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 Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 10:20 am
A bemused look crossed Harbinger's face as she glanced back at Myrrith. She paused after a few more steps, realizing that the young Kirin was intent on following her until he'd gotten his answers. She waited a moment to let him catch up as she mulled over those answers.
She bumped his shoulder with her nose gently when he reached her. "I eat plants, remember? I was just helping out. You might as well get some sort of hunting lesson out of your excursion today, after all." She straightened then and moved toward the sound of water again. "Knowing vulnerable places to strike another creature is knowledge that can be used in both hunting and self-defense. Strategy and knowing when to use the tactics you've learned are also useful for both. Generally speaking, Myrrith, I've used my knowledge to avoid or fight off predators before. This is the first time I've used it to act the part of a predator."
She sighed softly. "To be honest, little one, it's not uncommon for those who eat strictly plants to avoid Pryrin like yourself. Doing so just never made sense to me. We are all Kirindae, are we not? It is only the Kirkani I do not like, since they have no qualms about eating another Kirin." Finally they reached the stream and she watched it for a moment. "My uncle, my mentor, had a Pryrin friend named Shinzui. I would tag along when he went to visit him. I learned much from him, but though I did try some meat one time when he offered, my stomach simply refused it. I haven't done too well with watching meat be eaten since then, either."
There was a long pause then as she knelt down to take a drink. "So I will just wait here until you and Nerrissa are done with it. I'll even let you have the piece she saves for me." She offered him a wink before wading into the stream. It barely passed her ankles, but it felt nice.
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Posted: Fri Jul 03, 2009 7:30 pm
"Ooh. oh. No meat then? Not even fish? I like fish, though the little bones are crunchy and not good if you aren't careful eating 'em..." Myrrith looked back over his shoulder towards where Nerissa seemed to be contemplating the meal.
The little colt nodded at the mare's words, trying to look like he understood all of what she was trying to tell him, though the details clearly flew over his little antler nubs. "Sire's tried teaching me some hunting stuff... it just takes so long!" Myrrith wiggles, laughing as Harbinger nose-bumps is shoulder.
"There are more Kirin like you who don't like hunting food? Hrm, that's funny. My whole family likes critters. Extra piece? Oooh, yeah!" The colt dashes back to Nerissa's side, licking his lips.
"What'cha doing? Is it good to eat? I've never had one of these before!"
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Posted: Sun Jul 05, 2009 1:37 am
"Me neither. Actually, this is the first time I've seen it," answered Nerissa, thinking over what she had overheard. Kirin who only ate plants? Didn't they face health problems? Then again, there were Kirin out there who only ate meat and didn't face any issues.
Hmm. She'd had to try going vegetarian sometime.
Back to the corpse. The sea mare decided that if she wanted to figure out what those horns were for, she'd have to watch the lizard in action.
"Give me a minute, okay? I want to see what this thing feeds on before trying to eat it. If its flesh is poisonous, we can probably tell from its diet."
((Warning: gore factor.))
With cold, clinical calm, she stuck her horn into the creature's belly and made three slits - one vertical and two inward-diagonals from the shoulders.
It opened like a purse, revealing steaming innards in red and purple and pink. Stomach wasn't too hard to spot - the lizard appeared to have recently fed, itself. With her horn again, Nerissa cut the organ to find...
((Fill us in on its diet, please? 8D))
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Posted: Mon Jul 06, 2009 8:30 pm
... to find quite the cornucopia of partially digested treasures. leaves, or at least the vein-like stems, seemed to be predominant, along with a swirl of liquid near the end full of small seeds, possibly from berries? It was hard to tell, the whole thing was rather putrid. More interestingly were the variety of small chitin pieces, the odd beetle casing here, a spiny leg there, and some scales from an unknown beast.
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Posted: Wed Jul 29, 2009 12:27 pm
"A great deal of hunting stuff does take time and patience, Myrrith. Though a bit of creativity can sometimes circumvent part of that. Finding those more creative methods is up to you though. You're an intelligent and inquisitive one, though, I'm sure you'll figure it out one way or another."
She flashed him a smile as he disappeared back around the trees she'd positioned between herself and the meal-to-be. She turned to watch the stream then, some small darting forms in the water bringing up a bit of curiosity in the back of her mind. What would fish taste like, and would it be more palatable than the heavy red meat she had tried all those years ago?
Harbinger's nostrils flared again as the sour smell of half-digested matter hit her nose. She shook herself and buried her nose and muzzle in the stream for a moment to take a drink. The scent was slightly less invasive when she raised her head again, the initial shock of it having worn off. It effectively killed the budding urge she'd had to try and eat a fish.
Rather than concentrate on the smell or her discomfort, however, she decided to patrol the immediate area around where the other two were investigating the potential meal. There seemed little sense in simply assuming that there was nothing else in the area that might take an interest in the scent of fresh blood.
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Posted: Fri Jul 31, 2009 7:42 pm
Myrrith pranced around Nerissa, poking the dead saurian with his nose. "So? Is it good? Can I munch it?" Licking his lips in anticipation, the colt flicked is tail back and forth in anticipation. He tilts his head, looking at Nerissa. "Why're you pokin around inside for? Did it swallow something special?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 12:44 am
Nerissa grinned - someone here was obviously hungry, and not bothering to hide it! She wondered if having a foal was like this. Not that she'd find out anytime soon.
"Nope... nothing special. Seems to eat mostly leaves, some fruit, and bugs.
