Gotcha! (Nightly)

[Tinnok]

Gotcha!
1st of Summer, 513 AV

She sat in the crook of a tree, lazily sipping from her water skin. The calm of the forest sunk into her flesh and she smiled. She should have been hunting ground ward, but sometimes she just liked listening to the music of Caiyha's children...the hunt could always come later after all. A bright blue warbler sang to her lightly and Tinnok did a petch poor job trying to mimic the sweet little avian creature, her voice cracking every now and then until she laughed and ceased her efforts. The bird didn't seem to mind either way, and sat upon her shoulder, their thoughts melding as she got an aerial view of a new part of the wilds and the bird took comfort in the fact that it couldn't be eaten while sitting on the Witch's shoulder.

A crackle below in the jungle sent the warbler flying off and put Tinnok on alert. Just because most of the dangers of the jungle were gone in light of her Gnosis made her anything but actually safe with things like DHani and her own petching comrades...Remembering the events of the spring made Tinnok shudder. She had heard the rumors circulating about a traitor in their midst and it was only a matter of time before those dark eyes turned to her...the petching snake.

But those were thoughts for another time, and Tinnok frowned as she noticed a sleek black body slowly making its way through the foliage below. That petching Kelvic, Zurenai didn't know when to quit. He was like a lost kitten and Tinnok had gotten rather sick of it...his strange eloquent speech and they way he looked at her...though admittedly she liked admiring his body. Pah, that was neither here nor there.

She knew that she could hide int he tree and the Kelvic would surely pass without seeing her...but she was too annoyed to think in a stealthy manner, and leaped down from her perch, both hands gripping a low hanging branch and arcing her body up and over, tumbling to the ground behind the cat and righting herself...more or less with a bit of grace.

"Enough of this Kelvic, if you want to go hunt, hunt far away from me, you here? Just cause I'm letting you stay at my hut don't mean we're friends."

And then she suddenly realized that this cat...was not Zurenai, by then, however...it was too late.

[Nightly]

Nightly was so hungry and the day simply wasn’t going his way. He had set out early in the morning with the plan to catch a large meal then return to explore the city. He had taken only a small look but the noise and movement of the place sent him packing last time. It had just been too much to handle all at once, all the colors noises and smells made him hurt and he couldn’t tell what these people did! They had moved like an angry swarm of ants, so Nightly ran with the intention of returning some other time, maybe. Yet that plan wasn’t even going to happen because the one thing he had managed to catch today got away with a firm bite to his nose.

It had been some odd fuzzy animal that was thin and wiry, with very sharp teeth. He was lucky those teeth hadn’t broken the skin of his nose, but that new pain made him reel back and his meal had run. So here he was hungry again. It wasn’t anything new but that didn’t mean he was happy about it. Moving through the shadows of bushes and other odd plants; if he could eat these things he would be set. It didn’t come to mind to try and eat it as a human, why would it when he had never even seen what his other skin ate? Quiet suddenly the sound of a crack broke the inner rant of things just not letting him eat them.

Yes, great; that would help him catch something! Maybe he should try purring and cooing at it! The food might be so scared that it would keel over all by itself! The fur along his back bristled and he gave a single flick of his tail. The day was beautiful even if his luck was anything but. Warm with its rays sneaking between leaves to dapple the ground, it made it perfect to move along. That would normally bring him better luck in hunting. You could not run from what you could not see.

It didn’t come to mind that things in the trees could still see him. So when something jumped down behind him he twisted around and snarled; ready to rip it to pieces or run if he had to. If it were one of those large striped cats he would need to run, but then he had never seen one climb a tree. Sure enough it was not cat but a human. Oddly it started talking to him. Ordering him to hunt somewhere else, saying other things he did not understand, hut and friend? Pissed he brought himself to his full height and snarled; mouth opening to show saliva coated teeth.

How dare this prey tell him where he could hunt, as if he were one of those animals that came to a whistle! His amber eyes raced with malice as he looked the creature over. Then he struck out with his right paw, aiming a heavy swipe at its legs. It seemed prey came to him after all, and would dare command him! He would never listen; never bow under these creatures again! Snarling he dove to the thing and in his anger he forget the few facts he had learned of these fleshy two legged creatures; they were not defenseless.

