Night Stalker

It was not exactly that Daemon enjoyed watching the auroras that hung in the nighttime sky anymore. In fact, they had actually begun to lose some of their novelty to the young boy, but Daemon did enjoy the night in general, so any excuse he could use to not have to go back to bed and stay up later, he took. In truth, Dae had not exactly asked to be out this late, but had simply gone out again after his family had gone to bed. He had to sneak quietly past his parents' bedchambers though, not wanting to attract any attention to himself, but thankfully they seemed preoccupied with one another to notice the small pup slinking out like a shadow in the night.

Once outside, Daemon made a beeline for Alias Lake at the heart of the island. He quite enjoyed the water, and the lake was the most scenic spot on the island, save for maybe the very top of the mountains that afforded views in all directions. The night was quiet and still, the air cool, but beginning to warm as the approach of spring was felt, even this far north. The snow that had covered the land had mostly melted into slush and mud, heralding the changing of the seasons. Daemon wandered beneath the auroras for a while, just enjoying the tranquility of the still winter night with no nocturnal life to note of, save for the occasional hoot of an owl somewhere in the treetops.

Daemon did not even notice there was anyone else out here with him—at least not at first. A glimpse of something luminescent in the nearby brush caught his eye and tipped him off to the presence of someone else, sharp cerulean eyes snapping in the direction of the trees. He sniffed at the air, searching for a scent. He found traces of a very familiar one, and suddenly he realized who it was and what was happening. Kintsugi was out late again and was trying to sneak up on him. Oh, did she want revenge for his surprise ambush the last time? Well, she was going to have to earn her victory. Pretending he had not noticed her, Daemon continued his casual walk around the perimeter of the lake, acting as impassive as he could to the lurking threat, meanwhile keeping his ears up and alert for any sounds of movement nearby, tracking her movements. With his father and grandsire being accomplished hunters, they had both passed on some helpful tips and tricks when it came to tracking. Now Kintsugi was going to learn why no one beat Daemon Mendacium...

Closer and closer her sounds got, Daemon gradually slowing his pace to allow her to catch up to him. Wait... Wait for it... The soft sound of padded paws sprinting across the gravelly beach was exactly the sign he had been waiting for. NOW! Timing his moves, Daemon turned and threw himself onto his back, intercepting Kintsugi's pounce with his longer legs extended out to catch her around her midsection with his large leonine paws as she leaped at him. Daemon used their momentum to roll them and kick Sugi off and away from him, rolling back to his paws and bracing himself to face off against his cousin and heiress. "Wow, you really suck at sneaking up on people, Fluffbutt!" he teased her with a wry grin, prowling towards her now with a low puppy growl vibrating in his throat. "Hope you can run better than you can pounce." This was the only warning she was going to get, because in three seconds, Daemon was going to chase after her and make her regret her poor decision.

WC: 619
Total: 1195 / 1500

"Daemon Mendacium"