[Act] Lion and squirrel

by ookamidon0 (3494 words)

To be fair, in Kjerag’s mind, every day is a good day for a hunt since it is one of her favorite activities to do in a day. She would usually go with her raven companion and just the two of them, but this time, when she was about to go out for a hunt, Axe - her brother - summoned her to his home instead.

On the way there she can’t help but wonder about what he needs her for. Usually, he would be the type of fellie that is capable of doing anything on his own just like her. Oh well, only time will tell.

After a few minutes trotting, she has finally reached her destination: Axe’s house. She can see that he is preparing something, maybe for a trip or something like that. “Hey brother.” Kjerag greeted Axe with her energetic tone. “So, what’s the occasion? Do you need my help with something today?”

“Well yes. I have something that requires your help, I don’t think I can do it alone.” He said while walking towards Kjerag. “Today is a perfect day to teach our little Sammy how to hunt properly.”

Axe was so sure that Kjerag would accept his request without a doubt, since he knows how eager they are to be able to hunt together one day. The three of them would make a good hunting party, Sammy can be the scout while Kjerag slowing the prey down and him - dealing the finishing blow to the prey.

Hearing the word hunting, Kjerag’s eyes start to shine, her tail wags in excitement. Hunting together, that’s a yes for her but even better: teaching little Sammy how to hunt! Who knows how long she has been waiting for this day to come, normally she would try to speak to the little fellie into it, but she is sort of afraid that it is too soon for him to do so. Even her raven - Shrill - who perched on her back caw in agreement as well, Kjerag and Samael usually get along well in other activities, this would be the first time they all go hunting together.

“Yes! Yes! Yes! That would be awesome! I was about to head out for a hunt by myself, but this is way way way better!”

“Alrighty then, let’s go pick him up, shall we?”

And so the two grown fellie came over little Samael’s house to pick him up for a hunt. As expected, he has been out for a morning jog already. Sammy has a habit of jogging every day, he believes doing that not only improves his stamina but also makes him stronger as well.

It didn’t take Kjerag and Axe long enough to find Sammy on the path they normally go and with that, the three of them are on the way for a hunting session. They have everything they need for a hunting trip so there is no need for Samael to return home to gather items again.

There should be plenty of potential prey around this area they’re heading to: the meadow. There would be delicious grass and fresh water nearby that can attract many prey animals to come. And of course, Kjerag did ask her companion to fly around and scout the area a bit before actually getting here.

Caw- Caw-

Shrill returned, perched on Kjerag’s head and started cawing, she listened to him sincerely and slightly nodded with a happy face.

“What did he say?” Axe asked, he does not get how Kjerag and her companion can understand each other like that. There is no such thing called raven language isn’t it, or else he would be definitely interested in learning.

“Lots of prey, if we are good enough then we can even hunt two or more than that.” Kjerag translated what her companion was trying to say, well, roughly correct but that’s good enough. They don’t need to know the content one hundred percent exactly, she thinks, or else she will need to improve her “raven language” better.

“Sometimes I wonder how you manage to understand him.” Said Samael, he is as curious as Axe about this subject. Having a companion is cool but understanding them is way cooler. He should ask Kjerag to teach him after this hunt, maybe there’s a universal language that spread among companions themselves?

Kjerag answers them with a grin on her face: “If you live with him long enough you will start to understand him.”

“That’s fair. Now let’s get to work, we will discuss a strategy first then go along with the plan.” Axe shakes his head, thinking of a plan that would be perfect for the trio. “Let’s see…Kjerag, do you mind giving our little Sammy here your scout role? He can start with this role to gain experience about the prey and the hunt itself.”

“I’m cool with that, then I will be the one who chases the prey to the designated place.”

“Um…how do I do my role?” Sammy asked in honesty, he knows for sure they won’t laugh at him about this silly question. These are the two fellie that he can look up to the most, and they have a special place in his heart.

As Kjerag with her excited face about to explain, she was slower than Axe - he cuts in short for Samael: “Your role is to observe the prey, let’s say white-tailed deer for today and pick out the weak one in the pack to hunt.”

“What if I want to pick a healthy, strong one?”

“Bold choice you got there, that’s fine with us but the prey will take longer to be subdued.”

“I don’t have a problem with that, do you, dear brother?” Kjerag gave him a glance since he didn’t let her do the talking with little Sammy. She is in the mood for taking down something strong today instead of picking out weaklings in the herd.

“Save that energy for later, we will need it. I don’t think we are going to use any kind of traps today, so you don’t have to set them up. Just brute force is enough.”

