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 Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 8:43 pm
 Jasmine had managed to get away from the nest again! Mother insisted on being so over-protective. How was Jasmine to learn anything! Life was not only about hunting food. That was one of the few things Jasmine and her mother disagreed on.
Now on her own, the young pyrin set out to find her own little adventure. To learn something new and maybe make a friend. Why did mother hate new friends anyway. Sighing to herself, she squeezed between two trees into an opening in the forest. "Hello?" She called out naively. She wanted to see if other kirin were around, not thinking that anything, or anyone, dangerous would be around.
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Posted: Sat Oct 17, 2009 9:45 pm
 Darkness drew nigh as the daylight hours came to an end. The sun was just beginning to dip down below the horizon, and all about it cast an orange glow on the landscape. Most creatures were beginning to settle in for the night, but many predators were preparing for the hunt.
It had been a fairly good day for Keela thus far. She had arisen late in the afternoon (having stayed up very late the night before), and thus far there had been nothing of note to irritate her. At the moment she was busying herself with preening, preparing for another night time hunt. The mare wasn't nocturnal by any standards, but occasionally she liked to save her hunting for the evening time, throughly enjoying the cover that darkness provided her. Even when she hunted in the daylight prey often times could not see her in the shadow of the trees, but at night time she was practically invisible in the darkness. It added a new level of fun to the game really.
The mare had just finished zipping the last feather into place when a small voice caught her attention. Ebony ears swiveled toward the sound as her mind took a brief second to analyze it. A foal? she thought to herself, turning her head in the direction that it came from. Why would a foal just be randomly calling out in the middle of a forest? Ugh, it's not lost, is it? Half of her wanted to just move on and leave the foal be, but the other half kept her rooted to the spot, wondering what she should do. ... I'd probably just scare the thing if it saw me. Then again, that might actually be a good thing. Then perhaps it would be sensible and run somewhere safe. Mind made up, Keela stalked off silently in the direction of the foal, careful not to make her presence known until the right time.
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Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 1:34 pm
"Oh, poo." Jasmine pouted when no answer came to her call. She looked around the clearing with interest though. Maybe someone would come soon anyway. She passed some time chasing mice, not noticing the lengthening shadows.
She nearly decided to give up when a rabbit sprang into the field. Gasping, Jasmine dropped like a rock, head perked up only yo keep the prey in sight. She crouch-walked closer to the rabbit, a rather ungraceful approach for a kirin to make. Once the rabbit heared her, which didn't take long, it shot into the middle of the field, Jasmine running after it on her skinny legs, wondering how it had heard her. Almost as though the rabbit new it was faster, it kept Jasmine going in circles around in the field, almost taunting the young and inexperienced filly.
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Posted: Mon Oct 19, 2009 9:50 am
Keela watched silently from the shadows, mildly amused by the scene. Pathetic. She's merely wasting energy that way. The mare remained still as death, waiting for the right opportunity to present itself. That chance soon came when the hare that the young filly had been chasing changed it's course and ran straight her way. In a swift move she snatched the rabbit up in her beak, the rabbit letting out a shrill and terrified shriek before it's neck was snapped.
Slowly, the raven mare emerged from her hiding place in the shadows, her large black frame quite ominous in the darkness. Golden eyes stared down at the small filly, and she let the dead rabbit fall from her jaws right before her, not even giving it a second glance. "Little foals should not be running about at this time of day," she said coolly, maintaining her piercing gaze. "They could very well end up like this hare."
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Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 11:10 am
Jasmine had just about gotten fed up chasing the bunny when a dark form snatched her prey up and back into the shadows. "Hey!" She complained, peering into the shadows. "That's my-! Ra...bi...t." She looked up in awe as a shape formed from the shadows, the light slowly catching the details. This looked more like a giant bird than a kirin, except for the back legs. Those were normal.
The foal was torn between running home and staying to investigate until the thing spoke. "Little? I'm not little! You shouldn't threaten me! I'll get my mother and she'll-!" She started to object, standing as tall on her legs as possible, until she glanced at the dead rabbit. Her mouth watered at the scent, and she hunkered ever so slightly into a diminuitive state. "Are you going to eat that?" She asked softly.
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Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 11:36 am
The mare snorted at her question. "A mere hare would do nothing for my appetite. Take it and go back to your mother if you wish, but do not stay out here." Even though the filly was a fellow Pyrin, Keela's opinion of her was still not very high. She was obviously young and inexperienced, as well as quite cheeky. While spunk could be a good thing in moderation, there were certain times when it was best just to do as told. Like now.
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Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 3:23 pm
Starting forward, Jasmine moved slowly toward the rabbit, eyes flicking between the food and the adult. She snapped the rabbit up in her teeth and quickly back pedaled. She turned to run back home, but paused. The majesty of the stranger had caught her. She turned back, setting the rabbit down momentarily.
"Why do you think I can't stay out?"
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Posted: Tue Oct 20, 2009 5:47 pm
Keela had to stop herself from rolling her eyes at the question. Did she really need to explain this? "Predators roam in the night, many of which would love to feast on Kirin meat." Actually, it was these very animals which the raven mare herself would be hunting. For whatever reason she found regular prey animals to be far too boring a hunt, and preferred the thrill of the fight. "Speaking of which, it's about time for me to start the hunt as well."
