Chapter Text
A storm of thoughts stirred up, this task won't be easy, but it has to be done.
Scratch its' throat, gouge out its' eye, break its' nose, slice off its' head!
Then my sister walked in; her sliver, saber teeth biting down on the carcass of a black mamba, a twisted coil of glossy black scales, its menacing hood collapsed in defeat, while the once-sharp eyes have now becoming faded nothingness.
At least one of us returns home with a successful kill.
"Sister, Cobrafang bring back snake, snake tried to bite, but Cobrafang smarter."
I step down from the top of the cave den, sniffing the body of the snake; the scent of a freshly caught mambas' acidic tang, a potent blend of musk and earthiness, tinged with the faint hint of danger that lingers long after its' demise.
"Cobrafang... share with sister?" she rose her ears up. "Cobrafang know this prey took a while to catch, but Cobrafang cares for Swiftclaw
Guess I won't get anything done on an empty stomach.
I bit off one half, my sister bit off the other; tearing the mamba in half, its' white flesh and blood exposed.
Finally, some delicious fresh prey.
Savoring the mamba, nature's finest delicacy, its tender flesh serves as a well deserved reward.
My sister could have fallen from the potent venom of a snake; like she almost did all those years ago.
But she didn't, she went for an animal that could have taken her life; and she won, she's alive and the snake definitely isn't.
If she can take down a venomous snake, then this task will be easier than catching a beetle.
I should love to get her.
With gentle encouragement, Foxstep guided Featherleap through the grasses, her orange fur brushing against her side as they moved. As they approached the tree full of healing herbs, Featherleap's weary steps faltered, but with a determined flick of her tail, she managed to hop onto the tree, pulling herself up onto a branch.
With a heavy sigh, she lowered her head, the weight of the day pressing upon her like a heavy cloak.
A voice from below called out, "A mouse for your thoughts?"
"Come up here and I'll tell you"
Foxstep leapt onto the tree with one graceful jump.
"What's got ya down that you're making a frown?"
"Our herb hunt; which somehow turned into running away from dogs, stealing prey, and then find something worthwhile..." she lowered her ears. "I've done basically nothing, I should return the favor."
"Why?"
"Because it is a nice thing to do..?"
"Why?"
"Because it's rude to make you do all the dirty work while I just stand there?"
"Why?"
"Because I should be useful."
"Bingo, pal, you found your problem." Foxstep scooted herself closer to her partner. "When did this become a usefulness contest? I had a flippin' blast with you out there!"
"I know but... maybe I could catch something special."
"Dunno, do you want to?
"Yes!" Featherleaps' tail held upright. "Wait here" she plummeted downwards onto the ground
"I ain't going nowhere."
Featherleap attempted to mimic that of a stalking movement, she crouched hesitantly in the grass, her movements lacking the grace seasoned hunter. Her tail twitched nervously, Despite her best efforts, her stumbling gait and unsteady balance revealed her novice status, but her determination remained.
There it was, a vulture, a disgusting dumb bird.
Other predators waste their time and energy on tracking prey and hunting it down, and then these things swoop on in and takeover their well earned kills.
With a burst of energy, Featherleap launched herself into the air, her muscles coiled with anticipation as she aimed for the unsuspecting vulture perched nearby. However, her timing was off, resulting in an embarrassingly clumsy flop on the ground. Instead of catching her prey, all she managed to grasp was a pawful of feathers in her mouth, the vulture squawking as it soared out of reach.
Foxstep jumped off the tree, getting close to her mate, even with the sudden smack of shame Featherleap had just received.
"Look at chu, putting the feather in the Featherleap."
her lover pushed herself up, shaking her fur and approaching Foxstep.
she placed the vulture feathers onto Foxsteps' chest, brown feathers standing out against her orange fur.
"It's not a lot but..."
Tears began to trickle down Foxsteps' face, a gentle grin tugged at the corners of her lips
Foxstep and Featherleap found themselves nestled together in a tender embrace. With a soft nuzzle, Foxstep pressed her muzzle against Featherleap's cheek, her affectionate gesture speaking volumes without the need for words.
π Άπ Ύπ Όπ ΄π ½π ½π ΄ π Άπ Ύπ Όπ ΄π ½π ½π ΄
"Cobrafang, say, why don't we go out for a nice walk, ay?"
"Sister got to be kidding, Cobrafang just got back from hunting."
"Of course, you get your rest."
