Then the ninja jumped, pouncing on the back of the animal. The deer reared, its head snapping back, its front hooves kicking the air. Clara grasped the back of the buck’s head with one hand, the other flashing around the animal’s muzzle. The deer tried to shake free, whipping its head frantically about. The front hooves came down and it lurched to take off into the woods. But the ninja gave the animal’s head a swift, hard snap to the right. The creature fell forward, face hitting the hard ground, tongue lolled out one side of its mouth, eyes empty.