[The Southern Hills] Eye of the Tiger (Cypress)

[Nustril]

He let out a happy laugh and instead moved down to the water barrels to quench his thirst. Reaching into their supplies he found some bread and devoured it eagerly. It would help keep his hunger under control until he had found and killed their dinner. In a flurry of straps and cloth he deposited his toga and sandals back into the cart and shifted back into a tiger with a flash of light.

Nustril let out an exuberant roar. With all of his attention focused on the hunt it would be easier to locate prey. Leaping and bounding up the hill he came to a seated position in front of her. Looking from her horse, to her bow, and then back to her he inquired silently as to whether or not she would like to accompany him on this hung.

[Cypress]

She followed his glance to Dolanne and a bright sparkle glinted in her eye. She ran the outside of her thumb along the line of her jaw, her wordless confirmation to Nustril, and then was off. As she passed, her arm shot out, two fingers hooking through her short bow before she sprinted over to Dolanne. There was a pause for gratitude before climbing atop, a moment taken to run the flat of her palm along the horses muzzle, to lean in and silently thank her for the companionship.

After that, in one swift movement, she threw her leg over the horses back and then looked back to the tiger. A quick jerk of her chin signaled her readiness, and the look in her eyes betrayed her excitement.

[Nustril]

Hunting with Cypress was always fun. Most especially because it meant that he could be lazy and let the horse do most of the work. The pair ranged through the hills until they found an area of taller grass, promises of the grasslands to come perhaps. Nustril signaled for his companion to hold while he searched ahead for sign of their quarry.

A fresh spring trickling through the hills was surrounded by game not two hundred yards distant. As the cat spotted it he slunk behind the rise of a hill, concealing his massive body to observe their habits. There were fourteen of them. The deer were drinking from the stream, guarded by an impressive buck. Slinking backward down the hill so as not to alert them, Nustril located Cypress.

Flattening his ears to his head twice, he looked in the direction of the deer to indicate that he had located prey. Extending his claws and scratching the violently over the grass he indicated danger among the prey. Sitting on his haunches he waited for her to take the lead. They had plenty of practice at this, after all.

[Cypress]

She offered up a sweet smile to Nustril before clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth to spur Dolanne into motion.

The strider was very adept at threading along the landscape, making her way toward the gathering of deer with very little direction from Cypress. Using her strong thighs to grip the mid-section of Dolanne, Cypress began to ready her bow. She'd been using the hunts with the tiger to practice using her bow on horseback and now only dropped her arrows every other time instead of on each outing. Carefully she pulled one arrow free and notched it on the bowstring, the horse did a small crow hop over an exposed root nearly knocking it from Cy's hands but she managed to catch it by the fletching. "Ooof" She exclaimed as she began to gather her concentration once more, gingerly lifting the arrow. She managed to notch it and then turned her eyes toward the prey.

With a scan of the herd, she located one deer that was on its own. The large buck stood on the opposite side of the group, with his attention focused on the the large group she decided to go after the lone deer. Dolanne came to a smooth stop and she took aim. While she always tried to coax her arrow into the actual target, more often than not it wound up close, embedded in the trunk of a tree or sunk into the ground. Luckily, in her partnership with Nustril this approach worked well, and her arrows she managed to drive the prey toward the waiting tiger. As usual, when the arrow flew, it made a straight line toward a waiting tree, and a small frown of disappointment curled her lips. The deer's head shot up and it bounded away from the shot and up the hill. The rest of the herd took some note, but only moved casually toward the river, comforted by the presence of the buck. She rode toward the tree, driving them further away,with some sense of urgency this time. The growing anxiety of the herd garnered the attention of the buck and he puffed his chest, stomping agressively toward Cy. "Hurry Lanne, get us out of here..." Her heart began pounding in her ears, rushing the blood through her body. Another quick tongue click and Dolanne sped up. A quick glance over her shoulder found the buck, still puffed up for a fight, but now standing his ground near the herd. "stay...stay...stay..." she repeated quietly. They approached the tree, Cy extended her arm grabbing for the arrow's shaft, she winced as it slapped into the palm of her hand. Ignoring the light sting she notched the arrow clumsily, still continuing her pursuit. Once more, she shot and missed but succeeded in driving the deer closer and closer to her mate. With pursed lips, she let out a sharp whistle, signaling the deers approach. Using her stinging hand, she retrieved her arrow once more and followed the deer to its fate.

[Nustril]

Sitting still and letting the animal do all the work was Nustril's favorite part of hunting. With the proper help, all he had to do was find the right spot and allow someone else to drive the animal toward him. Just the sort of work that suited the great cat. As Cypress struggled with her bow and arrow the tiger snorted tigerish snickers into the tall grass around him, peeking around the edge of his hill to watch.

Then she started showing more success in her goal, and he focused. A deer had broken from the herd and was coming toward him. He began working his paws into the ground and adjusting his body for the pounce. It was coming closer, the frightened beast had panicked and fled in the direction that they wished. One deep intake preceded the deadly pounce.

