[FIN] Thrill of the Chase; Mote, Rabbit, and Immortal

[theCorniest]

Swiftly fleeing from the overpowering smell of death, Motes-in-Moonlight was on the trail of a creature that he had witnessed attacking a doe - a creature that looked, no less, like no other creature he had ever seen before. He and his father were collectors of knowledge and lore, so a new creature was most definitely an exciting development for him.

Chasing the creature easily through the swamp, he was aided in following the fleeing creature by his pet songbird Aria, startlingly intelligent in her realization of Mote's interest in the creature - she seemed to keep an eye on it from above, for she was consistently above the sounds ahead.

Form behind, he heard another kimeti dodging through the trees and muck with him - one form the party his father had stayed to confer with near that death-pit, no doubt. All the better to have another pair of eyes for the tracking, as long as Mote had a chance to observe the mysterious lynx-creature at the end!  

[Rejam]

((ignore me in the normal post order, I'll drop in and out as the cat when I feel it's appropriate and you guys can just skip back and forth otherwise smile ))

The animal moves with a startling speed--in fact, it seems as though the only thing keeping it from vanishing into a distant speck is the tangle of limbs and the water, both of which it treats as though it is disgusted by them. It frequently trips over roots and vines, stumbling over them as often as it neatly soars over the hurdles they provide, but nonetheless is keeping up a steady pace of remarkable speed and regaining its feet with determination in every movement. Its dappled sides are at times hard to spot in the spotted light of the swamp, especially here on the borders, where growth is more sparse.  

[[.Lady of Shalott.]]

Rabbit followed the other kimeti as well as he could. He was hardly a young buck anymore, but one must stay in shape as tribe King! His breaths were coming in gasps now, but with the adrenaline flooding his system he hardly cared to notice. This was the chase! It was exhilarating and nonetheless, a solemn occasion. Something had happened to his fellow back there, and that creature knew.

He tried to keep his eyes peeled for whatever it was, but it was the color of the swamp, and it blended in to well with the sparse sunlight. Their only hope would be to chase it into the din of the inner swamp, where they could see and it would have trouble hiding.

Luckily it was leaving a path to follow.  

[Darkmoon Dancer]

Immortal, like the other young buck, had run headlong into the trees, and back into the swamp, on a whim. This thing was fleeing, and so Immortal had to chase. There were other reasons too, of course, such as his peaking curiosity in a creature he had never seen before, as well as the animal's sheer speed and agility. Where did it learn to run like that?, he asked himself silently. But now was not the time to ponder such things, now was the time to run, to follow, and to get to a place where all these answers could be found. Not to mention, it was just fun to run at break-neck speeds, passing by trees and other obstacles before they even come into focus. He was not scared, he was loving every second of the rush of adrenaline.

Ducking his head down lower, he pushed some speed into his limbs, determined to catch up with the buck that was a few long strides ahead of him. He figured if they could run more or less side-by-side, they may be able to get an edge over the creature running away from them.

By the time he pulled up along the other, he could hear something catching up behind them. A daring glance behind him showed that they had a third member in their party. He offered that buck a swift grin and a wink, and turned his attention back up to the creature crashing through the swamp before them.
 

[theCorniest]

Mote felt rather than saw the others draw close to him as he ran through the steadily thickening growth of the swamp. Mind racing almost as fast as his hooves, his joy in running only flickered across his face before he turned his attention to puzzling out just how they were going to catch the thing. It ran almost tirelessly, but it did stumble fairly often. Perhaps we can outlast it? Will it eventually injure itself into stillness? Will we have to surround it?

One of the other bucks - green, and mysteriously crusty - had pulled up even to him, and acknowledged the other. Mote nodded to the green fellow with a smile, carefully choosing his words to save his breath for running. "Any idea how to catch it? Just outlast it, or what?"  

[[.Lady of Shalott.]]

Rabbit chased after the other bucks - he tried to keep up, but he was hardly sprightly any more. His breaths were coming in short, but his years as a Wind Chaser had made him durable. He could out last the creature, or it would fall for one last time. It was quit clumsy in the swamp, he noticed.

The other bucks were ahead of him- talking? It was hard to tell and he was trying to watch the creature. He focused on that, to the exclusion of all else.  

[Rejam]

The cat makes a fatal mistake--it looks over its shoulder. Mote's internal prophecy finds itself fulfilled.

Tumbling over a low-lying mangrove root, the animal's ankle twists, and it vaults dramatically into a muddy pool. Never mind that it's on its feet again in moments: it's injured, and several seconds were shaved from its run by the incident. And it's tired. Clearly this is a creature designed for sprints, not for distance running.  

[Darkmoon Dancer]

Just as the green buck is about to respond to the other male's questions, to say that he was sure the cat wasn't used to the swamp, and it would surely not last much longer, something happens.