Dig in." She indicated that he should start with one of the thighs with a lift of her chin, then headed over to the river to wash her horn off. He was a growing foal, and he could have the whole thing if he wanted. Her next words were loud enough for both Harby and Myrrith to hear.
"You know... it was nice meeting you two, but I think I was intruding. Also, I've found out all I wanted to know about this creature."
A trickle of water ran down her face to her nose as she lifted her head again, and she licked it without realising she was doing so.
"I'm off to see if I can find any more curious things on this land; and maybe somewhere to take a nice soak; and maybe my brother.
It was nice meeting both of you, Harbinger, Myrrith.
Good day, and good hunting."
With that, she crossed the river and followed the trail of shining water on the other bank. It was so, so easy to walk away from others for her, once she had no more use for them.
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Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 1:32 am
Harbinger herself had walked away from what few encounters she'd had with other Kirin since leaving her herd. For her the matter was not always so easy, but either proper or necessary at the time. A large part of her missed having a place she felt she belonged.
She nodded to Nerissa and murmured a farewell to the parting mare before glancing to Myrrith. Though it made her feel a bit green around the nares she moved over to stand nearer to him. It was more likely to deter a predator from trying to attack if she made her presence known rather than skulking about in the bushes out of sight.
It was some comfort at least that she could watch over the young colt who someday, perhaps, she might have the pleasure of calling a friend. Even if the current circumstances weren't the most pleasant for her.
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Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 8:06 pm
"You sure you don't want any?" Myrrith flicked his ears, it still seemed odd that the mare wasn't interested in this fine meal. "Tastes like bird! Kinda. More ... hm..." He nipped off another bite thoughtfully. "More like bird and nuts and maybe a little fish mixed in. Not much. It's pretty good!" The colt's cheerful voice carried well... maybe a little too well. Something very large and very fast was moving through the trees, directly towards them.
A jagged kirin horn emerged first, followed by the stripy pelt of a grown stallion. "MYRRITH!" The male fairly bellowed, sounding both surprised and alarmed. "What are-" Rajah paused mid sentence as he spotted Harbinger. "My apologies... I know not how he ended up here, but he should not have left the island." Rajah levelled a stern glance at the colt, who contritely tried to hide the chewed lizard.
"I'm sorry..." Myrrith sighed. "I just wanted to go on an adventure...."
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Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 9:35 pm
Harbinger almost started at the appearance of the large male, but with the subsequent line of dialogue she was able to quiet herself even internally. She had been far more disquieted internally than the slightly ruffled exterior she allowed herself to present.
"Greetings, sirrah. Am I correct in assuming you are Rajah, young Myrrith's sire? He has spoken quite highly of your hunting skills." The colt had seemed rather taken with his father's hunting skills, after all, and it would perhaps help to sooth the stallion's frustration with his son, however slightly. "He spoke earlier of seeking you out for some hunting lessons but losing track of you..." She shrugged slightly.
The lizard, she was sure, would not go unnoticed. The stench of blood was heavy in the air, and Myrrith's small maw was very much stained. "Truly he hasn't been a bother. I'm quite glad to have been able to accompany him until you found him. He even managed to track down and corner this creature, though he needed assistance with actually killing it. We had a third companion, briefly, who was responsible for that, but she has since resumed searching for her lost brother."
Enough of the truth to explain all the details a seasoned hunter would surely notice, such as the fact that she had no blood on her maw and the killing bite could not have been made by a colt, as well as the scent of another Kirin practically on top of them. But hopefully not so much that it would put Myrrith in further danger of severe parental discipline. Though... likely he would have some of that heading his way in any case. She gave Myrrith a brief nod so he would not feel entirely talked about even though he was standing right there. "He is quite the bold little hunter, it would seem."
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Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 10:03 pm
"I am Rajah." The stallion nodded at Harbinger's explanation, his copper colored coat glinting like polished metal, fiery orange to his son's brushed gold. He stepped back a few paces, picking up something from the ground and bringing it forward, two fat fish, still wet and shiny, which he laid carefully on the grass. "I am hunter enough to feed my herd, for which I am thankful. My little ones," The buck leveled a stern gaze at Myrrith. "have much to learn yet, especially about following orders of their elders. I am thankful it was a kind soul who found the wayward fuzztail and not something with a Myrrith-sized snack in mind. I am disappointed, Myrrith. I thought you knew better."
The colt fairly wilted under his sire's rebuke, ears drooping.
"Forgive me for the quick departure, but we have far to run and swim before nightfall. You have my thanks for watching over young Myr. Come young one, and bring your prize; no sense in wasting it." The stallion inclined his head towards the mare then picked up his fish again.
The colt nodded, looking at Harbinger shyly. "Thank you for the company. Maybe we'll meet again someday, huh Harbinger?" He picked up the lizard by it's neck and trotted over to the stallion.
As Rajah disappeared into the bushes, Myrrith lagged behind, rolling his eyes at the mare with a cheeky grin and a final buck before he too vanished into the forest.
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Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 10:34 pm
Part of her was disappointed to see them go, though she sent them off with a cheerful farewell. It had been some time since she'd had another Kirin around to speak with. "Someday... yes. I believe we shall, young Myrrith. Perhaps you can show me how you have improved then."
She flashed a smile back at the colt before he vanished, a bemused one that remained for some time even after she sighed and began walking toward... well, whatever she found next, she supposed.
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