05-09-2011, 07:28 PM
There is no end to the long, black snake. At least, none that Nuka could see. From where he stood, hidden in a patch of shrubs, it was the majority of his gaze. Just a long, ebony trail, running from one point to the other, both ends unreachable for as far as his eyes could hold. Grey eyes took in the huge length of the snake, straight and thick but curving slightly at the edge of his vision. It must have coiled around the entirety of Whisper Beach, made of some kind of stone, the cooked scales of a reptile perhaps, or something not unlike a dried up worm. Nuka watched it with both fear and awe in his eyes, staring at the vapors of heat rising from the back of the monstrous pathway.
He knew it was not a living creature, a slab of rock that just sat there boiling in the mid-afternoon sun. Heated to the point where trails of steam arose from the black hide, he watched as it just lay there, nothing moving except for the slight buzz of pesky insects. Though he wondered what exactly caused it to be there, or why he had to come across it, the immeasurable length, fractured only by earth itself, it wasn't the reason why he hid cautiously behind the shrubs. No, the reason why he was being cautious was the same reason for every thief. He was bloody scared of being caught.
It was apparent that the smell of Luperci was hanging in the air. He could sense it in the wind, in the hot breeze of an almost summer like afternoon. Amongst the scents of rabbits and seagulls, birds and wildflower, the scent of predators were strong, strong enough to be Luperci. Nuka did not like the smell, did not like the idea of being within the range of any Luperci at all, and as the sun baked upon his white fur, he found himself in a similar situation to when he was small. Once again here he was, a young cub with his bonehead brother and ever guarding mother, hiding from a threat that he only came to know a few times in his life. Foaming muzzles, large teeth and bloody eyes, those were Luperci. Monsters that posed more of a threat than even a large cougar. And Nuka did not need to run into those.
By now his muscles were tensed, as he remembered hiding in bushes, a lot bigger and easier to hide in than these shrubs, big as they were. His eyes gleamed with the idea of meeting another Luperci, except this time, being ready for it. An inevitable attack would be easier this time, he was at least a year older than the last time he had conflict with such a creature. But he wasn't the type to fight, that was his brother, and he was in no shape. The sun was too hot, and just down the snake, his feline ears could hear the sound of water lapping against shore. But would he really risk his life for the water? Or would he disappear amongst the shrubs, as he had done with his family?
Nuka was a thief after all. Tigers needed to take chances.
In just a few long bounds, Nuka was working his way down the black snake. The heat seared his paws, but he didn't seem to care. His entire body was tensed as his ears swiveled on the top of his head. Luperci or no Luperci, he had to get some water. There may be no end to the long, black snake, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try it.
He knew it was not a living creature, a slab of rock that just sat there boiling in the mid-afternoon sun. Heated to the point where trails of steam arose from the black hide, he watched as it just lay there, nothing moving except for the slight buzz of pesky insects. Though he wondered what exactly caused it to be there, or why he had to come across it, the immeasurable length, fractured only by earth itself, it wasn't the reason why he hid cautiously behind the shrubs. No, the reason why he was being cautious was the same reason for every thief. He was bloody scared of being caught.
It was apparent that the smell of Luperci was hanging in the air. He could sense it in the wind, in the hot breeze of an almost summer like afternoon. Amongst the scents of rabbits and seagulls, birds and wildflower, the scent of predators were strong, strong enough to be Luperci. Nuka did not like the smell, did not like the idea of being within the range of any Luperci at all, and as the sun baked upon his white fur, he found himself in a similar situation to when he was small. Once again here he was, a young cub with his bonehead brother and ever guarding mother, hiding from a threat that he only came to know a few times in his life. Foaming muzzles, large teeth and bloody eyes, those were Luperci. Monsters that posed more of a threat than even a large cougar. And Nuka did not need to run into those.
By now his muscles were tensed, as he remembered hiding in bushes, a lot bigger and easier to hide in than these shrubs, big as they were. His eyes gleamed with the idea of meeting another Luperci, except this time, being ready for it. An inevitable attack would be easier this time, he was at least a year older than the last time he had conflict with such a creature. But he wasn't the type to fight, that was his brother, and he was in no shape. The sun was too hot, and just down the snake, his feline ears could hear the sound of water lapping against shore. But would he really risk his life for the water? Or would he disappear amongst the shrubs, as he had done with his family?
Nuka was a thief after all. Tigers needed to take chances.
In just a few long bounds, Nuka was working his way down the black snake. The heat seared his paws, but he didn't seem to care. His entire body was tensed as his ears swiveled on the top of his head. Luperci or no Luperci, he had to get some water. There may be no end to the long, black snake, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try it.