Closer, closer... Leila crept silently through the the grass with her head low, hot on the trail of a warthog. She had never hunted warthog before - their curved tusks had seemed intimidating and wickedly sharp from afar. But this was weakened, travelling with a limp and the scent of poorly-healing wounds. Hungry, it had been this scent that filled the tiger with enough confidence to even try.

Inexperienced as she was, she only knew vaguely of the dangers of the wild hogs, least of all their irritable tempers and tendency to turn on predators. So when Leila caught her first glance of the 'hog, she treated it like any other hunt. She lurked silently, patienly in the grass until she had drawn close enough to strike.

Without even a growl, she leapt from the glade's grasses at the hog, discovering at the last moment that it had been warier that she'd expected. The warthog squealed, turned sharply and brought it's tusked snout up to her pounce, and she was tossed by it's broad head to the dirt.

Leila landed hard, rolled and began to scramble to her paws, pelt spiked in her shock. It was fortunate she had missed being gored by what surely had been a whisker. She hissed at it with flattened ears and watched it begin to paw at the earth, shaking those nasty tusks at her threateningly. Leila's heart hammered in her chest, legs feeling frozen as she stared at the warthog. How could she take this thing down?

— For @Myra

Warthogs always came with their own special brand of danger in the form of wicked tusks.An injured hog that smelled strongly of past misfortunes? Likely to be about five times as vicious. Common knowledge, as far as Myra is concerned. The golden woman observes the beast from her spot crouched down within the swaying grasses, her blue eyes narrowed in contemplation. It's an enthralling challenge indeed, but would the reward be worth the risk of getting slashed open? A shame that she hadn't thought to invite one of her pridemates along - a distraction might've skewed the odds in her favor.

She hasn't even properly made her decision when a blur of orange fur and dark stripes leapt from another pocket of grass, only to be promptly sent flying amidst a barrage of ear-piercing squeals.

Perhaps Myra's idea of common knowledge was not so common after all.

But then, who could ever say what went on in the heads of tigers? Complicated are the emotions that @Leila's appearance drags up, though the tigress is clearly nothing like the male she'd once come across. It's all shoved to an instant, long legs already propelling her from her hiding place, an instinctive response to the opportunity suddenly presented to her. It'd be rather unfortunate if her distraction got herself mowed down before anything good could come of it, hmm?

The huntress slams against the portly hog's flanks before it can charge the frozen tigress again, jaws snapping for its bad leg while her pointed ears folded beneath the onslaught of high-pitched squealing. She thinks she hears something crack between her jaws, underneath it all, but in a blink of an eye those cruel tusks are heading towards her face, the beast mercilessly whirling its head with a desperation known only to dying creatures. She leaps back, opposite of the tigress's position, sides heaving as crimson blossomed across her cheek. "Well, don't just stand there! It can't charge us both." The beast is enraged and seemingly too broken to try running to freedom now - and now Myra was the main subject of its ire.

It's as good as opening as any.

image by rabbit, code by anyu

Her heart raced and the world seemed to tunnel on this squealing creature, and Leila feared that this would be her end. Trampled into the dirt with nobody to know or recognise her, to be fed upon by the vultures she usually followed.

Luck was on her side, this afternoon though. A flash of gold and warm tan leapt like lightning from the grass she’d lurked in. Leila watched with jaws agape as the lioness collided with the enraged warthog, teeth sinking into the injured leg that had drawn Leila here in the first place. She pinned her own ears at the squalling that arose and saw the woman dance around those wicked tusks, coming out with a narrow slash for her efforts.

Those stirring words broke her frozen poise and Leila crashed back to reality with a shudder, brown eyes wide. Every nerve in her body felt alight with energy and she took the opportunity given to her. She learnt from her last leap - instead taking the better angle and driving her jaws into the side of the hog’s muscled neck, claws finding purchase in its bristly-haired shoulders and throat.

It outweighed her and Leila couldn’t drag it to the ground. Yet she knew if she clung on for dear life where those cruel tusks couldn’t reach her and did enough damage, she would be able to shift her bite to to suffocate it when it tired.

@Myra

OOC: My apologies for the delay! <3

Perhaps it had been foolish to even entertain the idea that Myra wouldn't have ended up here no matter what, boldly staring down a frenzied beast while a drop of scarlet trickled down her cheek, her heart pounding from the thrill of it. Those who knew of her love for this deadly dance would certainly never be surprised to see it.

