[PRP] Rituals (Zar'roc x Aguta)

[tefla]

A possible full stomach was a gift from the bowels of hell that Zar'roc could not ignore. His eyes lit upon the smaller form of a doe and a wicked smile came to his maw. Dinner was served it seemed. Two smaller forms detached themselves from the doe and stumbled back into a den-like area. This evening was getting even better. With a subtle flexing of his muscles Zar'roc's form blurred into that of an irregularly large wolf. While he preferred hunting larger prey, like Soquili, in his equine form, the taking down of a deer would be a lot easier in wolf form.

Zar'roc moved with a practiced stealth to place himself just downwind of the doe. He tread as lightly as possible, eyes fixated on the prize that was coming closer and closer to rest in his grasp. If it came down to a chase Zar'roc was all assured that he'd come out the victor. If not ... well there were two younger, less satisfying morsels that he'd be able to definitely catch. There was just something so much more satisfying to the 'walker in destroying a family then choosing random prey.

With patience and an unlimited amount of time the wolfwalker got into a desired position. Soon. His mouth watered at in anticipation as he let out a soft growl. It was enough to spook the doe into flight. Zar'roc's grin grew wider as he gave chase. Let the game begin. He'd already scouted this area and knew exactly where he wanted to surprise his prey.

 

[kaliskanny]

Aguta flew through the sky, blacking out the stars where her form passed. She'd decided to come down from the cold she lived in to search out larger prey, in search of a new trophy. The moonlight lit the ground below easily and she hovered down to the tree tops to see if anything was moving. She was not wrong, there had been something going on. A dark wolf was giving chase to a deer...a doe. Perhaps there were more around? If not, she could take the wolf while it was distracted with it's prey.

She tried to keep up with the chase, gliding along above the trees. Her brown eyes narrowed with concentration. Just take the kill already so that I may eat, she though in irritation. Her flight down from the cold had left her moody and hungry.  

[tefla]

Zar'roc was closing in quickly on his prey. He knew that up ahead was an obstacle that a simple creature would not be able to pass. He could picture the scene in his mind. The doe would balk suddenly as she came up against a greater force than he was. Surely she'd not take to jumping off a cliff in order to escape. He panted, tongue lolling out of his mouth as he closed the distance between himself and his meal. The only way to escape was through the path he had chased down the deer on. She would not be able to escape his jaws.

With eyes alight in triumph Zar'roc scented the smell of fear coming off his victim in waves. He emerged from the foliage with his belly to the ground. He locked his gaze on his newest prize and with an extreme push, loped towards the doe. The doe, as expected, tried to dodge but Zar'roc was already there. He rammed his massive bulk into the doe's side. He was smaller yes, but sheer muscle mass won the battle in his favor. The doe stumbled and Zar'roc, sensing his victory, went for the throat. His mouth opened and locked onto the doe's neck, dragging the creature to the ground and crushing its windpipe under pressure and suffocating the animal in the same step.

Dinner was indeed served.  

[kaliskanny]

Aguta had been watching the chase, feeling the thrill that came with running down your prey. She saw the dead end before the doe did, being higher up than the quarry. She settled on a branch to watch the final moments of the hunt and to wait to catch her own quarry. The wolf wasn't a large prey, but large enough to feed from and take a trophy. Perhaps that tail. It would do about her neck to help keep her warm. She twitched from foot to foot, waiting as the wolf took down the doe.

She'd wait until he was good and occupied by his meal before swooping down. She already had a plan of action, claw the eyes out to make it hard to run. Yes, that would be a good start. She would have wolf with a side of doe. How delicious.  

[tefla]

Although locked in the world of warm flesh and coppery blood, Zar'roc still had enough sense to know that not everything was right in the world. His mere presence of course silenced the life around him, but as he continued to feast on the choicest parts of the doe silent warning bells were ringing, speaking of possible dangers. The wolf raised his muzzle to the air and scented the breeze before looking down at the mess he'd made of the doe. There was no hiding the marks he'd left on her neck but the ground would hide those marks pretty much once he was done with the artistry to follow.

A rather determined look came into his eyes as he absently licked at a bit of flesh caught in his claws before he shed the form of the smaller wolf. This next part would be trickier to achieve. He wanted to drop the doe nearby the den her young had taken refuge in before starting on his ritual. The stallion once again grasped the doe's neck in his mouth before heading back into the forest. He followed the signs of the pursuit from earlier, the path of terror he'd created. Darkness was increasing and Zar'roc was glad for the anonymity in which he'd be able to work in silence. At last his target area was in sight. Zar'roc dropped the carcass before perusing his options.  

[kaliskanny]

She'd been ducking down, getting ready to strike, when the wolf changed his shape. Of all the sneaky, rotten hells that could be...another skinwalker. At least this male that wore the wolf was pure, not one of those lowly creatures trying to claim equal of her. She wondered still if she could take him, make a meal of him. Her thoughts paused when he picked up the doe and carried it back toward where the chase had started. What in fiery brimstone was he playing at?

