a leaf on the wind

[Galilee Aika]

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set in the dampwoods, evening of the 23rd. all welcome!

At twilight, the snow-covered woodlands were sublime. But this evening Galilee was oblivious to the subtle beauties of the world around her; she was instead focused on the task of filling her empty belly. Galilee lurked in the shadows, taking full advantage of the low light as she carefully stalked a sickly doe through the undergrowth. She was in her natural lupus form, her body crouched low against the damp chill of the frozen pine needle-covered earth. The ebony female's form held the relaxed tension of an experienced hunter, muscles loose and ready to spring. Catlike, Galilee drifted from shadow to shadow, attention locked ahead on the stumbling deer who meandered as if drunk through the forest's trees. Now and then, the doe would pause to halfheartedly nibble at a branch pushing through the snow-covered forest floor, and it was then that Galilee edged closer.

A brief pounce like the one Galilee currently planned wasn't the more common way for a lupine to hunt. Normally, a pack would collaborate to corner and bring down a kill, and indeed, most of the family hunts that the young Aika had attended throughout her growing years had been conducted in such a manner. That would be the only form of hunting she knew, had her mother not possessed the foresight to ensure her children knew how to feed themselves alone. 'Just as you may not always be there for your pack, your pack may not always be there for you,' Fiacha had said, her words gentle but her eyes grim, 'It is best if you learn to look after yourselves.' And so Galilee and her siblings learned to catch hares and pheasants and yearlings, either alone or with a solitary partner.

Although Galilee could (and often did) run her prey into the ground, tonight she sought a quick and final ending, mostly because she did not want to unwittingly chase her quarry into claimed ground. Besides, the doe was already sickly and her reaction times would be poor. If the gray-eyed female could knock the deer over it was likely that the animal would be unable to rise again. That was a big if, given the lone wolf's small stature. It would all be a matter of timing and luck she thought, as she moved from one bush to the next, all the while edging slowly closer. And closer. And closer still.

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[Toklo]

Toklo's eyes skimmed the woods, brushing over the green and brown scenery dismissively. He'd grown accustomed to the trees and bushes shrouding the land. The land was not fertile - but it was not dead. It was inbetween. Toklo was a large, bulky male. Armed heavily with strong, bulky muscles from head to toe. He was outgoing to say the least. Simply putting it, he was anything but skittish. He had hard blue eyes, icy and cold with hate. Hate directed at life in general. Toklo's eyes gleamed under the sun as they fixed themselves on something in the distance, through the trees. Toklo didn't move. He was not one to jump in quickly, and end up either hurting himself, or losing what he was after. He thought things through.

Toklo was in Lupus form at the moment. In this form, speed was greatly in his favor. Although the best quality of this form, he was still strong in all other physical charecteristics. He still held the bulk, the keen sense of hearing; smelling. Running was his best though. He would use that to his advantage. Toklo hauled himself to his paws as trotted mellowly in the direction he had seen the animal. It had been a deer, if he had seen correctly. He wasn't extremely famished - not even close - but a good, hearty meal was always welcome. He'd never turn the chance away. So, he started out after the animal.

The doe was sick to say the least, he found as he neared the animal, slowly weaving through the trees, barely able to hold her weight. She would be an easy kill. That was exactly what he needed right now. A quick kill; and then, deer venison. He could already taste the meat. His mouth began to water. But he did not lose focus. He trailed the deer lightly, off to one side, nearly running next to it. He stayed in the shadows though, silent as a panther. Unheard and unseen. It was as if he was not there at all. But, he was.

Toklo hesitated for a mere second before leaping on the deer's back, swiftly bringing it to the ground in one, graceful strike. He did not snarl, and the deer did not balk. It's eyes were already somewhat glazed, and it looked as if death had already hit it. But, the deer's chest heaved, and sweat began to form as she struggled feebly. She didn't have to fight for long. Toklo would bring an end to that quite efficiently. He parted his jaws and exposed his sharp, white ivories, preparing to bring a fatal bite to the deer's warm neck.