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 Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2013 3:41 pm
Aolani was shivering now. The far bank of the river seemed within reach but her body was almost completely numb. Still she pushed herself to take another step and then another. She would not let the creature on her back down if she could help it. She had barely felt it when the creature had decided to shift its weight around on her back. Aolani had muttered a brief curse under her breath before sending a small prayer to whoever might be listening above to keep them both from going under the water.
At the panther's reply Aolani breathed a small sigh of relief. It seemed as if wet paws were a mere inconvenience at the most. Breathing deeply she pushed herself onwards. A mild stinging sensation radiated from where the panther was seated but she didn't put too much thought into it. Probably just pins and needles anyway. She shook off the unpleasant sensation before speaking. Her teeth chattered together as she ground out her words, "We seem to be almost there. Just a few minutes more I think. I'm glad I could provide assistance."
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Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2013 3:53 pm
Wait for it. Wait for it. Wait for it.
That was the mantra running through the skinwalker's mind. He had to wait for the perfect moment to unleash his attack. The faint taste of blood that he'd licked from his claws had done more harm than good. It had stirred to life the consistent cravings deep inside. He'd almost raked his claws down the mare's back again before realizing that the cold wouldn't mask the same move a second time. The first time she had seemingly shaken off the unpleasantness as something else. If the same thing happened again suspicions would be aroused. Tsaheylu wanted to avoid that. He could sense the mare's flagging strength. She was pushing herself too hard to cross the remaining distance. Inside he was delighted. His on the minute plan had seemingly come to fruition.
A sudden jostling motion brought Tsaheylu out of his thoughts. He'd almost lost his seating on the mare's back. It seemed as though his ride across the river had ended. The mare had stumbled as she attempted to climb the opposite bank. Tsaheylu bit back a growl of frustration before jumping lightly from the perch he'd been riding on. He observed Aolani's stance as she panted from exhaustion. He approached cautiously and inhaled deeply. He put on an expression of concern as he took in her buckled front legs. "Are you alright?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2013 5:25 pm
Aolani winced as her legs buckled. She had managed to get across the river but her footing had slipped at the last moment. Her front legs had buckled as she hit the bank. Not the smoothest exit. Her attention though shifted to her passenger as she felt his weight leave her back. She gave a weak smile towards the panther. She panted softly as the numbness the cold water had brought on faded just a little. "Sorry. I'm just a little c-c-cold and t-tired. I seemed to have l-l-lost my f-f-footing climbing the b-bank." Aolani's teeth were clicking together rapidly. Perhaps forging the river had been a bad idea.
Aolani arched her neck to take in the panther's movement. It seemed too leisurely now. "Don't you h-have a m-m-meeting to rush off to?" The mare was puzzled. That stinging sensation was returning and she watched the panther. Why had he not left her side yet? Her back half still lay partially submerged in the river and she struggled to pull her body all the way out of the water. A soft brush against her neck had Aolani glancing towards her passenger in confusion. He'd brought his paw to rest against her neck. "What?"
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Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 8:01 pm
Tsaheylu could feel the mare's confusion. He'd not hurried off as he should have if there had actually been a meeting that he had to make. A lazy chuckle erupted from his maw as he placed his paw gentle like on the mare's neck. Her spoken words fell on deaf ears as the panther sat down on his haunches to gaze squarely into the mare's eyes. He removed his paw from Aolani's neck before merely sitting and observing her. He took in her heaving flanks and her chattering teeth. Deception once again had seemingly brought down this silly creature. Brains over brawn - it made sense.
Tsaheylu's tail lashed the ground as he rose to his paws. "You my dear ... are a naive fool. There are certain creatures that you should stay clear of at all times. I am such a beast."
Tsaheylu was going to draw this out as long as he could. He flicked out a claw and allowed Aolani to get a good look at it. "Now stay still while I paint your coat a lovely shade of red."
With that he advanced on the downed mare. Not just one claw was unsheathed ... all of them now were. He sprang at Aolani and dug his claws into her side.
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Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 8:12 pm
The idea that she was being schooled by a monster wasn't lost on Aolani. The stinging sensation on her back had not dissipated yet but had grown in intensity. The pain brought awareness to her mind that she was not in the presence of a gentle creature like herself. As the panther sat down and began to chide her Aolani struggled to regain her footing. There was no way she was going to just lie down and play into the creature's paws. That was the thought process that if she got to her feet that everything would turn out fine.
