King of Owls

Survival of the Fittest

•Y/N: Your Name
•E/C: Eye Color

Author's POV:

The dead of night burst alive with sounds of hooting owls and noisy crickets, but, regardless of all the commotion, a single figure sleeps soundly in a small cave surrounded by tall trees. A layer of thick fog seeps in through the opening, forming a heavy dampness in the place and causing glistening droplets to form on the female's skin. Soft, near-silent thuds travel along the roof of the natural structure as a curious creature lurks within the darkness lit up only by the quarter moon and twinkling starlight, but even those are partially covered by the dark clouds scattered above. Deciding to peek inside the cave before making an entry, the male stops at the mouth of it before getting on all fours to hang his head and look inside. Chestnut brown locks drape downward before his neck tilts sharply to the point where his ear touches his shoulder when his piercing, orange eyes land on the sleeping figure inside.

Her back faced him, but it's quite obvious she's unconscious due to the very faint snores escaping her parched lips. Very quietly, the figure climbs around the entrance of the cave without ever taking his eyes off the person intruding on his territory. Cautiously, on all fours, the male slinks over to the girl with intrigue, not creating a single sound as he gets closer and closer. His head tilts side to side at odd angles while observing her vulnerable form before stretching an arm towards her face to turn her over. He takes her chin into his hand with light touches and shifts it to fully view her feminine features.

Almost instantly, he pulls away and jumps back a few steps in skittish movements when her eyes twitch beneath the skin of their lids. Not wanting to get caught spying on the stranger, he turns and runs out of the cave before scurrying up the nearest tree to hide amongst its winding branches and deep green leaves. His heart pumps wildly in his chest while he stares down, watching for any movement, but nothing caught his eyes. She didn't wake, and, though he wished to investigate further, he thought it less risky to remain where he is until the sun arose. He was on the brink of nodding off when a shuffle of dirt caught his keen ears, and, immediately, he looked down, watching closely as this human female sits up and stretches her arms above her head. The girl then stands up and pushes at her lower back to relieve any built up tension with a satisfying crack. The sharp sound caused the creature to flinch and rustle some leaves, but the person below didn't seem to notice or care.

'I guess this cave will work as a good base for now,' Y/N thinks to herself before nearly rubbing her eyes with her dirty palm. She pulls her hand away after realizing it's caked with dirt from the floor of her temporary home and carelessly wipes it on her pants. She doesn't waste time on worrying about the possibility of forgetting the cave's location, for the chances of that are slim. Her sense of direction is actually quite good; in fact she can easily find her way back to civilization if she ever decides to return to the life she left behind. At the moment, however, that isn't a part of the agenda, wilderness survival is.

'Okay, what do I need to do?' She wonders while walking out of the rock formation she slept in and looking around. There was nothing notable, just the same tall trees and gloomy atmosphere, which she oddly finds comforting. She was thankful for the absence of spying owls, however, for they were what put her off most on her arrival. Likely, they are all fast asleep now that it's morning, but she wonders if they'll return by the time dusk rolls around.

What she didn't realize, however, was that one is still with her, just well hidden in the trees to avoid being spotted. It was at a time like this, he was proud to be a master of stealth, though, he wished he could get a bit of shut eye. He shook the tiredness from his brain, wishing to remain vigilant while stalking the stranger invading his land. Y/N grabs a stick from the ground before sitting and writing a list in the dirt. There are many things she needs to sort out before night falls.