CYOA November 2020

Day 1, Choice 3
Hualiama

The blue thera yawned, stretching languidly as his quad ears tilted to catch the morning sounds as nature woke around him. Both of his cats were still asleep and his mate was sprawled dead to the world nearby. Auriga had always been a restless sleeper, rolling this way and that. The only time it had bothered Li was when he'd been pawed in the ear, but it was hardly her fault - she was asleep. Li opened his eyes, blinking and giving another yawn before flexing his paws in the ground, idly digging claws into the soft earth before heaving himself to his feet and taking a look outside their cave. Much of their 'hidden' valley could be seen from the entrance - a stroke of luck, really - and the male inhaled the morning scent passively, enjoying the soft scent of rain from the night before. The valley was surrounded by almost-sheer cliffs, a strange depressed canyon more than a valley. Li enjoyed the solitude and Auriga liked how easily it was to catch prey: much of it simply fell over the cliffs and could not return. A large river ran through the middle of the valley, with the waterfall on one side and the river mouth at the entrance, a thin deer track that ran parallel to the river being the only safe path out. In all, it was as close to paradise as Li wanted to be. He wasn't lonely with his two companions, Auriga and the occasional kumppani that wandered in - the smaller creatures being fully capable of scaling the small cliffs with ease.

Li settled in a nice patch of sun and settled his fur from sleeping and the inevitable Auriga-mussing while she slept, but tilted his head as an odd sound trickled to his ears. He looked up, eyes scanning for danger or...whatever it was he sensed, then he frowned, but eventually went back to grooming. Once finished, he stretched further and padded down the little outcrop of rocks with a soft hum to himself. His black cat pelted out of the den with an offended mew that he'd nearly left her behind, but the 'thera only chuckled and gave her a nuzzled morning greeting as she settled primly atop his back. A good sniff caught the scent of several prey and Li moved into the deeper brush, his pale pelt hiding him surprisingly well in the dappled forest. Ears twitching absently, Li's senses sharpened as he slunk through the forest, following the scent of fresh deer and he slowed as he came nearer, then stopped just out of sight to watch the small herd.

Unaware their demise was lurking, the deer browsed through the tall grasses the rain had nourished, their soft pelts rippling occasionally as the bugs began to wake and the grass around their feet twinkled in the dew. Li inched closer, then settled to wait patiently, eyes shifting as he made his choice. The ones in the front were too alert, no doubt detecting his scent in the trees. They were interlopers, but had no way out. Frankly, he was surprised the entire herd had floundered over a cliff, but maybe it was time to recheck the borders. The 'thera moved closer, paws pressing lightly into the moss beneath him as it tickled his belly. A straggler. His target chosen, Li twitched an ear and Shayde scampered off to startle the herd. The tiny domestic couldn't possibly be a real hunting partner, but he did his best. Li didn't have to wait long and the head buck tilted his head at the hissing black cat on his other side, but moved away from him. Li broke cover when his doe was only a few feet away and swiped at her back leg before she'd so much as tossed her head in terror. The herd scattered, but the thera had his choice down, jaw locked and paws wrapped firmly around her neck until she twitched her last breath and collapsed beneath him.

The strange feeling came again and Li paused, licking his lips as he lifted his head and looked around. Shayde trotted over to him, having expertly avoided the flying hooves and head butted the maltese. Li only huffed and gave himself a shake, shifting to a stand and got a good grip on the deer to drag it back home. The cats would eat their fill and hook the rest in a tree for later.

The feeling of memories didn't abate over the course of the morning, making Li somewhat more irritable than usual and Auriga left him alone, wandering outside the valley as was her desire. At one point, Shayde paused in her own grooming to tilt her head in an uncanny mimicry of his own. The strange scent wafted across the cave entrance and Li just closed his eyes, trying to identify the scent. Slowly, his head tilted up as more flickering memories etched through Li's mind. His cat hopped off with an inquisitive glance up and the 'thera nodded down at her. Best tell Auriga he'd be gone for a few days before his curiosity got the better of him. Li hummed faintly to himself, but padded towards the twisted path leading outwards as he headed east. The pathway out was simple if one knew of it and above the cliffs, there were plenty of winding trails that could possibly end up nowhere. He didn't mind traveling, it had just been a while since he'd done any long journeys, but it was good to do so every once in a while. He reached the edge of the valley at the same time as two of his cats reappeared and hopped to his back for free rides. The 'thera grumbled half-heartedly about the liberty, but the tortoiseshell only gave him a cheeky purr.