Dancing in the dark in the pale moonlight, the blood sparkled as it coated her paws. She only laughed and delighted in the gore as she striped layers of flesh away from the skull. Her prey hadnt died yet, but was in shock from the loss of blood and pain ripping through its body as she began to use her claws and remove later, after layer of skin, fat and meat from the buck.

He had a lovely rack, and her own mask's rack was starting to become cracked and chipping away, so it was time for a new one and of course the gods had blessed her with the sight of this beauty! She thought to herself with a grin, she cupped his face now and gave him a loud, dramatic kiss on the nose. "Won't you be a beautiful adornment! Every girl needs a little something to make her feel like a queen." She smiled, she could see his life draining away, the spark that his eyes had once held was now fleeting, until it was no more.

She dropped his head right then and snorted, well there went some of the fun of her task, not all of it but some of it. And since he was now dead and his cries no more, she broke his neck with a twist of her paws and a loud snap.

She sat back on her hind end, eyeing her work so far, she couldnt help but lick at her paw, the primal urge to feed on his blood alone shivered through her, but not yet she thought, that would be a treat once the hard work was done.

She went right back to the task at hand, she stripped the skull as bare as she could before she broke it off the spine, carrying it happily towards her tree of goodies, she moved the layers of bark until she could see the moving beetles under the bark, she dropped the skull into the hole and covered it back up with chunks of bark and patches of grass. Her beetles would strip anything left and leave her only bone.

She glanced back at the headless corpse, the moon casting shadows over it as the faint sound of the small lake moved with life under the surface. She raced back towards the corpse and plucked it up, dancing around on hind legs for a moment, her laughter slicing through the air as she dipped the prey beast, grinning crazily at nothing as she then let him drop back to the earth.

She rubbed her paws over her face, sticky with the clotting blood and bits of dirt and grass from her stroll to the tree and back, but at the moment it didnt seem to matter an ounce to her. Instead she went to work slowly, and carefully slicing his belly open to began to separate his skin from that first thin fat layer, his hide would be good on her den floor in the coming cooler months.

And if her Viking was worth anything, would be something softer for future cubs to roll around on, her nose wrinkled at the thought. She would need to find a nurse for them, she would aid in their basic needs but otherwise they were no good to her as mewling cubs. She shuddered, memories of Azu flashed in her mind, the daughter of her first "mate" what a waste they both had been. She paused as a crazy gleam flashed in her eyes, she had tasted that first real thrill as she had killed him, he hadnt lived up to her expectations and he had to pay for that deceit.

Azu's death had been an easy next step, she mirrored the lion who had failed her mother, there was little resemblance between mother and daughter, and Cora wouldnt have it any other way. Though her daughter had not died, and Cora knew that she should have known better than to leave the task up to that male. Males in general seemed to fall short to her needs...Well so far the Viking hadnt. She ripped away the pelt in a quick, solid motion, happy to have to come off in one piece. She smiled at the thought of the Viking, he had been such a fine find, at least that was a pride worth something..not to her per-say but they had bestowed such a gift, that she wouldnt try and burn them to the ground.

He would give her the strong, power hungry cubs she wanted, little soldiers to add to her army. She carried the pelt back towards the tree, draping it over a low branch to dry and cure. She sighed, she would really have to find some half witted lioness to tend to the cubs, and any others she might spawn. Azu's death was only the start, her grandson's would have to go as well, and then she would turn her gaze upon the lands, a true terror to sweep over the unsuspecting and those who had grown soft.

Any who wouldnt join her ranks, will be slaughtered where they stand. She thought as she prowled towards the waters, walking into the cool depths, she watched as dirt and blood swirled around her on the surface, carefully she went below the surface, letting the water engulf her for a moment, before she pulled herself out of the water.

Little bloody water drops dripped from her legs, leaving a trail behind her as she moved back towards her tree, once more un-barking her beetles as she pulled her skull from their hungry clutches, she eyed what work they had done so far picking away muscle and flesh from the tiniest nooks and crannies, she grinned wickedly in the moonlight as she put the skull back, yes that would be a fabulous replacement and any war hungry Queen needed the right crown.

She had found the perfect crown.

Now it was time to build her army and begin the hunt for that one thorn in her paw that should have died at birth.

WC:: 1020