Lunging out toward the deer and catching it with claw and tooth was a simple thing under the circumstances. Such a convenient hiding place, and the odds had been stacked in his favor. A hoof caught him square in the chest as the deer struggled to adjust its course and escape. His weight and strength carried him through the blow and he wrapped his claws around the animal, gripping its neck in his jaw and snapping the bones there.

The struggle was short and brutal. Nustril had a few minor bruises under his fur but none would slow his travel. It was a good thing that they did not plan to sell the hide, for his claws and teeth had savaged it thoroughly. There would be plenty of meat for the hunters to share at camp. Lifting his head, Nustril let out a roar.

[Cypress]

When Dolanne reached Nustril's hiding place, the deed was already done and his roar announced not only the kill, but the arrival of his partner. Cy slipped from the horses back, still holding her bow in hand. She approached the tiger and at first sight she was taken aback. The fierce savagery that could be her mate never ceased to take her breath away, the flip side was knowing that within a heartbeat he could do something entirely childlike and playful. His massive jaws were dripping with dark, syrupy blood, it blackened his fur even more than usual, and as she approached she had to search for a spot that was not doused to nuzzle her face into his fur. She purred softly against him. "Perfect."

She leaned down to take a look at the carcass, a gentle touch of her fingers closed the animal's eye and she whispered her thanks for the sacrifice. As she pulled her hand back, the tip of her finger caught on a tear in the hide, and a grin spread over her face. "I guess we needn't worry about my arrows ruining the pelt from here on out." She giggled to herself as she looked back at Nustril.

[Nustril]

In response to her comments about the pelt he shook his head with amusement and kneaded the earth with his paws. Licking his lips, he gripped the deer in his jaw and began carefully dragging it back toward camp. This part was always unpleasant, the need to return the meat to the human camp. As heavy and muscular as he was, it remained a challenge to haul a large deer for long distances with his mouth.

They would feed well. Then he would be able to forget the aching his neck and chest and doze by the fire. Thoughts of that pleasant eventuality helped him forge onward as he led horse and rider back to their temporary home. Nothing like a bit of meat at the end of a long hard day.

[Cypress]

The trip back to camp was filled with nearly as much anticipation as was the journey to the hunt, her stomach growled loudly as if to remind her that the subject of hunger was still out there. She followed closely to keep watch for predators, wishing there was some way that she might help in the transport.

Once they were safely back at camp, she took a moment to get the fire going, then she grabbed her knife and crouched in front of the deer. She used her thumb to find the hollow beneath its chin, once located she took the point of her knife and drove it through the thick hide. With a swift cut she opened the throat so she might begin to shear the skin away from the meat. Over their hunts, she'd experimented in trying to find the most tender meat for cooking while leaving as much in tact for Nustril to feed upon, she was still looking. The sharp blade easily cut away the hide of the deer and extracted enough meat for her to fill her belly, she could then relax back on the ground and cook herself some dinner. She glanced to the tiger with a smile and ran her thumb along her jaw.

"All yours."

[Nustril]

Nustril was far less precise than she was. He merely gripped the deer with his paws and claws and tore it apart with his powerful jaws. Bones cracked, tendons snapped, and flesh was gobbled down eagerly. Every bit that was edible and had not been claimed by Cypress was slurped, crunched, or chewed up to fill the void in his belly. Shifting was a hungry business, as was traveling and hunting.

When finally he was sated the kelvic licked his maw clean of blood and took some time to clean his fur with a long pink tongue. Cleanliness was key. Once he deemed himself to no longer be too much of a mess, he pawed over to the fire and lay down behind Cypress. Wiggling closer and closer, he eventually curled his long frame around her body so that his tummy was pressing against her back. His feet sprawled out to either side of her, and his head curled slightly to let the sun warm the underside of his neck. PurrrRRRrrrRRRrrr!

[Cypress]

She cut her meat into two thick steaks and reached in her pack for a pouch of wild herbs she'd gathered along their trip. Today's experimental herb was a no go and she stuffed it back in the pack with a grimace. Grabbing another small leather pouch, she opened it and sniffed the contents before taking a pinch and rubbing it into the flesh. She tossed the meat in a pan that she'd set in the fire and smiled at the hissing sound of it searing.

As soon as the aroma began to tickle her nose she stabbed each steak with a fork and flipped them over, barely browning the surface. While she would never eat the meat raw as Nustril did, she liked it to remain moist and pink inside.When she'd taken them from the fire she cut into the steaks and enjoyed every bite, finally satisfying her noisy stomach. Because of her hunger, it is possible that the meat tasted better than it actually was, happily unmarred by her lack of cooking skills. She let out a little sigh as she continued to enjoy the meal.

The warmth of Nustril curling around her hips coincided with her last bite and she smiled over her shoulder. She set her dishes aside and leaned back, shifting he body to fit along his stomach. She slipped her head and shoulders between his front legs and settled with her head beneath his chin. Taking a final look at the fire and shimmied a little closer before closing her eyes.

The End!