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 Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2011 7:06 pm
Keshani watched as the youngling tossed things around in her mind, storing information to consider at a later date. A formidable intelligence behind those young eyes, it pleased Keshani to see that. This one would be a fine little project, a fine one indeed.
"Yes, now." She murmured with a shift of her wings. "Because you cannot need to fly, we will need to move as quickly as you are able. I want to return to my territory soon, I will need to hunt again as well."
As the young one agreed, Keshani nodded and swung her hindquarters to the side, not giving the foal her back but instead moving so that she could fall into line. She doubted the mare would realize something was amiss until true dark, hopefully they'd have enough of a head start by then. Hopefully she wouldn't even be able to catch them.
The question surprised her, made her laugh softly. "Apologies, Little One... My name is Keshani Avenara."
And I am your new Teacher...
***
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Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2011 7:36 pm
Her hooves dug into the earth, the vibrations halted by the soft ground, thus stopping any noise her approach would make. Her senses were expanded outward; every motion, sound, she caught. She could hear her mentor breathing even, which it took so long to pick up on when she had first tried stalking. She stifled the swell of pride in her chest for a later time. Nothing could draw her focus from the tan figure through the brush.
A long distance ahead was a male dear, she could tell by scent miles back. He had a limp, she could tell by the indention of his hoof prints. Now she could see the size of his antlers, giving a good estimate of his age. This one probably wasn't but a year or so past adult hood which meant he was a easier to toy with.
She was waiting for it to show signs of leading them to others but she believed he'd just wondered stray to rest. Maybe his leg was still injured? She couldn't tell until closer. She bet that Keshani already knew.
Avia wasn't but just on the edge of becoming a mare herself. Not long ago at all she was taken in by kalona mare that was so close to her now, watching her movements, analyzing. She'd taught her how to fly, how to hunt (though she hadn't killed yet), and so much more. Avia was a fast learner and respected Keshani more than she could express.
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Posted: Wed Mar 16, 2011 8:07 pm
Hanging back slightly, the Teacher watched her Student in appraisal. This was a test, her final test for her student. She'd taken Avia in as a filly, trained her and raised her. Now she took pride in watching the young mare stalk a handsome deer through the thick tangle of the forest.
Moving at last, Keshani kept her steps light, a ghostly shadow to her pale pupil. Her eyes narrowed so she could watch through the fan of her lashes, she kept behind Avia a few paces and let her student hunt but remained close enough to observe.
Avia had learned more than the dark mare had hoped, at least in the beginning. After taking her under wing and getting to know her young student, Keshani had altered her plans as her understanding of Avia's strengths and weaknesses grew.
The young mare hadn't yet killed, but she could stalk as well as her mentor and hear the faintest of noises that Kesha made to test her. Slowing her breathing, Keshani drifted to one side and considered the injured buck. A young adult, injured and separated from the herd. He made a good enough target. Not something that was strong enough to continue his bloodline, not a young promise of life.
Turning her shielded glowing gaze to Avia, Keshani inclined her head in a faint nod. She would give the young one no hints, this was Avia's game. Her chance to prove what she'd learned.
The dark mare gave a faint smile. I know you will do well...
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Posted: Sat Mar 19, 2011 8:42 pm
Advancing a few more feet as the buck rested, Avia took this time to finalize her strategy in her mind. Would she be able to make the kill this time? She had no weapons besides her strength in her legs. Keshani had her ram-like-horns, and her fangs. As small as they were, were more than Avia had. According to Keshani, full-blooded kalona had larger canines, and some even had spiked and clawed wings. Avia was fascinated with the image and was so very anxious to meet one... but her mentor kept her in hiding. She said it was for her own betterment, but Avia's impatience sometimes over comes her admiration for Keshani's judgment.
Her eyes flicking a millimeter in every direction, making sure to sustain her view of her environment, advanced more, silently, on her prey. She could still feel the presence of her teacher, but she had to disregard that. She was taught early on that just because she is there, doesn't mean she will act as a look out, or a body guard. Avia has gotten many an injury mistaking Keshani for doing either but that would hinder the learning process had Keshani stepped in. Avia felt grateful for having to learn lessons the hard way, the better way.
She was leaps away from her kill, as it licked his wounded leg. She could smell the blood now, see it dried and matting on his brown fur. It had stopped bleeding, which is why the blood that had trailed behind him wasn't so obvious... she probably missed a few specs, that Keshani surely had found. No matter. She still had him.