The huntress certainly wouldn't admit to any preposterous accusations of desiring to save @Leila from harm, obviously. Even if she distantly wonders now why she hadn't tried to go for the warthog's neck when she'd had the opportunity. A lapse in judgement, perhaps. Not unheard of. A lapse that had nothing to do with haste or the mental image of striped fur trampled beneath furious hooves, of course.

Though for a moment, Myra does wonder if the tigress even has the capability to be of any use, after all, in the precious seconds that pass in the wake of her sharp words. Time has a peculiar way of stretching itself out, in these adrenaline-filled moments. But then, finally the striped feline bursts into action, and not a moment too soon. Myra bounds to the side as the enraged hog begins another charge, only to find that it cannot follow her, not effectively, not when it has to drag a tiger-shaped weight around its neck. Excellent.

Instinct urges her to capitalize upon the squealing beast's distraction, but it's too risky still to go for the killing bite while the hog was so viciously shaking its head, sharp tusks violently cutting through the air on either side. The huntress is an agile creature, however, and the hog's mobility is hampered by lame leg and tigress both. Myra continues her circle, until the opening reveals itself, lunging forward to slam large paws down upon the beast's back, pressing her weight down against their flailing prey to force it to its knees. Her teeth snap forward, seeking a hold against the crest of a sparsely maned neck, muffling her own voice though she hopes she wouldn't have need to use it.

The tigress can recognize an opportunity when she sees it, right?

image by rabbit, code by anyu

The warthog whirled and screamed shrill into the humid and Leila's face scrunched against the piercing sound. It made her ears ring, and the dizzying way she was being turned and thrown around with each attempted rush of the beast's writhing movements was making it difficult to know which way was up.

Still though, the tigress clung on with a mix of determination and self-preserving instinct. Letting go would mean facing those cruel tusks, and that was just not an option should she want to keep herself in one piece. Leila dug her claws deeper, bit harder despite the ache in her jaw and forelimbs.

She saw gold again in her peripheral vision and suddenly the hog is slowed, squirming desperately against the soil from now two sets of claws and teeth. It's struggles dampened, she realised it's head was being pulled back. Leila doesn't hesitate this time, adrenaline surging through her body, and goes for the killing bite to it's muscled throat.

It squealed, choked, and thrashed. But Leila would not let go until it stilled completely.

@Myra

It's times like these that Myra can't help but wonder if the tapered points of her ears have any effect upon her hearing or not. Would she have a better chance of blocking out the ungodly squealing if her ears were more 'normal?' Maybe. But probably not. All she can do is smooth them to her head and hope for the best. The noise will probably still be ringing in her skull for the rest of the day regardless.

Myra had had her doubts that the smaller tigress would actually manage hang on to the violently thrashing beast, but for all the clumsiness of @Leila's opening entrance, it seemed she actually was tougher than she looked. Or was it just the adrenaline? It's a pleasant surprise either way, when Myra is suffering her own difficulties to maintain her grip as the hog bucked and reared against her lithe form.

But she wouldn't dare to let go, not with the threat of those tusks ever-looming. If anything, she just presses down harder, sinks her teeth in deeper, wrenches her hold upon the beast spine with even more force. She can't see what the tigress does next. But she hears the piercing pitch that the hog's desperate squeals take, the choking, the telltale rasps and gurgles that signify that the end is near - before it all finally fades off into silence.

The resistance fades. And eventually, the huntress unlocked her straining jaws, lapping at her bloodied lips as she stepped back to take in the sight, her breath coming in quick, harsh pants. Somehow, it seemed that they had achieved the best outcome.

Considering how this started, it was fair to say that this had exceeded her expectations. "You can let go now." She remarked dryly, carefully her way around to face the tigress, taking the opportunity to study her features closer with a low hum. "Full of surprises, aren't you? I suppose you've earned a share, after all."

image by rabbit, code by anyu

Leila lay in the dirt, muddied and now bloodied. Her heart still raced, her breath came in pants around the vice grip of her teeth in the warthog's tender throat. It wasn't until everything was still, and the world seemed to come back into focus did Leila relax, shoulders dropping. It was @Myra's prompt that made her loosen her hold. She opened her mouth, feeling the muscles in her jaw protest from the strain they'd endured. Instinctively she swept the blood from her pale muzzle with her tongue and felt the hunger in her belly reignite.

... Thank you. she said, not sure if what the golden woman had to say was a compliment for sure, but preferring to take it as one. You definitely saved me some fur. Probably more greivous wounds, in reality, but she didn't want to dampen the success with what-ifs. Her eyes widened with sudden excitement, You were so agile! It didn't know what to do. You're a very good hunter!

