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| Posted by | Death's Mercy [Private] |
 ㅤ🌸 Lady Kakata ㅤ🌸 (#37637) Heavenly View Forum Posts  Posted on 2024-08-31 10:20:26 |
Water ... When was the last time she had had something to drink? Far longer than she had had something to eat, that was for sure. Her mouth was parched, her skin cracked, her fur patchy and falling out. Her bones jutted out from under her hide at nauseating ankles, so little flesh clinging to her that even the vultures would find her difficult to stomach. What was there for them to take? A few shrunken organs, a collection of frail bones, that was perhaps it. She had fled her maternal pride many, many moons ago. A combination of disease and starvation, before a violent takeover that further thinned the ranks by slaughtering or chasing off adolescents from the latest litter, broke the Pride apart. She ran rather than force herself to entertain the incoming new Kings, terrified and not the sort to try and survive on her own. Lone lionesses didn't survive long, she was warned, you need a Pride to survive. She was dying. She knew it. She had tried to scavenge from any kills or dead animals she could, even becoming violently sick after eating a vulture in desperation. Even dry twigs, but all that gave her was painful splinters and an even angrier stomach. The dry season now meant that water was also scarce, and she was dying even faster. I can't ... Her legs quivered, before buckling entirely and causing her to collapse out in the open on the dry, sandy grass. Character SheetsView and Post Character Sheets 0 players like this post! Like? |
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Silence (#474508)
Bone Collector View Forum Posts Posted on 2024-09-09 08:10:25 |
Atlas chuckled softly as she fell, but then went to check if she was okay. She couldn't afford to lose any more blood, and he was quite certain that she didn't have the nutrients to repair broken bones at this point. A wave of relief washed over him when he saw her get up perfectly fine, and he grinned at her comment. "Well, if you're going to be using that incredible jumping ability of yours to escape danger, you might as well learn how to get yourself out of a tree, right? And..." He paused, glancing off to the side. "It would probably be easier to learn if you had a teacher who was comfortable in trees. However..." Atlas trailed off, opening his mouth slightly as he caught the scent of an antelope. An older one, probably just past its prime. He could feel his mouth begin to water. He hadn't eaten recently, which meant it was probably a good time to catch something for both himself and Chuki. 0 players like this post! Like? |
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ㅤ🌸 Lady Kakata ㅤ🌸 (#37637) Heavenly View Forum Posts Posted on 2024-09-10 15:24:32 |
She mused on this point, looking up into the branches she had so ungraciously fallen from. She was smaller than a normal lioness, she was a natural high jumper, and she had someone to teach her. If the ancestors were going to be merciful enough to give a spotted saviour that dragged her to water and bit ticks off her, why not take it further. "You're right .... though ... you don't have lions here that also climb trees?" That ant-line of thought disappeared when she could see that he was thinking about prey. The way saliva beaded around his lips and the narrowing of the pupils, that well-worn look of a predator whose senses were starting to focus towards the hunt. "Are you going hunting? I can't ... well, I can't bring anything down" Despite the reviving water and the desperate leap into the trees, she was still very weak and thin, with blood on the sides of her head from the ticks Atlas had pulled ott dried into her fur that she would clean off later, "But I can scare them towards you? Make it a bit easier?" 0 players like this post! Like? |
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Silence (#474508)
Bone Collector View Forum Posts Posted on 2024-09-10 19:09:00 |
His ear twitched as he registered her words. Then, without looking at her, Atlas replied. "No, leopards and the occasional jaguar are the only felines I've seen in trees. It stands to reason, however, that if someone my size can climb trees, certainly you can with a bit of practice." Atlas was quiet for a moment as he considered her suggestion. Then, he nodded. "If you feel up to it, we could give it a try. I've never hunted with another before, but it's worth a shot I suppose. Do you smell the antelope?" 0 players like this post! Like? |
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ㅤ🌸 Lady Kakata ㅤ🌸 (#37637) Heavenly View Forum Posts Posted on 2024-09-11 10:24:39 |
A jaguar? She didn't know what that was, and the puzzlement flashed on her face before she perked at his permission to aid the hunt. Before her pride died out, she did learn how to co-operatively hunt, even if her teachers weren't the most ... patient with her. "What I can do is walk around, get their attention ... most antelope are told 'don't be afraid of the lion you CAN see, but the ones you CAN'T see. But they won't expect a leopard!" She raised her face, turning it this way and that until she finally picked up their scent. It was difficult considering her weakened state, but her eyes widened as she detected another scent on the breeze. "One's given birth. Can you smell that? It's blood, but ... watery. Really strong. That's birth blood" 0 players like this post! Like? |
