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 Posted: Fri Nov 24, 2006 11:34 pm
Eyes narrowing, Azima blew a snort through her nostrils. Not only did she sit to watch the hunt, but he's gulping it down infront of her? How rude, she thought as her head lowered. Her tail sat high, in a confident manner, and her claws dug into the earth. Ears flicked back; not all the way pinned, but close to it. It was apparent that she wasn't happy.
"Distressed?" she scoffed. Food made every difference out here on the savannah and it could change even the sweetest of personalities. Ears were now flat against her head and without thinking, guided by her instincts, she pounced, jaws open, toward the prey; she was going to get her share. She grabbed a big piece and pulled hard, ripping it from whatever flesh was there. Her lips rolled back, as a snarling wolf, as blood dripped from her teeth. She snapped it back towards her throat, as a crocodile would and lifted her head as if to say "what are you going to do about it?"
This was rare of Azima, but she hadn't had something to eat in a few days - too many. Hunger was a big part of surviving and she had to do what she could.
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Posted: Sat Nov 25, 2006 8:03 pm
It was only just before the pounce that Mashaka got the sense that some bad stuff was about to go down. He backed up a little just as Azima threw herself at the kill. "Holy crap!" Mashaka cried out, leaping back, thinking for a moment that she meant to attack him and not the kill (and she probably would have too if he hadn't made the wise decision to back off). He stared aghast as she tore a good chunk off the kill--his kill--and backed up haughtily. Mashaka's ears flattened and he threw his head back in disbelieve. "Geeze... what's your problem, lady!?" the cheetah exclaimed. "You could have asked, you know." Although, to be honest, even if she had asked, Mashaka's response probably would have been something along the lines of, 'What? Are you kidding me? No!'
Hissing and snarling a little, cursing under his breath, he grabbed the impala by the leg and dragged it back a little, away from Azima and settled down back by his mound. He kept a careful eye on her. No way was this dog getting any more of his precious meal. Cautiously, he set back into chowing down.
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Posted: Sun Nov 26, 2006 8:28 pm
She finished her piece in a couple of bites, it was obvious that she hadn't eaten in a while. As the cheetah spoke his words, Azima's pupils grew tiny. What was she doing? This wasn't her, but the smell of the kill was so strong, so... nice. It's warm, lingering scent wrapped the wild dog in its arms; she was hungry. She didn't speak or answer his question because inside, she was ashamed of herself.
Her ears were further pinned, she still wanted... needed some food. She took a step closer and lowered her head, ears folding away from their stiffened position. Instead of the menacing look she gave just before, she looked up, into his eyes, with a lost, look of confusion. She knew the impala was small and probably wouldn't last that long, but if he didn't let her have a small share, she would forcefully take it; whether she wanted to or not. Her previous motion was more of a display of what she was capable of (and a quick loss of self-control), then a lowering and scavenging attempt.
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 9:14 pm
Mashaka resumed eating, though his muscles were tense and he was now forever glancing back at the canine. He was ready to flee or fight... probably flee. At the end of the day, though the cheetah may play the bad-boy, he was ultimately a coward and didn't want to fight any more than a mouse would. With shifty eyes he huddled over his prey and fed himself. Her ravenousness scared him a bit.
This definately wasn't the dog he'd met earlier. Sure, yeah, he'd been suspicious of her all along, but at first at least her demeanor had been somewhat pleasant. Well, this just went to prove what he'd always thought about dogs... they're all a bunch of mangy brutes.
He watched her, and she seemed so perplexed, alternating wildly between rage and fear. Mashaka gulped down a mouthful hard and asked, "Are you going crazy?" It was an honest question, because that's how it sure looked to Mashaka.
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Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 1:28 pm
Approaching slowly, Azima now stood over the prey. She was as far to the opposite corner to what was left of the impala as could be. She lowered her head and took another hungry bite, this one more gently as if asking if she could share. She kept alert, watching for signs of aggression from the cheetah.
At the sound of his voice, her muscles tensed. It was a fair question but one that she had never been asked before. Her usual behavior was that of earlier; a caring and observant individual. When food came into the picture, only because of how hungry she was, her instincts got the better of her and she lashed out. She was, indeed, ashamed of her actions but would pick the same path again if she had to. "No," she said slowly after swallowing her bite, "I'm just.. hungry." Her ears dropped from their normal upright position.
Normally, wild dogs hunted in packs, but because of her rocky past, she was a loner now - fending for herself. It was difficult for a lone canine to catch their prey because in packs, they most often use their intellegence, much like wolves, to maneuver prey into the path of a hidden dog who would then make the final attempt. They're not so instinctive on the stalk-and-pounce method or the chase. She's learning though, and if need be, she may also switch to scavenging.
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Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2006 3:14 pm
Mashaka was a little uncomfortable having Azima so close to him, now. Currently the only thing seperating them was the impala... and that thing wasn't about to get up and become a suitable barrier anytime soon. Heck, two of it's legs were stripped down to the bone. He chewed down one last bite then stared at her. Sure, she seemed appologetic...
She must be waiting for the perfect time to strike.
