by Hopeflower » Wed Oct 27, 2010 7:59 pm
Silver kept herself low, pressed against stone, crouched beside Astus. They'd spotted a pair of young paras, separated from thei herd and crying piteously for help. The small hunting party had split up, Mwuaji saying that he'd chase the helpless creatures towards Silver and Astus. The half-boulder was big enough to stop the young herbivores long enough for one or both of the other hunters to drop onto back of one of them, which in turn would hopefully startle the other into running back towards Mwuaji. The pack would feed well if they could secure both kills. They could hear Mwuaji barking and snarling in the distance, and the panic-calls of the paras. And underneath the noise predator and prey were making, the crashing of the undergrowth that showed all three animals were coming closer. Astus leaned forward, tensing the muscles in his legs, ready to pounce. Silver narrowed her eyes in anticipation of a quick, easy kill. Her killer claws flexed eagerly. She could see Mwuaji now, his lithe, well-muscled golden-brown body weaving through the foliage in the wake of his quarry.
The herbivores skidded in their haste as they tried to turn quickly to avoid the wall of stone looming before them. That was when Mwuaji latched onto the flank of one, teeth and claws flashing as he bit deeply into its back and began kicking at its side, inflicting deep wounds. Shockingly bright red blood welled up in the tracks of hs claws and spattered the undergrowth. Its hot, enticing scent rose to meet Silver as she and Astus plunged down the rock face to launch their own attack. Frozen by the sight of blood, the second para had little time to react as a pale gray blur slammed into its left side. Silver quickly made a lunge for its throat, wanting to end his struggle quickly, before it attracted bigger carnivores. The herbivore's cries were abruptly cut off; now the loudest sound it could manage was a gasping wheeze, a desperate bid for air. Silver clamped down harder. The para staggered and began to fall to the right; Astus sprang backwards to let it crash to the ground before resuming his attack.
"Gotta have a little sadness once in a while so you know when the good times come."
"Talent is a pursued interest. In other words, anything that you're willing to practice, you can do." ~ Bob Ross
"The future is always uncertain and painful but it must be lived." ~ Unknown