Psycho Killer

He traveled through the underbrush, stomach low to the ground and back hunched as always, his icy glare focused ahead of him as he stalked his prey. There was a chill to the air that he hadn’t felt for some time, something far colder than the northern lands he was used to with an ominous wind that he greatly disliked. His paws squished as he stepped on sodden earth and ears flicked as he tried to detect any sign of movement in the shadows ahead of him. He lowered his head to the ground and sniffed at the faint indent where too-light paws had left their mark and breathed out a cold breath, there was still moisture around the rim, it was still fresh. He carried on, burs and twigs snagging on his fur as he pushed through brambles and briar patches to reach the resting spot of his prey.

The bobcat was a delicate creature deceptively so, it groomed its fur in the fading sunlight as he drew closer and unceremoniously announced his presence with a snarl. His eyes flicked green light as he stared down the small creature, his hackles raising as he drew closer to what was now an arched and hissing cat. With a low snarl and a half bark he lunged forward, jaws snapping while the cat swiped furiously at his already marked face. It leapt nearly three feet in the air and came down, claws seeking his eyes and nose, the most sensitive parts of his body while his jaws sought to close around the cat’s ribs. The cat yowled in fear and fury and managed to sink its claws into his tongue, issuing a sharp cry of pain from the Ergi who reflexively stepped back.

The cat hissed and darted into the briars, hoping to escape, but Sten would not allow the challenger to flee so freely. He dove after the cat, heedless to how the thorns sank into his skin and dragged tufts of fur from his body. He charged on, plummeting after the cat, barreling through obstacles like a bull and just as furious as one. Finally, he cornered the cat at a ledge and although it tried frantically to flee further by clawing up the sheer rock wall it was no use. The cat, puffing with exhaustion, turned on him with black eyes and gave another hiss of frustration, then Sten was on it again, jaws seeking to close around its spine while it wheeled and slashed at his face, spitting like a snake and snarling deep in its throat as large paws sought to gouge out his eyes.

He managed to close his jaws around one of the cat’s paws and with its free paw it batted at his lips and nose, yowling and spitting as he shook his head and felt its paw pop under the force of his jaws. The cat screamed and momentarily stunned him as the noise rang in his ears but recovered quickly. The cat had managed to pull away in that instant and made another try for the ledge, but Sten was quick and snapped at it while it’s back was turned. His jaws closed around the cat’s spine and he thought it was finally over but the cat wheeled in his grasp and managed to sink its claws into his eyelid. He snarled through the pain, his jaws squeezing, squeezing until finally he felt the cat’s spine break between the weight of his jaws. Another scream, this one louder and more furious, to his surprise, the cat was not dead, even as blood and bile filled his mouth. The cat launched an all out assault, fangs and claws striking for him even while its back paws hung limp from his mouth. He shook the cat to dislodge its attacks but it only gripped him harder, yowling and spitting furiously. In a last ditch effort to fell the creature, he tossed it into the air and caught its head in his jaws, half its body hanging limp from his mouth. Even then it was fighting, striking and slashing at his gums and biting at his tongue, until with a final crunch, he broke the creature’s neck, and killed it.

He dropped the cat, panting and shook out his fur, it had been a furious battle but he now stood the victor, blood flowing from numerous claw marks, and most noticeably from the cat’s limp body. With a snarl he ripped into the cat’s soft underbelly, and dug through its remains until it reached its still warm heart. He plucked the small organ from the shattered ribcage and chewed it thoughtfully before swallowing it. The cat had been a brave creature, and now that bravery would live on through him. With little ceremony, he dug into the remains, eating his fill, and could already feel the power of the cat running through his veins.

Wordcount: 820

speaking