Everything in him was now zeroed in on just killing it. Nothing else registered to him, not even the gnawing of his stomach. If he could kill it, it would stop talking; it would stop moving and he could eat it. If he killed it, it couldn’t command him and force him to move. The chattering angry voices in his head were in a whirl wind now; so many voices telling him to stop, to bow and obey.

He would kill it, and they would die. He didn’t need to listen, he was free that other one was dead and rotting, he had killed it! So why was it commanding him again! It had to die, had to feed the ground with its blood and make things silent again.

[Tinnok]

The fur of this jaguar...it was sleek, but had lost some shine, and she saw the glimmer of ribs poking through fur. It was not the same cat as Zurenai, but if it was a regular jaguar...then why was it attacking her?

Tinnok leapt backward using an awkward somersault, stumbling upright a good distance away form the feline. She locked eyes with the cat and attempted to forge a connection using her Nura. The cat didn't seem rabid...but when she reached toward its mind all she was met with was silence, a wall...just like with Zurenai. Had she been oddly right in calling this thing a Kelvic?

It seemed furious at her...regardless of what it was, and Tinnok drew a dagger, holding it out towards him.

"I am sorry, I mistook you for another. I do not wish to kill you, cat, but if you force me to I will skin you and sell it for a few bikkas."

She was not in the mood for another Kelvic begging at her door, and would offer this one no food, but she didn't truly want a fight with a starving and powerful beast, like as not it wouldn't end well for either of them.

"You are a powerful cat, why can you not catch any food? Didn't anyone teach you to hunt?" Unsure if the thing could even understand her words she continued circling warily around the Jaguar, whose piercing yellow eyes refused to leave her. No doubt he was imagining her dead and filling her belly, and outcome to which the Myrian simply couldn't abide.

[Nightly]

Nightly startled as the human leaped back; going into the air with a spin. He had never seen them do that before and yet this one had deftly evaded his claws and was on her feet and far enough away that he couldn’t touch her. Warily he turned so that she was at his shoulder. Easy to attack, and easy to run. With this one acting so differently he wasn’t sure how to approach it. Normally he showed up, they screamed and he ate them. This one was the one who had challenged him this time. With the strange buzz in his head he gave himself a harsh shake; his eyes going up to seek the bug but saw nothing. No matter, the human was more important.

He watched her draw out something that shown, this he had seen before. Humans didn’t appear to have claws or teeth, but they made ones far sharper than his. Now further unsure of this all he hissed and lowered his body toward the ground. How could she mistake him, he didn’t look like anyone else; but the threat to kill and skin him was not something that made him understand any better. He watched her circle and he stilled himself. Was it her mistake that caused her to challenge then forbid him to be here? His train of thought cut off as she questioned his hunting.

Who would have taught? He was alone, nothing else but the voice that was always chattering in his head. Now he was hungry, and everything in him wanted to kill this one and just eat. She had commanded him, but if it were a mistake then should he not let her go? Yet then he had no food, but if she was important and he killed her, wouldn’t the ones in the city be angry if she were theirs? Growling he shook his head. Words, if he asked, then he could know. That meant changing his skin.

Hissing at the female he sat down and flashed his teeth angrily; if it went for her talking he could have just ate her! If she had not asked a question, his mind would not have snapped back; and his stomach would be full. With a huff he changed. It had been awhile since he had, but as always it was nothing but a sliding feeling as if his fur ran off him like beads of water. So there he sat naked and glaring at the woman, eyes still a chilling and mad gold. “Why did you challenge me, is it for the other you thought I was?” He cocked his head to the side, black hair brushing his shoulder in a tangled mess.

In this skin it was much easier to tell he was not rich in food. His bones showed plainly without his fur to hide their presence and bruises littered his pale skin; unable to heal from the lack of energy in his body. Lazily he stretched but his eyes did not move from her. “If you mistook me for the other, was it he you would forbid from being here?” His stomach growled and surprised Nightly looked at it, that was new in itself he supposed. Despite his agitation, there was no emotion shown on his face, it was smooth without even a single line to show It had ever moved.

