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 Posted: Sat May 21, 2011 7:39 pm
Fliki:
Flik...was going to kill someone.
He'd just spent the last few days of his life holding off a hoarde of angry females- all of them swearing up and down to hate males. How he'd happened into the territory was anyone's guess. Perhaps it was when he and Viktor had been quarreling about where next to start searching for the rumored 'vampires' that had been popping up over the savannah, perhaps it had been when they'd scented water and argued which way would take them upstream- it didn't matter. He'd ended up there, he'd face down several angry feminazis, and now he was alone, sore, and humilitated.
He'd likely been left there to distract the lioness' from Viktor's investigations. Bloodsuckers- feminists? Little difference. Good place to start. Their madness might have been something induced from drinking too much blood of their kin, Flik wouldn't doubt it.
The lion, smallish in frame but impressive in build, limped across the open plain, his ears pinned back and his mouth trembling in curse after curse.
Damn him. Damn him.
Tuli:
Never one to give up prematurely, Tuli was out on an attempt to hunt again. He didn't have much confidence about it (yet), but he was too laid-back to get caught up in his own emotions. Well, most of the time.
The leopard was taking his own sweet time walking through the long grasses. He liked their scent, and it had become a strange calming ritual just before every hunt. He had recently taken up residence in the area. It was leopard-free and far from any lion prides (well, that he knew of), so as far as he was concerned, the only thing worth worrying about was getting his hunting skills up.
Not that he had to worry about that. Or anything. Life was good.
Until he smelled a lion...
Fliki:
Flik had been so distracted in his thoughts that it wasn't until he came within sight that he scented another creature. With a snarl, he tossed his head up and scanned the landscape. His exhaustion melted from his features and the proud, confident soldier stood tall and alert.
His eyes narrowed on the dark form in the distance. Taking a deep breath to swell his chest, he tipped his chin upwards. "I've no quarrel with you if you've none with me, friend!"
Tuli:
Tuli almost choked on his spit at the unexpected bellow in the distance. Then he almost laughed--in relief, actually. He'd never tell a soul, but he was terrified of confrontation.
"No, I'm just out to hunting--for hunting," Tuli stammered quickly. "And you--friend?" See, lions and leopards could get along after all. Only...
Well, there were pros and cons to the sitaution. The pros were that the lion declared Tuli a friend. The cons were that now Tuli possibly had to share both his territory and his food source. And maybe if the lion felt particularly bold after getting a better look at the leopard's unusually smal figure, Tuli would become a sratching post.
He hoped not.
Fliki:
Hunting for hunting? He blinked, his expression melting into confusion. After a moment, he fought back the stern, leery scowl and trudged forward. He had a few small injuries but they weren't anything he couldn't handle. He masked them well enough in his gait.
Glancing over, he regarded the small, lean form of the leopard. He obviously wasn't a very sucessful hunter. "Perhaps we can help eachother? Two hunters are better than one. You take your half, I take yours- we go our seperate ways with full bellies."
Tuli:
The sight of the larger male moving forward sent Tuli's adrenaline rushing, and for a moment he thought he really was about to become a scratching post. But he quickly realized he was wrong, and listened intently to the other's words.
"Work...together?" Tuli mused, eyes wandering away briefly. "All right. So how are we gonna do this?" he asked, voice moving slower than he wished.
The last thing he wanted was to seem like an idiot in front of a more brutal creature, especially if said brute was offering to lend him a paw in the hunt.
Fliki:
"You are a stealth-type creature. Leopards are born stalkers- no offense -so I will locate a herd of prey and drive them towards you. If you can manage it- ambush and bring one down. It will cost us both half the ammount of energy- and a single gazelle should fill us up enough to continue on our own paths."
He raised a brow. "Unless you feel incapable?"
Tuli:
Ohhhh, so now they were gonna get into species traits, huh?
...Well, Tuli had been doing that already in his mind. Kind of.
"Th--" he was about to respond, but the lion's ending comment made Tuli's hairs stand on end. Eyes gleaming, the leopard flicked his tail and tried to look...well, a little tougher than he really did.
"Sounds fine to me."
Gods, he was bad at sounding hardcore. "I was after the herd beyond these rocks. " The lion probably knew they were there already, but Tuli liked to feel smart sometimes.
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Posted: Sat May 21, 2011 10:13 pm
Flik:
"A herd. Right. You lie in wait here-" He pointed down to the ground, expression firm. "I trust you know how to ambush. If you need help bringing the prey down, hold it until I arrive and I'll assist you."
Without another word Flik turned and loped through the grass, his form slowly sinking down into the long, dry grass.
Tuli:
Tuli flinched in a half-crouch at the mention of the word, but quickly realized he wasn't to lie down right there. Feeling foolish, the leopard flicked his ears back and watched the other male move toward the herd.
Narrowing his tired eyes, Tuli moved to the spot the lion's eyes had directed him to, and crouched down firmly.
And so he waited. In the back of his mind, the leopard couldn't help but wonder...
Maybe he was being played for a fool?
Flik:
Flik took his time in stalking the herd, freezing when the wind died and moving inch by painful inch as the wind struck up to mask both his scent and his movements. Hunting was a game of patience, a test of skill, and a very real reminder of life's cycle.
After nearly a full half hour, Flik set himself in what he deemed as the best position to make his attack. Erupting from the grass with a loud, thundering roar, the blue-streaked lion tore after the herd. As expected, they broke into a run, some scattering out while the majority of the herd thundered towards the waiting jaws of his hunting partner.
Tuli:
Unfortunately for Flik, by the time the herd was rumbling over the rocks, Tuli was long gone.
It wasn't out of malice or contempt, however. It was a combination of boredom and a pulling sense of foolishness. Tuli had become increasingly worried that he had been left in the dirt while the lion had simply left him there as a joke. He didn't want to be made a fool of, but he also didn't want to make a fool of the other male. What was right, and what was wrong? It was tricky for him to figure out. The more he had thought about it, the more he began to listen to his growling stomach above all else. At least if he had a physical reason for abandon--err, for changing his mind, he wouldn't feel so bad about leaving the other male...well...for...changing tactics. It was business, after all. They weren't friends.
So Tuli continued to walk well and away from his hunting area, eager to find a meal, and even more eager to put distance between himself and the lion. Because he couldn't help wondering...
...What if he had been wrong?
Flik:
Flik ran behind the herd, snarling and lunging out with his claws whenever one of the grazers fell out of line. Any second now... any second...
Any minute? Any...number of minutes?
Soon his breaths grew short and labered, his lungs blazed, and his body no longer had the strength to run. Ragged, exhausted, and now very, very dizzy, Flik loped to a stop, crawled to a sit, and dropped onto his side.
Why... by the stars in heaven why him?
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