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 Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 1:22 pm
Rarely was there a day she was hungry. Her stealth, her grace, her agility; it all enabled her to catch her prey and devour it without so much of a single squeak, a single scream. She was an expert at cornering and torturing, her pretty teeth bared in a vicious smile. It was something that she took pride in. And, despite her glowing red markings, she fed well.
But lately, the hunting had been slow.
Winter had come.
Snow had fallen.
And she had been exposed.
Her usual stealthy techniques were to no avail, and her agility was all for lost. The prey could see her coming, even at night, with provoked the most anger out of her. To be seen meant she would go yet another day without food, and she was becoming more and more volatile as each hungry day went by. She wanted nothing more than for the snow to melt, so she might return to her regular schedule.
For the past three days, she had been stalking a herd of red deer, her eyes eagerly set on one of the young bucks. He was strong and fast, but he was not stupid, she knew. Before winter, she might have had him after the first half-dozen hours, simply overtaking him when he couldn't see her and tearing his throat, but now... Now, she was no longer a shadow to be lost among shadows. She was a hulking, black mass that crept along in semi-darkness, something that meant fear, something that startled him and the herd, thus causing them to flee, and thus causing her to pick up the chase once more. It was growing redundant and tiresome. This, however, she kept in mind; she was chasing them further, and further into the forest. The snow was already thinning, from having biting and clinging to her ankles to barely touching the top of her hooves.
A little longer, a little further.
She'd have him.
She watched, further away than she would have liked to be, her brilliant red eyes trained on the buck with an ever-longing hunger. It was frustrating for her to have to hunt so long, but she simply was not the kind to give in. It was only a matter of time before the buck either succumbed to exhaustion or sleep, the first of the two being more preferable. Her ears twitched as they began to move, and with careful, calculated steps, she followed, cautious of any low-hanging branches that she might break. Her lips peeled back in a silent snarl, her tail flicking this way and that.
It was only a matter of time, she reminded herself.
It was only a matter of time.
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Posted: Sat Jan 10, 2009 2:39 pm
Winter... the only season that the stallion felt comfortable in. Everything was coated with frozen crystals, the sharp bite of the subzero temperatures at night, and the bitting wind that raised puffs of snow and bared claw-like branches as the heavy loads droped. It was perfect. It was His.
Pale, glowing gaze roamed the stark black and white forest, running over the shadowy herd of dear. Snorting a stream of frosted breath, the ice stallion tossed his head. They were not any concern of his, his prey was far larger, and far more cunning. A dark smirk twisted the stallion's maw as he imaged the herd not as dear, but as angeni. The lothsome, vial creatures that considered themselves so far above everyone else and yet were perfectly content to use trickery and lies to get what they wanted. Oh yes.. the very ones who had cursed him to hell and trapped his frozen body there for centuries.. Yet now he was free, released from the deep pit of hell to wreak terrible vengence on the race.
Lifting his head he gave a great yawn, massive fangs glinting in the moonlight as a puff of white vapour snorted from his muzzle. Shaking out his long deep blue mane the stallion turned, resuming his lazy wandering through the stark landscape. Looking for all the world like the very spirit of winter made flesh.
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Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 10:35 am
Her lips curved into a smile. So far, yet so close, much closer than she had been days before. The bucks' attention was slipping with his exhaustion and lack of sleep. It gave her a rush of satisfaction to know that soon, she would eat. The days of stalking, the loses and the frustration; it would all pay off with a full belly.
Her wings shifted against her back, and with a soft breath, she crept towards the herd. However, at the last moment, the bucks' ears swiveled, his head turned, and with a hoarse call, broke away, the does following dutifully. She ground her teeth against one another angrily.
So, perhaps her full belly would not come so soon.
Albeit, she would much rather be hunting other Soquili, preferably Winds and Unis, but she hardly knew a Wind who was stupid enough to venture so deep into the forest. The trees were hard packed, the pines providing no route of escape through flight, and most self-respecting (meaning pompous and stuck up) Wind Soquili would never so much as chance the risk of getting their legs dirty. With a loud snarl, she snapped her teeth together, stretching her wings to either side in an attempt to alleviate her fury, and was content to take up the hunt again, had something not caught her eye.
The glint of a tooth.
