Teeth »ᴄɵᴍᴘᴌᴇтᴇ«

TWENTY-FOUR

TWENTY-FOUR

It became apparent that the rain wasn't as much of a friend as I'd first thought. The mud stuck and dependant on where you stepped, it made you sink. It was also making Rowan's teeth chatter as it was cold, I had a feeling that it was only the warm I was giving him that was keeping him from complaining out loud. So far, the only good it had done was wash away any tracks and my and Rowan's scent away. Apart for the mud I'd stepped in, but there was enough of a gap between the last set of tracks and the mud track that I didn't think it would help them track us.

Pausing again, I looked around and hoped to see a small enclosure for Rowan to rest out of the rain. But again, nothing. Just trees, trees, and more trees. As I slipped on a piece of mud going downhill, it was only the root of a nearby tree that allowed me to stop the fall. Again I looked around, but this time, it was for a way down to that a cave. Not seeing one, I chose to head right and follow the edge until I either saw a cave or a way down. Turning right also mean that we weren't wondering too far from the road. Stupid, maybe, but I didn't want to loose our only navigation back to the school.

And then I froze.

Zane?

I waited, but that slight pressure on my mind didn't happen again, and so, I continued as the forest started to brighten, the rain began to stop completely and the birds began to chirp and sing. I wasn't sure if it was bad that all I could think with the birds singing was ummm... dinner. And with that, my stomach let loose a loud roar of it's own.

"Val?" Rowan called from over my shoulder.

I twisted one of my ears back to show I was listening.

"Maybe you should rest, or let me walk, you've been going for hours now. And you're hungry."

I growled in denial at him voicing that I should stop. And at him walking. I had my paws to protect me from nature, he had his bare feet that could bleed if he walked on a sharp thorn.

And then I heard it, a slight pounce. Instinct rose as I froze. The scent that came to me made me lick my lips, which led to to discovering two long sharp teeth at the front sides of my mouth. I really was a saber. Hearing the hooves move from a large, warm blooded body, made me creep closer, forgetting that I had Rowan on my back. As I lowered and shuffled my body closer as I knew that the prey was on the other side of the bush, Rowan slid off my back.

Coming up to the bushes, I fit my head through a gap to see a large buck standing tall and proud. Why was he alone? My stomach didn't care. And in the next blink, I had hooves kicking at my belly as my teeth pierced the buck's neck, trying to suffocate it. Just then it let out a loud bellow, and I heard many hooves, the rest of it's herd scatter from below like the wind. It wasn't long until the buck was dead.

Letting out a slight roar for Rowan, he appeared a minute later. Staring at the buck. "I can't eat that."

I blinked at him before looking at the now dead buck. Looking back at Rowan I questioned him with my eyes.

"He had a herd to take care of. Now you've killed him!"

For a moment, I wondered what he would think if I'd told him I killed my dad, send my own mother to her death. I shook it off and turned back to the buck, with a shrug, I bit and tore into the buck. Eating as much as my body would allow me while Rowan sat there looking green. But now that the buck was dead, it would be a waste to leave it. Eventually, Rowan sighed and came over. He didn't bite it, but instead asked me to cut it with my claws and then asked if we could find water. Nodding my head in acceptance, we did as he asked.

With Rowan mounted, I made my way down the slope that the buck must have used to climb the slight cliff. Following the direction that the rest of the herd had taken, it didn't take long to find a small lake. To which I made sure the herd didn't see or scent me.

Another thing we found was a nice surprise. Even if there was a grumpy bear inside the cave. Letting Rowan dismount, it was only then I went over to the bear. As soon as it saw me the bear became weary. As I got closer to it's cave, it stood on it's back legs and roared at me to leave. That this was his cave. Purposefully, I ignored it, except for a slight growl, turned and laid down so that my back was to the bear. Immediate confusion came from the bear.

I wasn't sure how long I laid there, not showing any aggressive movements, but eventually, the bear moved towards me. Sniffing me, a creature that didn't exist in it's forest. It was only as the bear sat next to me did Rowan come over.

But as soon as the bear saw Rowan, a growl rumbled out, but it was cut short when I jumped up and stood to defend Rowan. Confusion hit the bear again, then it moved off to fish in the lake.

Seeing that Rowan had collected wood while waiting, I wondered why he even bothered, as he dropped the wood next to me. He had no way to start a fire. And as he stared at the wood he'd dropped, he seemed to come to the same conclusion as well.

With a deep sigh, he sat so that he leant against my shoulder, watching the bear. "That was pointless, wasn't it?"

I made a noise of agreement.

"I'm really going to have to eat that meat raw or starve, aren't I?"

Again I made a noise of agreement.

He sighed. "Can you pass me the meat?"

Lifting the makeshift bag of leaves that contained the meat with my very front teeth, I placed it next to him.

It took him a while, and several heaves where he managed to keep it down, but he managed to eat until he couldn't any more. But whether that was because he wanted to throw up or was actually full was another matter.

As I laid my head on my paws, ready to sleep, Rowan asked another question. "What if the bear decides it wants me as it's next meal?"

In response, all I could do was growl. Then let darkness take me under.

   

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