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Silence (#474508)
Bone Collector View Forum Posts Posted on 2024-09-11 11:58:23 |
"Antelopes are taught good wisdom, then." Atlas said quietly. In a moment, he too picked up the scent of the blood. "Congratulations to the mother, I must say. Under normal circumstances, I'd go after the mother and the calf, but this is the season where the young need to be preserved to ensure the success of the species. Tell me, Chuki, do you smell any others?" He got to his paws and started moving towards the scent, his paws near silent on the ground. He needed to get a better look at this herd... look for any weaknesses besides the mother. He wouldn't hesitate to take the mother and calf if there were no others around, though. 0 players like this post! Like? |
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ㅤ🌸 Lady Kakata ㅤ🌸 (#37637) Heavenly View Forum Posts Posted on 2024-09-11 12:59:56 |
"A few males" She wrinkled her nose, "... I don't know what they've been doing, but they stink. Fighting, maybe? My aunts were better at smelling prey; one of the oldest ones could actually tell you the age of whatever she was smelling! She was the only one who was brave enough to bite a crocodile's tail because it wanted the wildebeest her sisters took down near the Great Crossing. She got one of the plates stuck inside her cheek and kept it as a trophy, she was the most powerful hunter I'd ever seen ..." Her story trailed off in wistful nostalgia, before she shook her head to bring herself back to the here-and-now. "That was forever ago, though ..." The herd in front of them was large, spread across a generous plot of land. A few alert members spotted Chuki right away, seemingly bemused by her thin state but unable to take their eyes off her 0 players like this post! Like? |
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Silence (#474508)
Bone Collector View Forum Posts Posted on 2024-09-11 19:04:47 |
"She sounds like a great warrior." Atlas said to her. "One day, I bet you'll be just like her. Even with your broken teeth, there's still ways to take down prey with only your claws alone." The instant he noticed the herd's attention shift to Chuki, he dropped to a crouch and slunk through the grass. He stalked the herd as though he were hunting alone, though he was able to approach far more swiftly due to the attention of the herd being diverted from him. His golden red pelt stood out slightly in the dry grass, but he was really only noticeable when he was in motion, and within a few minutes he was only a few yards away from a large buck. He wrinkled his snout at the stench coming off of him. Foul thing... but it would provide good meat for both felines. As the antelope lowered his head to attempt to eat the dry grass, Atlas pounced. He slammed into the buck's neck with full force, sinking his claws into its back and shoulders and biting down full force on the back of its neck. There was an ugly crunching cracking sound as the antelope hit the ground, its neck broken. It flailed wildly at the leopard before the light faded from its eyes, and its hoof just barely glanced off his shoulder. Not enough to cause major damage, but the sharp edge of the buck's hoof left a small cut. 0 players like this post! Like? |
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ㅤ🌸 Lady Kakata ㅤ🌸 (#37637) Heavenly View Forum Posts Posted on 2024-09-12 12:18:30 |
She winced at the mention of her broken teeth, unaware that he had seen them until now. She could still eat, but it had made hunting more difficult than it needed to be, especially when she was already at a disadvantage as a solo hunter. Still, she did her job in getting eyes on her, walking calmly through the grass and sniffing the air as though she could smell the new calf. Said calf was still wobbly on their hooves, sticky from afterbirth as the mother watched her with nostrils flaring in pure terror. It was good enough that it was almost easy for Atlas to bring down the grazing buck. Any resistance was snapped quicker than the prey's neck, and Chuki was pleased to see that he had brought it down. Her instinct was to hurry over and eat before a male lion came, but this wasn't her prey. She was just the helper. He did the work, he got top choice. She frowned seeing the cut on his shoulder, though, her ears lowering slightly. "Did it hurt you?" 0 players like this post! Like? |
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Silence (#474508)
Bone Collector View Forum Posts Posted on 2024-09-12 17:43:49 |
The cut stung, but Atlas shrugged it off as he dragged their kill further away from the herd. He raised his head, though, letting go of the prey as he heard her question. Did it hurt him? "Not seriously, if that's what you're worried about. Let's get this to the tilted tree so others won't eat it before we're through with it. Then we'll eat." Atlas lowered his head again to grab the antelope's hind leg, then proceeded to start dragging the animal back towards the trees near his den. This could be good for Chuki, too, if she wanted to learn to climb better. He distinctly remembered that when he was a cub, his mother would occasionally have him and his littermate climb up the tree that she cached their meals in. That had been a large influence on how early on he became comfortable with climbing... it was worth a try, at least. 0 players like this post! Like? |
