[PRP]Stronger than yesterday. {Tope and Jini}

[Kimaria]

She heard Tope's call and felt her heart lift with the words of his challenge. This was one of the greatest things about being the top of the food chain. The power, the strength! She willed the strength into her legs, used the adrenaline to flush out that pesky limp.

And then he was closing in and they were so close that she knew it was only a matter of seconds before she would join the battle.

And after a moment her hind legs uncoiled like springs and she flew up to aid her mate, slashing with her claws. This was the battle for life and they had been fighting it since the moment they had been born.

She let out a yowling snarl, hissed, lowered herself to keep out of kicking range and then exploded up from the grass, using her weight to crash into the prey. "Bite him, Tope!" She called, excitement in her voice.  

[Split Personality]

He lunged onto the crazed animal-latching onto it with claw and teeth-his pink eyes wide. He had never brought down such a large animal. He did not have a good grip. He wriggled up it, slipping down it as it ran-and he let out a yowl of fright-for the creatures legs began to kick instinctivly at him. He let lose a roar when it caught his leg-below the knee and gave him a kick... making him slip farther down the creatures hind quarters. Rather than let go, Tope used this moment to push himself off the ground and higher onto the creature-digging and clawing his way up the animal.

His hind legs hung around the animals sides, as he grabbed hold of the back of the animals neck-dropping himself off the creature and pulling its head with him. It tumbled over him, but Tope kept hold.  

[Kimaria]

And as Tope toppled with the beast in his grip, Jini went for the kill. She ducked as it flailed and went straight for the throat - exposed as it bleated in fear.

Teeth sank deep and after a vicious wrench, the life was gone from it.

Licking her teeth, she paused to catch her breath. The short run and attack had taken some strength from her. She lifted her pink eyes to Tope and smiled. "We did it. What a team we make!"

How could they fail now?!

"Should we...eat it here or drag it closer to the den?"  

[Split Personality]

Tope found that he could not pull his teeth from the beast until its heart no longer pulsed in his ears. He was rather fond of the taste of blood as it was, and found himself gnawing slowly on the beast before he released it. He sat up, his hind leg out a bit awkward. He bent down and nosed it with a furious look. "Yes but we will get no where with me getting hurt..." He grumbled, his pink eyes taking in his leg as he moved it slowly. No broken bones or torn ligaments... just sore as hell. He sighed, looking at the large beast they managed to bring down.

He had the confidence that when the time came, he would be able to bring down an animal this size, when Jini was stuck in the den with cubs. He walked over to the wildebeast, not the largest or strongest of the herd but enough to feed themselves a few days if they must-and enough to spare for the birds and jackels.

"Lets move into some cover at least... I don't want to bring scavengers to our den site..." He said, bending down and grabbing the creature at the throat, positioning it so he could drag it.  

[Kimaria]

She purred. "I love you, Tope." And rubbing her head up under his chin she turned to help him move the kill. She moved to grab the creature just behind its shoulders. Then, sinking her teeth in deep enough to hold it, she helped her mate drag the carcass to cover.

Team work.

That was what was going to get them through this.

They'd eat their fill, gather their strength and then...and then their task would begin.

She glanced up at him eagerly, knowing that whatever they would face out there in the desert, they would face it together.

/fin.