[Trade] [ foiled hunt || beast hunt - lit 1 ]

The bright blue Kainu trotted swiftly through the underbrush, seemingly caught up in tracking something. He moved with an unnatural quietness to his steps. His eyes were bright with a cold determination. Moonlight streamed in through the gaps in the canopy, illuminating his pelt in a washed out shade of blue-grey. His companion, a vibrant purple Nightmare, followed several paces behind, struggling to navigate the forest with the same ease as him. An expression of frustration broke across the Nightmare’s face as another branch struck him.

“What the hell are we even doing out here at a time like this, Levi?” Merrak hissed at the Kainu, his voice strained but low. “You still haven’t explained to me what we’re looking for or why it’s so important.”

“You wouldn’t understand,” Levi hissed back. “No one ever could. It’s better if you don’t know. Just shut up and follow me; that’s what you agreed to.”

Anger flared up in Merrak, and he bit back a growl. His tail bristled as he glared at the snow white haunches of the Kainu moving ahead of him, sparse moonlight occasionally lighting up him and the path ahead of them. He wondered why he’d even agreed to help him anyways. He scarcely even tolerated the bastard, much less liked him. Sometimes he wanted nothing more than to sink his teeth into his precious blue pelt. Merrak’s lips twitched, involuntarily baring his fangs at the mere thought of it. But he had to be patient. Something seemed off about Levi, just enough to give him pause. He hated to admit it, but he seemed dangerous, enough so to potentially be a worthy foe. The risk was too great for him to take, and besides, they were working together for now. Merrak pushed down the well of irritation within him.

Levi flicked back an ear, his head low to the ground in an effort to pick up any wayward scent trails. He was fully aware Merrak didn’t like him and surely would have attacked him numerous times over had it not been for their deal, but was unbothered by the Nightmare’s behavior. Levi didn’t believe him to be a significant threat to him, and there were far more important things to devote his energy to than worrying about some earthwalker with an ego.

The forest was wrapped up in a deep hush, nearly silent save for the footsteps of the two Drakiri and the soft rustling of leaves and grass as they passed. The light from the rings and full moons cast more than enough light to see by, even so deeply into the trees. A double edged sword for them, as although it meant they could see prey more easily, it also meant prey could more easily see their vibrant coats. The dirt was cool and soft beneath their hooves, and the faint scent of petrichor lingered in the air, betraying the fact it had rained a few days prior at most.

Every so often, one of the nocturnal creatures of the woods would let out a call, or would skitter through the nearby bushes and foliage. Merrak’s head snapped in the direction of each sound, honing in on whichever culprit was responsible. It was clear the lavender Nightmare was itching to taste blood, but Levi wouldn’t be distracted. They were not the prey he was searching for. 

A new scent reached Levi’s nose, and his heart quickened. This scent seemed decisively not of this plane. It was cold and sharp and dark, like a trail of smoke drifting over an obsidian mirror. This just might be one of the leads he’d been searching for. 

“This way!” he called back to Merrak, kicking up the pace and moving from a slow walk into something between a brisk trot and a slow gallop. 

“Hey, hey! Wait up!” Merrak yelled, stumbling over his own hooves. He really wished Levi would give him more warning sometimes.

Levi wove his way deftly through the trees as he tracked the faint scent, ignoring the Nightmare’s muffled swears. It led them to a nearby clearing, seemingly empty save for a slightly flattened patch of grass near the far edge. Merrak stood behind him, huffing. He made no attempt to hide his irritation.

“What was that for?! There’s not even anything h-”

Before he finished speaking, something moved in the woods beyond the edge of the clearing, and a fluffy white bantam Dracus with panda-like markings popped out into view, greeting them with a cheery expression. Instantly Merrak’s hackles were up and he took a step back as he bared his fangs. The fur on his tail bushed up, making it far more resemble that of a squirrel than any sort of canid. Levi involuntarily raised a hoof, but was otherwise unfazed. 

“Hey there! What are you fellas doing out here at a time like this?” the bantam inquired, a curious tilt to his head.

“That’s none of y- ow!” Merrak was again interrupted, this time by a sharp kick from Levi.

“Hunting,” Levi answered in an even yet cautious tone, “though unfortunately we haven’t had too much luck yet. What about you? Seeing as you’re out here just like us.” 

“Well I was sleeping, but something woke me up, so I figured I might as well check it out. I’m Rinji, by the way,” the fuzzy white Dracus introduced himself. “I went hunting earlier too. I caught a couple things, but I wasn’t that hungry so I haven’t eaten them yet. You’re free to have them if you’d like.” 

“I’m Levi, and this is Merrak,” Levi responded, gesturing with his head back toward the sulking Nightmare. “I appreciate the offer, but we’ll pass. What we’re hunting for is very… unique, let’s say.” 

It hadn’t escaped him that the strange scent had only grown stronger after Rinji’s appearance. It seemed to be coming from the Dracus, yet it was still too faint for him to be the direct source of the smell, and it didn’t seem like there was anything particularly unusual about him. Rinji seemed almost as average as a Drakiri could get. Still, it paid to be cautious when working with the unknown. 

“Aww, that’s too bad,” Rinji whined, a teasing note to his voice. “I hate letting food go to waste.” He trotted over to the flattened patch of grass and sat down, curling his tail over his paws. He picked up one dark forepaw, examining it intently under the moonlight, looking for any signs of dirt. “Ehh, no biggie. I’ll figure out something to do with it.” He paused to pick out a burr from the long fur of his wrist. “Hunting for something unique, you say? Sounds like fun! Mind if I tag along for a bit? I could use a change of pace.” 

