@Bonario Backdated to May 28th, set on the shoreline of the bottom half of the lake
Crossing over the mountains was a task Vale gave herself plenty of time to do. It wasn't an foreign experience given her upbringing, but she moved with caution. As the slopes grew lush and green, Vale was able to see beyond the range and the lands beyond. A smile broke through the focus upon her face. Picking up her pace, keeping an eye out for scree slopes, she moved to an outcrop.
The world opened before her, she looked down to catch site of water. A lake bordered by stone walls, its contents spilling down into the valley beyond. Vale's tongue flashed between her lips. A drink of cold mountain would be refreshing, but she unable to determine a route to reach the mountain's shoreline. Disappointing. Gaze returning to the mist rising from where the water poured down, she tilted her head. There would be water below.
And down she went.
At the base of the mountain, Vale's tongue lolled out of a goofy smile. From up on the mountainside she was able to see that the body of water as vast, but now on the shoreline she could comprehend the true size of the lake. Crossing from rock to grass, and from grass to sand, a relieved sigh escaped her lungs. Splaying her toes in the sand, she approached the waters edge and lowered her head. Lapping at the rippling surface of the cool water.
A barbaric creature had not been at rest. In the light of day where the raised earth fell down to lake, a lone rabbit clouded his vision. There he circled, high above and shifting around her figure. Slipped behind forestry, pads pressing down to thorns he gave no attention to, but simply broke under his weight or discarded them with a push.
Amber, lightning eyes struck about her area. The sand to her left, the dip to her right, the water before her feet and the stone to her back. He prowled forward, tail lashing behind him in a buildup of agitation. He crept down the mountains, careful and slow in his step, yet speed hardly varied.
And soon she would lose the luxury of believing she'd been alone.
Eyes.
Vale paused mid lap. Droplets of water trailing off her chin and ears airplaning to the sides as she lifted her head. The feeling of a gaze upon her spine pervaded the tranquil moment. Her relieved muscles tensing as a prickling sensation danced across her body.
Surely it was just paranoia... right? Weary from travel and having met other travelers in recent times, surely it was just her imagination. One look should make her fell better. Wouldn't she feel silly when it was nothing!
Glancing first to her left, then to her right, she soon turned her back to the water. Eyes scouring the lakeside for a culprit. Holding her breath, her ears cupped forward.
Light bounced across the lake's surface. The falls roared nearby. Insects darted through the air, buzzing on their way. Their eyes don't count. A rustle in the forestry. A fish splashing through the water. The sandy banks, clear of other competitors — wait.
Was something on the mountainside?
She lifted a paw as though to take a step towards the mountain. The lower slopes had a lushness that could conceal an unwanted guest. Her widened eyes fixated on the greenery. Vigilant for any twitch — any moving shadow. It was quiet until her voice broke though.
Someone there?
Collapse.
She had awareness he wasn't expecting. He ceased all movements, falling immediately to his stomach and staring forward with an unwavering gaze. He could see her from here. Shrubbery would envelope him. He could see her, but could she see him? He did not know, but he assumed she could not. Not unless she was peering hard.
What might a wolf do here?
How might they hide themselves in a way that is not cowardly? Perhaps he'd have done smarter to conceal his scent if she was a true hare and he was a wolf of true primal instinct. He'd stay here, is what he'd do. He'd wait for her to turn, or wait for her to approach. He'd be a trap, and she would be unsuspecting. If he was truly hunting her, a wolf of her species, and he was granted the opportunity to succeed, then he could only improve. Other fauna had no minds. They had no thoughts. Brainless, stupid beings, he thought.
So, he pictured her a hare or deer, one that would run at the sound of him. He is practicing with no intent to kill. He hardly knew his own intentions, apart from observing.
The prickling sensation that weaved its way beneath her skin did nothing to ease her fears. Flanks twitching, she replanted her paw and drew in a breath. Warm, honey colored eyes closing as her chest expanded. Corralling the air into her lungs with a lock on the gate. She held it there for a few seconds. Grounding herself against instinct. Then she released. Eyes opening again with a new focus.
Other creatures have a scent. Nose put to work, she slowly drew a few strides closer. She wouldn't pass farther than where the sand thinned and was sparsed with patches of grass. Her ears perked as she snatched a mere glimpse of a scent before it was snatched away by the circulating air.