She didn't know what to do now. She'd mastered the stalking... she wouldn't have the means to make a clean kill... she felt the urge to look back on her mentor, but would be a brutal mistake. Never take her focus off the kill when there is no one else to watch it, and besides, she might not be able to even spot Keshani. She was a brilliant hunter, and magnificent at camouflaging.
She would wait a few more moments... if Keshani didn't act on the kill, as she sometimes did, she would be forced too, for the first time...
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Posted: Tue Mar 22, 2011 3:21 pm
Drifting in a semi-circle, Keshani moved away from Avia and around the buck to a position better suited should things go wrong. If need be, she could herd the prey back to Avia, or move in for the kill, or simply stop him so Avia could catch up. Until the younger mare made her move, Keshani wasn't sure which strategy would be needed, but she liked to have at least two -if not more- options just in case.
A successful hunt was a successful hunt, and if the first plan didn't work, a second was the only thing between the hunter and failure. And failure meant no dinner, at least most of the time. Though Avia had no need of the buck, Keshani might feed off of it. It was in her interest that her protege did well.
Avia lacked the Kalona's fangs and horns, their fierce bloodlust and the strength in their jaws to break a neck. She lacked spiked and claws and a spaded tail, all things that helped injure or incapacitate a prey animal.
But she had sharp hooves and strong legs, she had a horn that might very well be useful, she could stalk and sneak. The ability to fly was also a gift, perhaps Keshani would teach the mare to attack from the air... That would be useful indeed.
Perhaps she would discuss it with her sire and brother, when at last she took Avia to meet them. Aveshar might have something to say about her, after all, he'd trained a pet-filly once upon a time... Not quite as a child or a protege, but an interesting toy he accidently found and then preened into a fellow hunter. Not as vicious or fierce as her sire, but still a predator.
Like I am... And like you should be, my little Avia... Keshani smiled, lowering her head slightly, and waiting. It was time for her protege to try. Do well...
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Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2011 4:43 pm
It was time. Kesha hadn't made her appearance and if she waited to long, the moment would be lost. With a calm , deep breath in, Avia felt her muscles tighten even more from adrenalin. The deer was oblivious. She was in the perfect position. With a fierce snarl, and fire for victory in her eyes, she launched herself in the air, her wings half gliding her forwards. Her head was tilted down as she tried to position her horn perfect to impale him.
She must not of been fast enough, or strong enough, and many other factors. The buck was able jerk and sprawl away from the mare's deadly horn, and in the same moment, drive his sharp antlers in between a pair of her ribs. It was a surge of pain and blinding light that Avia felt. The adrenaline seemed to be gone, with the want to hunt and the need to kill. It was nothing but a numb second, before the pain exploded. Naying out in a gasp, her icy eyes widen to an unimaginable size.
With the antler still inside her, the buck began to jerk and squirm, attempting to free itself. She too wanted to be free of him, and yanked in the opposite direction. Released, the buck began to dart/limp at a quick pace, but Avia didn't watch to see if he escaped. She only collapsed, her jagged breathing coming in and out with sharp, disgusting sounds. Blood dripped from the wound, as she tried to focus on one point. Anything to try and take this torment from her body. Having never felt pain like this, she could only lay there, waiting for it to stop.
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Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 6:52 pm
Seeing the promising hunt vanish behind a blinding burst of failure, Keshani launched herself from the cover of the brush. She aimed a kick at the fleeting buck to drive him out of her path, rearing onto her haunches and lashing out with her fore-hooves, and then spun to face her bleeding protege. Her child, or near enough.
"Avia!" She barked, attempting to attract the young mare's attention from her no doubt overwhelming pain. "Be still and tell me, pet, did he break anything?"
She slunk closer to the injured mare, nosing her shoulder to make Avia stay down, and then eyed the wound. She would be of no help, she had no way of healing... But there was a cousin who was a unicorn, and the shaman who had healed her father's pet once upon a time. Perhaps one of them would work? One of them had to, she wouldn't let her little dove die over this.
***
She had lost everything.. The only thing that she had cared about aside from her father and brother. A sweet little dove of a daughter, a foal she had taught to hunt and stalk and pounce. And Keshani had lost her, to fate's fickle wiles or to misfortune... To the keen horn of a thrashing buck and poor timing. No unicorn healer to be found, nothing to be done for the damage dealt. Her child was dead.
"No more." She promised the quiet wood. "Never again. The next one will be blood of my blood, and they will know how to deal death. No more accidents, no more victims..."
No more.
((As Avia (the opposite Soquili) has been rehomed to an alternate owner, she is considered to have died in this RP. This is purely Keshani Avenara's character perception. This RP is now closed due to the rehoming of the pet and otherwise abandonment of this RP))
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