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 Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:27 am
She was hungry.
In fact, she was very hungry.
The leopardess was so accustomed to her staple and predictable diet that she hadn't really thought of the ramifications of travelling. Consequently she was unprepared for the dramatic shift in the availability of her preferred foods and had yet to find a type that she preferred. The problem out in the roguelands was that the preybeasts were too stringy. At home they had fat to them, a good amount of meat on their bones, but here they were thin, scraggly and flighty. It would have been safe to assume that the leopardess had been the victim of a fleeing preybeast more than once since she had left the sanctity of her jungle.
Alas, when it really boiled down to it and the survival instincts kicked in, the leopardess simply couldn't ignore the need to feed. Every living being needed to eat and she was of no exception, especially when she had gone two days without anything. This in mind, the leopardess had accepted that she was going to have to develop a new strategy to catch her prey. By combining the methods used by the rogue lions she had watched in the distance and her own abilities, she could develop a strategy that would benefit her. In short, she was going to have to relearn to hunt using the methods that most fit this land.
Argh, all that effort!
Nevertheless, for all her discontent at having to expend so much energy, even she could accept the necessity and as a result, she had settled herself into a comfortable hiding spot. From all she had observed, she understood that most predators lay in wait and when something got close, they pounced. With the exception of the faster ones, there was little running involved at all and this suited her just fine. Fortunately for her, this strategy was also likely to succeed as unlike a number of other predators she had seen, her coat colour wasn't bright. Among the grasses she was perfectly hidden and provided she kept her pink nose low to the ground, no one was likely to spot her.
This in mind, the leopardess fell silent and quietened her breathing - it would only be a matter of time before something wandered passed her...
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Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:30 am
The leopardess was not to be disappointed as no more than twenty minutes later, a purple Klipspringer had wandered into her immediate vicinity. Seemingly alone, the preybeast was content to pick his way through the long grasses to find the most appetising growths. Additionally, he even appeared to be in good shape for something that existed in the lowlands and seemed to be in good shape. Good muscle structure, bulky and decidedly well fed - all in all, the purple Klipspringer was perfect for food. Alas, to assume he was alone was a flaw as the preybeast was in the company of another who wasn't immediately visible in the taller patches of grass.
...That being said, if one listened closely enough they would hear the faint patter of paws behind him. Trailing behind the Klipspringer was a leopard cub and while not immediately visible, he would be in a few minutes - or rather, it would be a few minutes if the cub didn't get distracted again.
Nevertheless, rather than wait for the cub to catch up, the Klipspringer continued with his foraging, pausing every now and again to lift his head and check his surroundings. With Tia'moyo lying in wait for him upwind, he remained unaware of her existence for the time being.
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Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:31 am
A Klipspringer! She'd seen them before but had never seen this one. Juicy, succulent and positively screaming to be picked, she didn't waste any time in slowly but surely approaching the creature in question. Shuffling forward quietly on her stomach, the leopardess kept her eyes fixed on her prey and what it had to offer her. So distracted was she by the Klipspringer that she failed to catch the scent of the leopard cub that accompanied him and as a consequence, had no idea of what was about to occur.
With extended claws, the leopardess drew ever closer and when she was within striking range, readied herself and leapt forward. Launching herself across the gap between herself and the Klipspringer, she reached out to grab hold of the beast before he could escape. Alas, given her current position a shadow was inevitable and as the sky darkened above him, her presence should have been obvious!
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Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:32 am
It was a shadow and it was a big one. He may not have heard the leopardess's approach but as she soared through the air she became impossible to ignore. Wasting no further time, the Klipspringer sprung away from his current position and darted off to the right, slipping into the long grasses with a flurry of hooves and dust. It certainly wasn't the most graceful of exits, but it certainly did the job to avoid getting crushed beneath the weight of the feline. This was the reason in which he was always so alert, it might have been a puzzle to his companion for a long time, but by now, it should have been obvious...
"What are you doing!" A younger, childish voice wailed.
