[FLASHBACK] Mac and the Puma (Completed)

by **Jeremiah Maccabee** on August 18th, 2012, 11:28 pm

[FLASHBACK] Mac and the Puma (Renalee, Mac)
The 70th of Spring 512
Northern Wildlands, Near Ravok

Mac was kneeling on the ground studying a paw print in a bit of mud beside a stream. It was a cat of some sort. A big one. He guessed it was a cougar, mainly because that was the only big cat he knew about in these parts. Water was oozing into the impression and would soon obliterate it entirely. The cougar must have been here less than half a bell ago. He had been tracking it for several hours. The problem was that he wasn't very good at it. He kept loosing the track and had to waste time circling before he'd pick it up again. He was fortunate that the cougar wasn't in a hurry to get anywhere or all he'd be finding would be old tracks. Or maybe no tracks at all.

The whole venture was crazy, of course. Mac was an inexperienced hunter hunting a stalk-and-ambush predator. There was the very real possibility that the hunter would become the hunted and vice-versa. But he wasn't going to lose 20 gm to that bastard Fremler. He had three days left to bag a cougar and return its front paws to win the bet. Now he was mere chimes away from his prey. He took his bow from his shoulder and notched an arrow loosely against the string. Whatever happened would probably happen very fast.

OOC :

by **Renalee** on August 19th, 2012, 8:07 am

The puma was crouching low towards the ground, belly almost brushing the wilted grass. She was watching as the human kneel down and inspect something on the ground, something which most likely was one of her very own paw prints. The soil in this region, as Ren had discovered quickly, was soft and spongy - easy for tracking prey, but just as easy to leave trail on and become the one track. As it had recently become evident was the case.

It hadn’t been any particularly amazing hunting skill that had led Renalee to notice that she was being followed. The discovery hadn’t been thanks to her keener senses either. It had been dumb luck that had caused her to linger in one spot for longer and actually notice the human man approaching, slowly and carefully like someone on the prowl would, but nowhere as graceful as a feline predator.

Ren had had plenty of time to make it to where she had left her backpack and had spent last night without the hunter ever catching up with her. However, the Kelvic found herself curious and having already spent a couple of days on her own the human part of her wanted company. So, with the roles of prey and hunter quickly switched Renalee let the man approach the small dip in the ground, half-edged with low bushes where the ground was littered with both human and animal prints.

At some point he had pulled out a bow and an arrow and Ren had edged to the side and was now moving on his right. Just as the trail was about to lead the man past a big, solitary boulder and into her ‘camp’ the Kelvic leaped. She landed gracefully just in front of the hunter, making her 35 kilograms of bones and muscles seem like no weight at all. Before he could react, with a movement tha carried all her feline speed, but was too precise and intelligent for an animal, her Ren’s jaw closed around the back of the bow, just below the arrow and tore it free from the man’s hands. She proceeded to fling it to the side, far away enough so it souldn’t be in easy reach before her green eyes looked up to meet the human’s.

Her stance was tense, prepared to both lunge forward and back, but without any reason to actually fight. This was all some great, big game for the young Kelvic and she found herself excitedly awaiting to see what the hunter’s next move would be. Ren flashed him a toothy grin, as far as a cougar could actually grin and let a soft, unthreatening rumble escape her chest.

Perhaps the human would like to play too.

by **Jeremiah Maccabee** on August 19th, 2012, 5:20 pm

It all happened very fast. The man-sized cat appeared out of thin air in mid-flight and landed lightly in front of him. It's jaw opened, exposing a fine set of large pointed teeth that looked like they could easily take Mac's arm off at the elbow. It closed its teeth over his bow, ripped it out of his hand without discernible effort and tossed it into a nearby huckleberry bush, leaving Mac holding the arrow. It crouched, getting ready to attack. Its terrible green eyes radiated deadly intent. It bared its teeth. Mac wondered if there was such a thing as a good day to die. Then it produced a deep, rumbling growl that sounded more like a purr than anything else.

Mac's hands were shaking uncontrollably. His breathing was rapid and constricted. There was a buzzing sound in his ears and he had a bad case of tunnel vision that limited his field of vision to the cougar's head. They stood face to face, neither of them moving, for a full chime. His brain slowly regained its ability to function again and he realized that the cat was not going to attack him. If it had wanted to attack him, it would have taken him down from behind. Instead it had disarmed him. Intentionally.

“Well,” Mac said in a voice an octave higher than usual. “You don't see that every day.”

His legs decided this was a good time to stop holding him up, and he found himself sitting on the ground. He was still gasping for breath but the buzzing in his head was fading and the tunnel was rapidly widening to allow the rest of the world into his field of vision.

“Damn if you're not a Kelvic,” he said. “I guess this means I'm out 20 gold mizas.”

by **Renalee** on August 19th, 2012, 7:17 pm

Ren watched with amusement as the human’s face drained from blood at her sudden appearance and his brow broke into a sweat. She could hear his heart speeding up and his breaths coming out shorter. He smelled of fear. There was nothing more delicious than the smell of terror that exuded from every pore or a prey’s body. It filled her nostrils, invaded her lungs and danced on her tongue, tempting all her senses. The Kelvic craved the smell almost as much as she craved companionship and being bonded to someone, so she relished it now, drinking it in.

