He never strayed very far from the herd, they were also his eyes and ears and much as he was to them. When you lost your herd you died, or so the saying went. Rannoch felt the constant pressure, the eyes of predators as they were on the constant search to fill their bellies with the souls of his kin. They would do the same for him, and the young stag very well knew it. Most beasts left him be, he was young and strong, he was not the weak link predators usually went after. The weak link fell easiest and predators were nothing if not lazy.

Still, Rannoch was the odd one out, he was with the elk he was with every herd previously aside from that of the other great elk. Even not as he traveled with caribou and donkey he knew the bears, the cats, the wolves… they were all peering at him. He heeded Taiga’s warning, he was always alert and vigilant, but that didn’t always stop an attack.

Rannoch was grazing on the sparse beach grasses away from his herd mates. There was a soft breeze and the air was warm. The deer had his head down as he grazed, the branches of his velvet covered antlers waving in the grass with the wind. Rannoch lifted his head as he took in a mouthful to scan while he chewed, and if he hadn’t maybe he would have been dead a moment later.

Emerald eyes widened as he locked eyes with the hyena a few deer lengths away. They were not normally ambush hunters, but the look in her eye revealed the intelligence beneath. Rannoch stomped his hoof threateningly and swung his antlers in small hoped he’d ward them off. At the least his friends would be put on alert. The hyena knew she had been spotted, but she’d held his attention long enough for her underlings to flank him.

Panic welled up within the stag and he bellowed with defiance and leap over the spotted wolf like creature. It jumped and snapped at his belly, only barely missing the tender flesh there. Rannoch’s mind went blank and his only thought was to flee.

soul sand cove / afternoon / warm
"Rannoch"

The day was warm and breezy so Taiga had cut off from the rest of the group to hunt. She'd been away for a few hours and her belly was now full of boar meat. The giantess was full and content, practically purring with satisfaction as she made her way back to the herd. The sun afternoon sun beat down upon the dark rosettes of her back and she closed her eyes from time to time, simply enjoying the warm feeling. A far off sound met the woman's ears and she stopped in her tracks. Had she imagined it? The sound was gone and she had been very distracted by the day. Taiga had almost shrugged it off and began soaking up the sun again when a second bellow reverberated across the land. There was no mistaking the call this time. It was Rannoch. The sound was one of warning. One of panic. Taiga panicked indeed. Whatever was happening to send him into such a state, would she be there in time to stop it? The giant cat threw her weight into her paws, tearing across the landscape in the direction of the cove. Her heart slammed against her ribcage and she fought to breathe, but she couldn't afford to stop. And faltering in per pace could mean the elk's death, or the death of Oscar or Kyren. No... she had to run. She had to. The lioness ran and ran and soon the salty scent of the ocean met pink nares. She was close, but was she in time? "Speech"

Rannoch kicked out as his voice reached out over the beach and he began his retreat from the hyenas. His heart beat erratically in his chest as adrenaline flooded his veins while sharp teeth snapped at his ankles. A buried part of him hoped that he was leading the pack away from Kyren and Oscar, at the very least he would keep them from danger. He was the last of his kind, a biological dead end. It didn’t matter when he perished, but his comrades had long fulfilling lives ahead of them. The thoughts were barely a glimmer in a mind that was reeling, working on overdrive as the elk shifted from fight to flight and back again.

The big loping creatures weren’t as fast as Rannoch, but their stamina was hardly matchable. With the heavy rack of antler growing on his head Rannoch would swiftly tire. Already they were catching up to him. The young stag let his voice call once more, sounding the alarm as he faced what could be his last few moments. He couldn’t think about being torn apart alive, he had to focus on his hooves doing their job as he ran.

One of the more swift hyenas pulled ahead to bar his path and Rannoch was forced to stop and fight. Using his sharp hooves he reared up and began boxing at the canid’s massive head. His dinnerplate hoof came crashing down onto skull and killed the beast nearly instantly. It was enough to make his herd pause, but as Rannoch leapt over the body the chase began again. Rannoch bound over the black sand beach, only barely keeping ahead of the hyenas and already breathing hard.

He was losing stamina and hope, but that was when he saw Taiga. He veered slightly so his huge form was running towards her, something he never would have done before he met her.

"Rannoch"

Taiga's lungs ached and her paws faltered. She stumbled and almost fell, her own stamina not being that great. She was made for quick bursts of speed, but not prolonged stretches of it. Later, she would be paying for this. For now, there was no choice but to continue as though a pack of wolves were nipping at her heels.

In the distance, she saw Rannoch's rack of antlers first and mentally crowed. She wasn't too late! Knowing that he was still alive gave the woman a surge of adrenaline. His form stopped for a moment, then his run resumed, only now he was running straight for her. Good. That was good! Whatever was chasing him would run straight into her and they would sorely regret it.

As Rannoch drew near, Taiga saw what hunted him. Hyenas. A smaller variety than what she was used to, but there were a lot of them. The charcoal and snow feline growled and put on a final burst of speed. The hyenas saw her and their pace slowed for a moment, but they were used to lions. Lions, yes... but not Taiga. Surging past the fleeing elk, Taiga dove, her body connecting with two of the beasts, a dull, meaty thud echoing in the air. Teeth and claws tore into the hyenas, making short work of them. Dust and fur flew, but her work wasn't done. The rest continued to give chase and now that they were past her, she would be the one chasing them. In the hopes of lighting the fire of fear in the hyenas, Taiga inhaled deeply and released an earth shattering roar in the manner that only cave lions were capable. Then, inhaling deeply again, she began to hunt the hunters.

"Taiga"

Rannoch ran. He was made to run and flee, his incredibly long legs and cloven hooves carried him gracefully despite his racing gait. The elk had no room to think about his appearance, he was majestic naturally. Even racing for his life. He turned to flee, knowing he could only really take on one safely at a time. A whole pack of them would very nearly doom him if he couldn’t keep ahead of them. His not quite fully formed antlers were heavy though, and his endurance wouldn’t last forever. Canines were known to lope all day without losing their breath. Rannoch didn’t know if he was going to make it.

As he ran he saw the sight that would save him, though any other moment of his life he would have accepted his doom. Taiga proved that she would repay them for saving her from the snow, and she kept her word. Rannoch raced past her, the hyenas hot on his heels. He couldn’t look back but his ears swiveled and he heard the sound of punishment coming from the lion. The hyenas bit at his heels and he knew the sounds wouldn’t deter them. Rannock kicked his powerful hind legs, kicking one square in the chest as Taiga roared.

He tried not to let the sounds disrupt him, because the sound should have terrorized him to the very core. Taiga was different, she was on his side. He repeated those words in his mind as he ran, he just had to make it a little longer.

"Rannoch"