[PRP] When Peril is Near

[CaliWolfe]

Damu had just finished climbing down the mountain. Her sense of pure adventure did not subside even after she reached the safety of the mountain's bottom.

In fact she was more excited than anything.

While she climbed down she had time to think about facts other than where to put her foot and for how long to stay in one position. She also had taken a few extra minutes of her time to admire the other hilltops her sights could see. This lead her to thinking whether or not to dare climb the surrounding mountains. Judging on how tall the cliff she had managed to get on top of was it was plainly easy to see that the rest of the mountains were truly that; mountains.

Although she was certain Renzi and her would be able to climb those mountains, due to their probable gradual accent, Damu still was curious as to if she could do it alone. That thought made her stomach fill with butterflies. Anxiousness and excitement ruling her train of thought, she was dying to test the theory of it instantly.

However she had to wait for Renzi, or else risk not being in their meeting place when she finally showed up. Yes, Damu nodded to herself. It would be horrible should Renzi show up and find out that the leopardess had taken off somewhere. Couldn't afford for that to happen!  

[Hopefolly]

Kindoro was hunting for prey among predators.

The mountain jutted sharply from the earth, a wall of rock and dirt she knew better than to try and climb. Trees were scattered along the slopes, grown tall with lush branches, some of their leaves so crowded and thick other leopards could be hiding there. She waited, but none appeared. No new scents either, though there were so many it was hard to tell. The leopardess was still an unlikely catch, she knew. She could scale the stone or clamber up a trunk if Kindoro didn't get her timing just right, and there would only be one chance to do so.

What Kindoro lacked in grace she made up for in size: Pure Firekin from her father and the blood of a Goddess from her mother was thick through her veins. Loyalty ran through them as well, a mindless, vicious sort. She took little, if any, personal pleasure in this. It was all for them.

She had to keep still, flat on her belly, to avoid being seen. The grass wasn't high enough to conceal her otherwise. The red on her face and paws did her no favors either. She crawled forward one, two steps, then a pile of rubble crunched under her paw. Not loud... but loud enough?

CaliWolfe

 

[CaliWolfe]

Damu flicked an ear behind her at the sound of crunching leafs. Hmm, someone was approaching? Or maybe it was just a forest critter scurrying by. That tended to happen a lot in the forest she used to live in. Birds would flap their wings loudly while twigs would snap dangerously near... Damu was not bothered by the sound a few rocks moving, though she did c**k her head back in curiosity.

Thankfully, or maybe not so thankfully all Damu saw was the red on Kindoro's paws as she retreated. As far as she was concerned it was nothing more than a mouse and the leopardess turned back to face the other direction.

Where was she to start exploring first? She had forgotten that upon stepping onto the soft soil she had intended to wait for Renzi and not surge into a new adventure. It was just too much waiting for her! And honestly it wasn't going to just be a handful of hours before Renzi got here, it could have been days, heck weeks even! So Damu sniffed the air and took in all the exhilarating new scents floating around her. It was hard to tell what was new and what wasn't but when the leopardess felt satisfied with her taste on the new environment she turned her the forest and stared for a moment. Then she took a step forward.

Hopefolly

 

[Hopefolly]

CaliWolfe

Kindoro was quiet as a mouse at least. Shallow breaths. Still paws. It was usually like this the longer she waited. Silence bred doubt, some guilt, lots of hesitation. Had Damu stood right where she was, this lioness may have retreated and chose a sacrifice with less claws and less similarities to herself. But then she moved, so Kindoro moved too.

Her sonorous roar made the trees tremble. She lunged, aiming to pounce the leopardess.  

[CaliWolfe]

Damu prided herself on being fast to react. When boulders came hurling down mountains she was swift to dodge out of the way. When snakes leapt out of no where she was quick to pull back her foot.

But the few times in her life that Damu wasn't quick to react seemed to come back and bite her in the butt. Sometimes literally! The first time this happened was when she wasn't watching where she was going and ran into a rock; then she forgot all about her children's existence. The second time was when a group of hungry alligators almost swallowed her up.

The third, was this time when she found herself gasping for air underneath a lioness' paws. The whole ordeal lasted five seconds, with Kindoro leaping at Damu and the leopardess spinning around to counter the attack moments too late. She had landed on her back with the lioness attacker already clawing at her face.

Whatever happened next, it began with Damu's instincts telling her to chomp down the attackers ear when she had a given moment to do so.

Hopefolly

 

[Hopefolly]

CaliWolfe

Feel free to have her mess up Kindoro as she's able. If you'd like me to edit anything in my combat!posts, please let me know. =]

Kindoro hadn't perfected her technique, but she tried to disable rather than destroy. They told her living things made better sacrifices and it would be enough of a chore carrying her back without her starting to rot. If it was kill or be killed, she'd take the former after all else had failed.

