Jondy actually preferred to hunt during this time of the year. Yes, it was cold and the animals were still in hibernation or hiding until spring. But it made them easy to corner and it also meant they hadn't begun having offspring yet. Jondy couldn't bring herself to hunt any baby animals. She wanted to adopt most of them.
Ripley was an expert little hunter. Jondy was really proud of the progress she had made. She was going to be a very well trained cat who would be predatory when it came to survival and protection but would be tame enough to keep as a house pet. The key to their relationship was absolute trust in each other. That was how Tinga and Jondy had kept each other alive and it was how Jondy was going to raise Ripley to be.
Ripley struck out at the weasel as it tried to quickly slip away but Ripley was on it in an instant. It didn't even have a prayer as Ripley's jaws closed over it's tail and shook her head back and forth. The weasel's body was mercilessly slammed into the cave wall and tossed back and forth at Ripley's attempt to play with it.
"Ripley," Jondy warned. It was hunting time, not play time. Ripley whined a little and flung the weasel into the wall. It was still alive, but barely. Ripley finished it off by biting it's neck until it finally stopped moving.
"Good girl!" Jondy exclaimed as she crouched down. The cat came bouncing towards her happily and ready for her reward of scratching and petting while Stefan took first dibs on the fresh kill.