The flock had not completely dissipated as had been expected. Ying slept a short distance away, having been lulled by birdsong. When the sun set, she rose from her slumber and stalked beneath the canopy, waiting for the first bird to dip within reach.
Solaris had been lured near by the woman's scent, the smell of sea foam and sand woven within her fur making her easier to track than most others. Eventually the pale figure of the ocean dweller materialized in the distance, and Solaris set herself a ways off.
She watched while she could, time eventually revealing the other's intentions. Encouraged by the grumbling of her stomach, the earthly sylph slipped closer and let loose a hushed chuff to announce her presence.
The chuff came as a conflicting surprise. Ying had not sought out company, though she wasn't opposed. She turned an eye toward the stranger and noted that it was a woman, immediately calming most of her nerves. Her attention was turned upward once more as she continued to watch the birds and wonder if her company would join in.
When her greeting was not immediately turned away or met with fangs, the viper instantly took it as permission to join the woman in her hunt. And so she quietly slithered forward until their bodies were as mirrors to each other, her posture mimicking that of the huntress.
Birds were not her first choice on the dinner menu, but she figured a feathery meal was better than just bones.
Do you hunt?
Her voice was but a whisper, just loud enough for the stranger to hear. They were close enough to one another for Ying to think that such a volume would suffice. We can make a game from this
, she proposed, then turning to fully face the she-wolf, if you are interested.
A loud call drew her attention upward once more as the canopy fell to an eery silence.
Had they been found out?
Cinnamon ears twitched atop her crown at the woman's words, her mismatched gaze turning from the sky to the pale form of the huntress. She had mentioned something of a hunt, a game too, but was not given time to explain or receive an answer before a shriek from the heaven's sent their attention skyward.
She held her breath for a moment as if it would help them go unnoticed from whatever lurked above, her gaze jumping from one tree to the next as she surveyed the canopy for any signs that they'd been discovered. But when no birds took to the sky and the idle chirps picked up again, Solaris let out the breath she'd been holding and turned to give the woman a firm nod in response to both her question and proposition.
The moment of panic was quickly ended. Birdsong played once more, muffling the sound of Ying's soft laugh. It had been a singular moment of relief during a period of questioning; she was both grateful and skeptical for its arrival.
She turned to her companion and bumped shoulders, brushing past with a confident flag of her tail. First to three is winner.
Ying would wait for confirmation before seperating to begin her hunt.
The sylph was quick to give another nod in the woman's direction before abruptly slinking off to find her choice of prey. She assumed anything with wings would do, flying or not, and immediately began to seek out a stream in the hopes of there being waterfowl nearby. For if there anything more overbearing than Solaris' own ego, it was her competitive nature.
The pair seperated without another word. Ying broke right and began to look for any low-lying branches that she might be able to climb. The first led her to a nest, wherein lied a trio of eggs. They weren't quite what she'd been looking for, but the huntress took them into her mouth all the same.
After descending, she dropped them at the base of the tree and went back up to her perch. A large, visibly angry bird approached her next, flapping to scare Ying away. Instead, she fought back, eventually catching its neck between her jaws.
There were no other targets within reach, so she decided that her hunt was finished.
Her first choice of prey, though smaller than others around it, was rightfully furious. A goose, pissed off as all hell, took a few good pecks at her before flying off to who knows where. She was momentarily worried about it seeking revenge and instantly took cover under a particularly thick set of leaves before eventually reemerging when the coast was clear.
Her next targets were far easier in comparison to the first. A bonded pair of ducks, one male and the other female, quickly met her fangs as they cried out into the winter air. She would have liked to snag another but all the ruckus had chased whatever prey had been here once into the wind where they were safe from her grasp.
And so while she was unsatisfied with her current number, Solaris didn't see any chance of securing another prize anywhere nearby and turned to head back in the direction she'd come from, ducks hanging lazily in her jaws as she awaited a howl to signal the end of their little game.
When Solaris did not immediately appear, Ying began to grow anxious. She sounded several yips as she trotted around, hoping that one might catch her companion's ear. Eventually, Sol did come into view, carrying two large ducks as she waited.
Another chuff was sounded as the huntress approached. I have a bird
, she mumbled as the catch dropped to the ground, and eggs.
A goofy smile grew on her maw, an unexpected feature in the face of loss.
The pair settled and examined their catches, eventually breaking apart some time later.