Panther Park And I hear you call out my name

@Barracuda

Through the night she stalked, much like some nights ago, hunting farther from home than expected. After her day of slumbering with her lover, she had left their den in search of their nightly meal. The hunting grounds nearby had become too easy for her and she wished to bring something rare home, like herself. With small hops, executed with grace and precision, did The Night jump from stone to stone to cross the river, knowing where she was going. There was a wild part of woods just behind the lake and she was intent on hunting there.

But, after an hour of searching with the distant roaring of the mountain lions in the background, she was still fruitless. It seemed she was not as good of a hunter as she had thought herself to be. Now she had to bring home a boring rabbit or bird from nearby their woods, her energy wasted on the long travel that had brought her to the Park. The speckled woman found a place to nestle herself for a bit, ears alert and swiveling about as always. Perhaps if she waited, Nocturnal would bring her something to entertain herself with so not all had been for nothing.

He was not the kind of man to remain tethered to one place.  While the rest of the band lingered behind in Apikuni, he traveled across the mountain they were supposed to make their home and into the large conifers that lay in sentry at its feet.  

Whether it would turn out to be a mistake was yet to be seen, but the heavy scent of panther was not something that seemed too welcoming.  He could smell food, but most of it was up in the trees where the mountain cats dragged it... and he was not about to fight one of those.

But when he came across a low-hanging branch with an entire haunch of some hapless ungulate and nothing around to stop him, he could not help himself.  He balanced on his back legs and pulled it down and started to drag it somewhere to eat it in private.  

And it was not long, of course, before he noticed another.  He almost missed her, and had it not been for the way the moonlight reflected off of the constellations on her back he might have.  He froze in place, unkempt fur bristled and flattened in surprise.

Sitting as still as ever, only observing, did the woman feel the night embrace her. The summer air brought another's scent, one she did not recognize. Then again, she knew not many outside of their woods. Unlike others, she had remained home for as long as she had lived, leaving only occasionally to hunt, drink or for an adventure. Never had she gone far though - not over the mountains to the north nor to the south. She had not even witnessed the sea from up close or had felt the salt water pull the small locks of midnight fur from around her toes toward the ocean's depths.

She had nearly thought to have gone by unnoticed, but the other was almost as observant as she was. With only the moonbeams that had found a way through the thick layer of summer leafs to brighten things up, she stared at him calmly. A creature born from the shadows, much like The Forest King himself, but with post-apocalyptic suns as eyes and a feral coat. One could almost mistake him for a Brother, but he did not carry the crimson pawprint upon his shoulder.

Greetings. She broke the silence between them, tone cold and demanding of respect. Her posture was kept proud but rather neutral. This was not their land, and the stranger scented of others who might very well be near.