I know you're there!
Her bark had raised in volume. It was a declaration, not an accusation. Leveling, a exasperation crept into her voice, Can you just say something back? Am I really scarey enough to hide from?
She could be talking to a rock for all she knew. Her gaze had slowly started to wander the shrubbery. It ended mostly at the base of the mountain. Opening up to the lakeshore. She could just run alongside the lake and leave. That may be the smarter choice. With a thoughtful hum resonating in her throat, she broke her gaze and turned her head away from the mountainside.
+5 Stealth stat.
At least, he saw it that way.
Now he is peering down at her. He sees her. He hears her, even. He is unappreciative of her speech. The canine bobcat's teeth grit and gnashed. His nose came up to a tense scrunch, a huff of air slowly seeping out of his nostrils. She was noisy. If there were any prey sitting about, she'd long scared them off.
Slow, careful steps when she turns. Questions of what he's even doing begin to waltz through his head. He knows he doesn't need to. He also knows that doing so is a waste of his time. He knows that she is vulnerable, however, and he takes advantage of it simply for his own benefit. He can learn from this. Somewhere along the lines, he's let her hear him, and he appreciates nothing of it. Then he can do better. He will learn better.
Then he begins wondering what it might be like to take another's life.
This is what he believes he's wondering, anyways. What wolf, he more seriously wondered, would do such a thing, and why? To clear the area out? Perhaps if he was in his own territory he might do so.
Survival demanded it.
So, maybe this isn't the place for it. It wasn't as if she was all that close. It wasn't as if she was doing anything but drinking. Somehow, seeing her do nothing irritated him. As he stalks out, he raises his stance higher and higher until he turns his cheek, eyeing her suspiciously.
In exchange for her deflected attention she was given two things before she snapped back to reality: the sound of footfall and the stranger it belonged to.
Slowly did this unknown man depart from the foliage. If his stiff legged stalk didn't betray his mood, the glower he gave her as he approached was a signed statement. Vale's gut flipped on itself and turned to lead into her belly. Whether it be the crackling air that followed him or something in his eye as it locked with hers, she knew the fine print on the document.
He was trouble. Spelled with a capital "T."
Trouble.
So much for her good luck.
Mirroring him, Vale lifted her head and straightened her posture. Eyes narrowing at Mr. Trouble, an otherwise neutral expression crossed her face. Standing firm, she stunted the growing silence. See? I'm not that scary. Certainly not enough to be hiding in the bushes.
He could see her clearly now. With peering amber eyes and a stiff legged gait, he treaded forward. Slowly, carefully. The closer he got, he could almost feel her growing smaller. With a turned cheek and lifted head, lazily letting it move about while his feet dared him closer, he kept his gaze on her apprehensively. Unsure. Like she was a puzzle with pieces he felt repulsed by to touch, yet her empty canvas drew out curiosity. Curiosity that, as he came to a hard stop, he didn't know if he wished to uncover.
Ten feet apart.
Before his head whipped to his left and with a high tail immediately started an attempt at stomping off. In fact, he wouldn't so much as look at her anymore!
No worries!
Perhaps her initial assumption was wrong, but as the stranger approached something ever so
slightly dulled the edge that he walked with. Not that a dulled knife is any less dangerous. His gait was still conducted by stiff limbs that held a potential of a compressed spring.
Vale paid close attention to his head, his gaze. It was a look she knew well. Its something you gave to a new oddity that confounded you. Trying to twist and rotate the pieces of information in your mind so quickly that you twisted up your appearance. She blinked twice once she realized she was mirroring the very same gesture. Giving herself a brisk shake, she loosened her legs and dared to take a few pawsteps forward. A frown pulled at her lips as a furrow formed on her brow. As she began to open her mouth to try, again, to instigate a conversation, he turned away.
Huh?
Vale stared dumbfounded at the back of his skull the second she saw. Was it normal to just walk away like that? Why waste the effort in approaching, then? Did he not want to share the water while she was here? There's plenty of it!
Emboldened by her befuddlement she darted forward to face him.
Hey! If I did something wrong or whatever it's easier to know if you tell me!