the circle of life

Taiga's lungs ached and her paws faltered. She stumbled and almost fell, her own stamina not being that great. She was made for quick bursts of speed, but not prolonged stretches of it. Later, she would be paying for this. For now, there was no choice but to continue as though a pack of wolves were nipping at her heels.

In the distance, she saw Rannoch's rack of antlers first and mentally crowed. She wasn't too late! Knowing that he was still alive gave the woman a surge of adrenaline. His form stopped for a moment, then his run resumed, only now he was running straight for her. Good. That was good! Whatever was chasing him would run straight into her and they would sorely regret it.

As Rannoch drew near, Taiga saw what hunted him. Hyenas. A smaller variety than what she was used to, but there were a lot of them. The charcoal and snow feline growled and put on a final burst of speed. The hyenas saw her and their pace slowed for a moment, but they were used to lions. Lions, yes... but not Taiga. Surging past the fleeing elk, Taiga dove, her body connecting with two of the beasts, a dull, meaty thud echoing in the air. Teeth and claws tore into the hyenas, making short work of them. Dust and fur flew, but her work wasn't done. The rest continued to give chase and now that they were past her, she would be the one chasing them. In the hopes of lighting the fire of fear in the hyenas, Taiga inhaled deeply and released an earth shattering roar in the manner that only cave lions were capable. Then, inhaling deeply again, she began to hunt the hunters.

"Taiga"