With a very feline like huff he looked back to Tinnok. "I am hungry, your preventing me from eating. Now food, talk." He snapped his teeth, showing off the fact that they were still very much a threat.

[Tinnok]

The half breed squinted at him. The cat snapped and snarled, almost as if warring with himself as to what he should do to her. Tinnok's eyes narrowed and she took a step back, wary of a beast so hungry that he might simply charge her. But instead...he shifted.

The physical toll on his body was more obvious now, but so too were the differences in appearance. He was a wilder creature than the cat from his city...or so it seemed. She surely would have seen him before if he lived in Taloba, yet he certainly appeared like a creature from the jungle would, and had no qualms about his nudity like Zurenai had.

And then he spoke, his voice like a growl itself. Tinnok slid her dagger into her belt as an act of good will...to show she meant it when she said she didn't want to kill him, and considered her reply.

"Yes I only challeneged you because I mistook you for another. He frays the nerves and is a Kelvic cat like you, but larger in size."

She nodded at his second question. "And you are right again, it was he who I did not want following me...but Kelvics seem to follow, do they not?"

At the last snap the half breed frowned, hands on her hips. "If you are hungry, hunt for food then, cat, there is meat a plenty around, yet you stay close to the city where all creatures big and small know not to tread lest they get taken by a dagger or an arrow. Go out into the wilds and find them, do not whine to me that you are starving."

What cat didn't know how to hunt, after all? She began to turn and started walking deeper into the jungle on a hunt of her own, wondering if the jaguar would attack when her back was turned. A truly dishonorable tactic, but then again...beasts knew little of honor, and he was hungry. Part of her wanted to help him, for she still saw all creatures as part of Caiyha's realm...but her helping in the name of Caiyha had gotten her into more trouble than it was worth as of late, and she was tired of sticking her neck out for these strange shifters.

[Nightly]

He watched her hide the detached claw; such strange things people used. Perhaps if they did not use them they might grow their own. Nightly shifted as she spoke; it was a much more pleasant sound to this skins ears; it didn’t sound so intrusive as before. “Larger?” He had not known there was a large male around; he wondered if it was bad. The more he tried to think of things, the more noise his mind made; it was too hard to think so he allowed himself to stray from the thought to the next one. “Follow, I do not know. I have never followed anyone. Maybe they are hunting.” He stared at her, wondering if other had the idea.

The sudden snip of her voice however, caught him off guard and he hissed. Not quite the same effect but pleasantly close that he was pleased. “I stay close because,” and he trailed off; finally his face took an emotion. It was like looking at a child who could not reach something and was both confused and angry. “I hunt away to, but I am not good; and humans are food.” He watched her turn and leave. Every instinct said to charge and kill the now unwary prey, but then it had been different to talk; perhaps he could cause her to talk more if he did not eat her?

He stood up meaning to follow, but he was not fast on these legs and did not have the fur to keep bugs and plants from injuring him. He looked down at his legs, not moving from the spot as he tried to decide what to do. If he were to shift, he could follow her, but he could not make her speak. If he were to stay as he was, he could not keep up; and he would not be able to follow. Head hurting he shook it and shifted. Hurriedly he ran after the human. He had seen her eyes, even the soft patter of scales but had not been able to put together that she was not human.

It was easy to catch up as he was, but unable to talk he gave a low chuffing sound instead. It was a sound for greeting the stripped cats did. It was a simple thing to mimic it, and it saved his hide from sharp claws of those much larger cats. Trotting beside her he gave his whole body a shake. Hunger dug into him, but in a shamble he pieced together that this one might know how to hunt. It was possible she could show him what to do. Growling he shook his head roughly. Thinking too much, it was like flies in his head. He wondered if he couldn’t talk to the human somehow as he was, he liked this skin. It came with many problems, but like this he was strong.

With a huff he looked up at the human, he was surprised how large she was to him. A little voice reminded him he was a cub still, but it was lost as more grumbled over food; smells sounds. Then one smell caught his attention finally, and his whole body went ridged in surprise. Snake, she smelled like a snake! Dhani. Such a familiar smell caused him to perk up and he moved closer to her, stretching his body he tried to head-butt the side of her leg. Pet, maybe this one could pet him. He missed that, it had been nice; but that one was gone. He killed her, she was gone.

