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 Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 4:31 pm
Tamo nodded and blended into the trees in the opposite direction Cao had took. He searched in much the same way, looking for some sighting of herd animals. Plenty of rabbits and squirrels so far, but nothing.....
Wait, was that tracks? Tamo tilted his head, bringing his face closer, sniffing at the small imprint in the earth. There was a faint whiff about it, but it was hard to tell whether it was fresh or not. He stood there for a moment, debating whether or not to follow it or try his luck with something else.
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Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 4:42 pm
Finally Caolan found a fresh trail, marked by bark torn off trees, and fresh tracks. He followed them as they veered off, nearly back the way he had come--toward Tamotsu? Maybe. It would be too risky to try to signal the orange fox, that would alert the deer to their presence too.
He finally found the herd in a clearing, and settled in behind a bush upwind, to watch them, and try to find the best opportunity to pick one off. The easy prey, the very old or very young or very sick, were near the edges, which was good, but not far enough out that he could pick them off easily. Not yet. He would have to be patient, and hope one wandered close enough soon...
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Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 4:48 pm
After a period of debate Tamo had decided to follow the trail. Even if it was old it might lead him to a newer trail, and it was definetly a better lead than he had so far. Thankfully the gamble paid off.
The trail had scattered into several directions, and it was clear to Tamo that he was getting close to a central ground where the deer probably slept or gathered and wandered to and from in their daily foraging. He managed to pick his way through the trails to the freshest one, and came upon a small clearing where the deer were preparing to settle down for the night.
Tamo hunched down in some bushes and decided to wait. He could take his time to scout out the best prey, and it would be easier to attack when they were all about to fall asleep.
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Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 4:52 pm
Caolan finally spotted what looked like the best opportunity he'd get--one of the young ones wandered a bit away from the herd. Not as much as he'd like, but he wasn't going to bet on a better opportunity coming on later.
He charged at the chosen deer, not paying attention to the rest of the herd scattering, focusing only on the one as he chased it, as it tried to escape back into the woods too, but no, he wouldn't let it, he was going to capture it, he was gaining on it, if he could just get it before it reached the cover of the trees...!
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Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 4:57 pm
There was an explosion of orange and brown, startling the deer even more. The colors were a whirling, indistinct blur that made frightened bleating on the part of the brown. After a moment the blur resolved itself in the form of a young fawn and a large orange fox.
Tamo kept his teeth clamped over the throat of the fawn until it's struggles ceased, air cut off. He felt bad for having to kill one so young when he's have rather gone for weak or injured, but one had to take the opportunities as they came along.
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Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 5:05 pm
He instinctively lept out of the way when Tamotsu burst out of the bushes, knowing better than to try to 'help'--that would only end with him getting in the way instead.
He waited until the fawn was very obviously dead, before going over to join Tamotsu by the kill. Tamotsu was the one who had taken it down, and so, at least by the reckoning of Mother's clan, should be the one to get first share of it. And so Caolan politely sat there and waited for Tamotsu to have his fill.
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Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 5:32 pm
Tamo released the fawn and sat there for a moment, just catching his breath. Looking up he spotting the reason for the unexpected flight of the deer; Cao, sitting close by. He chuckled a little, flexing his muscles to make sure the sharp little hooves hadn't done any damage.
"Care to join me," Tamo asked. He didn't mind sharing a kill with another, though he'd heard some foxes got so territorial over their food that only one could eat from a carcass at a time.
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Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 10:34 pm
Caolan nodded and approached, grateful for the invitation. He saw Tamotsu checking himself over, and knew what that meant. "Are you hurt?" Maybe Tamotsu could take care if it himself if he was--Caolan didn't know how little or much Tamo knew about shaman work. But if Tamo did end up needing help, Caolan could give it, having learned the basics of healing from the clan as well.
In the meantime, he began to tear off pieces from the carcass to eat, while he waited for Tamotsu to reply.