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ㅤ🌸 Lady Kakata ㅤ🌸 (#37637) Heavenly View Forum Posts Posted on 2024-09-13 13:35:16 |
Her strength was lacking, but she at least tried to be helpful. Picking up the antelope's head, she lifted as much weight as she possibly could in her current state, making carrying far easier than simply dragging a dead weight. They must have looked quite a sight to the rest of the deceased bucks herd; one very large male leopard and one small, skin-and-bones female lion tag-team carrying a dead prey item back to the shade of the trees while the stick-like legs of the beast dragged through the grass. She was exhausted by the time they returned, her hind legs folding underneath her without effort as she dropped the head, panting as though she had run miles. "That ... was heavy" She admitted. For a healthy adult lioness, it would have been cumbersome, yes, but not draining. 0 players like this post! Like? |
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Silence (#474508)
Bone Collector View Forum Posts Posted on 2024-09-13 20:40:22 |
"Well, he was a big one for sure." Atlas said as he dragged it partially up the trunk of the tree. Chuki would still be able to reach it, if she sat near it. When Chuki dropped to the ground, he glanced over at her briefly. Then he set to wrenching one of the antelope's hind legs from its body. With a popping, squelching sound, the leg tore away and the smell of fresh, still warm meat filled the air. He dragged it over to her, then rested it beside her. "Go on, eat." 0 players like this post! Like? |
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ㅤ🌸 Lady Kakata ㅤ🌸 (#37637) Heavenly View Forum Posts Posted on 2024-09-14 12:36:29 |
Her mouth was watering at the smell of the kill, but she refused to look at it as he dragged it up the tree. It was his kill, he did all the hard work, she just helped and was doing so in gratitude for leading her to water and biting off the ticks on the back of her head. She looked up at the leg brought to her, hope in her eyes for a meal but worry etched on her face. "... really?" She dared not hope too much it was for her, which raised the question of exactly what she had gone through before. Had someone else offered her food only to snatch it away? Was she chased away from too many kills in her own pride? It was hard to say. 0 players like this post! Like? |
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Silence (#474508)
Bone Collector View Forum Posts Posted on 2024-09-15 09:27:35 |
“Of course. You helped make it an easy kill, but I would have shared it regardless.” He started back towards the rest of the antelope. “If you finish that one, I’ll bring you another chunk, or you can come get it yourself. Whatever you’re strong enough for.” Atlas called back to her as he hopped up into the tree to begin eating. 0 players like this post! Like? |
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ㅤ🌸 Lady Kakata ㅤ🌸 (#37637) Heavenly View Forum Posts Posted on 2024-09-15 14:22:05 |
"..." She swore she was going to cry. Such simple mercies, but it was a massive changer for her. Without him, she would have died a few hours ago ... The meat was calling to her, she pulled it over with her overly-long claws, crushing the limb in her mouth almost like a cub trying meat for the first time before she regained her senses and remembered how to strip the flesh properly. Not a single morsel was wasted; the fur, the skin, the muscle, the sinew, every single scrap was consumed and the bones licked so clean they shone in the sun. For a normal lion, it would be a refreshing snack, but for someone as thin as Chuki, it was an immense feast. Her stomach, shrunken from the lack of food, ballooned until it looked like she had eaten an entire antelope calf, a livid swell against her ribs. Looking as though she would be sick if she moved wrong, she gently lay on her side, exhausted and drained from the mere act of eating and closed her eyes. For the first time in a long, long time, she was fed, watered, and now she could rest ... 0 players like this post! Like? |
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Silence (#474508)
Bone Collector View Forum Posts Posted on 2024-09-15 17:44:23 |
Atlas paused in his eating to glance over at her. He watched as her eyes drifted closed, the gleaming bones lying beside her in the dust, and he smiled. She seemed quite satisfied, though she probably shouldn't eat much more until her body has had time to process the feast. With any luck, her stomach wouldn't reject it and Chuki would finally be able to get some of the nutrition she needed. He returned to his food, and once he was finished he dragged the antelope further into the tree to store it, tangling it in a knot of branches near the trunk. "That should about do it." The leopard said, prodding it with one paw to test how securely it was caught in the branches. Satisfied that it wouldn't soon fall out of the tree, Atlas yawned and then stretched out on a branch closer to the ground to sleep. His rump rested against where the branch grew from the trunk, giving him something solid to rest against if needed. 0 players like this post! Like? |
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