She took flight, following him through the tree tops. Landing carefully on a branch above the den, she hoped not to give him notice as to being followed. He was a strange one to carry the quarry back to it's home. Perhaps he hoped to catch the doe's babies, if there were any. Surely he must know that the scent of her blood would make them wary of her. No matter, if he was going to distract himself with killing more, she'd wait and then catch him off guard still. Same plan, just a slight change.

Aguta nestled down close to the branch, hoping the foliage would hide her white feathers from below. It would do no good to be noticed before she could strike on her prey.  

[tefla]

It was a shame that in this area of the woods there was nary a sign of snow. The freezing whiteness held such promise in staving off the scent of rotting meat for longer periods of time than simple dirt did. Zar'roc absently sighted and scented the air around him. Apparently the chase hadn't woken the young nestled inside. How utterly ... perfect. Zar'roc's muscles rippled in pleasure before he cast his gaze down at the corpse at his feet. He'd taken his fill earlier and yet was still tempted to take one last taste of the doe. However if there was one thing that the wolfwalker was not; it was that he wasn't weak.

Scuffing softly at the earth below with his paws Zar'roc came up with a barely sufficient amount of dirt to begin his work. He eyed the ground speculatively before sighing. What material could he use if dirt and snow were not readily available to him? Spotting what seemed to be dead plant matter nearby Zar'roc scowled. It was by far the worst packing material out there. Perhaps though the stench emitted from it would hide the scent of death for at least a few hours longer.

With a resigned look Zar'roc began scooping up globs of the heavily odorous material and packing it deep into the holes that marred the doe's body. Whenever he killed, Zar'roc always made sure to expose the belly only. It made it more convenient to complete his ritual. At last the holes were filled. Zar'roc grimaced and began to organize limbs here and there until he achieved the pose that was desired. To the unaware it simply looked like the doe had knelt to the ground to catch a few hours of rest. The wound on her neck was turned away from the opening of the den. Zar'roc could envision the next scene that would play out come daybreak. The doe's young would emerge from the den and frolic to their mother's side. Repeated attempts to wake her would go unsuccessful. Perhaps then they'd notice how cold her body was...

Zar'roc peered into the darkness, catching sight of something white in the trees before his shape changed once again to that of the wolf. Without pause he loped out of view and into the darkness of night.  

[kaliskanny]

Aguta watched the wolfwalker disappear into the trees, taking note of his direction. She looked down at his kill, now stuffed and posed. What madness was this? Why leave it here trussed up as id asleep? Did he like to leave trophies where others could see his prowess? Or had he sensed her in the tree and ruined the deer, hoping he had not seen the rotted plants he'd stuffed inside?

She was cautious as she flew a few branches lower, inspecting the scene below. She was about to give up and follow the wolf when she heard the sounds. Two small deer, obviously the babies of the doe, were coming from the mouth of the den. They were inspecting their mother with caution, their ears flicking this way and that with alertness. One of them was brave enough to nudge their mother, trying to rouse her Aguta supposed. The 'walker tilted her head, watching as the slowly discovered their mother was dead. As the first one started it's mewling, she sprang.

Claws out stretched, she lunged at the young deer. She'd taken careful aim and caught one in the eyes with her talons, digging them in to the sockets and holding on as she pecked at it's forehead. The second one vanished quickly into the trees, but this one would be easy to take down. She rippled into her true form, taking her time while her prey stumbled blindly. She cornered it, gripping it's throat in her talons and squeezing, smiling at the life left it's small body. She took a moment, checking at intervals, to savor her meal slowly. She hadn't realized how hungry she was. When all was said and done, she ripped at it's tail, removing it raggedly. She held it up, inspecting it with a grin.

Aguta dropped the tail to the ground, shifting back to her form of flight. She hopped across the moss covered ground and picked up the tail, then flapped her wings to get back in the air. She circled, gaining more height, before making her way in the direction the wolf had gone. She hoped to pick his trial back up with some ease...she had a gift for him.  

[tefla]

It was safe to say that Zar'roc didn't pause in his long strides until he was well clear of the forest. He felt the earth under his paws and gave what could only be described as a wolfish grin. A moment later his shape blurred into that of the stallion as he slowed to a walk. Running on a full stomach didn't hinder him at all but sometimes it was nice just taking a slow pace and enjoying the sensation of his stomach breaking down his latest meal.

As the moon rose higher in the sky Zar'roc paused near a stream and bent his head to drink. The stallion quaffed a few liters of clear, but cold water before standing in the water in order to shed some of the odor that still lingered from the decaying plants he'd used earlier. Whenever he found his next victim he'd have to scout possible materials ahead of time. Using the plants had been a last ditch effort and had almost ruined his entire night.  

