Vuxta found herself constantly fighting for her life. It was a difficult task, hunting without sight. She'd found prey several times, only to have it disappear when her attack missed, or failed. She stumbled upon a nest of baby rabbits, it was a wonderful snack, but it was only a coincidence. If she couldn't learn to hunt, it'd be the end of her. And it wouldn't be a quick and painless ordeal.
The dark lioness felt the earth with her sensitive paws. She scented the air and listened to the sky. No matter which way she turned her head, she could not detect any prey nearby. She could already feel her body getting weak and shaky with hunger. The hurt in her gut was only subdued by the seering pain in her head. Oh how she wished she could have stayed with that kind stranger. She'd have a greater chance of surviving, but she'd be a leech. A parasite, the kind of lion Vuxta had always hated in her past.
Aotpo scanned the earth with the keen, fiery eyes of a vulture. Massive wings beat the air, sending her dark form higher into the heavens. Aotpo was hungry. Scavenging companions trailed not far behind, but Aotpo was determined to be the first to find a carcass. But there was nothing to be seen in the distance. Nothing to be heard, or smelled. But what... was that? Aotpo spotted a dark feline crawling slowly across the dirt. Her head was lowered, and she was obviously weak with hunger. The dirt caked into her black fur was a hint that she'd been neglecting grooming herself. Maybe it would only take a waiting game to pick the meat off of this dying lioness. With a wicked grin, Aotpo swiftly began the descent into the savannah.
Vuxta's keen ears had picked up on Aotpo's presence long before the vulture spotted her. That unmistakable sound of powerful wings stroking the air with a distinct whoosh. A twitch of her nose revealed that there were no corpses in the proximity. Then why was there a vulture in the sky just above her?
The sound of the descent brought a churn of fear into her gut. The vulture was hunting her. Was it that obvious that death was on her tail? Vuxta wanted to sob, but the invaluable energy would go wasted. No, do not cry. Just find food, any food. Vuxta continued on at a considerably hasty pace as she continued to search the barren, hot earth for a snack.
Aotpo landed at a safe distance from the starving lioness. The landing wasn't at all graceful or silent, the vulture collided with the dirt with a loud crash. With a quick shuffle of the great feathers, Aotpo recovered and took on a majestic posture as blazing eyes watched the lioness. It appeared the vulture's first assumption wasn't as accurate as it appeared to be. The lioness was still strongly trudging along, unless she had suddenly gained strength from the vulture's appearance. Aotpo grunted disapproval as a light blue scaly leg stepped forward with the intention of stalking the lioness.
An idea struck Vuxta as she listened to the vulture land with a thud. She could attack it... tear the wings from its body and drink its fluids to regain her strength. She'd never eaten a vulture, and she assumed it'd be hard to take down. They were big birds. And powerful, too. As the thoughts came, her pace slowed. She listened as the vulture took a step or two in her direction. It's grace on the earth was no where near the grace it displayed in the sky. Vuxta snarled, she simply couldn't believe she was the one being stalked in this twisted hunting game. Come closer... She silently urged, letting her hind legs buckle beneath her. The rest of her dark body soon followed, and she lay still in a cloud of dust, patient, as she awaited her prey to approach.
Aotpo was surprised when the lioness suddenly collapsed. She paused, craning her neck to get a better view of the potential meal in the distance. Confirming the lioness's death, the vulture delightedly hopped rapidly in the direction of the 'carcass'. The others will be here soon, Aotpo must act quick if she wanted to take her fill before she was chased away. The problem was figuring out how to rip the flesh away to reveal the juicy innards. A vulture's beak wasn't strong enough to pierce the hide of a lion. Not even her sleek, dangerous-looking talons were fit enough to do the job. But it was worth a try. Aotpo prepared her talons, scraping them against large stones as she crept closer to the fallen lioness.
Perfect. The bird-brain fell for her trick instantly. It was hastily approaching, totally oblivious the whole thing was an act. Vuxta played as dead as she could, awaiting the perfect moment to strike. If she failed this, starvation would grip her and drag her beneath the earth. Please have mercy, she begged silently, resisting the urge to move her ears towards the vulture as it moved closer and closer. It was going to try and rip her hide apart with its talons. It's fortunate the bird wasn't built as a predator.
Finally the vulture stepped close enough where Vuxta was comfortable to strike. And she did, she leapt up with no warning and grasped the creature in an embrace of claws and jaws.
Aotpo shrieked as the lion revived and jumped on her. Stunned that she could be fooled so easily, she struggled only weakly to save her life. The lioness was heavy. Giant colorful wings batted at the cat, kicking up clouds of dry dirt and debris, and ultimately, limiting the vulture's otherwise excellent vision.
Vuxta cringed as she felt the mighty bird's wings smack against her flank. The blows would leave more than a bruise, if she made a wrong move, it might even snap a bone. The lioness was fearful, but now she seemed to have the bird in her mouth. She bit down, hoping to snap its neck. Unfortunately for her, it wasn't the neck she had a hold of. It was just a thick bundle of feathers from either a wing or the tail, it was hard to tell.
Aotpo shrieked once more, letting her wings snap the air as she took off into the sky. A chunk of feathers scattered from her wing, hindering her flight, but at least she had survived. And she was certain she would not be seeing this particular lioness again in the future. Alive.
Vuxta spat the inedible feathers from her maw as she listened to the vulture escape into the sky. Both of them had survived the encounter, but the black lioness felt as if she was on the losing end of the bargain. With a weak roar of frustration, she continued on her original path... still raging with determination to live.