Sunce slowly dragged her gift down away from the sky, with Asras' eye rising up, bringing the millions upon millions of stars along with her.
Finally, a retreat from the harshness of the day, a calming moment in the savanna.
"Are you ready for the hunt?"
Cobrafang quickly rose up from her resting position, "Prey?" she looked around "Where?"
"We're bringing home the most dangerous quarry back home, but are you up for it?"
Cobrafang held her head low, licking her lips and avoiding eye contact.
"What?" Swiftclaw flicked her tail. "Are you a fierce lioness or some upwalkers' housecat?"
"Cobrafang is not sure if Cobrafang can handle such prey...
"meww, mEWW, mouw!" she poorly tried to recreate the sounds of a housecat. "That's all I hear right now."
"Fine," Cobrafang approached her, "Let's go, hunt chief."
Under the cloak of night, Swiftclaw's slim form moved with silent grace through the moonlit landscape. The stars above shimmered like diamonds across an endless sky, their twinkling brilliance casting and lighting up the vast expanse below.
Beside her, Cobrafang struggled to match her pace, her breaths labored and heavy as weariness weighed upon her muscular frame. The savanna stretched out before them like an ocean of shadow, the sounds of crickets and distant calls of creatures echoing through the stillness of the night.
As they traveled onward, Swiftclaw noticed a butterfly on the ground. Without hesitation, she quickly squashed the insect with her paw, licking the tiny creature off her paw pad.
Sniffing the air, Swiftclaw caught the scent of a No-Mane, but also the scent of a small sized lion pride; the only problem was it was difficult to pinpoint where they were.
"What prey is it?"
"Shh, you'll scare it off if you talk too loud."
"Sorry," Cobrafang walked closer, attempting to search for the beast by using whiskers to sense vibrations in the environment.
As the sly sisters slowly stalk their quarry, their sleek forms move with silence through the tall grass. Their eyes gleam with intensity, fixed on their target they have yet to find, while their muscles tense for the impending confrontation. Ready to pounce at a moment's notice.
The stench of four random lions became stronger, as if those lions were right in her face.
'Now!" a voice shouted.
A melanstic lioness and a spotted male lion pounced on Swiftclaw, while her cub bit down on Cobrafang's fluffy tail tip.
Swiftclaw managed to swipe at the spotted lion, adding yet another scar to the collection on his body; only for Goldensight to hold her down even tighter.
"Cute, but go easy on Cobrafang" she slightly shook her tail to throw the young one off.
"Swiftclaw!" the same voice called out. "I didn't mean too, well, you know."
"But.. you," She struggled to fight back against the two who had her pinned. "You killed him anyway!"
"I mean well, I wanted to drive him ou-"
"Did you not listen?" she grunted. "Who cares about your intentions? I care about what you did!"
"I'm sorry, okay?" he sighed. "Just leave us alone, I won't ever go anywhere near your pride again."
He walked away from the scene, looking back at his friends.
The cub released her grip from Cobrafang, jumping with joy towards him.
Swiftclaw managed to slip out of their grips, attempting to take the tawny furred, gray mane beast down as if he were just like any other animal he took down.
But with the cubs' tail in the way, she tripped on her tail, falling to the ground.
With all of her tiny fury she could muster up, the cub punched Swiftclaw on the eye, leaving a small bruise.
"That's right!" she unsheathed her claws "And.. and.. if you ever try to hurt them, I'm telling my dad!" she stuck her tongue out, before quickly bouncing away.
Goldensight, her cub, Clingermane, and the cherry-furred lion were all gone before she could even get up, she looked left and right; but all of them fled, as if they were ghosts from the past.
Cobrafang approached her sister, "Let's go home."
Swift and sly
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Berry, mate to both Goldensight and Clingermane; nuzzled her daughter for her special day.
Her scrawny adoptive father hopped on a slab of stone. "Lioness, you stand before your pride, yadda yadda yadda. We're getting tired of calling you daughter anyway, so, what's it going to be, huh?"
She lowered her ears. "I... get to pick my own name?"
"Who says you can't?"
She tapped her paws at the ground, deciding on the perfect name. "Ooh, I know, I'll be Swiftleap!"
Swiftleap.
A name that was eerily similar to a certain hunt chief, a cold and calculating monster.
The name alone nearly made Clingermane freeze up.
But Berry knew this was what she wanted, not what the pride wanted.
"Then so be it, my daughter will be known as Swiftleap."
