07-12-2009, 02:18 AM
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http://digital-bonsai.com/katew/rp/kae/kae_rain.gif); background-repeat:no-repeat; background-position:bottom center; border:1px solid #FFFFFF; text-align:justify;"> Harrow Road Landfill.
The edge of the woods brought Kaena to an unfamiliar location in the territory. The land here was different, and the soil seemed thin and out of place, as if dug up from somewhere else entirely and transplanted to this area. There was little grass, and the vegetation consisted primarily of weeds and other very hardy, tiny plants. The earth was very odd here, mostly just strangely shaped dirt mounds. The ashen hybrid walked over one, finding the earth was very soft here. Patches of rusted silver showed through here and there, and Kaena realized she was standing on top of a half-buried, ancient wreck of a car. She peered down curiously, scratching more of the soft earth from the roof of the vehicle. She lost interest quickly when she realized the interior was completely filled with dirt, and meandered down the other side of it.
Here and there were weathered relics of human existence, none appearing too useful on her preliminary glance over the area. She didn't know what to call this stuff, but clearly, all of it was junk long before the human race was obliterated. The grayscale hybrid assumed the others would have already searched the area for anything useful; indeed, the scents of her clan-mates coated the ground, well-used scent trails winding through the landfill. The hybrid climbed over another of the dirt mounds, pausing when she reached the top. She crouched down on her ankles, balancing herself for a long moment. She was almost completely still save for the quivering of her black nostrils; her ears pointed forward and her golden eye scanned the area everywhere.
She remained low to the ground, crouching as she stalked forward. The night cast long, deep shadows across the ground, and she crept amongst them, her footfalls silent and her movements painstaking and slow. She rounded another tiny knoll, and froze, her eye stopping on the sleeping deer. The hybrid looked her over closely, squinting that wicked golden thing at the creature. There was blood caked onto her foreleg, and a fresh, grievous injury showed. The creature was still young, and the Lykoi woman was experienced enough to know the adolescent deer stood no chance. She crept forward again, standing just over the deer and peering at her curiously. Her sleep was very deep; chances were good she had received her injury today and was exhausted from running from whatever caused it. The hybrid's breath slowed as her jaws drew near to the slumbering creature's neck, snapping it with an audible crack.
There was mercy in Kaena's actions—a younger version of the canine would have pounced on the creature in her sleep and dug claws into the deer's back, scaring her awake before ending her life. Now Kaena allowed the deer the small courtesy of dying asleep, without terror and panic. The hybrid fell to eating almost immediately, tearing strips of the still-warm meat. She had never seen a need to cook anything, though she enjoyed seasoned, seared foods. Still, there was something primal in Kaena that would always enjoy the feel of tearing into a fresh kill and falling to feast. She ate with some sense of civility, however, keeping the mess to a minimum and reclining back to eat. She hoped others would come across and share in her meal—it was a chance find, and there was plenty here. Either way, she would carry whatever was left back to the caves, and hope someone would make use of it before scavengers did.
The edge of the woods brought Kaena to an unfamiliar location in the territory. The land here was different, and the soil seemed thin and out of place, as if dug up from somewhere else entirely and transplanted to this area. There was little grass, and the vegetation consisted primarily of weeds and other very hardy, tiny plants. The earth was very odd here, mostly just strangely shaped dirt mounds. The ashen hybrid walked over one, finding the earth was very soft here. Patches of rusted silver showed through here and there, and Kaena realized she was standing on top of a half-buried, ancient wreck of a car. She peered down curiously, scratching more of the soft earth from the roof of the vehicle. She lost interest quickly when she realized the interior was completely filled with dirt, and meandered down the other side of it.
Here and there were weathered relics of human existence, none appearing too useful on her preliminary glance over the area. She didn't know what to call this stuff, but clearly, all of it was junk long before the human race was obliterated. The grayscale hybrid assumed the others would have already searched the area for anything useful; indeed, the scents of her clan-mates coated the ground, well-used scent trails winding through the landfill. The hybrid climbed over another of the dirt mounds, pausing when she reached the top. She crouched down on her ankles, balancing herself for a long moment. She was almost completely still save for the quivering of her black nostrils; her ears pointed forward and her golden eye scanned the area everywhere.
She remained low to the ground, crouching as she stalked forward. The night cast long, deep shadows across the ground, and she crept amongst them, her footfalls silent and her movements painstaking and slow. She rounded another tiny knoll, and froze, her eye stopping on the sleeping deer. The hybrid looked her over closely, squinting that wicked golden thing at the creature. There was blood caked onto her foreleg, and a fresh, grievous injury showed. The creature was still young, and the Lykoi woman was experienced enough to know the adolescent deer stood no chance. She crept forward again, standing just over the deer and peering at her curiously. Her sleep was very deep; chances were good she had received her injury today and was exhausted from running from whatever caused it. The hybrid's breath slowed as her jaws drew near to the slumbering creature's neck, snapping it with an audible crack.
There was mercy in Kaena's actions—a younger version of the canine would have pounced on the creature in her sleep and dug claws into the deer's back, scaring her awake before ending her life. Now Kaena allowed the deer the small courtesy of dying asleep, without terror and panic. The hybrid fell to eating almost immediately, tearing strips of the still-warm meat. She had never seen a need to cook anything, though she enjoyed seasoned, seared foods. Still, there was something primal in Kaena that would always enjoy the feel of tearing into a fresh kill and falling to feast. She ate with some sense of civility, however, keeping the mess to a minimum and reclining back to eat. She hoped others would come across and share in her meal—it was a chance find, and there was plenty here. Either way, she would carry whatever was left back to the caves, and hope someone would make use of it before scavengers did.