She caught herself and her uncharacteristic animation, and dipped her head more politely. It was difficult not to get carried away when talking about her favourite thing. Um, I'm Leila. Thanks for helping me out. She had sat up by this point, nudging the hog's carcass toward Myra You should have first choice. There were after all, better parts of creatures for eating. But she thought the least she could do to show her appreciation was offer.

The feeling that comes with the aftermath of an exhilarating hunt is one that Myra knows well. The quick drumbeat of her heart against her ribs, the heave of her lungs, the burn awakening within her lean muscles. The need for action has passed, but the adrenaline has not, gifting the huntress with a near-giddy high, further enhanced by the taste of iron on her tongue and the sting of the cut on her cheek.

She thinks that @Leila must feel something similar, whatever differences their species may have. She understands, even as she chuckles at the delayed release of the tigress's jaws, the mirthful sound tinged with breathlessness from her exertion.

The golden woman rumbles a low hmph when the other woman offered her thanks, reptilian eyes subtly shifting away. "I suppose I did." She still wasn't entirely sure why she'd moved to save a stranger, but the matter is past thinking about now.

The tigress's praise is easier to focus on for the time being, and Myra's chin tilts upward in not-so-subtle pride, half-smirking when her gaze flicked back towards that striped face, now filled with a wide-eyed excitement. "Nice of you to notice. You could say I've worked on it a bit." She'd only dedicated the majority of her life to the hunt, after all. Her eyes narrow then, voice growing more pointed. "Maybe next time, you should direct that discernment of yours towards picking out more suitable prey, hmm?"

As if she was one to talk.

An eyebrow raised when Leila pushed the hog's carcass her way, expression vaguely amused as she eyes the beast's belly with a telling swipe of her tongue over her bloodied lips. But she doesn't move to tear open its hide, not yet. "Oh? Don't you think the one who dealt the killing blow is the most deserving?" There's a certain order to such things that she doesn't mind entertaining when deserved.

The tigress had persevered in the end, just as Myra had hoped she would.

image by rabbit, code by anyu

Leila had noticed the golden lioness's skill. The tigress considered herself a competent enough hunter, sure, but the grace and quick-thinking @Myra had displayed had been simply beyond expectations. She was a good huntress.

Leila didn't flinch at the critism, knowing the point to be true. "Yes." she nodded earnestly, "I underestimated it." Her breath was settling by this point, and Leila tucked her paws together comfortably. "I won't do that again." Leila knew she was lucky to be able to learn from the hunt. Easily, she could have been lying in the dirt with terrible wounds from the hog's tusks. They were not easy quarry.

As Myra refused first bite, the tigress cocked her head and scanned the lioness's features. "I don't think I would've caught it without you!" she protested with a duck of her chin, not wanting to understate the woman's involvement. She mused the issue for a moment. Hunger made her decisive, for once. "Lets just eat at the same time." Leila encouraged, pleased with her suggested compromise. She wriggled closer on her belly and pushed the hog closer to Myra with a heft of her paws.

There is a refinement that comes with age and experience, agility and reflexes honed by countless successes and mishaps both. It's why the huntress carries herself with pride. The younger @Leila does hold a certain enthusiasm for the hunt though, she can tell that much. When paired with perseverance, sometimes that was all that was really needed.

In other ways, the tigress differs notably from how Myra would've acted at the same age. (...and now, actually.) Leila takes her criticism easily, without challenge or argument. Not even a sarcastic remark. How unexpected. But she'll hardly complain, instead accepting the striped feline's promise with a sharp nod. "Wounded beasts will always grow more dangerous as they get more desperate. She adds, glancing down at the hog's mangled leg. "See that you don't forget that." There wouldn't always be a lurking bystander willing to bail her out of trouble. But then, a tiger was probably aware of that already.

The golden woman hums what might've been a low chuckle at the other woman's assessment of their combined involvement, making no attempt to argue the point. It'd been a joint effort indeed, one that could have just as easily resulted in a pile of striped ribbons. "I suppose I can tolerate that." She acquiesces when the meal is pushed towards her yet again, finally settling herself down at the hog's plump belly to sink her teeth into the succulent meat. If Leila won't fight to keep the claim to herself, then that's fine with her.

It's a fair compromise, after all.

/exit Myra via lunchtime(?)

image by rabbit, code by anyu