[PLOT - SOLO] Lonely Hunters

[Teigra]

Alone at last! It wasn't often that Lailah was left alone, or at least not often enough for her tastes. There was always some fairy or other hovering about, telling her what she should and should not do, reprimanding her for some act or another, grating on her nerves most of the time...

But now, she was allowed, not only to be alone, but to travel outside the city walls by herself! Oh, joyous day! Blessed by the Light of the Guardians! What new wonders surely awaited in this strange new world! She couldn't wait to get out, nearly bowling over a pair of fairies in her dash for the gate. As if that would have stopped her.

She could have taken the teleporter; it would have been faster, it was true. However, her rush was only to get away from the others in the city, and besides...best to survey one's environment before just dropping into the middle of it. A slow, gradual descent from the air would serve both purposes. Lailah hadn't taken to flying like some of the squires, as a joyful activity, done for pleasure. For her, it was a tool, a skill to be honed and nothing more. Which went to say that she learned well enough not to have to worry about falling out of the air, at least if she was careful, it was true; but neither did she particularly excel or add any sort of personal flair to her flying.

The wind this high up was loud, rushing by her ears and sending loose strands of hair whipping about her face. It was a pleasant enough feeling, but more so the knowledge that she was alone out here. Lailah's golden eyes scanned over the landscape below, picking out details as her descent carried her closer to the earth. Lots of forest lands, a large lake, some varied topography, and a big damn tree off in the distance. Might have to check that out some other time. Today, her destination was the forest, though any particular part of it was fine with her. This was her time today, and she was free to do whatever she pleased.
 

[Teigra]

A sharp intake of breath, then she was into the foliage, leaves whipping past her face. She cleared the canopy, then immediately flared her wings to slow her descent before she slammed herself into the earth. Her heart was thudding against her chest, threatening to burst free of her rib cage. The adrenaline rush was amazing, and she allowed herself a half-crazed grin of euphoria. Flying itself had never been that exciting to her, but then again, she'd never gone diving head-first into a forest before.

She hit the ground lightly on the balls of her feet, bending her knees to absorb the impact, and landing in a crouch. Her golden eyes scanned her surroundings, seeking out any potential threats, useful advantages, or even escape routes if need be. It wasn't quite an entirely natural response yet, but she was working on it. With time, it would be.

Never let the enemy get the upper hand.

Take it for yourself first.

Somewhere in the distance, a bird twittered its carefree song to the skies. Likely plotting something nefarious for another day.

Satisfied that there was no immediate threat at least, Lailah straightened to her full height and rolled her shoulders before tucking her feathered wings tightly to her back. Time to explore.
 

[Teigra]

The forest was proving to be disappointingly quiet this day. After such an exciting entrance, Lailah had gotten her hopes, and adrenaline, up for something a bit more...interesting. Every once in a while, she heard the twitter of birds in the canopy, but whenever she tried to sneak up on them, they must have heard her coming, because they took to wing, disappearing among the leaves before she could catch them.

Boring.

She tried to measure her movements, making each motion deliberate, eliminate all useless noise. The birds in the city had been easier to catch, but they were tame. These wild ones were less trusting, more prone to flee. One had to be quiet and stealthy to approach them. This was a good chance to practice such skills. If she could sneak up on birds, then she was one step closer to being able to sneak up on other, more difficult prey.

She'd been at her new exercises for over an hour, and while she hadn't caught anything yet, she felt she'd made enormous progress in eliminating much of the useless noise of movement. Her muscles felt stiff from holding so much tension in her movements, but she'd get used to it. She just had to--

She froze, golden eyes locked on a new target. Swiftly and silently, she dropped out of sight behind some low brush. Lailah's attention focused solely on the grazing doe, not thirty strides from her location. She'd been lucky not to be noticed; or skillful. She had been practicing. The angel watched the unsuspecting animal, the ghost of a grin crossing her face. She could picture the beast panicking, running, falling, bleeding...

Before she could make a move of her own, the scene was playing out before her eyes; only more swiftly than she could ever have imagined. There was a large, bluish blur, then the animal was down, beneath the large form, a brief cry of alarm, then silence. It was all over in the blink of an eye. Even Lailah crouched, frozen in shock. What...had just happened?

Blood pooled beneath the doe and the large form retreated, revealing itself to be a large, four-legged beast, dark in color, with light silvery stripes. Feline in nature, it seemed. Before the angelic teen could react, the form began shifting, the fur receding, limbs lengthening, bulk disappearing...then wings sprouting from shoulder blades...  

[Teigra]

Kane rose to his full height, stretching his shoulders and shaking out his muscles before surveying his kill once more. A good mark; this one would provide tender meat and soft hides for himself and his daughter. He'd offer some to his mother in thanks for watching the kid for him while he hunted, but he knew she didn't really eat meat. Crazy woman would probably say something sappy along the lines of 'not needing anything in return, as watching him care for his daughter was all the thanks she needed'. Or some such crap. Ew.

The hunt concluded, Kane's predatory instincts left the prey and instead sought out any threats to his claimed prize. Several scents in the area...but one was fresh. His ears twitched, seeking any sound that might betray another predator, or scavenger, intent on taking his prize away. He flexed his claws, thinking, 'They'll have a hell of a fight on their hands if some fool wants to try it.' His eyes scanned the forest, ears sharp, all senses on high alert.

