|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 5:17 pm
 Tlocatl skimmed just above the tree tops. His prey was an adolescent deer - just a pricket gone from his herd. The kalona had picked up the scent a ways back, but lost it just recently. He didn't care for hunting on the ground, even though it tended to be easier to track and scent. Like now.... where had that sleek hank of tender flesh go?
He dipped his wings, just enough. His cloven hooves rustles the leaves of the trees, Tlocatl tucked his legs in further.
There! The stallion caught that scent. He took a deep breath, relishing the smell of young-sleek deer.... only one thing could smell as sweet, and she wasn't here to revel in his great hunt. Tlocatl took in another breath, and his wings faltered in their glide. There was someone... something else... and it was close. There was something canine and sinister, but as he didn't see anyone else in the air, he wasn't the least bit concerned. Besides, what would a kalona really have to worry about?
Tlocatl gained more altitude to give him a better vantage. A clearing was ahead, and he was sure his prey might move to there.
Wings beat the air, gathering the purchase needed for the next move. Movement entered the clearing. The young pricket ambled in to the area, not aware of any lurkers in the shadow - or the sky above.
The airborne soquili pulled his wings in. It didn't take long for him to gather the speed, dead weight was fast - aerodynamic dead weight was even faster. The pricket seemed to sense something was wrong, and looked up - only to see wings and hooves literally blazing toward him. In surprise, he jumped, but it wasn't enough.
Tlocatl's hooves connected, sure, but not the killing blow he had wanted. Nevertheless, it was enough of a hit to down his prey in one attempt. The stallion changed course immediately, climb sharply to let the energy of his dive putter out.... and then landed lightly after a slow descent to the ground.
A smug grin around his glinting fangs, Tlocatl looked down at the pricket. It was still breathing, but not coming up anytime soon. He could enjoy its final moments...
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 5:34 pm
The moment would have been perfect. The ancient dance of predator and prey, one could cherish the last moments they spent together before undoubtedly triumphed over the other. It was a subtle relationship that held so much meaning... so much importance.... it could never be shared.
In a split second a blaze of brown and grey flew from the grassy cover of the gentle clearing, merely a blur as it darted to-and-fro around the settled pair. Its paws barely touched the ground enough to rustle the blades of lush vegetation as it darted a rapid half-circle before coming to a stop before the downed deer. Orange eyes rimmed in red bore into the very being of the strange kolona, animalistic but glazed with a thin film of emotion that was unlike any soulless wildlife that could be found in the area. The coyote -as it were- kept its tail held low, his entire body stiffened and rigid with rage. His chest heaved rapidly in and out, indicative that the beast had been running a sprint -for the same prey, it seemed.
Any other animal would have feared the great winged and hooved beast hovering like a massive statue of power over the weakened animal but this coyote showed courage, to say the least. Eyes widened in a fit of aggression as his lips curled into a hateful fang-filled sneer, a rumbling growl rising from his throat.
He dashed forwards and latched his jaws over the soft neck of the prey and followed with a sharp tug backwards, away from the kolona. The prey was his to feast upon!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 5:45 pm
Tlocatl was not about to be shorted his meal, nor his victory! The stallion was not quiet for long. In his own fit of anger he snarled himself. Sharp teeth glistened with saliva and his head lowered in a mimic of the coyote. Granted, a shiver ran down his spine, but in that moment the kalona had no room for fear.
He took a step forward, thrashing at the demonic-feeling coyote with sharp hooves. "Back away!" he growled under his breath and thrashed out his muzzle to emphasize his point. "This is MY prey, MY meal!"
To be as menacing as he could manage, Tlocatl flailed his claw-encrusted wings and beat his hooves. His head lowered, he opened his mouth to clamp down on a very canine and very brown shoulder.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 6:06 pm
The coyote watched his foe with trained eyes, defiantly tugging away at the deer as it let out a chorus of ear-piercing shrieks and wails that rang through the eardrums like a shrill trumpet. The kolona was impressively built, the canine took note while impassively continuing its efforts to drive the meal away from the bothersome horse. As the hoofed beast took a stride forwards, the coyote grew rigid again and let the deer's head drop with a loud thud onto the hardened soil below. By now his fangs were running with blood, a glance to the prey would show a sloppy gash in its throat from the careless tugging and dragging done by the much smaller canine.
He watched the kolona for a moment, lips twitching as if he meant to continue a snarl but was too enthralled at the time to bother. His display was lavish, over-the-top, unnecessarily boisterous. It was no small wonder how such flapping and strutting could scare off any lesser-minded animal but to think such a pointless tactic to be used on anything with half a brain was nothing but... amusing?
Jutting out his neck to mimic the mimicker, the coyote yipped and skidded off - and in a moment was absent from the kolona's previous aimed strike. He streaked in a skulking run until he was to the side of the soquili before coming to a haughty stop. Teeth gnashed angrily at the attempted attack but where a growl would have escaped from came a hoarse, cool voice.