“One more thing, when do we start?” Sammy starts to feel a little confident about this hunting session today, he would have his first trophy and a well learnt lesson about it.

“Now.” Both Kjerag and Axe reply, they want to be as quick as possible since they might have another chance to score one more prey. The more the merrier they say and, in this case, the more prey the merrier for all.

Before leaving for the role, Samael got a bunch of encouragement from the grown fellies and started his mission right after that. He approaches the meadow, keeping a far distance from where prey usually is - the middle of the field. Sammy walks slowly between bushes, trying to remain silent when moving. Lucky for him, it didn’t take him long enough to spot a herd of white-tailed deer nearby.

Now, time is crucial, he needs to learn how to do a quick observation and pick out the prey for the team. Today Sammy is in for a little riskiness, so he picks one of the healthy bucks from the herd. His antlers look a bit intimidating for the fellie to ignore but he does not think that the buck can do anything against three fellies. Besides that, he trusts the two grown fellie that they will not suffer any harm from this fight. They’re experienced hunters that have been sharpening their skill since they were a young fellie like him.

Well then, the prey has been set, time to return and report the situation. Samael swiftly returns to Kjerag and Axe's side and tells them about the prey he picks out. A little bit of sweat from running but Sammy does not mind at all, this is nothing compared to the upcoming fight.

“Nice job Sammy. I couldn’t be prouder of you.” Said Kjerag, as she was finishing her speech, Kjerag quickly ran out to the herd and started the hunt on her own. Even her raven companion was a bit spooked by her action but soon got used to it.

If it’s Kjerag then they all can be sure that nothing can go wrong with her, she lives for the thrill and riskiness in some ways and that makes her who she is.

“Oh god, here she goes. Always gone by a flash huh?” Axe sighed, he knew his little sister would do that, so he went ahead and told her the detailed plan. And now it’s time for him to explain the plan to Sammy right here. The more details it is, the better for them to work together in harmony.

The quick Kjerag whose blood has been pumped with adrenaline, is now precisely aiming for the prey Sammy chose. She doesn't care about other deer in the herd and with that she runs towards them. As predicted, the herd was startled by her action and tried to escape her claws and fangs by scattering in every direction.

Well, there is one thing that they didn’t know, Kjerag wasn’t aiming for any of the weak, the young one in the herd, instead, she went straight to one of the strongest, healthiest bucks. Usually when hunting, she would just choose a prey that likely can’t survive in harsh conditions and end their life quickly, she only picks a strong and healthy one if she wants to have an epic fight once in a while.

Kjerag was lucky enough to deliver a bite to the buck hindleg when he wasn’t on guard, he did limp a bit but won’t go down without a fight for sure. It cries out a sound alerting others in the herd to run away, far from him.

In the meantime, the two males were following along the trail, waiting for Kjerag to signal to plunge in for an attack. They will have to be patient about this, once Kjerag gets all the attention from the buck then it’s time to strike.

The buck even though limping but still managed to run for a while, in the opposite direction which is far away from his herd. Maybe he knows that he can’t escape so he will have to sacrifice himself instead of letting any deer in the herd in danger. He stops to make a stance then bow down his head, rushing forward and trying to pierce Kjerag with his antlers. Kjerag is no amateur; she has hunted countless prey like this before and with that she knew how to safely dodge to a side.

She was thinking of adding those gorgeous antlers into her treasure hoard, so she must be careful of not damaging it. All she does is dodge dodge dodge all the upcoming attacks, if she accidentally breaks the antlers, there is no doubt that she would cry.

“I know what she is thinking, for sure.” Axe once again sighed while waiting for his sister. “She wanted to add that antler into her collection judging by how she was careful not to bite or damage it.”

“...”

“Well, it’s not like you never see her eyes shine up when getting shiny objects, right?”

“True…”

It is almost time for them to go in and attack but something moving from the bushes nearby telling Axe to be on guard. He hasn’t caught the scent of what sort of creature that is, but he has to be extra careful. If it’s a bear then this will be tiresome.

Even Kjerag noticed the weird sound from behind the deer, she was going to take a step back, but this fierce buck won’t let her have her way like that. She wonders what this surprise would be, a rabbit or another lost deer?

A loud rustle got all of them startled, definitely not a rabbit or a deer, and by the time they realized what animal it was, it already dealt a critical hit to their prey. The buck let out a desperate sound then collapsed to the ground, while the animal was still bare its fangs deep into the buck’s neck.

Did they step into a mountain lion’s territory unconsciously?