Silently, she started back off into the cover of the trees. Before she slipped completely back into the darkness however, she paused and looked over at the lone foal with a calculating gaze. Her expression was unreadable. "... I'm probably going to regret this, but how far away is your dwelling place?" Although she wanted the foal out of her hair, she disliked the idea of leaving one so young and naive to get back on her own. After all, she herself had had many close brushes with death as a filly and knew how dangerous the forest truly was at night.
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Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 9:59 am
Jasmine frowned. Was this why mother insisted on so much hunting training? "Something would try to... eat me?" She asked softly. What a humbling thought. As soon as Keela anounced her leave, Jasmine forgot about the fact that she might become prey. She nearly asked if she could go too. There was something about this adult. Like mother, but something more was within. Jasmine was curious. Then Keela spoke again, the foal watching with her head tilted.
"Not too far." She said excitedly. "I live in the mountains, a cave." Looking back, the tops of the range could be easily seen towering over the tree tops. Her short tail flicked happily with expectations.
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Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2009 6:57 pm
Golden eyes cast their gaze upward at said mountains, seeming to be calculating yet again. The mare was silent for a minute before speaking again. "... Very well then. Get moving while I look around for some food." Changing directions, Keela started off toward the mountains. She didn't even bother looking over her shoulder to see whether or not the young filly was following her, for she knew that she would be. Troublesome little filly. No matter, the night is still young. I'm sure I can find a puma or something later.
In truth, though she would never admit it even to herself, the mare had a tiny bit of a soft spot for foals. Had she not, she certainly would not have been doing any of this right now. Keela's wings rustled lightly on her back as she finally stole a glance back at the one trailing her. "Why are you even out here anyway? Surely you are fed enough during the day." Wasn't that part of a parent's job or something? At least that was the impression the raven mare always had.
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Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2009 3:23 pm
Once Keela had passed by, Jasmine scurried to grab up the rabbit and carried it along. "Oh, I ate this morning. Mother takes me hunting all the time." She sighed a little, snorting softly. "She takes me everywhere. I... wanted a new friend." She admitted hesitantly. Mother thought it was a silly idea. Would this adult think the same?
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 2:03 pm
Keela let out a small snort at Jasmine's words, but it was not about the same thing the filly was worried about. "At this time of day? I doubt you would find any friends worth having. Next time you search do so when other Kirin are actually out and about." It was only natural for the filly to have wanted companionship, although some weren't even fortunate enough to have mothers. With just the slightest hint of bitterness in her tone, she added, "Be grateful in the end for your family at lea-"
The raven mare froze mid-sentence, a pleasant smell assaulting her senses. Well, pleasant to her at least. Mmm... blood, rotting flesh, and do I perhaps catch a scent of feline still nearby the kill? That would be a full-course meal right there. Her wings twitched in agitation however once she remembered that she had the filly trailing her right now. Giving the other a scrutinizing gaze for a moment, she finally said, "Interested in trying out a new type of meat tonight?"
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 5:19 pm
Jasmine's ears flattened. This was sad news. She liked the dusk. Why would other kirin not be out here too at such a nice time of day? Her ears perked back up. Grateful? Well, she did love her family. Is that was the adult meant? Her small tail flicked irritably. She already knew that!
She was about to say so when Keela stopped, and became edgy under the other's gaze until she spoke. New meat? Jasmine looked down at the rabbit hanging from her mouth. "Okay. Can I still keep this?" She was worried that she might not like what the strange kirin was offering, but it'd be terribly rude to just say no flat out without at least trying the new meat first.
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 7:57 pm
The mare would have smirked had she been capable of it. "Do what you want, but just follow me and try not to get killed or in the way." A small part of her brain even considered possibly using the filly for bait, but that would be far too risky for the other. No, they would have to track this one down.
The two stalked along in complete silence after that, Keela entering into hunt mode. Despite her large size and oddly-shaped front feet, the raven mare was able to move very quietly through the forest, not even snapping a twig.
She soon came to a halt, golden eyes locked completely on a large jaguar that lay ahead. It appeared to have just finished a meal and was currently busying itself with cleaning the blood off of its fur, ears swiveling lazily about. It must be nice not having any natural predators, she thought to herself, a wicked gleam in her eyes as she stared at her soon-to-be prey. Or so it thinks anyway. Remembering once again that she had company, Keela turned and gave the foal a look that clearly said 'stay here' before stalking around to get closer in to her prey.
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Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 9:02 pm
Jasmine nodded and followed silently, rabbit clutched firmly in her jaws. Even if she had wanted to say something, the vibes coming off of Keela kept her silent. They were hunting now. She placed her hooves carefully, keeping her noise minimal.
She nearly ran into the adult though when Keela had stopped, looking up with wide eyes. She knew that look well enough. She crawled forward only to see what Keela was doing. She was going after that?! But... Jasmine held tightly to her little rabbit for support. For whatever reason, she and her mother had maintained a neutral relationship with the large cats. She didn't want to upset Keela, but she hoped the prey got away safely. The way Keela was hunting though, the chances seemed small.
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