[Tinnok]

She heard him patter behind her, but it was not the sound of a creature bent on killing her...Somewhere in the back of her mind she realized she had piqued his curiosity as much as her own. She had not tried to kill him, as any other Myrian would...and cats had better senses than humans, he had probably noticed she was not like the others...or perhaps not.

He chuffed and she glanced at him warily. Too skinny this one, he needed some meat on his bones. He didn't talk like Zurenai either, that she liked...silence was oft better than speech, and even the head butt to her leg wasn't unwelcome...at least not yet.

She cuffed him lightly on the shoulder but did not pet him...not yet.

"You Kelvic are strange...but if you know not of hunting I can show you a couple things." She shook her head. She hated this, this desire to help...but she couldn't leave the starving cat to her warrior brethren...and what would Dhani do with him if they found him?

She coughed.

"You have a better nose than I, Kelvic, so use it." She sniffed herself but what she smelled were the pungent scents of rotting fruit and damp earth. They walked for a long time in silence, and Tinnok was reminded of Dog, the way it felt to have a loyal companion by her side, then flushed the thought form her head. This was a half starving predator confused and alone...it was not the same thing.

A bird, reluctant because of the large cat, flitted to her shoulder. Tinnok was unsure of this one's breed, it was a plain brown with orange stripes under the wings...some kind of flycatcher, but there were so many bloody kinds it was hard to tell. She brushed a thumb along its head to calm it from the predatory danger and she saw...a small herd of deer not far off. It was hard to track what thoughts went where with a flighty bird, but she had learned that generally, images of their flight had to be recent or they would simply forget they ever saw them. She took a few seeds out of her pocket, things she always kept on hand to thank her winged friends, and gave him a nibble of them, suggesting politely for him to fly off the way he had come.

Northwest...Tinnok changed her position and glanced at the jaguar. "There are deer close by, so try to be quiet...let me know when you smell them and we will slow down."

She crouched low to the ground and began moving at a slower pace, her long bow sliding out over body so she needn't worry about the noise its movement made when they were closer. The one advantage of having a Kelvic hunt with you...they understood most of what you said.

[Nightly]

Nightly gave a low warning growl at the cuff, but didn’t otherwise react. It was not as if such a thing hurt, but it was better to warn the two legged that something harder wouldn’t be tolerated. His ears lifted and he glanced up at her. She said that she would help him, show him. Chuffing he brushed his head against her but kept moving so neither were to stop. Yes, finally one with a better smell, and a smart one. He would no more hurt this one then himself.

Pleased with the results of things, Nightly’s tail gave a flourished flick and his whiskers panned out. This was much preferred. At her sudden cough he gave a low rumbling growl, but the sound eased off at her words. His nose, surely she had a proper one if she could hunt. Perhaps it was damaged, he decided as he watched her from the corner of his eyes. That was a sad thing if it were true.

To her request he stopped moving for and lifted his head. His eyes slid closed as he hurriedly filtered smells from sounds and colors. Too many things caused his mind to bicker. Heat and rot of plants and creatures alike. He hurried to catch up, mouth opening in a pant as his black fur took in the heat of the day, but it was also to catch more scents. Looking up sharply he caught sight of the bird on the females shoulder. He waited to see if she would eat it; but he watched confused as the creature was petted. Why pet food?

Still watching he caught her feeding the flying snack and huffed in disgust. No matter, those feather balls never tasted good and what they ate was hardly food at all. Lazily he trailed after the female, one ear turning as she spoke. Deer, what was a deer? With a grumble he followed, his nose working to sort past the scent of heat that penetrated everything. It was good fortune that he caught the scent of blood, a stag catching its head on a branch from tangling its antlers and shaking them free.

He moved back to Tinnok’s side and pushed against her. He was hungry, and with this scent he understood what a deer was. Those long legged running things that kicked. He had never caught one. Those odd things moved faster than he did, and Nightly had not yet learned to hide or to wait. His whole area of hunting was to rush forward and simply hope to catch something. For the moment, he was waiting. Crouching down his tail flicked back and forth as his eyes strained to see through brush.

