to the last damned breath

The moon cloaked the plains with silver, but the lack of a sun's golden rays did little to cool the sweltering air. Still, it was better than nothing, and Hati wasn't going to complain.

Well, he was, but he still needed to eat.

His cave sanctuary defiled by the unexpected appearance of a female falling through the ceiling, followed shortly after by another, had led him to abandon it to travel away from the sea, seeking shelter where he could during the heat of the day and doing what traveling and hunting he could beneath the moon. Now, traveling through the browned grass in search of a meal, the big black male paused. Not the stealthiest of hunters at the best of times, tonight as thirsty and out of sorts as he was he didn't even bother with the rabbits and various rodents scurrying around. But there, the strong scent of a deer tickled his nose even as he caught site of it. An elderly doe, weakened even further by the drought, resting in the grass and panting heavily.

She was barely lucid enough to struggle when he pounced on her. He dispatched her carelessly, with little energy wasted on finesse, and immediately set to eating while the blood was still warm in his mouth. Sated and feeling slightly more magnanimous with the world in general, he stretched out nearby to drowse and guard his kill against any overly-brave scavengers. The coagulated blood from the deer still spattered stickily over his dark fur, but for the moment he ignored it. Blood never bothered him anyway.




speech.