortunate.” “If not,” Leopard Paw said, “I will be eating fill grass tonight.” “If only we could find fill grass,”
