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 Posted: Wed Sep 29, 2010 8:25 am
 The sun would soon dip below the horizon, but for now, it continued to pour its warming light down on the open plains, long shadows beginning to stretch outwards across the earth from the trees, reaching for its eternal glow. Beneath one of these trees, a lone female Krokotas lounged, her emerald eyes sparkling in the waning sunlight.
Probably a good time to be looking into catching some dinner, she thought to herself. No telling how long it might take, afterall, and she'd like to get a jump on the rest of the night's predators before they started their hunts. She stretched, first her front limbs, head low to the ground, then her back limbs, long tail swishing in a swift snapping-like motion to dislodge any lingering dust. She yawned briefly, the last sign of her lingering afternoon nap, and shook her head, the motion traveling down the length of her body through her pelt, to her tail.
Fully awake and senses on the alert, the female set off to hunt, prowling silently through the lengthening shadows.
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Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 7:40 am
The cream-colored female traveled silently, her pendant swaying soundlessly from her neck as she kept all her senses tuned for the slightest sign of her possible future dinner. The prey was still plentiful, the weather reasonably warm, at least for the area of course, so she was well-fed. Might as well make the most of such good circumstances while they lasted.
A lone Krokotas, at least for the moment, she depended on herself to keep fed. For now, she had no pack to travel with, though she'd left one behind not long ago. It was a nice enough pack, but...it just hadn't felt right to her. So she'd moved on. She wasn't sure what she was looking for exactly; only that she'd know it when she found it. She trusted her instincts and they'd never failed her thus far.
Pausing, Samantha sniffed the air, eyes closed in concentration. Something on the air...but which way? The way the winds were shifting, it was hard to tell...so leave it to intuition. Choosing a direction, she shifted her course accordingly and continued on her way.
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Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 8:20 am
What luck!
Fangs flashing as she grinned to herself, Samantha crouched behind a rough bit of scrub brush, watching the small herd of dall sheep grazing in the clearing. Looked like a strong male, several young females, and just about as many lambs bouncing about. It was a small herd, but then again, Samantha was on her own as well, so she didn't mind the lesser number. She only needed one.
The trick would be to pick one off from the herd, separate it from the rest so she could make the kill. And keep an eye on that tough-looking male. She was a lone Krokotas afterall, so she couldn't be too careful in a situation like this.
Breaking cover in silence, she took each pawstep with absolute care, keeping herself low to the ground as she started circling the herd. Watch, pay attention, and wait for an opporturnity to present itself for her to strike. The young lambs were oblivious to the danger, bouncing about their mothers, taking a bite of grass here and there. The adults too seemed not to notice the Krokotas...at first. When one of the females spotted her at the edge of the clearing, she let out a bleat of alarm, immediately moving to herd her own young to the center of the group. When the large male snorted in challenge to whatever dare threaten his harem, well, Samantha knew it was time to make her move or miss her chance completely.
With a loud, answering bark of her own, she dug her paws into the earth and pushed off, shooting towards the herd like a beige blur. Her charge, combined with her sharp barks, was designed to throw the herd into panic and disorder before they could realize exactly what was going on and organize themselves for an effective retreat. She darted into the herd, now dissolving in chaos as the sheep panicked over the predator in their midst. Samantha barked and snapped at a couple sheep, sending them dashing about, then tried to focus on one of the young ones again.
In the excitement of the hunt, she'd lost sight of the big male. Her eyes locked on a young one fleeing towards the edge of the group and she swerved to cut between it and the rest of the sheep, intent on driving it away. That's when the male found her instead. She barely registered the sound of the angry snort off to her left before feeling the male dall's thick skull collide with her side, lifting her paws off the ground and sending her rolling sideways over the earth. Hitting the ground with a pained grunt, she rolled to a stop, then shook her head before scrambling to her feet. She was going to be sore in the morning, that was for sure...but she didn't think she had any serious, lasting injuries. Still, she didn't need to take another hit like that.
Zeroing in once more on the lone lamb, now separated from the group by good fortune, Samantha charged again, this time also keeping track of the male who was now trying to get the majority of his herd under control and prepared to flee the predator. He had to minimize danger to his herd, sadly, even if that meant weighing the group over any individual members. Samantha aimed a clawed swipe at a passing adult female for good measure, sending the sheep bleating and retreating for the safety of the male's protection. Grinning to herself, finally allowing herself to feel confident in success, she turned her fangs towards the lone lamb. Her feet flew over the ground and the male dall had more important matters to concern himself with as he lead the remainder of his herd to safety.
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Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 9:59 am
Panting, Samantha dragged her prize a short distance away, flopping down into the dirt and grass underneath a tree. Ouch. Yep, definitely going to be sore in the morning. She glanced over her side, wondering if bruises were already forming.
Well, one thing was sure: she'd learned an important lesson about tracking threats while hunting today. Wouldn't be forgetting that one any time soon, not if the bruises had anything to say about it.
Still, dinner looked to be both tasty and filling, so it wasn't a bad evening all in all. She tore in, savoring the taste of the tender meat and blood in her throat. Her tail flicked behind her as she fed, stirring up some dust and loose grass, which she paid no mind in favor of the young lamb.
Somewhere in the back of her mind, however, she couldn't help but think that the hunt would have been easier and the meal more pleasant maybe if she wasn't alone.
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Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 10:12 am
Having eaten her fill, Samantha set about cleaning herself up a bit. She cleaned the worst of the blood from her paws and muzzle, limiting herself from her usual bathing rituals. To be quite honest, she'd decided that she needed to change her plans this evening. She'd sensed some running water nearby and thought that this might be a good opportunity to take a bath with water instead for once. That...and honestly, soaking in the cool water might help to ease some of her aches before they settled in too deeply.
Samantha pushed the remains of the carcass aside, rising to her feet, but pausing halfway with a cringe. "...ow," she muttered to no one but herself, attempting to shake off the pain, at least in the figurative sense. She set off, fighting the urge to give in to a slight limp, her front left shoulder giving her some trouble. Yep, she needed a good soak in the river.
Some time later, she arrived at the water she'd sensed earlier while hunting; a smallish creek at best, but it was clean water and not too deep. She paused to take a drink first, rinsing her muzzle in the process while checking the water temperature. Cool, but not freezing, and she had some time before the last of the heat from the day was gone. Padding into the shallow waters, she shuffled her feet about, rinsing both dirt and blood from her paws and fur.
When she felt suitably clean, she found a flat rock in the water, but near the shoreline, and climbed atop it to lie down. She moved a bit stiffly, and hid another cringe as she laid on the wrong side at first. Once she was comfortably settled, she let her thoughts wander as her muscles relaxed and the cool water washed gently over her paws. Her tail draped into the water, fanning out and waving gracefully in the current.
Her life wasn't a bad one. It was a peaceful enough existence. She passed into and out of the lives of other Krokotas as she traveled, still looking for a place that felt like home. She ate fairly well, and the ones she crossed paths with were friendly enough. Several had even invited her to join their packs. Somehow, though, she sensed that she was looking for something more. It wasn't anything tangible, she couldn't put a name on it; she just knew that she'd know when she found it, so she kept on moving.
Still, times like this, she found herself wondering if she was choosing the right path. She could take care of herself, she was independent...but it could be lonely at times. Not to mention, she could have used someone to watch her back earlier today. With a sigh, she settled her muzzle down on her forepaws. No sense letting her spirits droop.
Afterall, no one knew what the next day may hold.
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