“Now this is interesting.” Said Kjerag, it’s not like she never hunted one before, but this thing appeared without her preparing a trap is going to be as dangerous as it could be. “Axe! Samael! Be ready for a fight!”

The mountain lion dropped the buck down, snarling at Kjerag with all the killing intent it had. Without a warning, it pounces to where Kjerag is and aims to claw her. Thanks to her quick reflexes, Kjerag managed to escape death’s door. Its claws hit her sturdy armor creating an awful sound but at least she is safe. Her ears twitch a bit from hearing the clashing sound, her fangs bare out as a warning towards this menacing mountain lion.

Her raven companion understands how dire the situation is, quickly glides in and tries to peck the lion with his beak. Unfortunately, the thick fur makes it hard for him to do any damage; and of course Kjerag does not want her raven to be in danger, immediately slaps her tail into its face, creating a path for Shrill to retreat and gain all the attention back to herself.

“Sammy, lesson’s over. Run if you can.” Axe said with a serious tone that concerned the little fellie. He will have to give it everything he got in order to help his sister out of this dangerous mountain lion. Like, right, now.

“I…I’m scared…” Samael had a not so good memory with this species, one encounter that left him traumatized for a long time. He is not ready to face a mountain lion again, at least not today.

Axe must choose whether to stay here and help Sammy overcome his fear or jump in to slash out on the mountain lion. If he stays, he can have Sammy’s aid for the fight, or else it’s going to be a two versus one fight, with injury in the end for both sides.

Meanwhile Kjerag managed to leave a scratch on the lion’s front leg, the thick fur makes it harder for her to seriously wound it with her claws. There’s only hope if she can aim for its vital: eyes; or nose. But the thing is, she couldn’t do it by herself without help. Her raven companion pretty much can’t help her with that, she doesn’t want to see him being snapped in half by that powerful jaw force.

Speaking of which, she wonders what takes the guys so long to come here and assist her. Well, Sammy is freaking out and Axe is trying to find a way to help Samael get over his trauma. He does not know about the incident, but he can understand how Sammy is feeling right now. Scared? Yes. Wanting to run away but can’t do so? Yes. To Axe, feeling like that in this situation is alright and when the right time comes, Sammy can definitely fight back because he is a big boy now.

“I will go and help Kjerag out, if you’re too scared then you can just sit back. We will be fine in the end.” Axe said, his calm tone eases Samael a bit. He has finally made up his mind, judging by how struggle his sister is right now, Axe must step in as soon as possible. The fellie is usually the one who deals more damage to the prey than someone who gets all the attention from the prey like Kjerag so he can take advantage of that since the lion is focusing on her right now.

Without thinking further, Axe rushes out and joins the fight with a forceful bite to the lion’s face. It did not expect her company to hop in like that and lowers the guard for a moment there. Nice job Axe! He did leave a fleshing wound on its face and they both can exploit that injury.

The mountain lion tries to switch its attention to Axe but Kjerag is not going to let it do so. She takes a step back and aims for the inner thigh which draws all the attention to herself again. How thick this fur is, she thinks, would be nice if she can use the skin as a blanket when winter comes. It tries to jump and delivers a deadly kick to Kjerag but luckily her sturdy armor saves her from injury. And Axe in the front is trying to claw his way in the wound he just caused, maybe it will bleed to death, or he can just damage further to the throat area.

Seeing the two grown fellie who are trying their best to take the beast down, Samael feels something inside him is urging him to come out and fight along their side. It could be his adrenaline rushing in his blood, or the instinct that has been buried deep down from fear now risen to the surface once more.

The raven was keeping watch on both sides: Kjerag and Sammy. When Samael wants to jump in the action, he flies down and assists Samael.

Caw- caw-

“Sorry. I don't do raven language. I don't get-” The raven did not let him finish the sentence, quickly peck him on the head. “Ouch! Ouch! What do you wan- Wait! I get it! Thank you!!” He increased his speed as he finally understood what Kjerag’s companion was trying to say. That is something only he can do, with his extraordinary agility and speed.

Some say ravens are just useless creatures but in this case has proved that the saying was wrong. Shrill is not like any other raven, he tries the hardest to be the best companion Kjerag can ever ask for. He is quick to learn and willing to sacrifice himself if needed just to protect her. And right now, he just guided the little fellie in how to defeat this mountain lion or severely damage it: aim for the eyes.

When the other two fellie is busy distracting the mountain lion and thanks to that, Samael pounces in at the right time. His sharp fang pierced through the lion’s eye and Sammy is going to be stuck like that for a while. He grabs onto the back and tries to deal damage around the area as well. The lion opens its mouth screaming in pain and with that, Axe takes the chance to bite its tongue and uses all his force to rip the lower jaw out.

