Kathane lowered her body through the grasses, her pale blues shimmering over the bodies of the antelopes. She didn't know if Katori was in position, it was usually his most hated time of the week. Food was low though and both of them needed to eat. Kathane was a large female but still smaller then her brother. By quite a difference. Her tail flicked above some grasses and she steadied her breathing. Everytime she thought of hunting.. She thought of her mother teaching her daughter how to perfect the art as a female. She didn't talk much about their parents to Katori. She didn't know how he felt about the abandoning. The two had been alone in the world since just before their adolescent-stage. Juve was hard to hunt alone so they did it together all the time.
He knows he can always talk to me about it though. She would say to herself before waiting for her brother's signal and then her fleeing towards the elder that had caught her eyes. He was limping bad, his back leg had been cut open by a hunting gone wrong. It looked fresh so it had to have happened during the week.
Katori shifted in his spot, it had been hard to find somewhere large enough to hide his large bulk but he had, his mind drifted to the countless times he and Kathane had hunted like this he didn't like to think of the reasons why. They'd been abandoned, had to learn fast how to hunt and work together. Being so large and with his mane, it was harder for him to chase prey, it wore him out so fast and most of the time he hunted at night if for some reason Kathane was unable to carry out her usual role of chasing. He didn't really think he felt sad or angry at being left alone, he was more angry for his sister she didn't deserve it. A rush of noise brought him back to the real world and he pounced at the antelope that ran past him, chased by Kathane, his initial blow knocking it off balance. He shifted into an awkward run, muscles rippling in the sun. He gripped at it with his claws so it wouldn't get away, that was when he noticed the fresh'ish wounds and got a little worried but they were both very hungry so for now, he kept silent about it and waited for Kathane to come and help make the kill.
Kathane moved swiftly and jumped off the side of a tree to give her some build in speed. Jumping quickly at the antelope in only moment it was dead under her fangs. Snapping its neck was the easiest part. Her pretty white muzzle was splattered and dripping with blood. Snarling a little. Thinking back to when she first made her kill and instead of congratulating her their parents scolded her. Eyes squinting in anger now. It had only been a few years. The two siblings were still relatively young. Possibly still developing some things.
She knew why they abandoned her.. Katori had just always been at her side. Closing her blues for a moment she shook off her anger at their parents and sighed. "You did an awesome job at using your body weight brother so you win the first bite." She smiled at him like she always did. She also gave him the first bite because that's how she was taught.
Katori was their black beauty of a son. They wanted a pride leader. Only to gain a wimpy daughter who was their black beauty's white shadow. They were always together and when their mother tried to remove Kathane many times.. She didn't leave. And in the end. They left them both. It was my fault..
Katori gripped the antelope with his claws until he felt the life leave the creature, he muttered a silent thanks that the kill was swift and neither of them were hurt. Once the body was still he backed up "You know i never take the first bite sister, you do the hard work and you made the kill so you get choice parts, there's plenty for both of us Kathane" he always showed his sister the respect he felt she deserved, she never got a decent deal with their parents, and Katori had never been interested in leading a hunt, let alone a pride like they'd wanted. They were litter mates yes but they were as close as twins in some ways. Not once did he blame Kathane, he'd rather be beside her than being pushed into something he wasn't interested in.
Kathane looked up at her brother and sighed, "Someday you're going to get really sick and want to take that first bite.." She softened her face and nosed him lovingly. Moving to their kill to thank it softly and take a chunk of it meat. Moving towards a small patch to laydown and enjoy the food. Chewing on its fats her tail flicked a little.
She smiled a little thinking of the language they made up when they were young. as she chewed she glanced up at him and said something in it. Something in the lines of I still remember or I'm sorry for anything I did. It was self-assuring.
Katori smiled and shook his mane with a laugh "I could be on my deathbed kathane and you'd still get your first choice" he meant it too, he loved his sister dearly, the only reason they had survived was because of each other, the two complimented well despite the fact he had a harder time of hunting alone than she did. His ears picked up the 'nonsense' words of their made up language and he gave a large belly laugh, his deep voice rumbling and he returned her sentiment meaning something like 'i remember also but no harm' or 'don't fret, everything is ok'
With a sneer, Kathane grinned and scoffed. "You're so stubborn. You know I'd feel guilty for stealing your first bite on your death bed. However, if you're on your's I so have to be on mine. Like dad used to say.. You could get really sick and I'd just be there getting sick too.. When I hurt my paw, you tripped instantly and hurt your's!" She recalled a good..ish memory. Tailflicking as she let the blood drip down her muzzle as she munched.
Feeling a rush of understanding fly over her as he said don't fret or no harm to her. Her heart warming up a little. Huffing between bites.
Katori stayed at the kill while Kathane took her food off a little way off to eat, he understood her want for privacy instead of 'fighting' at the carcass, if it made her feel safer then that was perfectly fine with Katori, even though the both of them knew he'd rather die than hurt her. He chuckled again and closed his eyes, savouring the meat as his stomach filled slowly. "I remember" he said chuckling again. What she might not know is that he did it to protect her from their parents, if she was injured then she would have been left behind much earlier, he'd known that at the earliest age. So he'd made sure that their parents had no choice but to slow up for their 'dearest' child. Katori had always hated that and often wished his pelt was light like hers. Now they were young adults, he decided he wouldn't dwell on it, it had happened and now it was just him and Kathane and that was good enough for him.
Kathane smiled a little and then watched him eat. "What's on your mind?" She asked him finally and heaved out a breath. "We don't ask one another anymore it seems.." She tilted her head and swayed her tail. It was rule number one back then. They always had to tell eachother how they felt.. Incase something happened to the other's sanity.
She had just recapped the rule.. It was a good rule. It got things off their chests.
Katori blinked "On my mind?" he shook his head to rid it of it's ghosts, "Just remembering our younger times Kathane and realizing how much happier we both are now compared to back then, despite us being younger" he sighed a little "we should have been carefree but we were forced to survive, that's all" he smiled then and tore a choice chunk from the kill and took it over to her, dropping it at her paws he butted her gently, affectionately "We're alright now, and as long as i live Kathane, you will never feel like that again if i can help it" he purred. He returned to the kill to guard it from other predators and scavengers... who knew when they'd have a successful hunt again. Every kill counted when you had no pride to look out for you.
Kathane: She tilted her head a little. So it was on both their minds. She thought so. As he dropped the chunk infront of her, she finished it off quickly and moved to protect their kill with him. Settling beside his large dark frame. Sighing out into the air. "I won't ever make you become a leader. You're to much of a father and family figure to be a King. Though sometimes that's the best kind of King or whatever it is they call leaders these days."
She lowered her head to her paws, she had cleaned her mouth and neck clean of red as well.
Katori laughed when she came over "I don't think so, not if being a King means what it mean to our parents, i'd be happy enough with a bunch of cubs to look after" he grinned "and you" he added before he began grooming, he went over to Kathane and began grooming her too, getting the places she couldn't reach herself "Remember you are ever and always my sister and best friend Kathane"
FIN