The cat's movements - along with everything else in Immortal's view - seemed to suddenly drag out into slow motion. He watches the cat tumble, fall into the mud, and scramble back to it's feet, in doing so, losing precious time. Immortal sees this chance to put on a sprint.

Ducking his head lower, and bunching up his muscles, Immortal begins a full-out sprint, leaping huge bounds each time his hooves hit the ground. He deftly careens through the swamp, jumping over fallen trees, pushing off of boulders, making up time and catching up to the cat. He was determined to get as close as he could, and should the opportunity arise, he would push himself in an attempt to tackle the cat.
 

[theCorniest]

Mote saw with his companion the stumble of the strange cat. He feels elation at his chance to get closer, to examine the creature... and a twang of regret and sympathy. He suddenly wondered how he would feel were he in the creature's place - in strange lands, chased by larger beings, injured, alone. Maybe they could do something for it if they caught it.

As the green fellow next to him put on an extra burst of speed, Mote realized he too would need to put forth some extra effort if he wanted to be first to reach the cat. He tried to catch up with, maybe to outstrip his fellow.  

[[.Lady of Shalott.]]

Aha! There! The creature was not built for swamp-running, nor was he trained by years of experience. No, this poor creature was not used to the constant obstacles in its way, nor of being chased by such pursuant characters, he imagined.

Rabbit noticed the other two kimeti put on a burst of speed, and he did the same. It would be the last in a while, but he could keep up for now.

At the moment, curiosity was driving him harder than his pained muscles were holding him back.  

[Rejam]

Realizing that its chances of escape have practically vanished, the cat wheels, turning instead to fight. With its lips curled back from its teeth it's a frightening sight, but there's a certain reluctance to it--a vulnerability--that seems entirely too dependent to be a feral thing.

It is true that there are Kimeti who have taken the tactics used to train the lynx, and domesticated wild dogs. Some have tamed crows, and other beasts--one buck even trails around what appears to be a disembodied spirit of a regal hound. So it is not inconceivable that a creature that no one has yet seen might be domesticated by an intrepid Kimeti.

The problem is that the creature before them is clearly not a swamp animal. Even in its hissing terror it is clearly disgusted by the mud and muck around it, and it huddles miserably onto a slimy stone in attempt to avoid putting its feet down into the water it had just been running through. And it looks--there is no other word for it--depressed. The patchiness of its coat, probably beautiful once, speaks to a lack of proper nutrition, and its pelvic bones jut through its hide. It does not look merely ill, but also apathetic. Its hisses are half-hearted, its ears drooping.

Still, there is a suggestion about it of speed, of grace. Its spotted body is a rich patchwork of tawny shades, more visible here now that it is still. Its hissing subsides as the bucks close in and it droops on its stone, panting. Almost before it stops hissing, it is already adopting another approach: it lets out a piteous mew, lonely as a kitten.

 

[Darkmoon Dancer]

Just as the chance presents itself, the cat slows, and tames somehow, and this throws Immortal off balance for a split second, distracting him from watching his own feet and he too tumbles head over hooves, just once and is quickly standing back up, slowing to a trot. He cautiously approaches the cat, unsure of what it's intentions are, and so, he lowers his head, slows to a walk and curls his lips, baring his own teeth at the feline, warning it not to try anything, warning it that he was ready, should it feel the need to attack him.
 

[theCorniest]

As they catch up to the creature, it wheels on them, startling Mote as he skids to a stop while his companion stumbles and Aria lands somewhere overhead. As he watches its defensive display, pity is again stirred in him. The plaintive mewl wrenches his heart. He steps forward carefully, and nudges the green buck gently with his shoulder, whispering "Leave off. It's just lost and scared." Trying to calm his heart and breathing from the run so shortly ended, he takes a few more cautious steps toward the cat, his head down and eyes lowered. Hopefully he didn't look too threatening.  

[Rejam]

The cat only hesitates for a moment. Clearly despite its predatory body it is accustomed to being sheltered and senses the buck's compassion--and it seems to have been recently subjected to unbearable stress. Within a heartbeat it scuttles with alarming suddenness towards Motes, tossing up water and abruptly and rather disturbingly weaving itself between the buck's legs and giving Immortal a warning hiss now that it's got someone to back him up. The hiss is thoughtfully extended to Rabbit, but with less ardor.  

[[.Lady of Shalott.]]

The creature seemed to have attached itself to the buck, and through it's hiss he assumed he was in better standing than Dusk's grand-colt. It was weaved through the other buck's legs, as if he was now protected.

"Well, what do you know," he said, trying to keep his voice steady as to not startle the creature, "this creature can be caught. I thought we were going to have to run it to death."

Or into a familiar part of the swamp. It could have been trapped, he supposed.