Cedar Sweep while it still beats

All welcome :)

arunik'ra had descended the stony outcropping that flanked sunmote's eastern front, picking her way with small curses as the harsh rocks punished her tender feet. she was relieved when she final met a strath of tall cedars, their limbs laden with sun-flourescent green. she looked upward as if thanking molech for providing for her in her hour of need. surely it was molech's mercy that allowed her to find such a cherished place.

her journey did not stop here, however much she wished to relish the cool touch of embracing shade. arunik'ra stalked close to the boughs, making due west where the forest thickened.

Brechin had made his way quite far down the river, not that he had any sense of direction where he wanted to go. He had been quite happy at the Morass with the new leaves returning. They were just as juicy as in spring, normally after a tough winter the spring leaves were one of the best. And this year, thanks to all those bugs he got to experience it again.

Even though those leaves gave him enough hydration in spring, during the summer where it was bound to get a bit hotter the stag felt he was in need for drink. The long legged creature walked up to the river bank and lowered his magnificent head. His velvet was almost gone from his antlers. He was ready to use them again, he loved the feeling of how heavy his head felt, meaning that he had matured more and another new branch mark another year of maturity.

arunik'ra had not realized she had company -- until she saw the movement of branches ahead. they were peculiar branches, pale and washed -- and they were attached to a distinctly robust male deer. the scarlet priestess visibly recoiled, her snipey muzzle sharply focusing on the buck. her stomach growled pitifully and how dearly she wished to consume him -- alas, she was but one wolf and one wolf alone was no match for the ungulate.

this fact did not dissuade her from stalking him, which she did -- quickly she took cover in a quivering copse of ferns, nothing save for the baleful intensity of her hungry gaze visible.

Brechin drank with ease from the river, instantly feeling more refreshed. The young male lifted his head from time to time to check. For now he was still unaware of the wolf that was watching him from the undergrowth. For now the animal was still calm, as much as a prey animal could be calm.

The male stepped more into the river, cooling his hooves. The stag turned around moments later, walking back towards the riverbank. That was when his nose caught something. His tail went up and his whole body alert. A loud snort came from the male, listening if his ears could confirm what his nose caught.

from the shroud of vines that encased her the red priestess stalked her prey, her eyes and stomach wistful with want and hunger. the stag froze for a moment and alarmed siezed him -- like a white and violent flare his tail was sent upright. arunik'ra sneered to herself, amused by the deer's startlement.

boldly the red wolf rose from the quivering ferns, detritus and briars flaking from her scarlet fur. "d'ye speak, kau tilika?" she had never attempted to converse with a deer before -- perhaps her hunger drove her to such madness.

Brechin snorted instantly when the wolf spoke to him. The stag was not often talking to predators, correction, make that never. The young buck shook his head as a no and then stepped back. "What do you want, Wolf. I have no business with you," his voice boomed. He was not going to act scared now. It seemed this wolf was alone, otherwise it would be a damn good trick.

arunik'ra felt foolish casting her voice to the wind -- immediately she felt a second-hand embarassment flood her. of course prey did not speak - they were prey for a reason, weak and stupid and meant only to be consumed.

so when the deer spoke (and rather firmly) her ears drew forth in surprise and her mouth filted into a silent 'o'. she laughed; a delighted cackle -- would molech have blessed her with the banter of deer for the afternoon? what fun!

"what do i want?" she asked, her expression bright with absurd amusement. "what all wolves want. to eat you. of course you have business with me, our destinies are networks in which the two would not exist without." she pulled closer, somewhat overtaken by her zealous excitement: "we thin your herd, and pick off your weak so that the strong and deserving survive. and in return you feed us and give us sustenance for the winter, for ourselves, for the earth. we live and die to fulfill each other, both within and without." she stopped for a moment, realizing she had forgotten the most important question: "is it all deer that speak? or has molech given you powers?"

Brechin stomped the ground he was going to let the other know that he would fight back if she made any move to kill him. The stag's paranoid mind made him think that this could be a trap. Maybe the other wolves were surrounding him now! The male snorted listening to the wolf, because she did have point. Yet that didn't mean that he liked it. 

The buck shook his head. "I don't know who this Molech is. Deer talk with deer. Some of the braver ones would talk to a predator, but they are also called the foolish ones," he pointed out, knowing that he indirectly called himself foolish. Because, frankly, it was foolish of him. He might be eaten any moment. It was that reminder that stuck to his brain. "And I am not going to let you ambush me," he pointed out. "Bye, Wolf," he spoke. No one would believe her anyhow that a deer had talked to her.

The stag gave the wolf another glace before making sure to run away from her as fast as possible. He really needed some company, talking to wolves now and all that.

the scarlet woman had hoped to snare the stag with questions; she was hungry for knowledge. as it was, he was all too familiar with a wolf's hunger and was reasonably spooked by the proximity. the priestess' slender muzzle snapped shut and she canted her rifled head back, watching him in silence as he departed. she made no move to give chase -- instead she slipped down to the bank to slake the thirst the heat had pressed upon her dry throat.