[SOLO] Eww, Why Do You Eat That? (Kane and Faroth)

[Teigra]

Not the biggest prey in the forest, but he'd take what he could get when hungry. The tiger demon moved silently, large paws placed carefully on the forest floor only where free of leaves or dry sticks. He shifted his shoulders in a low crouch, ready to pounce.

A tiny nose wiggled, sniffing the air cautiously.

Before the rabbit could even identify the scent of this strange predator, the beast was upon him. With barely time for a dismayed squeal, the rabbit had become the tiger's latest victim. Or meal, as the case would be. He dropped the prey animal from his powerful jaws, then started shifting back to his normal demonic form. He shook on all fours as the fur receded and his wings emerged once more. That always felt strange. Tickled a bit.

He remembered how much it had hurt the first couple of times that he'd shifted. Made sense, considering how his body was rearranging itself, but since then, it hadn't been nearly as troublesome. He suspected that it all had something to do with that cursed forest. It had been the cause of his first shift, afterall. He'd thought maybe it was some side effect of journeying too deeply into that place, but...when he'd managed it on his own later, he'd started to wonder if it wasn't Dragnid that caused it, exactly, but only managed to trigger something that he'd have eventually learned how to do on his own. It wasn't something he'd ever tried before that, that was certain. The first shift though had been forced. Maybe that's why it had hurt so much.

Enough philosophizing. There was rabbit on the menu tonight. With a few practiced slashes with his claws, he started to strip the fur from the carcass to get to the tasty meat within. Then, settling back against a tree, he started enjoying his dinner.



The teenage Faun trailed a hand against the trunk of a tree as he passed, ears on alert for any telltale noises of his friend. Kane seemed to like to hunt in this area, and well...Faroth had nothing better to do at the moment. He'd made a quick trip back home recently, checked in on things, then headed back to the Isle for more exploring. He felt far too restless these days to stay at the Tree for very long, even on a visit. There was just far too much out on the Isle to see and explore.

And sometimes, bothering Kane was fun.

He wasn't sure exactly why he found the demon's company so enjoyable, as rough as he could be at times. The demon claimed he didn't want him around either, but if that was true, why didn't he make more of an effort to get rid of Faroth? It had almost become a game between the two; a game that went unspoken, because to state the rules would ruin the entire point.  

[Teigra]

Passing an apple tree, the young Faun picked a ripe fruit, shined it against his arm, then took a big bite. Mmm...something about the apples here on the Isle, they just seemed to taste better. Or maybe it was just enjoying ripe fruit while on a walk in the forests on a pleasant day. Either way, he grabbed another apple for the trip, then continued on his way, crunching happily.

Surrounded by nature, Faroth couldn't have been a happier Faun. He had fruit to eat, lovely trees to walk among, the sun was shining above the canopy, filtering through the breaks in the foliage to create warm places, and the potential for entertainment if he could find...

He nearly leapt from his skin as a sharp, terrified squeal shattered the peace. It was short, then silence settled once more over the forest, but it no longer seemed so serene; only eerie. The hair was standing up on Faroth's neck, and he frowned glancing about. No, no signs of danger. Could it be? He had a feeling in his gut, but proceeded warily just in case...

Kane was only about half finished with his meal when the sound of hooves crushing leaves caught his attention. His ear flicked briefly, eyes narrowing out of predatory instinct. No...no predators in the area to steal his kill. And besides, hooves meant prey, not predators. He'd have welcomed a small deer, but his luck wasn't that good. Besides, these hooves were much too heavy for that. His eyes flicked upwards to catch the sight of dappled grey fur moving through the foliage before Faroth peered around one of the tree trunks directly at him.

The teenage faun grinned at the sight of the striped blue demon reclining against a tree...then his expression fell slightly at the sight of the bloody carcass in his hands. "Eww. You're doing that...predator thing. Guess this is a bad time to be wandering through the forest." I can come back if this is a bad time.

"Feh," Kane scoffed, shooting the Faun a mocking glare. "Only if you're a deer. You might look similar, but you'd probably taste bad. Them trees growin' outta' your head and all, probably be like chewing on a stringy stick." Oh, shut up and sit down.

Faroth smirked in reply, both to the verbal and the unspoken exchange. He averted his gaze uncomfortably from the carcass, however, making his way to a neighboring tree to sink down to the forest floor and lean against. He tossed the core from the first apple over his shoulder, then eyed the one in his hand realizing he was no longer hungry. Ugh. He held onto it anyway, setting the apple beside him. Maybe later.

"Dunno how you can eat that," he muttered anyway, knowing even at low volume that Kane would probably hear him.

