Way Down We Go

Paws kicked up soil as he chased down his quarry. A young buck had crossed his path and he was determined to bring it down. His Osprey's shadow hung over the buck every step of the way. Mud hung to Cloud's pelt as he gave chase, every step bringing him closer and closer. He could feel the beast in him surfacing, but he fought to keep it at bay. He didn't want to succumb to its presence. Not now. He had gone a while without feeling its presence, but he could feel it starting to fight back.

He tried to focus his energy on the prey in front of him, but the few short moments he spent fighting off that inner demon of his caused him to lose focus of where he was, and the buck bounded towards the river, forcing Cloud to stop in his tracks as it had its head start.

Growling in frustration, he lashed his tail as he came to a halt at the waters edge. Even if he had jumped in after it, the buck would have made it to the other side and well on it's way before he made it out of the water. He dropped his haunches to the ground as he watched it leave. His Osprey returned, uttering a screech to alert him of a nearby presence, but he was far too focused on the fact that he lost a perfectly good catch.