That came to a crashing halt as the impact of the panther's lunge knocked Aolani back down into the water. She would have tried to get right back to her feet if it wasn't for the sudden onslaught of pain. The panther had managed to hook his claws into her side. Aolani couldn't contain the sound of agony as the panther inflicted harm to her body. Why was he doing this? Another wail escaped her as she felt the claws tear furrows in her skin.
"Stop it! Stop it! Just stop it."
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Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 8:31 pm
The cries of pain from Aolani stoked Tsaheylu's spirits into a dizzying high. The way that Aolani had landed back in the water would continue to sap her strength unless she could pull herself away from him. Tsaheylu was certain that Aolani would not attempt to cross the river again as it would almost, without a doubt, spell the end for her. So she was stuck on this side of the river with a monster. Tsaheylu gave Aolani a conniving smirk as he slowly licked the crimson liquid off his claws. His tongue rasped the sharp points clean and he savored the scent of fear wafting off Aolani.
"Now what should I do to you Aolani? As I promised your coat is becoming a lovely shade of red. So is the water around you. You have no one around that can help you. I can make this agony last for quite a while under these conditions. What do you want me to do? Don't be afraid to tell me."
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Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 9:21 pm
"Now what should I do to you Aolani? As I promised your coat is becoming a lovely shade of red. So is the water around you. You have no one around that can help you. I can make this agony last for quite a while under these conditions. What do you want me to do? Don't be afraid to tell me."
At these words Aolani felt her heart sink. The panther spoke what seemed to be the truth. Hina'ea wasn't around to come to her aid. There wasn't anything that she could do to stop him, was there? The temperature of the water had all but numbed her body thoroughly. Her teeth had yet to really stop chattering. Her eyes in contrast were bright and aware. She couldn't allow the panther to remain in power. Somehow she needed to find the strength to fight off this new threat. Aolani's thoughts whirled around and around. She struggled in an attempt to drag herself out of the water. The effort yielded little success. The wounds on her side flared and she bit down in an effort to remain silent.
She'd not give this beast the satisfaction of hearing another cry pass her lips.
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Posted: Sat May 18, 2013 2:16 pm
Tsaheylu watched Aolani's pitiful attempt to remove herself from the water. He idly stood by as she sank back down into the water's cold embrace. He had heard the slight whimper pass her lips and took pride in that it was his handiwork that brought it forth. However he wished to hear the mare scream like she had originally done. He rose to his paws and stared at the now silent mare. Was she refusing to make anymore noise?
Tsaheylu clucked his tongue at Aolani. "Now now Aolani, there is no reason to suddenly be shy. Your screams are like music to my ears. I do not worry about anyone being around to hear them. We are quite alone."
Tsaheylu noticed that the mare's teeth had stopped their chattering. He took in the mare's labored breathing and he sighed. Perhaps the water had sapped her more than he would have liked. It had made her more pliable for sure but if it also killed her; Tsaheylu grimaced before sighing. Without an ounce of gentleness Tsaheylu moved into stand at Aolani's side. He gripped the mare by her mane in his teeth and began tugging Aolani out of the water. He could taste blood once again as his teeth punctured the skin repeatedly with his actions. He smirked. Just another mark that could be seen as his claiming this naive mare as his. He'd left a similar mark on another naive filly.
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Posted: Sat Jun 08, 2013 7:05 pm
Aolani, as numb as she was from the cold, could still feel the panther's grip on her neck as he began to drag her from the edge of the river. Her teeth had finally stopped their chattering. Sharp darts of pain were registering in her mind as she felt the animal struggle to get a good enough grip on her body. All this was noticed with a detached sensation. Aolani knew that she'd been good and deceived by this creature. Her eyes closed briefly before thinking of Hina'ea. Would she never see her beloved again?
The thought of her lifemate stirred something in the mare. She couldn't just give up and let this panther win. However when it came down to the choice to get up the pain that radiated from her body would not allow her the freedom to do so. The dragging sensation finally had stopped. Aolani's colored eyes took in the panther as he unceremoniously spat out random strands of her mane as he sat patiently waiting on his haunches. Idly he flicked his claws out and dragged them down her neck, tearing deeper furrows into her skin. The sensation of pain was too great to muffle this time and she released a rather agonized cry as the panther rose to his paws. Aolani felt moisture gather at the corners of her eyes and knew that tears would start falling soon. How could one individual inflict such cruelty on another?
