blackberry currants
08-22-2013, 12:08 PM
~*~
Silverback bared her teeth in a silent growl as she lowered herself to her side. Dash it. Dash it all to the pits! She'd been up and down mountains - seen the underside of waterfalls, flung herself across thirty foot canyons - all without any problems. But this? This was asking too much of her. The cat laid back, pressing her head into the soft, earthy loam, and letting out soft grunts of pain. She'd gone rabbit hunting, which was usually a tame and easy sport when compared to the crazy cliff-leaping goats she was used to tagging. But this little bunny had rushed into a thicket.
At first Silverback had been certain she could keep up, but soon enough she'd found herself tumbling over a tripwire of vines and roots, and sprawling tail over talons into the thick of the brush. The more she'd flailed about in trying to escape, the more thorns she'd collected, until she resembled a pin cushion more than anything else. Worst of all, some of them were the kind that really stung even after they'd been plucked out.
Her pelt was a mess of burs and leaves and twigs, with a couple of sharp thorns till imbedded in the soft flesh of her paws. She'd tried hard to get them out, but her muzzle was too big and flat. All she could do was lick at them as they swelled. Limping to a stream would've been a good idea, but though the sound of water wasn't far away, she couldn't manage it. She needed to just hold still for a bit and let the waves of pain lower to a more managable rate. She was perfectly fine with bone freezing cold and heart-stopping drops, but real, sharp pain like this? It was horrible! No one liked this kind of thing! If it were a being attacking her, she would've already ripped off it's head or fled to the hills by now. But no, there was nothing she could do.
08-22-2013, 12:43 PM
Dempsey padded silently through the forest, enjoying the gently overcast day. The clouds blossomed in his gloomy state and he appreciated the depressing atmosphere they provided. A rustling in the thicket next to him caused him to stop in his tracks though. Crouching low to the ground he took in a long breathe to catch the smell of whatever was lurking in the darkness. The rumbling got louder and louder and all of a sudden a rabbit popped right out beneath his feet. Obviously startled and confused, the rabbit stared up wide at him. That was a mistake. With a snap of Dempsey's jaws the poor little soul hung lifeless from his mouth. Blood seeped through his teeth and rolled down his chin.
The rabbit was making a thorough mess of things, but he would taste good and so he would deal with the inconvenience. The sound of water made his ears prick up then. That would be a lovely place to eat! He could gulp this little fella down and then get a nice cool drink to make the perfect meal. Pushing through a bit of brush, Dempsey found himself on a bit of a bank before the river. A clay beach lay below him, and it would have been the perfect place to eat.. if a cut up and bruised snow leopard hadn't been laying there like the world was over. A snort blew from his nostrils. What could have possibly beat this leopard up so badly? In all honesty, she was a magnificent creature, so it must have just been something stupid she did. Thorns covered her body and he almost let out a low chuckle. Now he knew what the rabbit was running from.
He let the rabbit down by his feet and sat on his haunches. "Well you look like hell," his low voice rumbled out of his chest. A smirk played upon his mouth. The deep lines on his face made his masculinity stand out and if this leopard were a wolfess, he might have had her at hello.
The rabbit was making a thorough mess of things, but he would taste good and so he would deal with the inconvenience. The sound of water made his ears prick up then. That would be a lovely place to eat! He could gulp this little fella down and then get a nice cool drink to make the perfect meal. Pushing through a bit of brush, Dempsey found himself on a bit of a bank before the river. A clay beach lay below him, and it would have been the perfect place to eat.. if a cut up and bruised snow leopard hadn't been laying there like the world was over. A snort blew from his nostrils. What could have possibly beat this leopard up so badly? In all honesty, she was a magnificent creature, so it must have just been something stupid she did. Thorns covered her body and he almost let out a low chuckle. Now he knew what the rabbit was running from.
He let the rabbit down by his feet and sat on his haunches. "Well you look like hell," his low voice rumbled out of his chest. A smirk played upon his mouth. The deep lines on his face made his masculinity stand out and if this leopard were a wolfess, he might have had her at hello.
08-22-2013, 12:53 PM
~*~
Of course the universe would refuse to let Silverback be alone in her misery. She was quickly becoming aware of another presence. She would've noted it sooner, had she not been in such great distress. She lay reclined under the blackberry thicket like some poor, wounded damsel, with the muted sunlight dappling over her rosettes and grey silks. Even with fur dotted by dirt and burs, it was clear that she was a work of art. The pathos of pain only added to it really. Not that she would've cared - she would've much preferred to be rid of all of it. She didn't care about the observations and opinions of others, but she was a vain thing.
The sudden words from the stranger were enough to raise her hackles - half in offense, half in defense; she didn't know if he was a threat to her. Usually one wolf was easy prey; She'd taken down plenty in her day. But in her current state, she wasn't in the mood to do anything but lay limp and moan. If he pushed her though, she'd be all the quicker to swing and claw. And since running away wasn't an option, it would be a fight she'd feel compelled to finish. One glance at the male though, showed that he was a rather fine specimen of his admittedly sad species. The blood running down his front didn't help allay the cat's concerns, but 'concerned' was not really the word for her current attitude.
She lifted her head over her shoulder and raised her eyes enough to get a good look at him. Her ears were pinned back and her whiskers stood out straight. She spoke with a voice that carried it's own mental eye-roll. "Oh, but I'm sure you say that to all the girls." Silverback poured a pleasurable, purring sound into her voice, letting the sarcasm bite all the deeper before she flung her head back to the dirt. She could hear him clearly - if he made a step for her she'd have to deal with it, but until then she just wanted to be left to hiss and moan in peace. Why couldn't someone helpful have come her way? Honestly! Here was one occasion where she would've have minded having Cantina in on her hunt.