“That furball? No way.” Merrak spat before Levi had a chance to respond. His leg was sore and his ego was wounded from a night full of slights. He was not feeling particularly charitable, to say the least.

“Wow,” Rinji chuckled, eyes widening slightly in surprise. “Who pissed in his cereal?” 

Levi let out a low growl, betraying his frustration. “Please excuse my friend. He’s irritable at the best of times and today hasn’t been a great day.” He closed his eyes, pondering the Dracus’s offer. It would certainly provide an opportunity to learn about the scent that surrounded him…

“If you would like to join us, feel free. Any extra help would be appreciated.”

“Ay don’t worry. No offense taken. I deal with folks like that all the time.” Rinji stood and stretched. His claws dug into the soft ground as he shook out his luxurious white coat. “Sounds like a plan! Lead the way.”

Ivan slunk along the forest floor, clinging to the shadows as a spider clings to its web. The sky was clear and the light from the rings illuminated the underbrush. His albino pelt already stuck out like a sore thumb on a good night, and this did not improve his situation or his mood. His stomach growled fitfully and he grimaced. He missed hunting on the snowy plains. Despite the lack of groundcover, at least there prinxes fur and sheer size provided him a considerable advantage over his prey. Not here. In the warm, cramped forest, far from his snowy home, they worked against him. He was beginning to resent the forest. 

It had rained recently, and the earth was soft under his paws. Prinxe had considered covering prinxeself in mud. It’d surely provide him far better camouflage, but the thought of being caked in dirt made him shudder. The wound to his pride would hurt far more than his aching stomach. 

He crept with the ease of a practiced hunter, his sleek white fur gliding smoothly over powerful muscles. His ice blue eyes were wide, scanning every inch of his surroundings for any sign of potential prey. His ears were alert and his mouth was held half open. He took in deep, slow breaths to better pick up any stray scent trails. 

Finally, he had something. A strong, musty scent reached him, and Ivan immediately honed in on it. Food.

Ivan pressed his body as low to the ground as he could to minimize his risk of being spotted, leaving just barely enough room for prinxes scales to glide above the sticks and stones without scraping against them. His mouth watered at the thought of a fresh meal, but he bit back his anticipation. Too many times had prinxe come inches from having dinner only to have it slip through his jaws at the last second. 

He tracked it until he heard the faint sound of running water and the trees began to thin out. A small stream bubbled past a few paces into the opening, and past it, tucked into the safety of a thicket of berry bushes, Ivan could just barely make out the shape of a deer. His eyes gleamed with excitement. He swallowed, licking his lips in anticipation of fresh meat, and settled into a low crouch.

Silently, ever so slowly, he approached his target, taking care to set his paws down gently so as to not snap any stray twigs or roll any pebbles. He did everything in his power to not alert the doe to his presence. 

Right as he was within range to pounce and was settling in to make the kill, something rustled further beyond the thicket. 

“What was that for?! There’s not even anything h-” 

An unfamiliar voice rang out through the trees, breaking the silence that had bathed the forest. The doe’s eyes opened and her head snapped up. Immediately she’d caught sight of the luminous pelt of the albino Dracus and was up on her feet before prinxe could react. Ivan lunged, but she was already gone. His claws struck empty grass and his nose plowed unceremoniously into the twigs of the bushes. He bit back a roar of frustration as dinner slipped right out from between his jaws for the umpteenth time that week. 

Ivan sat down with a frustrated sigh, not even caring that his haunches would be left muddied by the stream. He lifted his head up and glared up at the sky, furious he’d have to go hungry once again and that the weather didn’t even have the decency to at least be overcast and make his life a little bit easier. Prinxe growled, resisting the urge to snap his jaws.

Well, he thought to himself, standing up and shaking himself off. If he was going to be bitter and angry he may as well at least go see who he had to blame.

He set off through the trees, searching for the source of the voice. It wasn’t difficult, seeing as they were near enough to be heard clearly at a slightly above average speaking volume, and it sounded as if more voices had joined the first. 

It scarcely took him two minutes to track down the culprits. Prinxes ears pricked forward as prinxe honed in on the source of the voices. He wound through the dense woods like a massive gleaming weasel. Tree bark grazed along his flanks and bushes drew their leafy fingers through his fur. Ivan was too tired and too hungry to care about maintaining prinxes coat at the moment. He slowed as he approached the edge of a clearing not far from where he’d lost the doe. He spied figures moving beyond the underbrush and dropped into a crouch, taking extreme care to stay out of sight. Prinxe wasn’t exactly a people person. He had no interest whatsoever in drawing attention to himself.

Even through the leaves, Ivan could still clearly make out the Drakiri within the clearing. On one side stood an obscenely bright blue Kainu and a bright purple Nightmare, and on the other a bantam Dracus with thick, fluffy fur and a white pelt. They were still standing around discussing gods knew what. Prinxe could clearly hear their conversation but couldn’t be bothered enough to listen to the details. These were the Draks who’d scared off his meal, and that was reason enough to not give a damn. 

He laid in watch for a minute, observing them with a look of disdain scrawled across his face. He stayed there, unmoving, until the other Dracus stood from where they’d been seated and the group began to move off. Ivan waited until they were out of sight before rising from his position. Prinxe turned away from the now vacant clearing and let out an annoyed and self-righteous huff. 

Maybe now they were gone, he could actually catch something for once, he thought to himself as he slunk off back into the shadows of the woods.