One Thing You Should Know [AW]
Night stretched out across the northern lands, enveloping the world in an ethereal mix of silence and darkness. Natha rested on a ledge near a grand waterfall, reveling in the lullaby it drew from water hitting stone on a crisp, clear evening just after dusk. It was perfect. She opened her golden eyes to gaze up at the full moon before getting to her feet. She had hunting to do. Moving gracefully down the rocky incline she slipped into the forest. Her massive paws enabled her some leverage in traveling across the snowy terrain and she had not yet decided what she would hunt. Most of her prey would be in their dens tonight but there were some that roosted in trees. A nice fat turkey would hit the spot if she could manage to catch one. The lack of wind would be in her favor she hoped but in the stillness absolute silence was necessary. Natha's large ears twitched at the sound of night life and she paused to gaze around her, wondering if she really was alone on the hunt tonight.
Cloudy gray male was lurking around the edge of the frigid waters beneath the waterfall, moving with a slow and leisurely walk that barely counted as means of travel. He certainly wasn't in any rush to make a lot of noise in the middle of the night, so when he came across the curled up body of a young coyote napping beside the lake he did not mind at to take the time to sneak up in complete silence and get real close before it was able to wake up. A low rumble started in the brute's chest as his upper lip raised to bare his stained teeth, and by the third tongue flick it seemed enough spittle had invaded the poor coy's personal bubble enough that it took off scurrying, scared for it's life.
A chuckle escaped the male as he watched the coyote run off, another scuffle avoided leaving him with the waterfall's edge and all it's vulnerable prey completely his. He wouldn't have hurt the coyote, really.. it was just in his space. He couldn't remember the last time he had to worry about sharing company with another predator, he'd been pretty fortunate. Nothing bigger than him had really come along, and one little growl from the chubby giant was usually enough to send most other things fleeing. Ahhh, the old man grump life had set in early, hadn't it? Just two years old and full of enough angst to bitch out even the cattiest of wolves- and he dared them to challenge him!
but was it enough for an actual cat?
Solitude had it's perks, there were no disappointing fathers to try and force new responsibilities on you. There were no mothers to abandon you, and there were no brothers to stab you in the back the moment something even slightly unsatisfactory started happening in their lives! But, there was a longing for some kind of company.. whether it be one he trusted outright or not. A bit of regret started to settle in once he realized that the coyote running away meant that it was back to being bored out of his mind.
Oh well, c'est la vie! With the same apathetic walk, he continued down the shoreline.. his nose in tune and hoping for some sign of a possible snack. It didn't take him long to come across the pawprints of yet another predator, this time one that seemed even bigger than the coyote.. and.. worse. It was one of those claw beasts. Cats. Ugghhhhh.
With a slight huff in between steps, his trot got a bit more serious as he ventured into the snow after the scent. His steps were heavy, his peppered hackles beginning to prickle as he the scent got stronger. Would this encounter go by just as quickly as the last? To be honest, he really hoped so if he was dealing with a cat..
![[Image: vadim_by_nnightcrawler-dais3pi.png]](https://orig00.deviantart.net/54c9/f/2016/267/0/0/vadim_by_nnightcrawler-dais3pi.png)
Moonlight spilled over her paws as she tracked the light scent of wild turkey. It would be a simple matter for her to scramble up a tree and catch one if she could sneak up on them but wild turkey could be surprisingly keen. Her short little tail twitched as she padded along, working to untangle the scents of her quarry. Her ears twitched at a pair of snarls that burst through the tranquil night. A wolf and a coyote. She sat upright, large ears taking in the sound. It sounded close by. Great… that's all she needed was to become prey herself. A coyote would not be a problem for her but a wolf could spell trouble.
Natha rolled her shoulders and paused her hunting. She didn't want to get to close to her prey if there was a canine following her. That's all she needed was for some knucklehead to startle the turkeys before she could get high enough up to grab one though perhaps… if she played her cards right she could make use of a hounds nose. Granted she wasn't terribly keen on sharing. She could eat a turkey herself but half a bird was better than no bird at all.
Shimming up a nearby pine tree for a better view she spied a large wolf who also seemed to be tracking something…. wait… was he tracking her. She narrowed her eyes and shifted her body on the branch as she stuck her head out from the pines, a playful, melodious meow slipping from her lips. "Looking for something?"
Vadim was a bit more territorial than a lone wolf should be, that was for sure. He held no claim over this lake, but neither did anyone else it seemed. So why not feel as if this were his own personal abode? His little safe haven away from all the other wolves and predators, that's what this was! The last thing he wanted was to lose a few opportunities for snacks all because of a lingering cat.
As the scent got stronger, he slowed down his angry trotting just a bit and let those large paws fall a bit softer on the ground. He didn't see the cat at all, and to be honest.. he hadn't had enough encounters with them to know that they could climb as high as they could. His molten stare was searching the ground around the pines, and eventually he crouched down onto his forelimbs so he could peek beneath the branches of the pines surrounding him, wondering where on earth this little feline could be.
When the meow from above rang in the air, followed by a surprisingly lyrical voice, he snapped up. That massive, fat head was peering up at the cat with wide eyes that clearly gave away his astonishment. He found himself staring into the eyes of the cat, and for just a slight moment.. admiring the detail in not only the eyes but the many different tones of the cat's markings. It was only for a second, though.. before his 'brow dots furrowed and his lip curled.
He never knew cats could speak to him, so this was more than a little awkward. He didn't expect to have a conversation with her, but here he was! A low rumble started in the behemoth's chest as he stomped one of his front paws down on the earth and stood up sternly.
Natha grinned as she gazed down at the wolf. She was high enough up that she felt reasonably safe and even if the wolf possessed some skill at climbing he was also larger and heavier and lacking in effective claws. The lynx was confident she could avoid him and if it really came down to battle she trusted her claws to send the canine yelping into the sunset but that was not an avenue she preferred. A warrioress in some respects every chance at injury meant a decreased chance for survival and she was no healer. If she were to get injured and the wound get infected she'd be in terrible trouble.
He gazed at her with awe for a moment before he ground out a greeting that was less than pleased.
She wasn't surprised. Canines and felines did not often mix. Her eyes narrowed as he ordered her to go and she snorted. "No lowly wolf is going to order me anywhere and there's enough for two predators. Why, if we felled a deer together it'd be more than the pair of us could eat but I suppose you have your pack for that, hm?" Natha could see the value in pack hunting but her prideful nature also led her scorn it. Wolves hunted in packs to make up for their lack of ability, unlike her race which could manage reasonably on their own… except for lions. She did not know what was up with lions.