Having emerged from the grasses now that he had finished studying whatever it was that he had been interested in, the green cub was gazing incredulously at the larger leopardess as she pounced across the gap between her hiding spot and his friend. His eyes were wide, his lips were parted and while he would have denied being the sort to gawk, it was currently unavoidable. He was simply too small to interject any further, or at least in theory he was so how was he meant to stop her?
"Don't eat my friend!" he howled and lifted a paw. "I'll bite your ankles!" he threatened.
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Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:33 am
May the gods damn it, the Klipspringer had bolted in the same fashion as every other preybeast in this area. It would have been so much easier if she could have dropped down from a tree, but with so few within the vicinity of preybeasts in the roguelands, this would have been impossible. Alas, her frustration at failing to capture her prey was momentarily pushed to the way-side as another voice caught her ears. With a threat to bite her ankles, the green cub had firmly caught her interest and in surprise, she turned to examine the tiny cub that stood before her, his nose scrunched up through determination.
"Your friend?" she enquired in astonishment, flicking her gaze towards the flash of purple in the grasses which would soon reappear to stand beside the cub. "It's a Klipspringer, you're meant to eat them!" she pointed out, her eyebrow lifting as she glanced between the cub and the preybeast. Much to her surprise, the pair seemed exceedingly comfortable together and the cub didn't appear to have any inclination towards pursuing the Klipspringer... Hell, the Klipspringer was right there and he didn't even pounce.
"Or are you going to tell me you eat bugs, 'cause I'll tell you now, that isn't good for you," she mused.
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Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:36 am
"Ew no," the cub replied, wrinkling his nose in distaste at the mere thought of eating bugs. He liked some crunchy foods but that was going too far, even for him. With this in mind he shook his head and peered at the female again. "I eat fish," he explained and then motioned patiently to the Klipspringer, who was unsurprisingly, eyeing up Tia with considerable suspicion at this point - suffice to say that she still looked ready to eat him, it was only Eremerus's surprise outburst that was keeping her at bay. "They're tasty, easy to catch and they don't leave a mess," he pointed out, nodding very curtly as if to emphasise his point. It was then that he narrowed his eyes and motioned to the Klipspringer.
"I don't and never will eat my friends - he's my guide and I would get lost all the time without him," he continued. A small smile then crept onto his lips and he patted the Klipspringer's flank with his paw. "Isn't that right Xer?" he enquired.
"Well, you'd also get yourself killed too," the Klipspringer replied stiffly, his gaze still fixed on the predator before himself and Eremerus. It was going to take a considerable amount of effort to persuade him that lives were not in danger at this point.
"See? I need him... So please don't eat him." Well, no one could fault the cub for being polite at the very least.
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Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:38 am
Wait, wait, wait... There were fishing pools in the rogue lands? Tia had the decency to look astonished as she watched the cub crease up his features in indignation. To be fair, she didn't much like the idea of eating bugs for a prolonged period of time either, but given her naivity in relation to the roguelands, she hadn't been aware there was an alternative beyond preybeasts. Suffice to say that she was rather startled by this revelation and she was required to re-evaluate her current stance, even her gaze had softened towards Xer who definitely seemed to regard her with suspicion and probably always would.
"You mean there are places to fish here?" she enquired slowly, the disbelief evident in her voice as she turned her head to look over Eremerus's head towards the horizon. In all her time, the most she had passed had been watering holes that had been surrounded by preybeasts, but there hadn't been fish in them. It was quite the surprise to find that there was running water, more importantly, it was a complete surprise to discover that there were rivers in this area of sufficient depth to even contain fish. Had she known that these even existed then she wouldn't have even bothered with hunting the preybeasts - truth be told, she was a master at fishing.
...Sigh, all that wasted effort.
"I've never seen one," she breathed and shook her head, still finding such a concept difficult to fathom. "Where are they?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:44 am
Xer and Eremerus exchanged glances, their lips pursing as they pondered over whether the female was entitled to the information. However, after a quick moment of thought both cub and preybeast conceded that she did deserve it. After all, if she knew where the water was then she wouldn't eat Xer and perhaps she'd avoid eating other preybeasts too. All in all, it was a fair trade off which neither individual could or would dispute. With this in mind, Eremerus nudged lightly at his companion and gave a nod - suffice to say that the cub wasn't entirely sure of where he was, truth be told, he really would be completely lost without Xer as his guide.