Face with claws out, throat with claws in. Don't scratch, they'd taught her, just push on it and hit them as hard as you can in the head and --

Something. Kindoro couldn't remember it with the pain from her severed ear jolting through her. She stayed atop her and swung her massive paw at the Damu's face again, claws still extend and still sharp. The momentum wasn't as strong or near as graceful this time.

"b***h!"  

[CaliWolfe]

Hopefolly

Damu felt a nice slap to the face as she was kicked back down after biting a part of the lioness' ear off. Yeah, she probably wouldn't enjoy having a piece of her ear bitten off either. Fact was the fleshy glob was still in her mouth as she hit the ground again but Damu promptly spit it out before making her next move. The scratch she received wasn't as strong as the leopardess had anticipated and using this to her advantage Damu forced the upper half of her body to lunge forward and give her the opportunity to head butt her attacker in the throat. That was sure to knock her off balance.

If Damu was to be successful in her plan Kindoro would be fazed briefly and the leopardess could make a run for higher ground... Or at the very least have the opportunity to circle the lioness, and be prepared for oncoming charges.  

[Hopefolly]

CaliWolfe

Losing a piece of your ear meant severe pain, but it wasn't crippling when you were this tough, this crazed. A hit to the throat was far different. All living things shared some universal weaknesses and demands, the most important being breath. Damu took that from her attacker and the first thing Kindoro worried for was how to get it back. She reeled away, off the leopardess, gasping and wheezing.

For how long, none could predict. Damu would have to place her bet and take the gamble. Flee and risk exposing her back, or brace herself for the next onslaught?  

[CaliWolfe]

Hopefolly

Damu took the opportunity to watch as Kindoro coughed for another breath. She was positioned in such a way that if her attacker suddenly began to charge she could dart towards the nearest tree and climb it with most success. In fact, the only reason she had yet to do so was because she wanted to be sure the lioness wasn't going to spin around.

Even the idea of having those brown eyes mercilessly glare at her as she bolted for the five second sprint was enough to make her hesitate in her decision. But she got over it quickly, waiting until Kindoro had turned away slightly before gripping the dirt with her unsheathed claws and rushing forward to the tree getaway route that the leopardess had already mapped in her mind.

The questioned only remained was if she could make it in time. And if she did, would Kindoro dare to follow?  

[Hopefolly]

CaliWolfe

Kindoro didn't know when to quit, some said. They were partially right, only it was less of a when and more of a how. Surrender was no more feasible an option than to deny herself air. She didn't think about it, didn't think about anything, she just did.

Damu moved and she ran for her. Not fast enough. Up the tree the leopardess went. Kindoro jumped up to follow, clawing at the trunk with one paw, swinging wildly with the other. Strands of fur from the end of Damu's tail were all she had to show for it.

Gravity and her size worked against her and soon Kindoro was pacing on the ground instead. Back and forth. Back and forth.

Without warning, she roared in outrage.  

[CaliWolfe]

Hopefolly

'Success!' Was the first word to appear in Damu's mind as she felt her paws touch down on the bumping, moss covered bark of her targeted tree. Latching a hold of the side the leopard wasted no time in pulling herself up out of a reasonable distance of Kindoro. Especially when she had barely nicked the tip of her tail in the process.

Up she went, to a branch that the warm colored leopardess had assumed her assailant could not reach. Not unless Kindoro also had in her possession the ability to climb trees. And climb swiftly. From where she was on the arm of the tree Damu could see everything. The ground, obviously. The sky, and the mountains that were blurred in her vision off in the distance. Her violet eyes did not gaze at the lioness as she paced about, but instead they wandered to a tree sitting a fair distance away from her.

Damu had chosen this tree knowing it was likely to be close enough that a quick leap between the branches of this one and the next was an actual possibility. She had also selected it because it was highest tree in the area. Height provided comfort of being out of the reach of Kindoro's claws.

Whatever adrenalin that surged through Damu's body had yet to die down. She was restless, despite panting for air and felt the need to move as fast as possible away from here. Especially when the roar came. Oh, yes, that roar sent quivers down the leopardess' spine. But she forced herself to stay. It was too risky to jump only for fate to bring her back into the bigger creature's grasp. No, Damu would play it safe. For now at least or until Kindoro decided to leave.  

[Hopefolly]

CaliWolfe

Sorry for the wait on this closing post, haha. XD My inbox is always open when Damu's ready to reunite with Renzi and such!

The sagacity to keep quiet and keep out of reach took time to pay off, but Damu would reap the rewards before too long. The lioness below her paced a dozen times, panting, coughing. She made several attempts to climb the tree and failed at each of them. Only after the final one sent her crashing onto her back did she fully come to terms with her failure.

When she thought about it later, she'd damn herself for not having waited longer. Her loss was Damu's gain, fortunately.

Scowling, Kindoro turned and left.