ardent

Animal [Open]



Champion


age
gender
gems
137
size
build
posts
81
player
04-01-2013, 11:59 AM



~*~

The she-wolf nodded her head happily at Roman?s conscent ? and then graciously at his offer of her going first. Ah chivalry. When used properly it was such a pleasant thing ? bringing worth and respect to both genders. It was refreshing. Back in the Far North, the young, idiotic males had preferred to use it more as a way to alienate and belittle. No time for memories now, though. Champion needed to focus on the scents about her. Which one was she most hungry for? ?Alright,? the timber cross muttered with a grin. ?We?ll let this be judged more on style, than on size.? She grinned. ?Because I tend to go after large game.?

That was when it wafted up to her. The scent of wild pig. She hadn?t had that in?. well forever. But she?d watched a wild cat bring on down once. Nasty buisness for both creatures, but it had peaked the girl?s interest. If it was a boar, or a full grown pig she might consider leaving it be, but if the scents denoted anything ? it was a young, fat critter with plenty of padding on it?s ribs.

?This way,? Champion said, wagging her tail in the direction before setting off. They?d been holding an easy pace for the time, but now the she-wolf threw herself into a lope. All those leg and back muscles built up from plowing through snow made moving through southern turf more like flying. So long as things weren?t too warm. There was Champion?s achiles heel as it were. Luckily, this day the sun had picked to surround itself in cloud, and the thick canopy of swamp trees made the world a bit too cool for most.

The timber-wolf led the way across the damp country, leaping over tangles of roots, splashing through puddles of mud and ducking under low branches hung with moss. As the pig scent grew stronger, Champion?s steps were slower. And lighter. ?Crouching? did do much good when a wolf was her size. She had to reply on the undergrowth, the wind, and her own patience. Three times out of five ? that was enough.

Champion cautiously peeked her head through a thin gap in the bushes. Sure enough, pittering in and out of the shades, a wild peccary looking creature made itself seen. It was about the size of a badger, with a dark brown hide that bristled with ugly back hairs on his head and tail. It was impossible to tell from this angle whether it was male or female, but it did have small tusks on either side of it?s nose ? no bigger than Champion?s own sizable claws. Eiether a female or a young male. Champion didn?t care ? so long as it would taste good.

She glanced back at Roman, whishing she had some way to gesture for him to stay put here. She could make any sort of sound or the pig might here. In the end, she silently shifted a hind paw back to brush one of his forepaws ?sort of pressing it into the earth. ?Stay there? she wanted to convey.

Then she shifted away through the braken, melding as best she could with what shreds of fog were still about.

Even a blind wolf, without Roman?s talents, couldn?t guessed at what came next. There was nothing but the sound of the pig snuffling about at the roots of the trees ? rooting about. And then there was a crash of foliage and a thud as Champion spring in barely a stride from the creature?s broadside. Growling like the beast she was, the she-wolf charged the pig which scampered as quick as lightning. It tried ducking under a thorn bush ? but Champion crashed through it. It tried going through a hollow, rotting log ? Champion crushed it with the weight of her running. It tried a hairpin turn, hoping to evade such a large creature with it?s agility. But this was Champion. The she wolf seemed for a moment like she was going too fast ? like she was going to miss the turn and crash head first into a tree. But instead she used it, practically spring-boarded a turn off it and the next second, was tumbling over with the pig trapped in her paws. One swift crunch to the next and it?s squeals were ended.

The she-wolf came trotting back with the creature ?which was pretty much all meat ? clutched in her jaws. She dropped it with a thud between her paws and Roman?s. ?Beat that.?


~*~


~I?m now becoming my own S.e.l.f.-.f.u.l.f.i.l.l.e.d. Prophecy ~