A deep pressure on her neck startled Aolani. She realized that the panther had shifted its position. She stared at his manic expression as he proclaimed that their dalliance had come to an end and it was time for the coup de grace. Aolani struggled to pull herself away from the sharp point resting on her neck. She couldn't die ... not like this.
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Posted: Sat Jun 08, 2013 7:18 pm
And there it was. Tsaheylu's ears rang with the intensity of Aolani's cry but to him it was like music. He didn't care about her resisting because he knew that he'd get what he wanted in the end. He nearly always did these days. As he continued to spit out random pieces of Aolani's mane he took in his handiwork. Of course there were multiple lacerations that the mare had received via his claws. Overall the mare looked like he had chewed her up and then spit her back out. Now as he stood near her neck he wondered if he could claim this mare as his first kill. She of course was still breathing but that could and would change fairly soon. He was certain of it.
Tsaheylu could still see confusion in Aolani's eyes, almost asking how this could have happened. The skinwalker gave a cruel chuckle as he determined best how to reveal his true colors to the mare. Finally without much thought his shape blurred as he reverted to his normal form. "You see my dear. You fell into the wrong company today. But I'm afraid that your time and mine has come to a close."
Tsaheylu felt his bones shift as he returned once again to his panther form. He now noted the despair in the mare's eyes as he once again rested a claw tip at her neck. He traced an idle pattern before pausing on her pulse point. "Time to say goodbye Aolani."
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Posted: Sat Jun 08, 2013 7:33 pm
What this it then? Aolani drew in a lungful of air as she once again attempted to right herself. Her legs flailed almost uselessly against the ground. She could feel the panther at her neck again after his revealing his true form and it had sparked something else inside. She couldn't let this creature win. Aolani felt her hoof sink into the ground and she pushed against the rough surface. It didn't allow her to right herself fully but she knew that she'd startled the panther. Her neck swung away from the death sentence pressing against it and even though the move caused her to cry out in distress once more the mare darted her head forward and attempted to catch the panther unawares by biting it. Her teeth clenched together at open air ... and Aolani groaned. That had been her one last hope. The element of surprise gone she could sense that the skinwalker, for that is what he was, would retaliate.
Just as she believed the strike would come, a harsh cawing sound reached her ears and Aolani cast her sight towards the sky. A rather large shadow descended on the pair and the mare struggled to rise to all four hooves. She knew that sound. Her strength was still next to nil but when she heard the fierce croak from the crow she looked up in horror. Her dear familiar had targeted the skinwalker. "No!"
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Posted: Sat Jun 08, 2013 8:09 pm
This was not what Tsaheylu had expected. He had envisioned himself delivering the killing blow to the mare. Somehow though she had found a small amount of strength that she used to try and defy him by attempting to injure him through a fearful bite. Her teeth clacked together catching nothing but air between them. Tsaheylu clucked his tongue at her dismissively before his attention was caught by the bawdy sound of a crow's harsh cry. He made the mistake to glance up towards the sky.
A rather strange colored crow came barreling directly into his face and battered his wings at any available spot that could be connected with. Sadly that included Tsaheylu's eyes. The panther winced as the wings clipped his vision, blurring it. The crow fastened its beak onto his ear and began cawing rather loudly. It fought valiantly. If only Tsaheylu could have interpreted the sounds the crow was making. With his vision blinded and hearing disabled he didn't realize that Aolani had risen to her feet. Tsaheylu cuffed at the crow attempting to dislodge it. A fateful strike had the crow being removed. The attack had been unusual but he still couldn't see or hear properly. The scent of crow overwhelmed him and he inhaled deeply letting his sense of smell register were the crow had landed. Aolani was momentarily forgotten as he stalked the crow's feeble sounds of distress. A splashing sound made him pause before he continued forward. The sense of motion before him led to the panther executing a swift pounce. He knew the moment that he landed that he'd pinned the crow to the ground. The animal struggled before a well-placed bite ended its pathetic attempt to free itself. He'd caught the wing and felt the bone snap under the pressure of his teeth. Lights out for the bird. Tsaheylu roared before sensing something else was amiss. The sounds of a wounded creature had grown less. His vision refocused to realize that the mare had slipped away. He roared again this time before taking his frustration out on the crow. It gave him little satisfaction though. He'd been just a well placed swipe away from downing his first Soquili.
The crow's bravery had been naught for aught. Even as his life ended his sacrifice ensured that another would have a chance to continue her own.
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