Now, it wasn't as though Mashaka wasn't hungry too. God, he was starving. Probably not starving as badly as Azima was, but still starving. There wasn't much to eat in these lands. There had been when he'd chosen them, but now the herds were migrating further to the north, and he was struggling. A long time ago, he probably would have bolted the instant she first lunged for food... but he was starting to get desperate. He frowned a little at Azima's answer to his question, unsatisfied. "Well you sure seem crazy to me," he declared, quickly and nervously ripping off a small mouthful of impala and gulping it down. "And believe me, lady, I know crazy." It was true. After all, growing up...
No, he wasn't going to think about that.
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Posted: Sun Dec 03, 2006 7:17 pm
Not knowing whether to take offence to his statement, she swallowed down another piece of meat. She wasn't crazy, infact, she was quite sane. Azima had a good head on her shoulders. Simply put, she was intelligent.
She continued to feed on the impala, keeping a close eye on the feline. Her eyes darted back and forth between him and the meal. She still felt ashamed for the way that she acted, but he should understand her hunger. Besides, they're both individuals fending for themselves in the middle of these lands; at least they've got something in common.
Before long, she took a small break from her feeding. Her eyes traveled to meet his and she cocked her head to the side. "Thanks," she noted, telling that she was grateful of him letting her share his meal. It was a small word, but hopefully it meant much.
This was quite a scene, to see a cheetah and wild dog feeding off of the same meal.
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Posted: Sun Dec 10, 2006 12:31 pm
Mashaka saw a flicker of something across Azima's face and winced. Crap. He'd offended her. Now she was sure to be getting ready to attack. He glanced around, looking for the best possible place to run... but it was all open grassland, and he was bigger and rather more visible than her. He bit his lip and waited for her to spring.
Then she really shocked him. What did she say? "Thanks"? Seriously? No one thanked Mashaka, not ever. Never did Mashaka do anything that really merited thanking. He was devious! He was selfish! He was obnoxious! He was bad! And here she was, thanking him. This was something entirely new to Mashaka. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been thanked with such earnesty... except perhaps being thanked for leaving. He stared silently at her for a moment, visibly surprised, then eventually willed himself to mutter, "Um... sure. Whatever. I mean... ah..." He trailed off a second. He wasn't good at niceties like this. "Um, you're welcome?" He quirked a brow. He still wasn't sure what he'd done to warrant this. Heck, he'd yelled at her, called her crazy, and tried to drag his meal away from her.
At least she wasn't attacking.
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Posted: Thu Dec 14, 2006 8:27 pm
Continuing to feed, Azima chuckled a bit inside. The feline didn't seem to know what to say to her thanks and honestly, she was glad that he didn't think that she was crazy. She looked up quickly, took a long breath in and released it slowly through her opened mouth; it had been quite a day.
As the carcass neared finishing, she stopped her eating. Surprisingly, it doesn't take too, too much to make the canine full. She lifted her heavy head and backed off of Mashaka and what was left of the impala. Keeping close, Azima decided to lay down about a yard and a half away. She let out a long and satisfying sigh before proceeding to lick her muzzle and paws clean of their now crimson color.
Azima wasn't too sure whether to start a conversation or just leave the cheetah to his meal. She decided to settle down not too far away so that he could talk if he felt the need. She did though, as she groomed herself, continue to watch his moves; not in a belittling way but it was just her keen eye for observing.
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Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2006 12:08 pm
Hastily, Mashaka continued to eat his fill. He ate messily, flecks of blood flying everywhere; fortunately they blended in perfectly with his coat, otherwise he'd be having a fit over what a mess he looked. He'd bathe himself later.
He still watched the wild dog with a great deal of suspicion, though he found himself relaxing a little more now that Azima had backed off. At least the kill was his, now. For now. Who knew when the dog could rear up and strike again? Certainly that first strike had been rather unexpected. Dogs were like snakes, Mashaka thought; you can never be sure what to expect from either of them. In fact, he'd once heard that a snake could choose whether or not to inject venom into it's victim or not... he wasn't sure if it was true, but he supposed the same sort of calculating methodology went on in a dog's head.
He polished off the last of what he could eat, then licked his lips clean and stared at Azima for a bit. Just a moment ago she'd seemed crazed, but now suddenly she seemed content. He didn't trust her. Not a bit. He supposed she might be the reason why he was slowly losing his appetite. All the same, now satiated, he stood and backed away a little from the carcass. "You know what, lady," Shaka said, "It's yours. Have the rest of it. Do what you want with it. I'm done."
Shaking his head a bit, ashamed at his own surrender, Mashaka turned tail and set off to leave. His tail and his head were both hung low, and the way he was slung he soon disappeared into the grass.
((I thought now was probably a good time to think about wrapping up. 3nodding Incidentally, that bit about snakes choosing when to inject their venom... that's true. Thank you, Animal Planet. biggrin ))
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Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2006 9:12 pm
Azima watched the cheetah finish what he wanted with a child's curiosity. At the sound of the cheetah's words, she got up to stretch her legs. She figured the reason for his leaving was that he didn't feel comfortable in her presence which, honestly, was fine for Azima. Sometimes the less confrontation, the better. She settled her hind end down on the soft grass and watched as the feline's dark coloring faded into the sunset.
(( It was nice RPing with you, thanks. Hope you have a happy holiday and if you're ever in the mood for a RP, come and find me. :3 ))
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