Fighting Like Cats and Dogs

Vibrant orange fur flashed through the verdant green of the fruit-filled grove as the vulpine-like fae trotted between trees and shrubs. Wide green eyes took in the plethora of fresh fruit growing all around and her nose was stuffed with the perfume of the assortment of berries. Syanna had never seen a place so bountiful as this grove at the northern end of Auster! These will be great for my medicines, she thought to herself with a beaming smile. Anything to make the herby, grassy mixtures more palatable. Plus, she just so happened to have quite the sweet tooth, so if she indulged in a few here and there, she wouldn't be complaining.

Walking between the rows of berry bushes, Syanna plucked fruit after fruit with precise dainty paws. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, currants of various colors, they all went right into the healer's satchel for later use—and a few finding their way into her mouth. She chewed greedily, savoring the fruity sugars and sweetness on her palate. The berry picking coupled with the beautiful sunny summer day just made everything feel so serene and perfect! There was nothing that could ruin her good mood today!

Rounding a shrub, Syanna turned and came face to face with the snarling face of a lone sabertooth tiger, the massive feline glaring at her as a low rumble echoed in its throat. The vulpine-furred fae gasped and almost fell over herself, stumbling backward in a flurry of paws, eyes wide with fright. Her mind raced along with her pulse, trying to figure out how long the massive predator had been stalking her and how she hadn't noticed it. "Eeeeeasy there, kitty," she tried to soothe the giant beast that was matching her retreat with his own advance on her. "Look, I'm just backing away, okay? No need to kill me! I'd make a terrible meal anyway." She gave a weak chuckle, too afraid to take her eyes off of the saber cat to see where she was backing up to.

Syanna ended up backing up right into a bush, stumbling into the plant and giving the saber cat the opening it was waiting for. The tiger pounced with a roar, but Syanna reacted just as fast, diving to the side and rolling out of the way of the giant murder mittens aimed for her jugular. As soon as she got her feet back under her, Syanna took off across the grove, trying to ignore the feline yowl that came from behind her. Away, she had to get away! Anywhere! She instinctively began to run south, zipping through the shrubs in a slalom, hoping to throw the big cat off and give her enough space to make a getaway. There was no one else around; she was all on her own against a massive cat that was hellbent on turning her into lunch!

WC: 481 / 1500

"Syanna Alluráin"