One day I'll know how far I'll go
11-12-2017, 04:01 PM
As he continued to wait with one paw raised, he allowed his pale eyes to sweep over the grasses, the only part of him to move. Suddenly a pair of lanky ears came into focus, and Mask marked the spot as they dropped back out of sight. Carefully, so carefully, he lowered his paw to the ground, and the rest of his body followed into a crouch. His hindquarters slowly, slowly drew up beneath him, shifting until he found his footing, his muscles coiled like pressurized springs... and then he stopped.
Another head rose to take a cautious glance around, with little pink hare-nose wriggling, but it saw no movement and caught no scent, so it put its head back down for another nibble.
And Mask pounced.
His legs uncoiled powerfully, lifting his gray form into the air, and for a beat he seemed to hang there above the target, his body curved and his tucked forelegs beginning to reach forward even as his outstretched hindquarters pulled back in.
Then he was among them, landing gracefully with forepaws pinning one buck leveret to the ground beneath him and his jaws snapping instinctively to catch the second he hadn't known was there. Fragile vertebrae ground beneath his teeth, causing the hare to go limp. The hare beneath his paws screamed and tried to wriggle and scratch to freedom, but Mask was quick to drop the twitching body of the unexpected bonus buck and turn his jaws to ending the first hare's suffering.
He stopped then to glance around just in case, but he expected that if there had been other hares gathered they would have scattered at the attack, and sure enough he saw no sign of other hares. He was not disappointed at this - two hares at once was unusual enough for a single wolf. Any more would have needed more than one set of jaws to take down. Satisfied, he gathered both hares and turned to care them back to the alpha, dropping them silently at the observer's paws and inclining his head respectfully.
Another head rose to take a cautious glance around, with little pink hare-nose wriggling, but it saw no movement and caught no scent, so it put its head back down for another nibble.
And Mask pounced.
His legs uncoiled powerfully, lifting his gray form into the air, and for a beat he seemed to hang there above the target, his body curved and his tucked forelegs beginning to reach forward even as his outstretched hindquarters pulled back in.
Then he was among them, landing gracefully with forepaws pinning one buck leveret to the ground beneath him and his jaws snapping instinctively to catch the second he hadn't known was there. Fragile vertebrae ground beneath his teeth, causing the hare to go limp. The hare beneath his paws screamed and tried to wriggle and scratch to freedom, but Mask was quick to drop the twitching body of the unexpected bonus buck and turn his jaws to ending the first hare's suffering.
He stopped then to glance around just in case, but he expected that if there had been other hares gathered they would have scattered at the attack, and sure enough he saw no sign of other hares. He was not disappointed at this - two hares at once was unusual enough for a single wolf. Any more would have needed more than one set of jaws to take down. Satisfied, he gathered both hares and turned to care them back to the alpha, dropping them silently at the observer's paws and inclining his head respectfully.