Abruptly he thrust his head against Tinnok, demanding she move and hunt. Like a foolish thing he was Nightly shivered and shook in excitement. He wanted to feel the crunch of the bone in his teeth, and the gush of blood flow to his stomach.

[Tinnok]

She moved forward slowly, careful to put her feet down cautiously with every step. It would do no good to crack a branch and send the small flighty deer of the jungle wilds off in a hurry.

When the jaguar's head bumped against her side, she glanced at him, seeing the hunger in his eyes. He must have caught the smell of something, which meant they had to be close.

Her voice was barely a whisper when she spoke. "I know you're hungry, but you have to wait by me until I loose my arrow or they will get away." Even as she spoke she drew the long slender weapon from her quiver and set it into the well worn groove of her longbow, drawing back the oiled string. She only kept it partially drawn, for it would do her muscles no good to cramp when she hadn't yet found the deer.

She moved even slower, though it was clear the jaguar just wanted to rush in, and her yellow eyes peered through the foliage, searching a fleck of brown or a sight of antlers.

She froze as she heard a snort that came from neither her nor the cat, and she took one partial step forward, moving a set of branches slowly aside with the front of her bow to catch sight of a small herd of deer just ahead.

She took a breath and fully drew her bow, letting the branches settle back where they were. She shifted a bit to get a better sight of the herd, scoping out her potential target. There were two stags, though one was obviously the alpha male, the other one just an adolescent by the look of his newly grown antlers, only half the size of his superior.

She pulled the head of her arrow towards the older stag, arms quivering with the strain of holding the bow, one eye squinting. She was not good enough to get the beast through the eye, and his angle made a shot for his neck chancy at best. The one advantage she had was the starving jaguar at her side, and so instead of going for a fatal blow, she went for a crippling one, shooting her arrow with a 'twang' into the haunch of the older stag, who brayed in fear and pain.

Suddenly the area exploded with activity as the deer began leaping away...Tinnok needn't have told the jaguar what to do next, and as the cat surged forward so did she, grabbing another arrow and kneeling upon the ground, training her weapon at the fleeing deer in hopes of another shot.

[Nightly]

Nightly wanted to go now, as the two legged crept across the ground he took mindful care to follow. She said she would teach him, and she could not do that if he just let himself do as he had always done. Rush forward and bite. He flashed her his teeth, ears flattening to his skull. He did not know what an arrow was, but he followed her none the less; his eyes going to the stick she held. To put it plainly it stunk. Smelling unnatural enough that he nearly moved away. A glance down proved that would have had his paws stepping into dead leaves.

He eased forward, watching now more carefully where he placed his feet. All of him was tense, even his whiskers refused to even twitch. He too heard the snort and his pupils enlarged, his tail tip started to flick back and forth like a worm. Why were they still, why didn’t they just go and get it, the food was right there. He couldn’t turn to see what Tinnok was doing as she moved, he nearly didn’t care. There the deer were, he saw nothing of hide or antlers of the creature. He was looking at their stomach. That was the best part to eat.

Nightly could hardly stand still, but as the deer suddenly cried in pain and he smelled the blood, he sprung forward. His claws ripped the ground tearing dirt plants and rocks. He tore through the brush and went after the injured stag. He knew the one Tinnok picked, he didn’t yet understand why it was hurt or limping. It was not running fast enough to evade him this time. Leaping forward he swung his body in front of the deer, its hooved struck him but it was not a harsh blow. The animal afraid had reared, and then Nightly jumped and bit not at the neck like many animal; his jaws were the most powerful in the whole of the cat family; and they sought the skull.

His front paws went to the animal’s neck, while his back claws struck the neck; claws digging into flesh without a care as he clung on and simply bit. He was not prepared for how hard the deer’s skull was thanks to those antlers; and his bite was not hard enough to break the bone. The deer’s mouth was in his own, and Nightly snarling shook his head harshly as he tried to drive his teeth into the thick bone. Rather than being driven by hunger, he just wanted to kill it at all costs.

Young as he was Nightly was still heavy. His weight didn’t allow the deer to run as it bellowed and panicked, shaking its antlered head; those points close to tightly clenched gold eyes. He could smell blood, even taste it. He shook his head harder, his back feet now digging into the ground to try and keep from being lifted and thrown.