"You shrieeek.... shriek like a wailing pup." The coyote seethed from between his jaws, syllables extended with a guttural groan. "Too slow to cccatch your own prey today? Too fat for your winnnnngs, it seems." He almost seemed to smile, if such an expression was possible for a canine. In an abrupt change of tone and manner, he snapped.
"Get your own prey, fatty... Fly-fly back to your kind annnnnnd begone."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 6:26 pm
To say he couldn't follow the path of the other predator would have been an understatement. It wasn't until the coyote stopped and stayed where he was that Tlocatl could commense his glaring. The movments helped him, though, for the kalona moved into a position between this interloper and his victim.
A sniggering thought entered his mind when the coyote spoke... something about the voice, the eyes, the speed.... not that he had a mind half-working at that moment. Never before had Tlocatl had competition... well, not true. He might have an eagle or vulture... but they tended to flee when he did any of his 'shrieking'. The stallion shifted, uncertainty coming over him for just a moment.
No, he would not allow this coyote...grounded and not even a soquili!... beat him at his own game.
Tlocatl sniffed at the insults, "You impedent sniveling cur! You didn't even do a thing! I made the blow that downed MY prey! That pricket is mine by right and you dare to claim it as your own!"
His pose changed as the kalona swished his flame-orange tail and his head was held high. Arrogantly, he peered down along his nose to the coyote. The nerve of such a lowly creature!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 6:40 pm
Rage was not uncommon to the creature at any point in time but on this occasion he was more than happy to remain as level-headed and coy as his current personality allowed. Instead of responding with anger to the obviously-bloated ego of the lesser being before him, the coyote-creature simply began to shake with laughter. The sound was as unpleasant as deer who was slowly bleeding out from the unimpressive gash in its throat, kicking in the air in some slow-motion gallop from a predator who had ended its chase long ago.
"Look at you nooooow, all fluffed and preening." The voice continued now obviously mocking, eyes still locked with a deadened glare on the hoofed beast. "Your head waaaas so high... still so high... didn't see me hunting my prey down below.... for hourssss... I play with it, you know?" An odd tilt of his head and his tongue came lolling in a jester-like grin, eyes manic with somesort of calmed insanity.
"A cur you call me... you caaaaare to cross me? Cross paths with...death? You're currrrsed already by laying eyes upon me..." The coyote continued on with his sly speech, drawling out his words for emphasis and amusement. Slowly he began circling again, one paw infront of the other.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 6:51 pm
Tlocatl snorted, shaking the insults off his moltley fur. "Good, so you can go play with something else and be out of my sight!" And with that, the kalona turned his back on the coyote to deal with the highly injured deer youngling.
He took a step toward the pricket and lowered his nose to sniff the creature. Did that coyote have no class? The deer's throat was torn apart and while he didn't have qualms over such things it had destroyed the mood of the kill. Tlocatl preferred slow and savory meals, the life slowly dripping out with each passing moment. But this deer was tainted. The stallion sniffed, head low. The stench of canine was everywhere.
He lifted his hoof, about to smash the pricket's skull, when he heard what else the coyote had to say. Tlocatl paused and twisted his head so he could roll his eyes at the intrusion. "Oh, and why should I be frightened from a mere coyote, a grounded creature who will never soar the skies or reach any height whatsoever?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 7:04 pm
The coyote listened for the telltale retorts, patiently allowing the horse-beast to drink up his words and bristle in the irritation they caused. Above anything he lavished the feeling every time he watched the kolona sneer and spit in fury, stamping his hooves like a rampaging boar. Although he was never allowed to derived true joy from any experience he had, he continued to toy with the animal.
That is to say until the kolona turned about in a dismissing gesture, focusing its attention back on its meal - the prey he had stolen from him. Nothing more in the entire realm drove a spike of utter explosive rage from him than having one's back turned to him. The coyote's neck fur automatically tood on head, eyes bulging in a mad stare at the kolona's hind end. He could feel the anger boiling over like a fissure deep down and he let the emotions flow.
"DON'T.... TURN YOUR BACK ON ME!" The coyote roared a loud, booming noise surprisingly large for its size. "NEVER TURN YOUR BACK ON ME..." Forgetting all of what the kolona was uttering about, the coyote took a long stride forwards, pawpads gripping the earth as its skin rippled underneath his pelt. His jaw opened in a gagging expression as he began to grow in size, gangly legs protruding as a second jaw pushed from the depths of his jowls.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jan 21, 2008 7:25 pm
Hmmm, well that answered that question. Tlocatl couldn't help but stare curiously for awhile, his head to the side to get a better view. A Coyote that turned into a Soquili? He had heard of such things, slightly. Many desert animals spoke of them in fear greater than that of a kalona. Such animals didn't last too long as they ended their lives under his own hooves and fangs.
"So... what?" the stallion mocked, still watching the newly transformed coyote. "The wittle doggy doesn't like his master to forget about him?" His eyes sparkled in the flickering light of his fire. "Tough luck, pal, reality's a cold lover."