They weren't necessary.

Seconds later, Lailah stepped forward, grinning ecstatically, heart racing, and exclaimed, "That was amazing!"

Equally as blunt, but completely deadpan despite the surprise, Kane raised an eyebrow and quipped, "...the ********? Who the bloody hell are you?"  

[Teigra]

The teenage angel seemed unfazed by the demon's response, instead, still looking back and forth between him and his kill with wonder. "That was so completely cool," she murmured, still grinning like a loon.

Kane's territorial instincts were settling as he watched the teen with disbelief. Seriously? What in the hell was wrong with her? First, for showing up like some sort of spectator watching a game, and second...how was what he did 'cool?' Who the heck was this kid? Some part of his mind seemed less interested, quipping only 'Why do I attract all the weird, obnoxious ones?'

"Yeah, yeah, I'm amazing. Now, how about answering my question, kid. Who the hell are you?"

Lailah blinked, meeting the demon's predatory glare. To think, this Pae only moments ago had been something so dangerous, so deadly, so efficiently brutal... She grinned widely, offering her hand. "Lailah."

While that technically answered his question, Kane was less than satisfied with the answer. Didn't explain much. "Riiiiight," he quipped with a raised eyebrow, eying her hand like a strange beast from beyond. Then, he sighed, rolled his eyes, and shook her hand, if briefly. His mother was becoming a bad influence again. "Kane," he replied, equally as brief, then turned his back on the strange girl. "If you'll excuse me, I have work to do before the carcass gets cold."

Even if she'd enjoyed watching the kill, odd as that was, it was unlikely the kid would want to stick around further for the rest of the 'show,' so Kane prepared to ignore her until she wandered away on her own.  

[Teigra]

Reaching towards his thigh, the dark blue demon removed a thin hunting knife from a sheath, followed by a short length of cord. He hadn't bothered so much when he was just hunting for himself before, but now...well, he had someone else to hunt for as well. And it was always best to get as much use as possible from a kill.

Looping the cord tightly around the back legs, he then crouched to lift the carcass up, grunting slightly at the effort. Had to pick a nice, big, healthy one, didn't he? With some effort of wrestling the body into place, he managed to get it strung up, hanging head down from a low branch. He stopped to roll his shoulders, then looked over at the angel. "You still here?"

Lailah had found a fallen log and seated herself on the ground, leaning back against it. "Uh huh!" she nodded, enthusiastic and eager to watch the process. Why didn't he use his claws like earlier? Why the knife? She'd have to ask. She looped her arms around her knees, and tilted her head to the side, like she was watching a show. "So...what's the knife for?"

Kane rolled his eyes. We got a weird one here, he thought. Though, if only his daughter always showed this sort of interest in hunting. Well, cleaning the kill anyway. Might as well answer her if she was just going to sit there and watch. "For skinning it. Claws work well for killing, but not for skinning or cleaning. Simple, thin hunting blade works for the details."

Surveying his work thus far, he noted that the process of bleeding the deer out was nearly finished. Most hunters would slit the throat at this point and let gravity bleed the carcass out, but hunting as a tiger, he'd torn the throat out with his jaws to make the kill, so...moot point. Best get started. He set to work with the fine blade, working it under the fur and skin, then beginning the methodical process he'd developed for skinning the deer. Be another nice set of fur and leather for himself and his daughter come from this, as well as meals for a while.

Fascinating! Of course, Lailah's mind was already turning with the other possibilities for such a blade. Light, sharp, wouldn't weigh one down, and good for fine, detailed work... She suppressed a pleasant shiver, watching the demon's deft work with the blade. She needed one.

Then, she noticed he'd stopped. "Now what?"

Kane laid the fur down on the ground, spread open. "Now, the meat," he answered simply. He took a moment to survey the carcass, then started making quick, carving cuts, removing sections of meat and laying them in the skin on the ground. It was a lengthy process, but eventually, he was left with only the unwanted guts and skeleton. He bounded up onto limb and removed the cord, letting the carcass fall to the ground. "Done," he stated bluntly. Scavengers would likely finish off the remains, but he at least had the courtesy to drag them out of the way and beneath a bush. Nevermind the pool of blood on the ground. He wiped his blade and his hands off in the grass, then sheathed the weapon once more.

He started wrapping the skin and furs up around the meat, binding it all together with the cord for transport. Aiming a suspicious glance at the angel, he quipped, "Hey, show's over, kid. You heading home now, I suppose?"

Startled out of her reverie, Lailah blinked and nodded, suddenly back on her guard. "Yeah, probably. Back home," she answered, taking care not to mention where 'home' was. "Thanks for letting me watch," she added with a swift bow. So swift! So efficient! It was all she could do not to bounce where she stood from the thrill of all she'd just witnessed.

Kane raised an eyebrow, hefting his catch. "Right, yeah, okay. Welcome, or...whatever," he muttered, noting to himself that kids were getting weirder these days. Or maybe they always had been, he just hadn't noticed. "See ya, kid," he said with a dismissive wave, heading out on his way.