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Post by Rhea on Apr 19, 2010 15:47:55 GMT -5
Grrrooowwwllll.
“I’m so hungry,” Imani sighed to herself. It had been a while since she’d eaten, but the wild cat just wasn’t in the mood to hunt today. So she’d waited and waited until finally now she was starving. “I guess I don’t have a choice, do I?” The small feline was talking to herself; there wasn’t anyone else around.
Imani stood up from the comfortable lazing position she’d been in and shook the dusty dirt from her fur. She inhaled deeply, scenting the savanna around her. She loved her home; the dirt, the tall grass, the trickle of a stream, and even the rocks. There was nowhere she’d rather be.
She was in a good mood, but on the back of her mind she felt bad for whatever creature she’d be pouncing on today. There couldn’t be a true feeling of remorse, though. After all, this was the wild and she had to survive some way. So the gray wild cat began her hunt.
It didn’t take long to catch the trail of some type of rodent. Imani followed it eagerly, searching with all her senses for the potential meal. Once she was near enough it would turn into a game of stealth and sudden attack. |
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Post by prythian on Apr 19, 2010 16:03:58 GMT -5
Asani's nose twitched.
"Harumph." He grumbled, scurrying amongst the tall grasses. "Gotta be something to eat besides grass out here..." He paused, as he saw what might be a likely prospect. But, when he got to what had looked like a seedpod of some sort, it turned out it was merely... a dirt clod.
Asani harumphed again. "Can't find a damn thing around here... at least I haven't seen any predators nearby." A thought occurred to him. "Gotta find a tree." His mouth began to water at the thought... the possibility of insects and, just maybe, fruit! But he was too short to stand up tall enough to see out of the grass from where he was... he had to find a barer spot.
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Post by Rhea on Apr 19, 2010 16:09:05 GMT -5
Ah, finally. All of Imani’s senses were locked onto something in the tall grasses, which were noticeably moving around and rustling. It was that rodent she’d caught the scent of before. Imani crouched down, the ideal image of a cat on the hunt. She crept into the brush, ever so slowly towards that rustling...
Pounce! When she was within a few feet, she leapt, claws extended and teeth bared. Lunchtime~ |
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Post by prythian on Apr 19, 2010 16:15:14 GMT -5
Asani's only warning was the sudden sound of the grass parting as something BIG shot towards him. Luckily for him, his instincts took over at the sound, and he moved quickly... just quickly enough to avoid the paw that landed RIGHT where he'd been standing. "Shit!" He swore without thinking, immediately running the smartest way he could think of...
The quick squirrel disappeared between Imani's two hind legs, moving back the way she'd came as fast as his little feet could run.
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Post by Rhea on Apr 21, 2010 20:29:22 GMT -5
Imani landed exactly where she’d aimed herself, but when she lifted her paws, she found only dirt. The squirrel scurried away behind her not-so-quietly. Imani quickly turned herself around and chased after him, her larger body allowing her to keep up with her prey. She pushed herself to run even faster, claws digging into the earth and propelling her like cleats. She leapt again, this time aiming to land in front of her prey; she twisted in the air so she’d be facing him. If all went according to plan, he would run right into Imani. |
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Post by prythian on Apr 21, 2010 20:46:59 GMT -5
THUMP.
Asani ran into something large and furry, falling over. He rolled over quickly, standing back up quickly, paws grasping at nearby grass blades to try and get some appearance of steadiness. He gazed up in a mixture of fear and rapidly-quashed curiosity in his eyes, glaring at the wildcat with all the fierceness he could muster.
But his instincts, and his muscles, were preparing him to run.
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Post by Rhea on Apr 21, 2010 20:59:05 GMT -5
The little squirrel managed to land himself right in front of Imani. He was trying to regain his footing, but the feline had already been prepared for this. She batted at her prey almost playfully, claws extended. Despite its comparison to a kitten playing with a toy, it was actually a rather violent act driven by instinct. If he got away, her hind legs were already coiled to pounce. |
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Post by prythian on Apr 21, 2010 21:02:48 GMT -5
Screw instinct. Every bone in his body was telling him not to do this, but it was the only way he could see to confuse the predator enough to get away. He jumped onto the paw coming at him, ran up the arm, over the back, jumped off, and hit the ground running.
As he did, he was very, VERY grateful for how fast and agile he was, as it had kept him safe in the past and continued to keep him from getting eaten now that he was being chased again.
His burrow wasn't going to be safe though.
