"Does it have to be so hot in here da?"

"Yeah, you've gotta keep it so the skins loose on the muscle."

       The boys hand was shaking, his lip quivering, but he saw his dad looking down at him. It was the first time he'd skinned a deer and he had to make his dad proud.

"Are they supposed to squirm da?"

"Yeah son, and the people will lie to. It's just a part of the chase."

       If you imagine a goat's bleat and the scream of a human being then you can imagine the horrible sound the deer made.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

       Here he was again, his hand was still shaking, maybe even more this time. His dad was looking down on him. He was strung up by his hands on meat hooks in the barn. Blood matted his hair, and covered his eye from the club his son had brained him with.

"I'm gonna make ya proud da."

"Son, what are you doing?"

"Practicing."

"We don't practice on family boy!"

"You practiced on mom."

"That ... That was different Tommy."

"It's ok da, I know it's just part of the chase."

      And it was ok, for Tommy the deer's scream was far worse.