Prey

Soobesükütsa tüa pia mupitsI ikÜ kimai.

A long time ago, it is said, a monster came here.

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A white tail.

Sarii.

Mahoinitü.

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I remember when Father told me I was ready for kühtaamia.

My big hunt.

You were little. So, Mother took you to gather medicine.

But Father and I, we went up into the hills.

The rain was bad. Everything was wet.

We crawled through the mud and my bowstring…

- -…got ruined and--

- -You were sleeping.

I was waiting for it to circle back.

Now you're gonna have to cross the river to get it.

Whoa.

Don't get your bowstring wet.

Taabe,

this morning in the sky,

I saw a sign. The thunderbird.

I've been practicing.

It's time. I'm ready for my kühtaamia.

You really think you're ready?

You wanna hunt something that's hunting you?

Petsü.

- Trained him well. -It's easy. He's smart.

Not every smart creature is easy to train.

- Is that for War Chief's bad knee? -Mmm.

He's getting worse.

You didn't put orange totsiyaa.

Who taught you about orange totsiyaa?

You.

Hmm.

Your father left you that to cut breadroot with.

I almost got a deer with it.

Yeah. Well, we can't eat "almost."

My girl, you are good at so many other things.

Why do you want to hunt?

Because you all think that I can't.

Ah!

In this wind, he brings home a red-tail.

You should have listened to my story.

Didn't think we had time for a nap.

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Posa.

It's sharp enough.

Go get us some orange totsiyaa.

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Itsee.

- Hina? - A lion. It took Puhi.

We gotta find him.

You could get shot sneaking up like that.

-Who's sneaking? -

Who invited you?

We won't be gone long enough to need a cook.

She should stay.

She tracks well.

And if we find Puhi alive, she knows medicine.

You have to find that cat now.

-I will. -I know.

'Cause you have to.

Oh, good. The dog found shit.

-We're not looking for wolves. - It's not wolf.

You see that crushed bone?

That's lion scat.

And the cat that made it was big.

He's breathing.

Petsü.

So much could kill him.

It won't kill him. Just cool his blood.

Anaa. Anaa.

Taabe wants to stay and hunt.

Let's go.

-I'm coming with you. -I can handle the lion.

No, it's not just the lion.

Why is Puhi alive? There's something that scared the cat away from its den.

I've got this.

Stay with Puhi. He needs your help too.

We don't have time to waste talking. We need to get him home.

ManamÜsohi.

Üts'tü nü.

Tobo'ihupitü.

Kee.

The cold is good.

The medicine slows his blood. If he gets warm, he'll bleed out.

Hey.

Do you want him to be comfortable or alive?

Mia.

We don't have time to wait for you.

-Look. - Could be bear tracks.

Maybe.

But that's a big bear.

And why was it on its hind legs? And what skins a snake like that?

-We need to keep moving. -No.

I have to warn my brother.

Paaka, go with her.

Naru, we don't need the torches. They'll scare the cat.

We're in its hunting grounds.

Why'd you come back?

I found tracks, and they were huge.

I'm not frightened by a bear.

I don't think it was a bear.

I don't know what it was. I've never seen anything like it.

It skinned and gutted a snake.

Well, whatever it was, we're in the cat's den now.

We have to deal with it first.

Come on.

The lion won't think that we're hunting it here.

It'll think it's hunting us.

We get some bait, then climb up and wait for it.

A hunter doesn't wait. He hunts. We could be here all night.

We could stalk the forest all night and not find anything too.

If you're too afraid to hunt, go back to camp where you belong.

We'll try it Naru's way.

We'll bait it, then I'll lead the cat to you.

Wait.

It's time, Naru.

Your kühtaamia.

When the lion comes, you tell that thing,

"This is as far as you go.

No more. This is it."

It won't matter how sharp it is if you're too afraid to use it.

You think you're ready?

You've never faced a lion.

Its mouth full of teeth like arrows,

ready to tear your flesh and crush your bones.

When your brother comes back, he and I will find the lion