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 Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 4:09 pm
 The savanna plains were as quiet as can be as the sun began to set over the horizon. Darkness was imminent within the next hour or two, but Tai'ruka didn't mind. The wild dog was actually waiting for evening to arrive as he was tired of the constant heat. He gazed at the retiring prey beasts and the few birds that swooped across the sky. Boredom was getting to him as he had made no effort that early morning to be productive in any way, shape, or form. Instead, today, he'd lounged about in a few shady spots he could find.
Funny.
Perhaps he was getting sick. Or the manifested hunger just plain made him lazy. The poor animal didn't know. Not that he was too worried. He'd come about when he felt like it. For the time being, he simply rested beneath a tree, panting like he'd been running for days from a coalition of cheetahs. His brown stomach puffed up and down in a frenzy, tail flicking this way and that for some form of movement. This dog just hated to sit still.
Eying the prey beasts once more, he thought to himself:
"I really oughta eat something soon..."
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Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 10:26 am
Dusk time was prime time for Jackals. Coming out of their small brushy dens, Jackals would often hunt in small packs together. Many of them would at least, the friendly, family oriented ones. However, no one liked her. She had an attitude problem and she let everyone know about it. Her brother Quazi couldn't even stand her, even with how nice he was.
The small creature's eyes glinted towards the horizon, peeking over the long browned grass that swayed in her way. It had been a few days since she had munched on a rabbit carcass and quite frankly she was starving. Icy eyes noticed the large water bucks and zebras. Unfortunately she was much to small to take one of those down. With an annoyed groan she made her way the the same tree that the wild dog was lounging under. Of course she didn't realize that another was so close by, otherwise she probably would have made her way in the opposite direction.
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Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 7:26 pm
Tai heard a faint rustle in the grass, his head snapping in the general direction of the source of the sound. He narrowed his eyes at the tips of the waving grass but otherwise remained frozen in place. Even his tail had stopped swishing back and forth. He hadn't realized (or taken into account more or less) that when night fell, more predators came out to hunt.
"Oh wonderful," he thought brazenly.
The canine was being irrational, uncharacteristic. Why was he getting so annoyed? Who said anything about the animal approaching him? As long as it meant no physical harm, he had no need to worry. After all, he could run like the wind if it meant living to see another day. But what could possibly harm him other than a rabid ratel or an adult lion? Nothing. Not soon anyway. He shook his head, tossing the thoughts out, and sat up to speak.
"Who goes there?"
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Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 1:52 pm
The jackal's ears perked instantly when she heard the other speak. Crap. She was quite unsure what species it was at first. If it were a lion, she'd be in trouble. Quite territorial they were, along with all the other cats. Gritting her teeth, she peeked over the grass by standing on her haunches. Just a canine, nearly the same as her except a bit bigger. A bit bigger... Perhaps she could fool this guy to catch her some food.
"Oh sorry! Is this your territory?" She asked, no sense of hatred in her voice, only curiousness.
She could see him quite easily now, standing on her haunches. Perhaps she would wait for him to show signs of being passive before starting her plot.
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Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 7:10 pm
He let out a bark of laughter, finding humor in the word 'territory'. Seeing that it was simply a jackal, Tai felt at ease once more, though he refrained from lying down again. By the Gods, what was with this laziness? He eyed her with an amused expression upon his face. What was this little Jackal doing all alone? He looked about her carefully, looking for the possibility of an ambush full of the small creatures. One could never be too careful in the wild.
Instead, he shook his fluffy white head, indicating a no.
"Nonsense," he declared. "I have no territory, I am but a rogue."
"What are you doing here alone?" Tai inquired, equally as curious as the animal.
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Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 10:20 am
Since the wild dog seemed to be no threat, she advanced towards him. Not wanting to push her luck with this big guy, she acted very submissive once she came into his vision. Her head was lowered, her tail relaxed.
"Well, you never know when someone might be territorial even if they don't own the territory." She stated with a chuckle. "I'm a lone wanderer myself."
She never had had a pack to go back to. Only a worthless brother, and she didn't have any idea if he was even alive anymore. Her icy eyes peered into his.
"Just kinda hungry."
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Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 6:53 pm
"Kinda hungry? I'm starving to say the least," he grinned.
It was true. The dog hadn't gotten a very decent hunt within the past couple of days, today being no exception. But - this jackal seemed worse off than himself. Tai couldn't help but feel a bit of pity for the poor thing. Forcing himself off the ground, he stretched his weary limbs, gave a great yawn and looked at the horizon where the sun was finally setting. He really needed to eat soon.
Giving the jackal one final glance, he looked in the direction where the herds of animals were beginning to head for a safer place.
"Perhaps it's time for me to hunt," the canine grimaced, feeling lazier than usual. "Would you like to join me?"