"With my teeth," the tiger demon shot back automatically with a sneer towards the apple. "Same as you eat that crap." With that said, he resumed eating.

"Oh, thanks for clearing that up. Never would have figured that out without your help." The Faun rolled his eyes, barely concealing amusement. Okay, point to Kane for that one; he'd walked right into it. "And what's wrong with eating fruit? It's good. There's all kinds, and most are so sweet."

"Exactly," Kane replied, breaking away and licking blood from his lips. There was little left of the rabbit except fur and skeleton, and he laid that on the ground to begin cleaning himself. "It's too sweet. Especially all the time. Okay, maybe a little once in a while, but...not all the time. Sickening."

"Heh, that's why you don't just eat fruit then. There are vegetables too."

"Bleeeck," Kane made a face as if tasting something horrible. "That you can keep. Seriously, just sickeningly sweet fruit and nasty vegetables? No wonder you lot look like trees and probably taste like it too, just eating that stuff all the time."  

[Teigra]

"Ha! You know, those deer you're so fond of eat the same way." Faroth smirked, knowing he'd gotten a point for that one. "Though, certainly not trying to set myself up on your menu any time soon. I've still got my hooves ready if you start getting any ideas." He chuckled, remembering their first meeting with amusement. He knew the tiger demon thought it much less so. He'd complained about his nose 'not working right' for a week afterwards.

"Besides, it's my choice. It's what I like. Not all Faun are the same. Some eat meat; it's just never appealed to me. We have Faun who hunt and fish like you do. Well, maybe not quite like you do...they use lines and bows and arrows and such, but my point stands."

Kane's only reaction to the mention of Faroth's hooves was to pick up a pebble and ping it at the Faun with a dismissive snort. He took in this new information with interest. "So, you're not all a bunch of flower-eating pansies? Huh. Who knew?" Did this mean he'd have more hunters in the area to share territory with? He didn't like the thought, however...his hunting grounds were far enough from the Tree, here in Loka Nei, he wasn't sure they'd be willing to travel so far for regular trips. That much was encouraging at least. Prey was hard enough to come by some times, depending on the weather and season, he didn't really relish more competition for what wasthere.

"Hey, roses have thorns, you know. They can be dangerous too," Faroth countered teasingly. He was feeling a bit better now that the carcass had been laid aside and was no longer between them where it was hard to ignore. It wasn't that blood made him sick or anything, it was just...the thought of eating it...raw like that...ick. Not that he ate it cooked either, but it seemed that wasn't something that made him feel squeamish, just...something he was less inclined to eat than his usual fare.

"Yeeees," Kane drawled, rolling his eyes. "Absolutely terrifying. Nothing scarier in the entire forest." Then he shot the Faun an arrogant smirk. "Well, aside from me." With a cocky grin, the demon chuckled and settled back against the tree comfortably to digest. After a few moments, he asked, "So...been doing alright? Exploring and all on your own? Haven't wandered off anywhere on the Isle and gotten yourself eaten, I see."

Faroth raised an eyebrow at the sudden change of demeanor, as well as...that wasn't concern was it? From Kane? Nah, he was imagining things. Possibly hallucinating. Bad apple maybe. "Nah, told ya', nothin' wants to eat me. Too stringy, remember?" He grinned, then decided not to push things too far and ruin the moment, only chuckling. "Nah, I'm good. It's...a big island though. Lot bigger than I'm used to, that's for sure. I bet you could run for days and still not reach the other side, huh? And more than just forests and plains! Lakes and mountains in the distance...haven't been there yet, but you can sure see 'em from far off...and there's that other forest, the dark one-"

"Don't go in there!" Kane snapped, whirling on the teen with a growl. Then, he caught himself, blinked a couple times, and seemed to draw back. "Err...just sayin'. A kid like you has no place in there. Get yourself eaten for sure," he muttered, turning away. "Not that I'd care or anything, but I don't think the bastards in there need anything else to eat, stringy or not."

Somewhat shocked by the outburst, Faroth forgot to be sarcastic. He only nodded silently, staring at the demon with wide eyes. What was that all about? Obviously, Kane had some personal experience with the place...but what kind? What had happened to provoke such a response? Whatever it was, it was enough that Faroth felt no teenage rebellious urge to go see the dark forest for himself, that was for sure. He hadn't known the demon that long, but he got the feeling that the Kane's confident air could be shaken by nothing. He hadn't even backed down from Rais when they first met, despite the Faun Chieftain's normally-imposing presence. If this forest provoke such an immediate response from Kane, well...Faroth wasn't eager to find out why...at least, not first-hand.