[kaliskanny]

Aguta had kept flying over the tree line until she saw him. He was easy to spot when he shifted. Circling over head to make sure it was the same male, she finally took a chance to dive bomb him. As she flew close she dropped the deer tail at his face, hoping it would hit him in the snout or something to catch his attention, before pulling back up to the safety of a tree branch. "Your methods with a trophy is amusing...but how can you remember the joy and satisfaction of the kill and trap with out a proper trophy?"

She chuckled down at him, wondering if she could still take him and add his tail to her collection. Her brown eyes watched him coldly.  

[tefla]

When one was busy trying to rid themselves of malodorous odors it wasn't pleasant to suddenly find yourself being used as target practice. Zar'roc had caught onto something approaching just before he felt the air whoosh over his ears. A slight burning sensation on the crown of his head indicated that whatever had just flown by had drawn blood. His head lifted to scan the treeline where the voice emanated from before noticing a splotch of color lazily meandering down the stream.

Zar'roc narrowed his gaze. Apparently his guest had decided to release the cotton-colored tail of a young deer near him. Zar'roc's paws scrambled briefly through the water as he plucked the drenched object from the stream and spit it back out onto the ground. He scanned the tree line again and spotted another white object perched on a branch. It was from the creature that the voice had come from. Zar'roc narrowed his eyes dangerously. His mind was whirling with battle plans that could work in this scenario before discarding them.

"Why bother and burden oneself down with a trophy when the thrill comes from knowing that you've shattered the illusion of safety found in numbers? Taking out a pivotal piece of a herd and leave it on display leaves the rest of the group extremely fragile and open to all sorts of fun later on."

Zar'roc paused and glanced idly at the tail again. "So I take it you've seen my work?"

 

[kaliskanny]

Aguta smiled, as much as her beak would allow, and nodded. "Yes, then I feasted on the remains. Their cries were a delicious appetizer to the soft meat. Sadly, I only was able to catch one. At least the other has that added trauma..."

She laughed cruelly, watching him standing there. She hopped a few branched lower, careful to stay out of reach. Your work lacks a bit, however. You stink of rotting plants. You'll have a hard time catching prey until the smell wears away. Though, an advantage to me...leaves me more to hunt."

"I wonder, though," she tilted her head, brown eyes watching him closely. "Do you think other walkers have stumbled upon your little farce? I wonder how many were angry to find their prey already dead...one wonders if it'd make a good trap to catch those lesser things that dare think they are equal to those like ourselves. Those...cursed things. Your method might be an amusing one to adopt...in the joy of hunting."

She shook her head, "Trophies are not bad, if the kill was worthy enough...and you have a permanent lair to keep the memories. I've taken down quite a few large prey, myself. A few ulun'suti even."

Aguta puffed with pride, wondering if this wolf would be impressed.  

[tefla]

Zar'roc lifted a paw from the water and gave it a delicate sniff. The damn female was correct. The smell was still there if not being a little fainter. A scowl came over his features as his gaze locked on the bird. It was disconcerting that he'd inadvertently left a free meal for the female. That had not been his intent at all. Heck, he had not even been aware that there was another like himself in the general area.

A growl rumbled from his throat as he stepped out of the water. "My work usually doesn't lack at all. Finding that doe alone with her fawns was a bit of a surprise and I went with what I had to complete my task."

At the mention of the possibility of other skinwalkers finding his art Zar'roc merely gave a shrug. "What do I care about the possible chances of others of our kind or lessers finding my work? If they can't tell the difference between a dead creature and one that is merely sleeping well then that is their fault."

Zar'roc fell silent as he digested the hawk's last words before brushing them off. He had no permanent place that one would be able to store trophies. His trophies would forever remain locked into his brain.

kaliskanny

 

[kaliskanny]

"No matter...you will still have an effort to catching your next prey with that stench," Aguta tilted her head, a sly look in her eyes. "Or, I could help you. I know of a place that would get that rot off of you. Make you more pleasing to prey..."

She hopped to a different branch to eye him better, "But what's in it for me? Oh..nothing. I only wish to watch you work a bit more. I'd like to use it to trap those cursed beings that claim our equal. They're a bit more challenging than those giant lizards these days...especially up in the colder regions I frequent."  

[tefla]

Hmm. Now this was an interesting offer. Zar'roc scrutinized the female hopping around in the branches before feigning disinterest. Gingerly he stepped back into the water to allow the current to eddy around his paws. The cool crispness of the water soothed the pads of his feet but mainly he was trying to draw the bird into the lower branches. If there was a chance that he could strike, he'd opt to break her wings. A flightless hawk would be less of a threat to deal with.

However those plans were shuffled into the back of his mind for now. There was always a chance this female would screw up in her precautions. Then he would have her pinioned. Flexing his claws into the pebbles of the stream bed Zar'roc turned her offer around in his mind. Strange thing was he was intrigued that this fellow walker was interested in his work. The question to ask himself was why was she interested.

Stepping back out of the stream Zar'roc glanced idly towards the bird. "Show me this place you speak of and if I am satisfied you will have yourself a deal."

kaliskanny