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Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 7:12 pm
Evita's ears perked pleasantly at his invitation. Of course she'd love to hunt, well, she'd prefer him to do all the work but fair is fair. If he caught something, chances are he probably couldn't eat it all anyway. At least, that's what the little jackal assumed.
"I'd love to join you, but I'm not sure if I could do much." She gave him a disheartened look. "But I'll try."
Her blue eyes flicked towards the large animals. They could easily kill her with one stomp. They were dangerous, but she was quick.
"I could try distracting them while you come up from behind, I suppose."
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Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 7:23 pm
"Fair enough," he bobbed his head up and down momentarily. "If you can get their attention from the opposite side, I've no problem with sneaking one from behind, regardless of its size. They won't ever believe we're hunting together."
He was getting some form of energy back, reaching a greater level of ambition. It was only natural; he was getting some form of assistance in addition to his hunger. The brown dog felt determined to eat tonight - and oh, would he get his wish. Tai'ruka crouched low on the ground, motioning for the jackal to begin darting through the grass while he would swiftly follow in the opposite direction.
"Ready, go!"
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Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 7:35 pm
Evita was hardly ready, but she didn't need much warning anyway. With a quick dash, she ran out into the deep grass and began barking her canine head off at the huge creatures. Acting almost like a sheepdog, she startled the animals, making them react wildly to her. As if she knew how to herd she ran around in circles around them, rounding up a few that were quite confused by her presence.
"Come on, man! Get 'em!" She said, out of breath. Hoping the wild dog would hear her. She wasn't quite sure if she could contain them much longer.
Her keen eyes noticed one already had an injured leg, she hoped he would pick of that one to kill. It would be so much easier...for him at least.
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Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 8:04 pm
Tai sped across the grass towards the small group of prey beasts faster than one could count to three. As soon as the jackal had passed by him once more in her round, he jumped onto the one with the injured leg, biting hard and fiercely into its neck. The animal let out an agonizing cry but Tai ignored it, bringing the hoofed animal to to the ground. It kicked at him with the strength left in it as the others trotted away from the scene.
Tai couldn't crush the bones, but he held on long enough with his teeth for it to stop breathing. He rested his paw over the neck for the next couple of minutes before finally letting go of it, confirming his dinner had just arrived. Now, where was that jackal? She had a meal to look forward to as well.
"Got it," he panted, an extremely pleased look upon his white face.
That was invigorating, and the hunger was getting the best of him, but he would wait for the jackal before eating.
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Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 8:16 pm
As the wild dog tackled one of the beasts, Evita narrowly dodged the others. As she was running around one last time, just to make sure he had gotten it, a sharp hoof nicked her shoulder. Yikes! That hurt. As quick as she could, she darted back to the dog and sat down, panting. Her wound was bleeding a little, but it was nothing to worry about. Just a scratch.
Looking over at him with tired eyes she smiled. Awesome. The carcass was huge. Well, big compared to her. Teamwork paid off, she supposed. She wondered if she should of asked if she could start ripping apart the carcass, but truthfully she didn't care. She felt like she had done the hard work anyway. Without even a congratulations, she lowered her muzzle and began tearing the skin from the meat. Quite selfish she was!
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Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 8:28 pm
Tai was probably the happiest wild dog on the savanna at the moment. He was about to bite into the flesh when he saw the blood from her shoulder. Surprised and concerned, he narrowed his eyes at the injury.
"What happened there..?" he frowned, both at the injury and at the realization that he didn't know her name.
As he awaited her answer, he bit into the meat, tearing away a mouthful.
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Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 8:46 pm
The female jackal took a couple of seconds to chew up her full mouth. Mmm. Fresh meat was so delicious. Upon licking her lips, she lifted a paw and brushed off her shoulder a little. It didn't hurt too bad. Looking at him she smiled slightly, wondering why in the world he acted concerned.
"Looks like I got hit by one of those suckers, hm?"
It kind of felt good to know that another felt concern for her. It was probably because she was treating this guy so nicely compared to her other acquaintances. Being nice ain't so bad.
"This is good stuff, my friend. Name's Evita, by the way." She said, deciding she would continue to be kind to this fellow. After all, she had helped her empty stomach.
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Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 9:10 pm
"Yeah, looks like it," he swallowed, reaching downward to get another bite. "Should be more careful."
What a hypocrite he was being. But the well-being of others concerned him more than his own.
For the duration of his second bite, he contemplated the name Evita in his head.
"Quite a name you have there Evita," he wagged his tail, intending the comment to be a compliment.
"You can call me Tai'ruka - Tai for short," he nodded.
It was a nice, good feeling to finally have something in his stomach again. Or something on its way to his stomach. And he didn't mind sharing this with the little jackal who had so plainly given her name and helped him hunt. She did quite a lot even with her size. Tai was quite impressed with this female.
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