Post by Kenren on Oct 28, 2017 13:51:39 GMT -5
The weather, she could tell, was turning. The air had a frozen edge to it, rustling the lightly-coated branches of the trees. She'd been here before, but the snow was much thinner than in the past - it was the last moments of summer, after all, and the thinnest the snow was going to be all year. Still, though, the cold air was biting, and Ezra fought the urge to just duck into an abandoned fox den and sleep the day off. She couldn't, of course. She was here for a purpose, and it wasn't to freeze her ass of for fun. She felt an edge of excitement in her gut, even though she knew she had a ways to go. Chaos was the best sort of godsend she could have ever hoped for. She didn't need to struggle anymore to be smarter than those around her. She didn't have to sacrifice her body and her attention to get what she wanted. She could truly, physically be stronger than anyone, just like the strength males were blessed with by nature. What did it matter if, even now, hunger pooled angrily in her belly? Gnawing, even though she'd just eaten. Discomfort was a small price to pay to become a more beastly predator. That was the purpose of this whole venture. Chaos had granted her tasks to perform, and she was eager to show her... devotion. Deep forest eyes were sharp on the horizon, searching upwind for what she knew was there, but hadn't yet seen. She lay with her belly in the snow, head down and nose covered with cold white - the only color to be seen was that of her eyes, and they would be negligible from a distance. She'd scouted out the lynx's den the day before, and had left to gather her strength for the night. Now, at dawn, she waited somewhat impatiently for the female to leave her home to hunt. She was to follow it for the day, carefully, silently, and she was determined to do just that. Even if it was uncomfortable. Even if it stretched her, mentally, to her limits. It wasn't anything new. Ah, finally. Ezra remained motionless as she spotted movement on the horizon. Through the trees, she saw the brown fur of the lynx, standing out much more than her own white coat. It was one of the reasons she'd chosen this place, and this predator. She could remain hidden more easily, and unlike the foxes that lived in this area, the lynx did not have the advantage of similar coloring. What better predator was there? Aside from her own kind, of course. Really, it wasn't particularly eventful. She trailed by quite a distance, staying downwind as much as possible. Even when the wind did shift, the lynx didn't seem particularly worried - after all, wolves did inhabit this territory, and they never caused her any trouble. Even when she did look back, Ezra would crouch down, and from over 200 feet away she couldn't easily be picked up. Still, the lynx did a lot of moving, quickly catching one of the plentiful snow hares and toting it back to her den. She likely sensed she was being watched, but that wasn't something Ezra could help. She settled down, once more, to wait. The lynx remained in her den for hours. And then hours more. Ezra ached from being silent and still for so long, not knowing when the cat might reveal herself again. The sun rose high, warming her at least a little, before it began to descend once more. She did not sleep, though she wanted to take the opportunity to doze. If the cat left its den in the few moments she had her eyes closed, this would all be for nothing. Not to mention it would be dangerous to let the lynx see her when she didn't realize it - the cat could do her a lot of damage, if she mistakenly let it get close enough. So she waited, prepared to handle the discomfort for this cycle of the sun. Only when colors began to paint the sky did she sense movement again. She breathed a curse under her breath, eagerly pulling herself to stand as the lynx went on the hunt. Her body protested, muscles creaking, but her fitness overcame it as she began to jog quietly after the prowling predator. The sun had softened the snow enough throughout the day that it didn't crunch as it did on the coldest evenings. Another small blessing. When she went past the den, she found herself pausing - the mewling noises inside told her the lynx was female, and that she had kits there. Hunger told her this would be an easy meal. Instinct told her it was probably a really bad idea. Sighing lightly, Ezra set off after the mother. It was at least more exciting this time around. She was lucky she saw the lynx hunker down near a burrow and was able to conceal herself properly, otherwise she would have exposed herself in the dying light. Just as Ezra had stalked the lynx, the lynx now stalked the hares. She was a shrewd predator, remaining silent and under cover even when the creature poked its head out in the late evening. She waited, calmly, surely, until the hare was closer to her than it was its home. With quick, leaping strides, she grabbed the hare by the neck just as it dove for its hole. The small creature gave a chilling scream, struggled, before a harsh clamping of the jaws silenced it. They were on the move again. It was a boring cycle, if one was honest, without the intricacies of group life to at least observe. Ezra supposed her own life wouldn't be much more exciting on a daily basis. Or, at least, it hadn't been. Her very unique behavior of stalking her own kind would make things a little more interesting nowadays. Much of her time was spent searching, then observing... sometimes interacting, before she would strike. She hadn't killed anyone yet, and likely wouldn't given it was her source of food, but that didn't mean it wasn't possible. She was a killer at heart, even if she wasn't yet by practice. The lynx ducked back into the den, and for a time, it was quiet. The mother left twice more, but given the moonless night, she had no further luck. The hares were safely in their burrows, the squirrels in their nests. Ezra fought tiredness even when the lynx returned to her den in the early hours of morning, where she remained for the remainder of the night. She waited longer than strictly necessary, actually, waiting until the lynx once more emerged. Pulling her lips back from white teeth, Ezra let a low growl resound across the silent landscape. The lynx picked it up easily, whipping her head to the wolf and yowling angrily in warning in return. Growling herself, she backed back into her den, threat obvious. But Ezra had no interest in pursuing it further. It was a different sort of hunger that was worsening in her belly, her throat, a thirst that wasn't yet unbearable. The lynx would do nothing for her. She'd just wanted, sadistically, to let the lynx know she was here. Even if she might not make the connection to the creeping feeling she'd been experiencing for the last day. Padding away, Ezra moved to find a slightly less hostile place to sleep. speaking ---------------------- She's done her thing now, so this is open if anyone wants to yell at her for traipsing around all day. |
CODING BY TEMPEST.