(Can't catch me)
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Post by Rhea on Apr 22, 2010 19:04:51 GMT -5
What a clever squirrel, Imani thought when he vanished over her back. That’s never happened to me before. It certainly was a little disorienting. The wild cat wasn’t expecting any such reaction from her prey. It took her precious moments to compose herself, time that gave the squirrel a great amount of distance.
The predator wouldn’t waste another second; she took off again, lanky muscles granting her quite a bit of speed. This is one fast little rodent, she mused. She was not worried, though, for Imani had a plan. She knew this area well, and she made sure the squirrel was heading toward a dead end: a rock wall that stretched twenty or so feet in the air. |
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Post by prythian on Apr 22, 2010 19:14:08 GMT -5
"Huff, huff..." Asani puffed, running, not actually paying attention to what was in front of him. "You can forget it, you know!" He called back into the wind whipping past him. "Faster ones than you have tried!" Though, admittedly, usually he was running back to his burrow; this time he was just running. He'd soon find out just how futile running this particular direction would lead him, as he ran face-first into a rock wall. "Ow!" He cried out in shock, stopping. [hp=33/34] |
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Post by Rhea on Apr 22, 2010 19:24:35 GMT -5
Imani’s plan succeeded. The squirrel was too busy calling back at her to even notice the wall, apparently, as he slammed right into it. Perhaps...not so clever after all, she thought as she quickly caught up.
“It’s unwise to be so cocky,” she responded as she crouched again. Her head was lowered, her teeth were bared, and she crept forward menacingly. “You’ll end up in situations like this where you have to swallow your words.” It may have been a bizarre situation for giving advice, but Imani was being genuine. She didn’t seem to notice how absurd it was to lecture her soon-to-be-food.
The predator moved ever closer. |
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Post by prythian on Apr 22, 2010 19:35:57 GMT -5
"Hah! Not yet, cat!" Asani replied as his head cleared and he turned back to her. He looked her over as long as he dared, and then his leg muscles bunched up and he JUMPED.
He didn't just jump, no; he JUMPED. He was practically flying up as he jumped into the air, landing on top of the rock wall. "Misjudge me, will you? Try and get me up here!" He called down, before turning away.
He hadn't actually been up here before... Hey, was that fruit he smelled? He looked down on the other side of the rock wall, and his stomach growled. A fruit tree! The answer to one of his two main problems, and this wall should be the answer to the other. He jumped down, landing, and running up to it.
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Post by Rhea on Apr 22, 2010 19:55:07 GMT -5
After all that advice, Imani was the one who underestimated her prey. She scolded herself internally. While she could jump that high as well, Imani was feeling rather disappointed in herself and was willing to let the clever squirrel escape. Besides, by now he was probably long gone on the other side of the wall. Imani was thankful for the lesson of the day, and returned to her hunting.
..........
Imani had managed to catch a far less talented mouse that’d been scurrying about in the tall grass, distracted by some seeds. Already she was on her way back to her den, and the sun had barely moved in the sky. Feeling full and content with herself, Imani arrived at the tiny cave where she resided, only to find a familiar squirrel nearby. He was rummaging around in the fruit tree only a few feet from her den; basically, her fruit tree
The wild cat merely tilted her head toward the squirrel that had only recently been her prey. She wasn’t hungry any more, so there was no reason to climb after him. “It’s you,” she said with a bit of astonishment. “I didn’t expect to see you ever again after that encounter.” She sat back on her haunches, gray fur blowing around in a slight breeze. |
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Post by prythian on Apr 22, 2010 20:01:21 GMT -5
"Gack!" Asani dropped the fruit he was holding, where it fell to the ground, forgotten. Asani stared at the cat for a while, debating his options. While she didn't SEEM to be about to chase after him... well, it was better safe than sorry, usually.
But curiosity got the best of him, as usual.
"I must be getting rusty." He said wryly. "I can usually tell where a predator's den is when I get near it. Hope I don't make THAT mistake again." He shook his head, watching her warily. "I assume if you're returning here, you already caught some poor fellow."
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Post by Rhea on Apr 22, 2010 21:08:01 GMT -5
“You must have been too excited when you found my tree to notice,” she teased, “like a kitten.” Imani’s tail was curling behind her, a sign that she was at ease.
“Some poor fellow indeed. It’s regrettable, but I deserve to live just as much as my prey does. Survival of the fittest, you know? I certainly couldn’t start eating grass or something,” she laughed at the thought. “Still, I don’t like the idea of taking lives for my own benefit...I lament the loss.” She looked at the sky, losing herself in thought briefly. |
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