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Zulimar was finished with a night of hunting. Her prey had been a bear cub. She had been careless, and the mother had almost gotten her. Now, the cub sat bawling next to it's mother's corpse.

It was an irritant. A severe one. She snapped her teeth at the cub, trying to frighten it away, but it curled up under it's mother's limp carcass and cried.

So Zulimar did something... almost kind.

She killed the damn cub, and good riddance, smashing the small skull in with one hoof. It's bawling was giving her a headache, not to mention what other predators might have been attracted by its cries. And the scratches on her body from the angry mother's claws, and teeth of her own. Luckily they were minor.

She finished with the mother's carcass, almost bemoaning the loss of a future hunt in the small cub that lay limply next to it's mother. She was sure it would have been a good one. Now it was just wasted meat.

Her head tilted, acknowledging the figure that came out of the shadows. Another female, a predator like herself. "A failed hunt. I had to kill more than I intended, and did not get to play with my prey." For Zulimar, that was what feeding time was about. Why she craved the hunt. It wasn't the food she desired, it was the thrill of toying with her prey, watching the life drain out of it's eyes as it realized it's struggle had been futile.

What she disliked was wastefulness in that pursuit. She tried to eat most of what she killed. Rarely did she kill merely for sport. Last night had become wastefulness, from her carelessness, and she'd not been able to play her game.

She turned her attention to the female coming from the shadows of the trees. Nostrils flared, remembering the scent carefully. It would not do to forget others of her kind.

Zulimar's head tilted, and she also looked at the prey. The other mare did have a point. Her goal had been to kill the cub. No where in her self-imposed rules for the hunt of the cub, had she denied herself another kill. And no where had she stipulated HOW the cub was to have been killed.

She supposed she would allow herself the satisfaction that followed a good hunt. This time. Next time her rules would be more strict. Her game was her way of challenging herself, forcing herself to improve, while granting her the reward she so desperately sought.

She met the other mare's eyes, dead on. No thanks for the praise, no flushing, no platitudes. Zuli knew she was strong. And was going over the battle already in her mind, on how she would handle the situation again if it arose. "I am Zulimar. You are?"

She nodded her head at the name, mulling it over in her mind. Loveless, hmm? Interesting name. "Yes, usually. I have just come to this area. Acquainting myself with the hunting grounds." She raised a brow at the carcasses, admiring the expression of rage still on the mother's face. "Are the females around here not strong then?" Loveless's comment mildly confused her, on some level, though she couldn't explain it.

And the next comment threw her. Her beliefs as a kalona? "Be strong. Hunt well. Be effective, not extravagant." Hence why she hated killing more than she had to on a hunt. Where she had come from, prey was scarce, and one tried to keep either the young alive, or a parent, if they could still bear more young for future hunts. It was preferred to keep the young alive, but Zulimar had an affection for the more... tender... meats of the young.

She shifted her weight, turning a critical eye to the sky. "It looks like rain today." She hated the rain. It felt peaceful, and cooling, even when it fell in blankets, and one could barely see in front of them. Made the earth turn into a pit of mush that took forever to clean from hooves and hair. Or made the skies that much more dangerous, unable to see what approached with no trees to help block the fall.

"Good." She said, tail flicking. "It would be a shame if they weren't." Zulimar smiled back at Loveless. "I should hope to meet more of them."

Lessers? Ah, that must be what they called the Others. "Those wingless, hornless, toothless abominations?" her voice was light, and her smile was almost pleasant now. "Or are you talking about the more foul beasts, the ones on two legs?"

She made a face now. "As for the rain, it makes everything far too mucky for me. And it's not as much fun to hunt in the rain, the blood washes away too fast." She licked her lips. "And they close their eyes against the water, so you can't watch the glow fade."

Ruin the meeting? Well, this mare certainly had firm beliefs.

... Zulimar quite thought she might like her. There were any number of Others in the world. The two-legged abominations, the prey, those disgusting one-horns, the hornless bird-winged ones... and the mouthfuls. Too many to be able to judge with just one term. It appeared these kalona called them Lessers.

An appropriate term. "I should suppose you needn't." she smiled back. "I can assure you the only kindness I give their sort is when I am either trying to weaken them before I kill them, or the kindness I show in ripping out their throats, and letting them leave their bodies. Unless they prove themselves QUICKLY to be extraordinarily useful."

She tilted her head, glancing at the sky. Indeed, the clouds were still a distance off. "No family. I am alone." she had been since childhood, and always moving. Moving in one direction, looking for a place to settle herself. "And I have kept it that way for a long time." she yawned, sharp teeth flashing, jaw clicking shut. "And yourself? You have siblings?"

Zuli gave a little laugh. "You like to hunt too, then? Do you ever hunt the Lessers, as you call them? Or just prey?" she gestured back towards where the corpses lay, lumps already being covered by flies, and a brave buzzard. It was never just about food. She licked her lips, eyes gleaming.

Her head tilted, but she decided not to pursue the question of family any further. "So, what can you tell me about this area? I'm afraid I am new in this part of the land... I have been traveling for some time." her head tilted, and she looked inquisitive.