Tlocatl snorted again, but jumped over the deer, his wings spreading to allow for an easy landing on the other side. The stallion pivoted so he could once again face his opponent; though he stood over the quieting deer, forehooves planted on one side and hinds on the other.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 11:56 am
Istaqa's nostrils flared as an unholy rumble rose from his throat, eyes ablaze as they remained fixed on the kolona. Clearly he was in a precarious position in the rising battle, seeing as both formidable opponents stood facing each other with no room for dodging. One slip and he could be finding himself on the business end of a stray hoof, horn or spine that could humble the spirit immediately.
This skinwalker however, had no intention of dodging and diving out of any fight. To him, the kolona's posture was merely a runway leading him to his inevitable target.
"You'll be eatinnnnng those wordsss... fatty. LITERALLY! When I swipe the jaw STRAIGHT OFF YOUR FACE!" The devil charged with a chilling shriek and leaped well before the lying deer, forepaws clawing madly down from above as a coiled neck stiffened in waiting to deal a good bite much more substantial than the flesh wound suffered by the prey item at their feet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 12:35 pm
Tlocatl crept back, his eyes not leaving the angry coyote-soquili. The motions of the leap were hard to follow, but not the flight-path as it were. He was well-versed in the effects of being airborne. Having seen where the other launched himself, the kalona could easily move out of the way - regardless of a speed.
The stallion twisted, and reared up. Dropping his head, Tlocatl hid his soft neck with horns and skull... even if a connection was made, it would find a smaller target. He wasn't fast enough.
A flailing claw tore into the sensitive membrane of one of his wings. Tlocatl growled his pain and frustration, moving again to avoid further damage. unfortunately, all that did was tear some more as he got the wing from the grips of the coyote.
The kalona shook with rage, his pain adding its own fuel. "You good for nothing maggot!" He jumped in at the moment the coyote-soquili's feets hit the ground in the time where he might be unbalanced.
Tlocatl dove down, baring his own fangs to keep his eyes on his opponent. The stallion had his head tilted, ready to twist his head and swipe with his horns.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 1:05 pm
Istaqa meant every flail of his limbs as he swung wildly at the expectant kolona. Though he couldn't see with his eyes if any of his attacks had landed successfully in place, he managed to relish the feeling as his foreclaws tore a gouge out of the stallion's wing. His mixed sounds of anger and pain made the skinwalker giddy with bloodlust.
Once paws touched hard ground, the coyote-beast snapped his head around to catch glimpse of his new prey once again. He could see that the male had the advantage and was primed for attack but the skinwalker was unrelenting. Being too off-balance to gather up his legs for a quick kick or dash from danger, the stallion used the only weapon at his disposal. Twisting his neck about, the beast waited for Tloc to coil like a spring with those deadly horns displayed before he made his brash move. Lashing outwards like a nimble canine, he snapped his jaws at the kolona's muzzle, grasping air to try an catch the jaws and silence the annoying voice he continued to spew obnoxiously.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 1:14 pm
Tlocatl saw the pointed teeth before he could change tactics. As the coyote-soquili twisted about, Tlocatl turned his head as he had anticipated if his own teeth didn't work. His opponent only had hair and horns to grasp, but there wasn't any power to it. The kalona was practically head-butting the grounded soquili in his current position.
As was inevitable, when the two collide, the Kalona spread his wings, however painful the torn one remained. He couldn't quite the purchase and distance he needed for flight, but he could take the weight off his hooves as he pivoted to click his heels at the other.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jan 22, 2008 2:50 pm
Istaqa's jaws snapped at the air as the kolona moved out his reach, the flailing horns atop the winged-one's head making it difficult to capture a spot in which to sink his fangs in. The coyote-horse ducked in and out like an impatient boxer choosing a spot to attach to as Tlocatl did his best to remain out of harm's way.
Focusing too much on this task allowed the skinwalker to momentarily slip, a stray hoof colliding with his shoulder sent him stumbling. Being in such close quarters sapped the strength from the kolona's leg and it was only a matter of second before the skinwalker (shakily) rose to his paws once again. In one strong leap he closed to distance between the two and lunged with his jaws for the root of the kolona's tail. Success or not, he wily beast kept to the soquili's side to ensure another stone-hard kick would not be successful.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jan 23, 2008 10:54 am
His tail successfully - and incredibly painfully- clamped kept Tlocatl from moving with any semblance of speed. Sure, he was strong, but such a large weight - and was he pulling? Eee... - added prevented any quick movements. Weighed down, he could only try to pull away, circling and lunging in an attempt dislodge the pest. Changing his strategy, the kalona twisted his head around to try and bite the other stallion. He was careful to avoid claws but while teeth were sunk into his tail - *whimper* -, maybe he’d have a chance.
Tlocatl aimed for the face, mostly because it was the closest.... granted, nothing was close. He used everything at his disposal, teeth - horns, anything to give him that extra length of distance.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
