|
|
Post by Genesis on Nov 6, 2012 17:58:34 GMT -5
| [atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,400,true] | [atrb=background,http://i.imgur.com/0F1xP.png]The riverside was eerily quiet today; an oddity the striped female had taken notice of shortly after having broken from the woodland. Even with the knowledge that winter was only just rescinding its claim to the land, she couldn’t help but feel a tendril of unease twine itself around her heart, stunting her breath. The very definition of suffocating silence one might say. With the Morkosh's jay blue eyes trailing over the landscape they finally came to rest on the waterway separating her from unfamiliar hunting grounds. The twisted divide glittered invitingly but even she knew not to press her luck nor did Genesis figure she had the time to dawdle when there were hungry mouths needing to be fed.
With that reminder she averted her gaze again, scanning the loam at the rivers edge for signs of activity, anything to indicate that something had recently visited the area. Conventional methods of tracking had an increased difficultly in these early spring days when scents were constantly being diluted by snowmelt. If the Huntress was worried it didn’t show, zeroing in on a space of uneven earth was the impression of cloven hooves could be made out. Naturally there was no way of knowing how fresh they were but it was better than trying to flush rabbits from bolt holes for hours.
Taking into account that the sun was already high in the sky, Genesis sprang over the river and began pacing through the woods at an even pace. Ears cupped forward, nose to the dirt, eyes sweeping the path in front of her, the female consumed by her work and registered nothing else. Twenty minutes of this and a kink had developed in her neck but the faint, musty smell of wet fur was an encouraging sign. Pausing to assess her surroundings she debated on whether or not to mark the area and head home to collect another to help with her hunt but quickly shook the thought away. By the time she made it to the dens and back here her prey would have moved on and she’d have to start the whole process over again. If she kept on course she would at least have a chance at securing a meal – slim thought it be. They were not the greatest of odds and she withheld a grimace, resolving to do her best under the current conditions and prayed that luck would smile on her today.
As the scent strengthened the wolf was forced to walk wide and away from the likely route taken by her quarry. The space in front of her was too open leaving her painfully visible to her intended victim. It wouldn’t hurt her anymore to spare a moment and get properly positioned and as hidden as possible before making her attempt. At least these were her thoughts as she wound her way though the shaggy, sorry excuse for shrubs, making her way back toward the north where she assumed her targets were and sure enough the thicket began to peel back to reveal a slim-legged doe and her calf.
It took every ounce of will power not to groan in approval, the scent of their flesh teasing her hunger-starved senses to the point where she was afraid they might hear her stomach growling. Genesis stilled, sank lower and inched forward. It was an infuriatingly long process but goddammit she wasn’t going home empty handed and covered in mud for nothing! She was Falcon ranked for a reason!
Her lips formed a harsh line and her brows drew down in concentration, her movements precise, planned and careful as could be until she was four meters away. So close she could make out the doe’s faintly protruding ribs, a testament to both the recent birth of her fawn and poor eating. Hunkered down in the underbrush she steeled herself, excitement lending her strength as she rocked her body from side to side, anticipating the lunge she was about to make. It all boiled down to whether she was fast enough to cross the distance and how quickly the mother and baby reacted to the sudden predator. The doe’s head fell down trying to graze the sparsely growing grass and Genesis shot out of hiding. The grating of branches from where she had just been sounded obnoxiously loud in her ears but she had eyes only for her prey at this point and couldn’t be bothered to second guess anything.
Her charge was met with the expected response, doe and fawn frozen in shock before the mother regained herself and took a bound. Genesis, who had sprinted two and a half meters now, matched the doe’s stride. Making the most of her body length she barely registered the fawn having turned to pursue it’s mother when it was bowled over by the wolf who didn’t so much as stumble as she kept after the larger herbivore.
The doe was young, in all likelihood this was her first fawn and she hadn’t yet learned that she could always have another. Her prey had faltered in her step to look for her baby only to find herself with a face full of snarling canine.
Genesis saw the opening and took it, putting on a burst of speed, teeth fastening on the heel of the doe’s right leg and crunching down with all the force she could apply. The sudden pain spurred the young deer to lash out seconds before Genesis successfully broke the bone, kicking up with her left hind hoof and smacking the female in the cheek leaving a streak of mud from the impact. The sudden assault caught the Provider unawares and fear of injury encouraged her to release her prey but the damage was obvious as she leapt sideways. The doe staggered, crippled in one leg. Taking that to mean the odds were in her favor again the wolf pressed the attack, dancing around the disoriented hoof animal decorating its body in bites as she darted in and away to avoid being trampled.
It felt like she’d been harassing the doe for hours as opposed to the minutes of reality but at last the doe was too distracted by pain to defend itself. It bleated piteously as fangs pinched its throat and held tight. Genesis's blood splashed muzzle sighted down the bridge of her nose to lock eyes with the animal as life trickled away, strength draining from it’s body until finally it’s legs collapsed beneath it and it’s sides heaved with the effort to breathe. The wolf followed the downward movement, flexing her jaw for a better hold and watching the as the doe took her final breath, shuddered and died beside her.
Triumph, swift and warm, filled her chest and had it not been for the mouthful of deer she would have grinned. As it stood she waited a few minutes more, assuring herself that it wasn’t going to miraculously rise and flee, before letting go and looking around. The fawn had disappeared. As to where it might’ve gone she couldn’t quite tell but it’d likely linger nearby after such a traumatic experience. She’d have to remember to inform the other Providers of the potential meal. For now this would suffice. Her family would eat well tonight, that alone was enough for her.
Snorting noisily as her mouth relaxed its grip, taking a step away but hovering obsessively next to her kill. It had been small enough to bring down but the doe would be a heavy load to tote back on her own. At an impasse, she was presented with a challenge. Leave the kill to get help and risk losing it all together or drag it as far as she was able and hope that she could get within earshot of Casus Vita. "Not much choice, huh?" giving her long tail a flick as she bit down on the dead animals throat, securing a hold on it and starting the long walk back.
| |
|
|
