Your death was a release from pain

Kione had smelled the cat yesterday and had tracked it to the edge of this dead volcano.  The scent trail was gone now, the volcano’s own sulfurous scent hiding the scent of the cat.  The mountain lion could be just about anywhere now and that was a concern.  Crystals were growing along the volcano edges, but they were hardly more noticeable at this point than any other common rock.

The painted dog trotted a ways back and forth along the volcano’s base a bit concerned at having lost the trail.  He could turn around and leave which most would call the smarter option.  As it was most would say a lone African wild dog wouldn’t take down a cougar, but now it was a question of was he still the hunter or could the cat think of hunting him now?

Kione sat down for some well-needed ear scratching with a hind paw.  The rocks of the volcano would stop him from looking for paw tracks so that did little good.  No prints, no scent, and no sight at the moment.  Kione had created the new goal of killing all wild felines and he hated to let that go. Once he was done scratching Kione chose patience and simply stayed where he was, focusing for any sound that might give it away.  

Patience indeed had to play a part. Kione waited well over an hour before the mountain lion made its presence known.  The large cat didn’t consider him a threat either it seemed.  The feline came forward with no attempt to hide, roaring an angry challenge.  Kioni noticed the ooze coating it, two mushrooms vying for space out of one eye,  one ear was partially torn off, and a little mushroom patch there as well.

There would be less pleasure in killing this one when he imagined it was already dead on its own from the disease.  Not that it would stop Kione from helping it on its way.  The animal was suffering but Kione would make the suffering worse, then kill it.  As the cougar and African wild dog closed in on each other Kione could smell the putrid scent of infection and see the scabs along the ear where the cat had already been tearing into itself to try and find release.  For a second he almost felt something for it but, then he remembered his dead siblings.  No comfort would be given.  

Kione’s game with any of the large cats was never a fast one.  They could kill him easily with the pressure and size in their jaws, muscular paws, and sharp claws.  What Kione had was speed, agility, brains and he wasn’t half dead.  First, he needed to find out how fast on his paws this cat still was.  Kione darted in as if to attack the cat’s front shoulder but with no surprise, it swung a paw out hoping to trip him and Kione sprung away.  It could still react well enough from the front end.

Kione ran in a circle around the ct, it was attempting to keep up with him and at first, was doing so but Kione noticed he could get around to its backside a moment before it caught up.  Kione kept up the circle getting closer.  The mountain lion swiped for his front legs, he leaped over the paw, took a long stride where he landed, and bit into the cougar's haunches, continued the stride before he started once more running in a circle about it, eyes sparkling in amusement at the feline’s problem.

The animal surprised him at a point, despite its danger sitting down to turn its head and snapped at the air near its side, then licking said shoulder with a soft unhappy sound in its throat.  Suffering badly enough that it had to lower its defenses.   Kione didn’t wait and ran back in, grabbing a back leg, thrashing his head to tear off a piece of flesh.  The cat yowled, twisting its body around, claws seeking to rake Kione’s flesh but the dog jumped back again.

Despite the difference in bulk, the odds were obviously highly in Kione’s favor.  The feline was its own enemy.  It glared at Kione, trying to watch him but still had to rub its ear against his leg to try and stop the suffering it felt there and Kione imagined probably only making it worse.  Dislike the cat as he might this really would be a mercy killing.

As the mountain lion was rubbing its ear Kione ran in, sunk his teeth in an oozy eye, and shook his head.  That was enough to have the cat on its feet and swiping for him but the strength was already not in it.  The cat was panting, blood pooling from his eye and fresh blood in the ear.  Kione glared at the animal then sighed.  Hate it or not this was sickening.  This time the dog focused on the cat's belly.  He was able to get his muzzle under, bite into its belly and shake to rip off a piece.

The mountain lion just no longer had the strength or sanity to put up any real fight.  It cried out at the pain and swiped at the dog but it was really questionable at this point if it would have lived long if Kione hadn’t met it.  It was relatively easy in the end.  Kione tore open its body, intestines showing and biting into those as well.  What little strength the cat had left was gone as it bled out.


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