Kjerag understands that this is the golden chance, she released her bite force at the thinner thigh and rushed out to the front to help Axe tear down the jaw. One powerful bite after another one, they joined in to rip it apart.

The sound was not enjoyable, at all.

It took a few minutes for the mountain lion to finally collapse. However, it is still trying to breathe frantically. Axe - who's now covered in blood, ended its life with a bite to the wounded neck, stopping it from breathing ever again.

“Hah…hah…it's done…” Axe said, he flopped down on the ground and tried to regenerate his energy back. The fight is over now that the threat is eliminated.

“We did it. We did it!!!” Kjerag shouted in happiness. That was a tough one but they managed it till the end, thanks to the quick little Sammy here too. “Sammy! You did a great job!!”

This would be the first time Samael has taken down a huge and aggressive beast like this, he can feel his chest is drumming real hard. It took Sammy a while to realize that he has overcome his fear and the mountain lion is no longer something he should be scared of.

“I did it. Wow. I- I beat it.” The little fellie stutters and that makes Kjerag laugh out loud. She has never seen him in this state before and it's funny to her.

“Now then, what do you two want to do with these two carcasses?” Axe asked while dragging the mountain lion’s carcass close to the deer. They are still intact in a way, he can always harvest loot from these.

“I will take the antlers, the rest belong to you guys!”

“I will have the deer to myself then…” Samael said, at least he can have something to eat to replenish himself later.

After they were all done with resting, they took time to carry loots back to their own home. Samael learnt a valuable lesson today and he is a little proud fellie that ends up sleeping soundly as soon as he crashed home. Meanwhile, Kjerag has antlers added to her treasure hoard and Axe curls up sleeping comfortably in his house.

--------------------------

by azorart (565 words)

However, that would not be their last hunt of the day…

It had been a short night for Sammy, as he found himself awakened by tapping noises in the ceiling, in the early morning. Tap. Tap. Tap. He tried to ignore it, pressing his small body in a tight curl under a pile of furs. At this point, falling asleep would not happen. Anger built up within the wolf and he suddenly came out from his fort and perked his ears to investigate the noise, hopefully he could punish the actor. Sneaking out of his temporary shelter was easy, the street was silent and the only light came from the half-moon. It lit the outline of the small viking houses, the one above his house broken by a small silhouette. It was a small animal digging a hole in the wood of the roof. Samael jumped on the low roof like a madman and lunged at it, determined to show it who was at the top of the food chain. Sam missed, slipped and found himself down rolling on the floor. The squirrel was watching the pup from the rooftop. It was an albino squirrel, and Sam thought Kjerag would enjoy its pelt, given that it was extremely rare.

The white squirrel flicked its tail and kept his attention locked on little Sammy who climbed up his house again. Sammy grinned, facing the little rascal, but that smile dropped when the prey effortlessly leaped to Kjerag’s rooftop. Defeated, Sam made his way down and went to wake Kjerag up. She took a minute to open the door, during which the pup checked nervously if the squirrel was still there. As soon as she opened the door, he bounced up and down while whispering loudly ‘THERE IS A RARE SQUIRREL ON YOUR ROOF.’ The female raised an eyebrow, tired. She probably wondered if she was still asleep and this nonsense was all a dream.

‘You what now?’ She yawned. Shrill adorably walked out the door on its tiny legs, staring at the pup angrily. Sammy took a step back, spooked. He made a mental note to never wake them up too early again. ‘A rare squirrel. On your roof. Let’s catch it!’ he buzzed, tapping his forehead against her front leg. Her eyes sparkled with interest. She liked rare things.

They stood in the moonlit street, facing a white squirrel. In that very moment, Kjerag felt stupid, for she had not hunted such a small, insignificant prey since she grew out of puphood. Squinting at it, she saw it bouncing around the rooftop. Yep, definitely an albino, she thought.

‘As a great mentor once told me: you can’t out-perform a squirrel’s agility, but you can certainly outsmart them.’ the silver-coated felvarg whispered.

She sneaked up an adjacent house’s rooftop, making sure to thread lightly to not wake the inhabitant up. Surveying the street from above, she struck her plan into action. Sammy watched as she made a sign to Shrill, her raven, to spook the prey from the opposite side. It leaped away from one predator right into an other’s jaws; the felvarg caught it mid-jump with grace, by the head to not damage its pelt. She crushed it between powerful jaws and inspected the beautiful, rare fur. It would make an amazing addition to her collection, or even be made part of some armour piece.