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Le Roux



La Noire


She is beautiful, he thought as he watched the dark female kylandrei drink from a stream. She finished and shook her head delicately, crystal droplets flying away from her pointed muzzle. She will be mine...
As the female turned to leave, he stepped out from the trees. "Good evening, lady," he purred.

The male grinned smugly as the female took a defensive pose. "I mean no threat to you, lady. My name is Susamajii. Am I to take it that this is your territory?" Of course it's your territory, he thought to himself. I would know... I've been sniffing it out for months....

The male strode into the shaft of twilight that penetrated the canopy. Understanding the question for what it really meant, he replied "As I said, I am Susamajii. I am but a single beast, new to the forest and trying to make a living. I... thirsted... and so I came down to your stream." I thirsted, all right, but not for water, he thought. The female was beautiful, even in her anger. Black quills tipped with silver curved down her neck, and her horns flashed like the moon on water. Her dark body was a moving shadow, and the smattering of red on her flanks, feet, and face accented her ruby-like eyes. She cut a trim figure, fitting her active life, with the only marring being a scar on her right eye. Susamajii thought it only accented her symmetry, lending a very organic, real, and dangerous feel to the female. She wasn't like other kylandrei... it was rumored that she ate far more meat than the others, from far bigger prey, and was certainly more vicious... and, judging from her current behavior, far more suspicious than the others. "And may I inquire as to your name?"

Abunai passed him regally to go back to wherever it was that she slept. Susamajii got a good scent of her as she passed. He smiled inwardly. The female wasn't as furious as she'd acted. He could smell the curiosity on her. Probably because of his wings. He was proud of them. They set him apart from the other kylandrei, and made it possible for him to exist in her territory. He padded over to the stream and took several long gulps of water. He knew that Abunai was hiding within eyesight of the stream, making sure that she wasn't about to be followed, and he walked off in the opposite direction, as if he was leaving her territory. When he picked up the sound of the leaf litter rustling under her paws as she left her hiding place, he leapt into the air. His feathery wings made no sound as he ducked through the treetops and flew back to near the stream. He found a strong fork high up in a tree, where Abunai would not see him if she came back for a late-night drink, and carefully landed on it. The branch shook a little bit, but it held his weight easily. He settled his head on his forepaws and stretched out as much as he could. He closed his eyes and waited for sleep.

Susamajii woke up in pain. He had doubled over during the night, and was bent over a tree limb. "Ugh... what was I dreaming about?" he groaned as he unfolded himself. He tried to stretch his aching limbs, but it was difficult to do in a tree. He knew that it would be unwise to land, though, lest Abunai walk by and see him. Instead, he decided to ignore the dull throbbing of his muscles and get breakfast. He turned to examine the tree he was in. The leaves didn't look particularly appetizing, but the ones on a nearby tree seemed quite enticing. He half-jumped, half-glided over to the tree, shaking it with his landing. The leaves were as delicious as they looked, and he ate his fill. After breakfast, he decided that he did want a drink, and glided down to the stream. As he lapped up the water, he was aware of footsteps hurrying toward him. "Oh, good morning," he said, not turning to look at the incensed Abunai.

"Ah, but I did leave your territory last night," Susamajii said calmly. "I slept up there." He pointed to the tree. "Rather uncomfortable, I might say."

"How can it be your territory? You've never been up there," Susamajii pointed out.

"Ah, yes, but I didn't sleep in the roots. I slept in the treetops, far above your pretty little head. Therefore, it wasn't your territory. You can't even reach it. In fact, I'm claiming all the territory in the treetops." Susamajii finally turned to look at her, grinning rather evilly.