T H ExxS I L E N C ExxF E L TxxJ U S T I F I E D
xxxThey were here. In her mountains. In her territory. A low growl stirred in her throat as the grey wolf, malnourished with bones nearly protruding from her flesh leapt forward and raced off through the sparse tree line of the mountainside towards the smell of her target.
xxxSenara had spent the better part of the past month scrounging for food. Unlike most frosts this one had been especially bitter. Rabbits and mountain goats had all but frozen to death or been picked off by other predators leaving her with scraps and leftovers from their kills, if she was lucky enough to come across them. But it had been nearly two weeks ago that she'd last bitten into flesh. Her stomach pained, her paws were heavy and dragged over the top layer of ice that crunched as she thrust her weight down, sending her legs through the crystallization and sinking into the soft padded snow below. The damn weather made running harder but the promise of a kill was too great to pass up.
xxxAs Senara came to the edge of a cliffside her nose raised to the sky. She inhaled the crisp frost and looked below where the wind had carried the scent of another predator. A mountain lion, or perhaps snow leopard.. Just as hungry as she more than likely which meant just as desperate. But it were in her territory. She'd marked it plainly countless times this frost but no matter her threats multiple predators had begun to close in and shrink her already small claim. The wolf chuffed in disapproval, then began her slow descent down the cliff, paws treading carefully. When she finally got to the bottom she quickly lowered herself into the snow, hiding, blending in with her surroundings between two thick pine trees and waiting for that monster of a cat to show itself.
xxxMoments later he emerged; a mountain lion. Large for such a creature but still only half as large as Senara herself.
xxxIt should have been easy. It should have only taken moments for Senara to simply outweigh the beast before crushing it's juggular and tearing it's head from it's body. But it didn't go that way. Instead it seemed the cat had spotted her first and within a split second of it's realization lunged at the wolf with perfect precision. Senara and the mountain lion tumbled in the snow with claws and teeth ripping into each others flesh. Crimson blood tainted the pristine white forest as the two fought. Loud roars and growls, threatening screams and barks from each traveled only as far as the snow could carry before muffling out into the vast expanse of the mountain. Senara fought with all her wits and might that she had left but two weeks without food had cost her and she found herself losing. The mountain lion sunk his claws into the wolves back leg ripping flesh and scream from her throat.
xxx'Run!' She screamed in her head finally realizing there was no hope in this fight. She wretched her body out from underneath the creature and with one blow to it's head took off in a full sprint. She ran and ran and never looked back. Angry for losing. Famished. And realizing she'd just lost her territory.
xxxSeveral hours later the moon was high in the sky. The clouds had parted and snow ceased to fall, but Senara still felt the weight and bite of frost in her wounds and in her lungs. Weary, she barely noticed the faint scent of something in the distance. Fire? People? Those two together meant one thing; food. And as people tended to sleep at night, it may just be the perfect opportunity to steal her dinner. Or, if they had come unarmed like the last traveler who became caught in her jaw, she could simply eat them. She followed her nose for nearly two miles. Her blood had all but frozen to her fur and matted in place by the time she approached the edge of her forest and saw a small tent with a fire raging it's warmth around it, melting the snow and holding a small pot over it's flames. She salivated. Cooked meat... she vaguely remembered the taste. A distant memory of meat on sticks and some form of stew in a festival when she was very young.
xxxAnd while the smell of the visitor, whether it was one or many, was pungent in the air she could not detect exactly where they were. Or how many. Perhaps the confusion came from the large slice to her nose that the beast of a cat had given her, leaving her own blood as the primary scent. She lowered her head. She stilled her breath. She walked forward with a soft limp towards the camp with wide, amber eyes stuck on the pot, sticking to the shadows and circling the area in hopes she would find no travelers awake for her thievery. It was her last resort; eat, or be eaten.
20th of Frost, 120, AoS
xxxSenara had spent the better part of the past month scrounging for food. Unlike most frosts this one had been especially bitter. Rabbits and mountain goats had all but frozen to death or been picked off by other predators leaving her with scraps and leftovers from their kills, if she was lucky enough to come across them. But it had been nearly two weeks ago that she'd last bitten into flesh. Her stomach pained, her paws were heavy and dragged over the top layer of ice that crunched as she thrust her weight down, sending her legs through the crystallization and sinking into the soft padded snow below. The damn weather made running harder but the promise of a kill was too great to pass up.
xxxAs Senara came to the edge of a cliffside her nose raised to the sky. She inhaled the crisp frost and looked below where the wind had carried the scent of another predator. A mountain lion, or perhaps snow leopard.. Just as hungry as she more than likely which meant just as desperate. But it were in her territory. She'd marked it plainly countless times this frost but no matter her threats multiple predators had begun to close in and shrink her already small claim. The wolf chuffed in disapproval, then began her slow descent down the cliff, paws treading carefully. When she finally got to the bottom she quickly lowered herself into the snow, hiding, blending in with her surroundings between two thick pine trees and waiting for that monster of a cat to show itself.
xxxMoments later he emerged; a mountain lion. Large for such a creature but still only half as large as Senara herself.
xxxIt should have been easy. It should have only taken moments for Senara to simply outweigh the beast before crushing it's juggular and tearing it's head from it's body. But it didn't go that way. Instead it seemed the cat had spotted her first and within a split second of it's realization lunged at the wolf with perfect precision. Senara and the mountain lion tumbled in the snow with claws and teeth ripping into each others flesh. Crimson blood tainted the pristine white forest as the two fought. Loud roars and growls, threatening screams and barks from each traveled only as far as the snow could carry before muffling out into the vast expanse of the mountain. Senara fought with all her wits and might that she had left but two weeks without food had cost her and she found herself losing. The mountain lion sunk his claws into the wolves back leg ripping flesh and scream from her throat.
xxx'Run!' She screamed in her head finally realizing there was no hope in this fight. She wretched her body out from underneath the creature and with one blow to it's head took off in a full sprint. She ran and ran and never looked back. Angry for losing. Famished. And realizing she'd just lost her territory.
xxxSeveral hours later the moon was high in the sky. The clouds had parted and snow ceased to fall, but Senara still felt the weight and bite of frost in her wounds and in her lungs. Weary, she barely noticed the faint scent of something in the distance. Fire? People? Those two together meant one thing; food. And as people tended to sleep at night, it may just be the perfect opportunity to steal her dinner. Or, if they had come unarmed like the last traveler who became caught in her jaw, she could simply eat them. She followed her nose for nearly two miles. Her blood had all but frozen to her fur and matted in place by the time she approached the edge of her forest and saw a small tent with a fire raging it's warmth around it, melting the snow and holding a small pot over it's flames. She salivated. Cooked meat... she vaguely remembered the taste. A distant memory of meat on sticks and some form of stew in a festival when she was very young.
xxxAnd while the smell of the visitor, whether it was one or many, was pungent in the air she could not detect exactly where they were. Or how many. Perhaps the confusion came from the large slice to her nose that the beast of a cat had given her, leaving her own blood as the primary scent. She lowered her head. She stilled her breath. She walked forward with a soft limp towards the camp with wide, amber eyes stuck on the pot, sticking to the shadows and circling the area in hopes she would find no travelers awake for her thievery. It was her last resort; eat, or be eaten.