"The river is behind us," the Klipspringer said at last and turned briefly to nod towards the south east. It wasn't a precise set of directions but he knew that she would be able to sniff the water out, it wasn't exactly hard and every creature had that ability. "It's about half a days solid walk from here and given the season it should be completely full to the brim with fish," he added. Shrugging loosely, he seemed satisfied with his directions and returned his attention to the leopardess once more. It was at this point that he lapsed into silence and allowed Eremerus to take the reins again.
"We live real close to it," Eremerus explained and flashed the type of winning smile that only a child can achieve. "In fact, it's where my dad lives," the cub concluded and motioned over his shoulder with his tail. "They're really tasty, so I'd say you should probably go with those rather than eating anymore guides - they're valuable creatures, they're not supposed to be for food!" the cub announced with an emphatic nod, though he seemed less angry now.
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Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:53 am
So close and yet so far, the leopardess had been completely oblivious to how near she was to the food source. It did rather put things into perspective for her and she very quickly developed a new found respect for the Klipspringer who was continuing to watch her warily. He had been quick on his hooves, but rather than vanish into the grasses he had returned to stay nearby his friend. More importantly, he had provided her with information despite getting off on the wrong paw - there were few creatures in the world that would do such a thing and for that he was entitled to her gratitude and respect.
"I see," she said after she had absorbed the information, her lips pursing into a thin line as she gazed off in the direction they had indicated. Half a days walk for them was probably less than that for her. She was an adult after all, she could move faster when she wanted to and her strides were much longer. Nevertheless, if she took it to be half a day at a slow lop then even then it wasn't that far away. This in mind, how in the name of goodness had she missed catching the scent of it? Surely her instincts weren't that rusty.
"I'm so sorry," she offered with a sigh, turning her gaze back to the Klipspringer. "Everything here is new to me, I didn't know there were rivers this far out and I was hungry. If I'd known, I wouldn't have tried to eat you," she explained, a sheepish smile lining her lips as she pulled herself to her paws. With her hunger at the forefront of her mind, she elected not to stay any longer than necessary and instead, made the decision to leave in pursuit of sustenance.
"Thank you for the directions and for the patience - there's not many that would give it out here," she concluded. Seemingly finished with the conversation, she gave a nod to the pair and padded away, providing Xer with a wide berth so that he didn't shy away. With her eyes set on the horizon, she was driven by just one thing - Food!
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Posted: Sat Sep 10, 2011 2:58 am
There civil duty was done and both Eremerus and Xer watched as the leopardess padded off towards the river. Both concluded that she wasn't quite as bad as they anticipated, with Xer accepting the apology and her explanation. The Klipspringer knew all too well that he was an easy target and when it came to hunger, you just had to eat. There was no use in holding a grudge and since she'd had the decency to extend the olive branch, he was going to take it. Admittedly he would probably never seen her again, but it was always a good way to go, especially when karma was involved!
"Am I the only thing that doesn't eat you?" Eremerus enquired curiously once Tia had vanished from view, padding forward himself in the opposite direction. "Cause this is like...the eighth time in the last week that someone has tried to take a chunk out of your butt," the cub observed wrily, glancing back at the Klipspringer's rump in an attempt to find out what was so appealing. To this day the cub still couldn't understand what the fascination was...
"You're the only one who doesn't eat me," Xer conceded with a small, exasperated sigh and shook his head. "What can I say? I'm just appetising," he mused, trotting after the cub as he continued forward.
"Maybe it's cause you eat so much," Eremerus mused softly.
"Are you calling me fat?" the klipspringer enquired delicately.
"I believe the term is 'big boned', is it not?" Eremerus replied loftily as both he and Xer once again disappeared into the long grasses...
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