When Karma Strikes Back
He had escaped from Lirim lands, unsure of when he would return. After his confrontation with his son, Zell couldn't bear to stick around for a little bit. He had been coming and going before, taking all the time in the world and spending more time outside of pack lands then in it, but this time...he just needed some alone time to settle the swirling emotions that had crashed over him like a wave. He headed out into the desert, knowing he'd be harder to find in the event someone from the pack wanted to try and find him. He hoped that his path into the desert would be a clear indication that he wanted to be alone, if only for the night. When he had neared the Oasis, he had come across a herd of goats by the water, and it hadn't taken him long to bring down a small kid. He wasn't too hungry, but if he was going to spend the night in the desert and if he decided to travel any further, he'd need his strength. It was a fairly easy takedown, and now he sat by the water beneath the stars that blanketed the sky.
The night was calm and quiet. The gentlest of breezes brushed the palm trees and swept over the water. He felt at peace here, but he knew it wouldn't last too long. Sooner or later, he would have to return to Lirim. More than likely before the sun made the desert too hot to travel comfortably. Though it was quiet, the desert was pretty cold right now as winter cast its blanket over the land. The longer he sat there he started to see his breath come out in small puffs of mist. His fur was fluffed up against the cold, though every now and then he couldn't help the shivers that came. Blue eyes steadily gaze at the water, watching as it reflected the stars above and making them look like they were dancing on its surface. At first, he wasn't sure what to think with the silence around him. Sometimes his mind was quiet. Other times it sounded too loud, and he swore that it echoed in the world around him. But of course, it was all in his own head. He was growing old. Maybe this was around the time that wolves started to go senile in their old age...
He took a deep breath and exhaled. But something felt a little...off...when he did that. Or rather, sounded off. For some reason, that exhale had sounded a little...growly. But he had neither growled nor had any reason for his breathing to have sounded like that. He stood as he looked first towards the water, and then slowly looked around. Everything around him was almost the same color tone. Blue, black, silver...the only splash of bright color was the reflection of the moon and stars over the water. All around him he could see the shadows from the palm trees, the dunes, and whatever cloud decided to float past the moon. He couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, but if there was, well...he couldn't see any immediate signs of danger. He wasn't used to being out in unfamiliar lands in the dark. And the oasis was one such place. There was no comfort from Lirim's borders. No comfort that his pack mates would be there if something happened. Not that he'd ever ask for their help because he always felt he could handle things by himself. Of course...he would be proven wrong.
He shrugged off the brief feeling he had and decided he ought to eat and then sleep before his journey back home. He turned to the prey he had caught earlier, positioning himself so that his back was to the water since nothing would be able to ambush him from behind. He hadn't realized how hungry he was until he started to eat, the large male hungrily taking bites out of the young goat. Busy with his meal, he failed to notice the scent of another predators approach. The scent of blood filled the air, his hunger distracting enough that he wasn't paying attention like he should have been. Before he knew it, a screech filled the air.
His head rose so fast, he probably could have given himself whiplash. Heart hammered against his chest from the surprise sound, and before he realized what was happening, a cougar was leaping towards him. He barely had any time to act before it reached his position and tried to steal his kill. As soon as Zell realized this, he lunged forward. "Oh no you fucking don't! That's my goddamn food, you filthy animal!" He growled just before his teeth found a grip on one of his preys legs. Zell and the cougar were suddenly in a tug-of-war match. Both wanted the food but neither was willing to give it up without a fight. Zell growled and pulled back with as much weight as he could, and the cougar did the same. They pulled and twisted and even turned a few circles, and still neither would let go.
Zell was growing frustrated, thinking it was stupid that he had to fight for his own meal that he had already worked for! He was about ready to release his grip and go for the cat instead, but as he took too long in doing it, he suddenly felt claws slashing down one side of his face. The surprise attack coupled with the searing pain caused him to yelp and release his grip on the goat. He stumbled backward, eventually falling on his ass in the water. Within moments, he managed to open one eye just in time to watch the cougar running off with his prey. Cursing himself and the situation, he shakily got to his feet and moved back to the shore. His head throbbed, his face searing with the wound he received from the cougar's claws. He didn't know what the extent of his injury was, but he knew it had to be bad for it to hurt the way it did. He could feel hot blood coating the left side of his face, and he could hardly open his left eye now. He was suddenly afraid of the possibility that the cougar might have just blinded him...or perhaps it was just because of the pain and the blood blinding that side of his face that he was unsure. Whatever the case, he had no healing experience to tend to the wound himself, and even if he did, he had no damn clue where he would find what he needed in the goddamn desert.
His only real option was to start heading back and hope that he found a healer on the way, or wake up one of Lirim's healers to take a look at him... |
