Hunter or Hunted

Noir's bright blue and lavender gaze watched the river with curiosity. During the winter much of the river was iced over, with only the fastest parts of the river remaining open to the air. Spring was here now, and all morning the river had gotten higher. He couldn't count how many times he had been told to keep clear of the water. Enough to desensitize him it seemed. The boy was brazen with his proximity to the water, his body hanging dangerously close to the swift moving water.

The season old pup was hardly old enough to have much situational awareness, and he was completely oblivious to the young mountain lion that stalked him now.

His blue striped tail wagged behind him as he watched the water rush by him. He crouched on a rocky outcropping, having descended a few feet down the bank. The water covered the sound of the cat's paw steps and Noir didn't even know what hit him. The lion's paw knocked him from his perch and he was suddenly in the water.

The mountain lion followed his tumbling and gasping form as he was swept downstream. He tumbled and turned in the water, gasping for breath when he realised he had broken the surface. His lungs begged for air until he lucked out and slammed into a boulder. It was enough to drive the wind from him, but he was close enough to the opposite bank to scramble onto land again. Noir gasped heavily as he looked behind him to see the cat pacing on the other bank.

He thought he was safe until the beast made an impossible leap across the river. Noir's gaze widened in surprise as the cat came face to face with him. He scrambled to his feet, his hackles raising. He still hadn't caught his breath yet but he wasn't about to go down with out a fight. He narrowed his gaze and bared his teeth as he started backing away slowly. All the training he had was from wrestling with his sisters, and he did rival the cat in height. If he could manage to get to higher ground before she struck he might have a real chance. The boy backed away, his eyes never leaving the puma as his rear paws searched for a way to higher ground.

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