The small, barely noticeable puff of vapor.
She stiffened, her eyes trailing along the treeline. Something was there, though what she could hardly guess. Experimentally, she took a deep breath, trying to grasp to scent. It was a Soquili, that much she knew, and if anything, perhaps it was the reason her prey had slipped away yet again.
"You ruined my hunt," she said, glowering in the general direction it had taken.
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Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 12:06 pm
The bad tempered voice was some way to his flank, causing the large demon's head to swing round. Sharp ears flickered towards the dark shadow that was the mare.
"Really.... and how do you know it wasn't your own incompetence?" he replied, a smirk curling across his muzzle as he stepped forwards, shimmering ice-hued body becoming visible as he stepped out from the closely packed trees, though when he stood still once again, he almost seemed to fade back into the frozen landscape, as if he was made of the very same snow and ice that had so thwarted the huntress recently.
Long, thick tail curled up against his flank lazily as the stallion stared down at the other. He was huge, far bigger than regular soquili, and the double-demon wings that furled along his back only added to his bulk. Tilting his head he studied her lazily, apparently unconcerned that a grumpy, hungry and frustrated kalona was so close to him. And indeed, as a mutant version of her breed he was more than capable of handling himself against his own kind.
(sorry its so short hun, utterly exausted tonight.)
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Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 2:59 pm
It wasn't often that she saw another Soquili that wasn't her intended prey.
In fact, she rarely saw any Soquili at all, save for the few chance encounters. Her manners were deplorable, her hospitality was severely lacking, and she had nothing in her to show any sort of gratification for company. The fact that she was blaming him, the stallion she could barely see, was a combination of all these, as well as his obvious disregard for where the herd was in relative location to himself. This is what she put to their fleeing, and this is how she came to blame him.
With an aggravated snarl, she pawed at the snow, kicking up a small flurry of crystals. However, as he moved, she realized that he was much bigger than she had assumed. In fact, he was nearly 6 hands taller than her, and she could not help but take a step back, if only out of subconscious need for self-preservation. A strong feeling of intimidation took hold, but with a shake of her head, she quickly loosed it, staring up at him with frustration. "Incompetence does not happen so often to one who hunts all her life to survive," she hissed, her ears flicking back somewhat. While she knew where he was, she could barely make him out, other than his dark hair and glowing eyes.
Still, she strained to make out his features.
He was large, she already knew that, and he had double sets of wings, something that intrigued her. His horns were long and curved, and his tail was thick (thicker than her own, even) and tufted, like a lion's might be. All in all, he was an interesting character, and had he not scared off her prey and then insulted her, she might have had enough interest to inquire about him.
This, however, did not cross her mind.
Her eyes narrowed, and with a flick of her ear, she took a step forward. "Then tell me how one is to eat, when she doesn't blend in nearly was well as yourself?" Her lips pulled back into a vicious, fox-like smile. "I'd rather like to think you owe me a meal."
(it's alright, dear. I'm honestly not feeling up to par myself.)
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Posted: Sun Jan 11, 2009 5:41 pm
The stallion hardly looked like he was affected by her aggravated reaction to his appearance. Regarding her with cold, glowing gaze. His tail moved in slow, lazy sweeps very much like the mountain lions that sometimes could be glimpsed out on the bare peeks. Or like the large spotted leopards that lived down on the plains. It was a movement that was almost hypnotic for its regularity.
Sutekh, while under her silent scrutiny, seemed to loose interest as he turned his head. Gaze wandering back to the herd he had spooked, still visible in the distance between the trees. It was only when she moved again, taking a single step forwards, that his head shot back round like a snake. Pale gaze fixing upon her once more. "You hunt now the same way I do in the other three seasons.. " He replied, watching her with a level gaze. "Experience and planning. They are brainless creatures and incapable of fore-thought." Tilting his head, tail swaying snake-like behind him, he suddenly grinned, fangs glinting in the pale, weak light. "I owe you a meal? Very well... since you seem so keen on it, I will provide you with one. Wait here, I will make them come to you." He turned back the way he had come, but paused before he disappeared into the glittering whiteness of the dead forest. "If you can not hide and steal up to your prey, make use of your appearance."
With that, the large stallion simply vanished, his coat blending perfectly into the frozen landscape.
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