Little Maraca all grown up

Walk | Talk | Think

He tracked the scent toward a source of water and then away, rewarded by an even better find when he realized the path was actually covered in water droplets. It meant he was close. The water must have been recently dropped from the look of it, not yet fully sunk into the earth, and with a little more haste the grey and black wolf picked up his pace to get closer to the creature that had left the telltale trail. It led him toward a tree, and if he had been just a bit quicker with his observations he would have realized the trail ended there, but it was instead a sudden shadow leaping down to intercede him that caused him to stop short.

The feline startled him easily, and as he backed up a quick step he felt the fur along his neck and shoulders rise warily, a sudden growl surging up from his chest, while he bared his teeth in a useless display of bravado. His heart skittered in his chest a little over the initial shock, but no sooner did he finally get a good look at her did he begin to calm and relax again. It was only a cat. Spotted with black, she possessed such an intricate coloration that Eirik was sure he had never seen anything like it before. It made the brightness of her blue eyes all the more vibrant. Confused, the Kaname boy shifted a little on his feet, his mind belatedly registering what the creature had said. Maraca?

Struck by the familiarity, the memory of their initial meeting, everything suddenly clicked. "It's you." His eyes were wide as he stared at the snow leopard, his voice incredulous. This was her. This was the cat that had scared him so long ago, when he had been just a little pup. He had boasted of that encounter so often that he was sure the tale had grown with each telling, to the point that likely his siblings no longer believed it. And now that he was face to face with the feline...she hardly seemed as scary as she did back then. "I can't believe it."