Treacherous Snow prowled silently over the tangled roots that created an uneven path beneath her hooves. She searched for prey, her smooth movements carrying her over the swamp like a slipping sliding shadow. Cornice’s amber eyes roved restlessly as she moved continuously without a single pause. The sudden sound of another create moving for a short moment stopped her immediately and Cornice froze, consciously still the same way that she kept her body in motion during the search as to never be in the same space for a few short moments. But now, now she had a victim. In the ensuing silence, the swamp conspicuously still as if it held its breath waiting for her to strike, Cornice held her body aloft, ready to move the moment she knew exactly how to approach her target.She held her mouth open slightly, breathing in sharply in quick succession to test the air for scent, and she bared her fangs slightly. It only took a few seconds for her to pinpoint her prey. Cornice turned her head minutely towards the direction of the scent. She crouched low, hackles high and head low. She took one deep, shuddering breath, tasting the scent of the impending kill already, before stilling her breathing to only the shallowest breathes. Measured steps carried Cornice forward, each hoof step bringing her closer and closer to her prey.
Cornice sidestepped smoothly, circling around the spot she knew held her prey. It was too still, it was too late for it. Treacherous Snow, indeed dangerous, bared her fangs now at full, her eyes alight with the hunt. She hungered for the taste of blood and every circling move took her towards the penultimate moment of the kill.
Steeling her thoughts and quieting her mind, silencing the voice within that screamed for blood, Cornice’s hearts slowed to a crawl as her prey came into sight. Perfect.
It was never any fun to hunt the hunted. No, it was fun to hunt the hunters. Before her was a great snake, half submerged in water, a killer in a swamp filled with other killers. Cornice shifted forward slowly, belly low to the ground, to get as close to the pool as she dared without alerting her soon to be kill. Her leg muscles coiled and tensed and between one heart beat and the next, she leapt forward, catching the snake along its back, crushing down. It was fast though, in its element. That was the way Cornice like it. She wanted to kill in the most challenging way possible, drag out the fun just a little bit. Never go for the kill right away when she knew she could win otherwise. She pulled away when it slithered quick and deadly through the water, trying to get around her to squeeze the life out of her.
Killer to killer, they stared each other in the eye before Cornice went on the offensive again. This time she struck its tail with her hoof and snapped her head forward to close her jaws around its back just hard and long enough to get her first taste of blood. The metallic taste sent her senses wild. Again she danced out of reach just as the snake was about to close around her. She could continue this game forever, the weaving in and out, just the smallest amounts of blood to egg her on.
Cornice lunged forward and took the base of its head in her mouth, closing down her fangs around its neck. It writhed and shook, the rest of its long, dangerous body beginning to wind its way around her body. The danger caused her heart to race. A second before the snake’s hold became too tight, Cornice lurched forward, hoofs sending up a spray of pool water and brought her head whipping up then down. She slashed the snake forward, pulled some of its coils loose from around her body then slammed her side against a tree, catching the rest of the loops between her body and the trunk. She dragged downwards, breaking through a skin of scales through sheer force and the ever sharpening scent of blood hit the air in a renewed wave. Dropping the head of the snake, Cornice shook herself forcibly free of the snake and stepped away to survey her work. It was still alive but it didn’t move to try and kill her.
Cornice found herself disappointed. There was no point in a killer who would not kill. Darting in, Cornice took up the snake’s neck in her jaws and crushed down through scale and bone for the kill, blood flooding her mouth. Exhilarated for the taste and feeling, Cornice was able to walk away satisfied, the large snake trailing in her wake from her jaws.