((Man, Rina should just start a school there, since Caolan has apparently learned freaking everything from her XD ))
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Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 3:17 pm
Tamo finished flexing and shook his body out, resettling his thick, brightly-colored fur. "Fine. I don't think I'll even be sore, the little one wasn't able to put up much of a fight." He examined the carcass and ripped off a small chunk, hoping it between his paws and delicately ripping off small tidbits.
"Starting to get dark," he commented. "Would you like to find a spot to sleep together, or would that be broaching far too many personal boundaries far to soon?" Tamo chuckled a little at the end. His body posture was completely relaxed, and he was more focused on his meal than the answer, making sure there was no pressure in the offer.
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Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 4:31 pm
Caolan nodded in understanding, glad to hear his friend was okay. While a fawn couldn't do much damage to a grown fox by itself, outside things--tripping on a rock while trying to take down the fawn, for example--still could.
He hadn't minded the thought of dening together hadn't bothered Caolan at all, until Tamotsu had pointed out it should.
That wasn't very like him at all...
"We'll den seperately," Caolan said, while he wondered what had come over him, to make him think that. He liked Tamotsu well enough, but not enough so that he was going to give up all of his space for him. Space such as sleeping alone.
What had he been thinking.
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Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 4:47 pm
Tamo nodded and worked on a second chunk of meat. Between the two foxes they were steadily cleaning body, though it was late in the year and the baby wasn't really a baby anymore. Not as big as an adult, but still a lot bigger than one pictured when they thought of fawns.
He was puzzling over something as he ate. The strangest emotions had passed over Caolan's face after Tamo had asked the sleeping question. He couldn't be sure and hated to make judgements without asking, but for a moment his friend had looked....resentful?
Tamo felt his brow crumple beginning to crumple in thought as he puzzled over it, but he didn't give voice to any of his thoughts.
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Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 4:51 pm
Caolan finished eating in silence, and waited for Tamotsu to be done as well. No need to rush here--there was nothing in the forest that would try to steal the kill of two adult foxes, and so he could be patient.
And he could reflect.
Wonder why he had thought that, wonder why he had been so suddenly open to sharing a den with another fox (something he hadn't done since he was a kit), and, above all, wonder if he minded. If he should mind.
No, he definitely minded. The thought was very unlike him. Something he had never thought would ever cross his mind. So why...?
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Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 4:59 pm
Tamo finished his meal, cleaning the bits of blood off his face. "I'll be somewhere over here," he said, looking off towards the side of the forest where he'd orginally been watching the herd before Cao spooked them. He glanced back at Cao and for a moment he looked almost uncertain.
He drew in a breath and opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but then swung his head around and moved off to the area he had indicated. Despite his large size and strong muscles his steps were soundless.
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Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 5:03 pm
He wondered what Tamotsu had been about to say, but didn't press--Tamo must have reasons for not saying whatever it was.
"I'll be near the mountains," he said instead, and headed back the way they had come from. For him it wouldn't be so bad to go all the way back to the place where they had met, but that might be a bit much to ask of Tamotsu. So instead his goal was to find some shelter, preferably a cave or depression in the ground, in the thinned-out area between forest and mountains themselves.
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Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 10:49 pm
Tamo had found himself a nice bed of soft dirt and old pine needles under a tree. It lacked the secure feeling of the den he had improvised back towards the mountains, but there was just this unique feeling of sleeping out in the open, with all the sounds around you, that one couldn't get in a proper den.
The cool night air ruffled his coat as he lay there, thinking, long after Cao's steps had vanished into nothing. He didn't know what he'd done, or if he'd really done anything, but it looked like the male needed space. His prescence might not go over so well if he showed up too soon. So maybe he wouldn't head back tomorrow. Day after tomorrow, that sounded good. It was with that thought that he drifted off.
The next morning dawned bright and clear. Tamo made a breakfast out of the few remenents left of the fawn, and then set about exploring the forest a little to make the day go by. After all if he was going to contemplate living here he might as well get to know the area.
He didn't wander too far from his original nesting spot. Rather it became a central point from which he began spiraling out from, slowly getting further and further away but never so far that he couldn't be back to the same spot after a fast, 10-minute run.
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