[Flashback] Fang, Tooth, and Claw [Solo]

[Nidassasyae]

70 of Summer, 510 AV "Listen," Sundassasya growled, her voice soft yet full of authority. The three cubs stopped in their tracks, heads cocked to one side. Nidassasyae sniffed the air, and received a cuff on the ear. Her mother stood over her, glaring down at the cub. "Not yet time to smell, just listen for your prey, Nidassasyae." Nidae looked down sheepishly, the tracks of a herd of deer on the snow before her. Her ears twitched as she picked up the faint sound of the deer plodding through the snow, their hooves striking the ice beneath. "They can't be far mother," she said, looking up at the formidable she-bear. Sundassasya nodded, "Yes, now that you have heard them, try your sense of smell." Nidae eagerly sniffed, smelling the herd of deer almost instantly. The Kelvic family was downwind of the herd, blowing their smell straight into the leopard's nostrils. "I-" Nidae began excitedly, wanting to show her mother that she was a hunter. "I smell 'em!" interrupted her brother, Lyiraast, winning a nod of approval from their mother. When Sundassasya's back was turned, he grinned at Nidae, knowing that he had interrupted her. With a growl, Nidassasyae sprang onto him, the wolf and leopard rolling about in the snow. Nidae bit and slashed, while her brother mostly held her at bay, he wouldn't strike out at his baby sister. "Enough," commanded Sundassasya, picking up Nidae by the scruff of her neck. The cub gave another half hearted swipe at her brother, but then stopped moving, not wanting to provoke her mother.

[Nidassasyae]

"You will scare the prey away, Nidassasyae," scolded her mother, setting Nidae back down on the ground. "Do you not wish to eat this night?" "Sorry mother," mumbled Nidae, risking a glance over at her brother. He bowed his head in apology, and gave her a wink. A grin tugged at the corner of Nidassasyae's mouth, it was hard to stay mad at her brother. Lyriaast was the biggest of the cubs, because he was the only male. His two sisters teased him unceasingly, and he always responded with something witty and self deprecating. Lyriaast had unfailingly good humor, joked around almost all the time, and was fiercely protective of his sisters. "Now the tracks," began Sundassasya, resuming her lesson. Her goal today was to teach her children how to hunt. Now that they grew larger, it was getting harder and harder to feed the ever hungry cubs in the desolate snow fields. "Tell me how old they are." "They are very fresh, mother. Probably no more than five minutes," mumbled Sondistasya, Nidae's soft spoken sister. Sondi was the runt of the litter, the smallest of the three. She posessed the sharpest mind of the siblings, but always reported her findings with a whisper. "What did you say, cub?" asked Sundassasya loudly, looking down at the tiny creature. "She said about five minutes," said Nidae, trying to give their mother the information before she could scold Sondi. Nidae felt the impact as her mother cuffed her head again with a heavy paw. The snow leopard cub grimaced, but simply accepted the punishment. If Lyriaast was the wittiest, and Sondi the smartest, Nidae was simply most rash one, and received the greatest share of scoldings. "Then go. Come back when you've brought something to eat," ordered Sundassasya, waving the cubs away with a paw.

[Nidassasyae]

"Then we'd better go," said Nidassasyae, nodding to her mother in farewell, and running off into the snow. She slowed down a bit after a couple of seconds, not wanting her sister to get left behind. While her brother was the most powerfully built, Nidae was slender and lithe, the fastest of the three. 'Fastest to run, fastest to react... rashly,' as her mother always said. After the three had sped along for a few minutes, they slowed down, hearing the sounds of the herd clearly ahead of them. A doe limped behind the others, clearly injured. A perfect target. Her brother and sister stalked forwards, their bellies almost touching the ground, and their fur blending them into the landscape seamlessly. Nidae, however, had a different plan. A small outcrop of rocks lay directly in front of her, and the deer were following a path around it. She bared her teeth in a grin, stalking towards the rock. Her siblings shrugged, they knew their sister was probably off to do something idiotic, as usual. They wouldn't risk calling out to her, they didn't want to loose their dinner. Once the deer had disappeared behind the rock, she began to sprint for the rock, her siblings going around it to attack the herd from behind. Nidassasyae smiled to herself, this had got to be the most brilliant plan ever!

[Nidassasyae]

Nidassasyae sped forwards, leaping from one rock to the next. Her race, after all, was known for it's climbing ability. She clambered over the last rock, but it proved almost too tall, and her tail brushed against the rocks. A small pebble began it's noisy decent down the outcrop, and the deer's ears pricked up as they registered the sound. They began to run, fleeing away from the unseen predators. Nidassasyae cursed, and leapt into the air, sailing forwards. She landed on the back of a deer, but not the wounded one. The animal began to buck frantically, trying to get the leopard off. Nidae sank her claws deep into the deer's hide, the prey scent filled her with hunger. Swift as a striking snake, the leopard cub sank her fangs into the deer's throat. The deer fell to the ground, writhing in agony and lack of oxygen. Nidassasyae retained her hold on her prey's neck, shaking it a few times for added measure. Once she was certain that it was dead, she let go, looking up at her siblings. Her brother had locked his jaw onto the fleeing doe's hindquarters, pulling the deer back so that he could finish it off with a fierce bite. Nidassasyae watched as the doe died, its blood staining the perfect white ground. Grinning with elation, she nodded to her own prey. Sondi gave a appreciative growl, and Nidae nodded towards her sibliings, jubilant in the outcome of the hunt.

[Nidassasyae]

The three began the long process of dragging their prey home. Lyriaast took charge of dragging Nidae's deer, while the two sisters pulled the injured doe back to the den. Sundassasya sat at the mouth of the den, watching her children drag the prey towards her. Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw that there were two deer. They would eat well this night. The she-bear rose and walked over to her children, nodding in approval. "You caught this by yourself Lyriaast?" she asked. Lyriaast shook his head, jerking it towards Nidassasyae. He didn't want to waste time talking, hurrying towards the relatively warm den, his stomach rumbling. Sundassasya gave a coughing growl, the bear version of a laugh, and smiled down at her daughter. Nidassasyae almost let go of the smaller deer, so proud was she of catching her own prey. She wanted to tell her mother all about it! Sundassasya inclined her head in the direction of the cave, indicating that she should continue on her way. Nidassasyae nodded, pulling the deer along. Sondi tugged with all her might, and the two sisters managed to drag their catch into the shelter of the cave. Nidae let go of the deer, letting it drop to the ground. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, it was sore from having gripped the deer for so long. Even so, she couldn't resist beaming. Today, she had caught her own prey. Today, she was a huntress.

[Cheshire]

. Character: Nidassasyae Experience: Hunting +4, Tracking +2, Stealth +1, Climbing +1 Lore: How to Hunt Without Using One's Sense of Smell Additional Note: Great thread. I really enjoy your threads! I really hope you think about staying in Avanthal for a while! Feel free to PM me with any concerns.