Kuishi moved slowly through the terrain as snow crunched under the weight of his body. The wind was a monster for today, it whipped and batted against his pelt with a howl. Almost as if the wicked wind wanted to draw blood it increase it's own speed and the howls and cries seemed to rise and fall like a child's whine. But the prowler hardly noticed.
Kuishi's memories were elsewhere that evening. The sun had bleached the sky a mourners grey and delighted to watch as rain and cooled slush fell to the earth below. It reminded him swiftly of the long and brutal nights of his old life. His old pride.
The thundering venom of the wind as it hissed along his face seemed only to cause him to grow sadder, although when something unexpected, most likely dust battered into his eyes it was he, Kuishi who hissed instead. Raising a paw to his face protect himself (and clean out his vision) the leopard was forced to blink a few times to notice what awaited him in the distance.
Something was... frozen. Yes, that was the only word he had to describe for it. A beast, a hyena it appeared had spent it's last few moment of life within the blizzard. He could tell because it smelt lively. It was still warm. The realization of that caused Kuishi to feel a ping of upmost sadness. He decided right then and right there that he would spend his night praying the sad creature would join the eternal hunt as his leopard comrades fallen before him had done.
His ears folded with the chatter of a voice among the howls. "Who goes there!" He hissed, not in a particularly friendly of moods.
Lo and behold a pair of hungry jackals sprung from the snow. One playfully nipped at the other as the first of the two was grooming itself carelessly. Kuishi stood with jaw agape and watched with a puzzled expression as the two tagged their way over to the hyena body. They intended to eat it. Of course, that made sense. The frozen land was home to few. They two looked to have wandered up from the plains, where Kuishi had made his way furthest down to. They had only climbed up in order to eat the deceased.
Lowering himself to the ground Kuishi stalked the two unobservant beasts as they nearest his prey with hungry eyes. When he got close enough, after a while of them not noting his presence nor digging into their food he had enough.
With a glare, he rose and roared at the two. One skittered off within seconds but the second? He stood his ground.
"Vermin." Kuishi hissed and began to circle the small threat. The jackal yipped back at him, in some jackal-tongue he didn't understand. Surprisingly it was the jackal who attacked first, and Kuishi had little time before the small beast was attempting to bite at his neck. He might have been slow, and he might have had a bad back, but with his half-risen paw Kuishi batted the jackal hard. Hard enough for it to be knocked over. The little menace shook itself free of pain, even when a trail of blood gushed from it's forehead.
Did it have no fear? Kuishi wondered as the jackal charged him again, only to be thrown several feet away this time as Kuishi batted him again.
"Enough!" He roared, and the canine stopped. It was waiting for him to charge. That smug little beastie wanted for him to attack. He could just see it now, later on after this encounter speaking to it's fellow jackal-kind. "Oh, I ran into one of those big leopards today. No big deal, thing wouldn't even attack me!" Kuishi gave a low growl and lifted his left paw out of the snow to regain his footing properly. So, the little thing wanted a challenge huh? Kuishi intended to give it just that then. With a great giant huff from his aging throat he extended his claws and pounced towards the jackal, missing it just as it turned away to shriek. Kuishi glared with his yellow eyes, fully looking down at the being with the intentions of batting it once more. One final time with a good slash from his claws. Oh, the pain he imagined the canine would feel. The fear as Kuishi tore into it's skin. He then began to envision the confusion the beast would feel as Kuishi allowed him to escape unharmed any further when a crack gained his attention in it's place.
But then, the earth was unstable. Without knowing the duo had been upon a snow drift, one that ice had supported underneath. It had frozen and then the blizzard had struck in all it's glory too. The little ledge of "you-should-not-go-there" had been covered neatly and soundly by the snow. It had rested there. Waited there. Boiling and brewing until the perfect moment when such an event occured. With the slam of Kuishi's paw down upon it the ice gave away and the snow went falling down.
Kuishi feared for his life and spun mid-air with an attempt of a leap from where he was. He was surprised that he was able to partly achieve such an accomplishment and was found purchase as his claws dug into the side of the more sturdy snow. He was able to cling to the side of the new cliff face by one of his paws only until it was revealed the ground wasn't that far from his toes. Yes. He looked down and gazed upon it. Good. He wasn't to die here. "Beating nature again." He grinned.
Then, allowing himself to relax, and drop down on to the new ledge, Kuishi turned and with surprise noticed the jackal on it's back. An icicle had pierced it's unlucky heart.
After having pulled his new "catch" up from the cliff on to the main island of mountain Kushi approached his original target, the hyena. It was cold now, and no life remained. But the most significant find was that it grasped within it's maw a jackal as well. "Pests are everywhere." Kuishi muttered. He knew that, somewhere in his heart that he'd be mourning two brave beasts tonight.
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Rolls:
6: A fair quality jackal pelt. Worth 2 points.
4: A large, luxurious pelt from a hyena. Worth 3 points.
6: A fair quality jackal pelt. Worth 2 points.
((WC: 1052 words)