Velveteen Angel:Cini was out on an adventure. It was time that he spread his wings; he’d left his family behind and he was gonna do some amazing stuff! First though, he had to get out of this HEAT! Despite his pale coat, he felt like he was dying. It was so hot that he was melting, he was sure of it. He panted and moved swiftly through the grasses, aiming for the one tree that was nearby.
Oh it burnt, he groaned and finally sunk into the shadow of the tree. Bliss!
Painted Moose:
Gaige’s coat was absolutely soaked with dried mud. If he coughed he was sure he would be swarmed in a cloud of dust that would no doubt take flight from his fur. The heat had been unbearable until he’d found the watering hole, and now, now that he was so far away from it…ugh. It made his movements stiff, and itchy.
Mpenzi would be starving by now, and someone had to keep his pampered sister fed. Clucking his tongue Gaige moved about the landscape until he spotted something white and…bright? Squinting he moved in closer, his mouth practically salivating. A cheeton. Surely she wouldn’t mind eating one of her own kind.
Velveteen Angel:
Cini curled up close to the base of the tree, unaware of the stranger that stared at him with hunger. He was thrilled to be in the shade; finally his body heat began to drop. He felt like he was going to self combust. Maybe he wasn't ready to leave his parents just yet...maybe this was a mistake. No, no it couldn't be. He was an adolescent. He was totally equiped to handle the stresses of the rogue lands.
Painted Moose:
Lowering his body to the ground, Gaige moved as a snake through the brush. Where once his paws were clumsy and loud, they were now a practiced sword. Every step a silent strike. He licked his fangs, orange-red eyes coming to life in the light of his hunt. When he felt a breeze the lion instinctive stilled, waiting to see which way it was turned before positioning himself downwind so as not to tip off his prey. He was so close, soo close…when his paw stepped on a dry patch of grass, causing it to crinkle under him.
Velveteen Angel:
Cini almost didn't notice the noise, but everything else was so silent...just the rustle of the hot breeze. So when the grass crinkled, his ears twitched and his body tensed. He didn't immediately think that something was out to get him though - he didn't know that there were those that would hurt him. He just assumed that other rogues would be kind to him... but something felt off.
He rose to his paws, body tensed and his mind racing.
Painted Moose:
Feeling the swell of the predator rise within him gave way to an aggressive growl as soon as he saw the cheeton rise. Gaige was mostly hidden in the brush, thanks to his already natural coat blending, but with his shock of a red mane he wouldn’t stay that way for long. Especially when his muscles tensed, paws dug in, rum wriggling into position….
And pounce! Gaige leapt out of his position, fore claws fully extended, aiming straight for the smaller male with full intent to kill.
Velveteen Angel:
Cini startled when the figure lept towards him, but thankfully he had been trained since a young age by his father and father's best friend. He leapt backwards, meaning that Gaige would miss (but just barely). He yowled in shock. "I am not prey!" he screamed. Maybe he had been mistaken for a prey beast or something. There was no way that he had attacked on purpose. He had done nothing to aggrivate the stranger! He had never thought that the male would be after him as prey, despite his cheeton species.
Painted Moose:
There wasn’t much in the world that sent Gaige into a frenzy like a prey that could put up a challenge. It meant he didn’t have to hold back, nor would he have to worry about cries of mercy. “Depends on your point of view,” Gaige licked his lips and grinned. There was something manic about him, as if a few neurons in his brain were firing off like the rest. “A little skinny, yeah, but I heard cheeton is just as good as any other.” Gaige took another swipe at the lighter colored male with a cackling laugh.
Velveteen Angel:
Cini's eyes were incredibly wide, his breath coming out in small pants. The realisation of what was happening was dawning on him now. Oh god...there was no way. There was no way he was getting hunted by this lion?? No. It couldn't be! "There are plenty of prey beasts around," Cini tried to offer, but as Gaige swiped out, he cried out. The claws hit him, but he shied back, so what would have been a harsh blow became more painful and less debilitating. He would never be able to defeat the stranger on strength. Cini had one advantage though - speed. He tensed his muscles, forcing his breathing more even and tried to bolt passed the stranger, though he may have cut it too close.
Painted Moose:
“Are there?” Gaige twisted his head around in a quick snap. His grin was still in place as he stalked closer. He clenched his claws, looking down only for a second at the weapons that should have a chunk of tissue in them. There was a split second where Gaige was caught off guard. The lion twisted, striking out again, but he knew before he landed that he wouldn’t make it. Not on such short notice against one with cheetah blood. He had it too, but not as thick as this one.
Velveteen Angel:
Cini was so grateful, sending up prayers to whatever deity it was that had caused the weird lion before him to become distracted. He would escape! He tensed all his muscles and he bolted, as fast as he could. He might have lion blood in him, but his mother was petite, and so his figure still allowed for the fast racing that his father's blood gave him. He was panting furiously though, and he didn't stop until hewas practically exhausted, but thankfully far enough away from the stranger that he would not die.
"What even..." he panted, eyes wide. There were lions who ate Cheetons? Maybe he wasn't safe in the rogue lands...
Painted Moose:
Gaige’s legs couldn’t get the speed he needed. He turned as fast as he could, twisting his body around at an angle that put an ache in his hips and he bolted. For a while he could see the cheeton, then it got futher and further away. After a while he stopped running as hard, panting heavily with an open snarl. This, this is what he got for playing with his food! Shaking his head, Gaige rose to stalk off and find some other food source for his dear sister to eat.
Maybe she could just eat dirt and be happy.
(WC: 1169)
-fin-