The man seemed to have somewhat recovered after having realized that the puma was just standing there watching him. However, his legs suddenly gave out, sending him gracelessly into a sitting position and Ren taking a step back, startled at the sudden movement. After she made certain this wasn’t some sort of tactic on the hunter’s part and he wouldn’t suddenly be pulling out a knife on her she resumed her previous position. She sat down next to the man, the gesture executed with such care that it clearly stated that was how one was supposed to do it.

Extending her neck, with her nose almost in the human’s face Ren took another sniff of his scent. If there had been any doubt before there was none now - he was a hunter. A certain smell of death and blood clung to him, untraceable for anyone with anything less than predatory senses. She lifted a tentative paw (no visible trace of her long claws) to give his shoulder a nudge. The gesture was reminiscent that of a playful child, trying to ‘poke‘ a companion or a pet out of inactivity. If her previous actions hadn’t revealed her nature this one certainly did. Renalee bestowed another puma smile on the man as he pronounced her a Kelvic and then transformed into a flash and swirl of light and air.

“Is that what a cougar’s pelt goes for these days?” The blonde that was now crouching in front of the man huffed unhappily. “I would have expected it to be at least 40! It’s so pretty after all.” With a swish of her hair, the exact golden colour the fur of her animal form had been she stood up and headed over to the bush where she had flung the hunter’s bow. Incidentally it was the very same bush where she had hidden her own small bag of possessions when she had chosen the place for a ‘camp’.

Renalee retrieved the bow, together with her long white linen shirt and the black lace she had been using instead of a belt. She returned to the man, all the while pulling the shirt over her head with one hand. She had learned long ago that while her skin was the only clothing she needed humans generally were uncomfortable around nakedness.

“You shouldn’t hunt cougars, human,” the Kelvic commented offhandedly as she thrust the weapon back into the hands of its owner. “You’ll most likely become their prey.”

by **Jeremiah Maccabee** on August 19th, 2012, 8:43 pm

OOC :

Again things were happening a little too fast for Mac to take in. But not too fast for him to take in a naked woman. Mac was something of a womanizer, and this was definitely a woman. Pert young breasts, very nice figure, lovely blond hair that was obviously genuine. Fortunately she put on some clothes which allowed his brain to start working again.

“There's this wager, you see,” he said. “On whether I could bag a cougar in one week. The front paws were to be the proof. I have three days left and you're the only cougar I've seen.” He got up off the ground and took his bow back. “In hindsight it wasn't the brightest wager I've ever made. There was a lot of alcohol involved as I recall.” He put his bow over his shoulder.

“I have a camp a few bells walk from here. You're welcome to spend the night. We'll go through a meadow on the way. Might snag a rabbit or two for dinner.”

OOC :

by **Renalee** on August 20th, 2012, 7:34 am

“That’s a stupid wager,” Ren declared without much ceremonies as she followed the man’s movements while he picked himself off the ground. “And you’re certainly not getting my front paws. I like them very much exactly where they are, thanks.” At least the man admitted to being stupid, she wouldn’t have to spend much time convincing him of it. Now that the game seemed to be over Ren wasn’t sure exactly what to do with the human. He possibly could be useful in some ways she considered as she eyed the bow which had just been slung over the man’s shoulder, but his particular purpose was escaping her now.

Luckily he seemed to have an idea of his own. The puma perked up at the mention of rabbits and her nose lifted to smell the air, as if she could catch their scent from here. Rabbit meat sounded perfect right about now. Just the thought of crunching bones, blood dripping, the last writhing of the dying muscles... she was salivating. “We’ll definitely need more than two rabbits,” the blonde declared firmly as she felt hunger settle in. It must have been more than 6 bell chimes since she last ate and the time between then and now was spent running around the place and - well for the lack of a better word - playing. It wasn’t like she was in a particular rush. So now she was suddenly starving.

Ren had wondered back to the the bush to retrieve her backpack and as she returned to the man she thrust her belongings into his arms in pretty much the same way she had done his bow a moment ago. “You’ll need to carry that. If you’d like me to get us any rabbits I’ll need those jaws free.” Ren grinned pretty much the same grin she did when in her animal form - toothy, broad and uninhibited.

Her shirt followed, tossed unceremoniously in the man’s hands and she stood in front of him just long enough to say: “Lead the way, human.” A fluid shift of light later the big cat was standing in front of the man again. A quick movement positioned her behind him and she used her head to nudge him impatiently just above the knee. They needed to hurry because rabbits did’t catch themselves and she would have liked one in her mouth by now.

It had been a long time since Ren had last hunted with a human, the last memory of her father and Sunberth seemed distant and somewhat blurry. Excitement settled in the pit of her stomach as she followed her new companion.

by **Jeremiah Maccabee** on August 21st, 2012, 3:11 am

Two bells later they came to the edge of a field of tall green grasses interspersed with a variety of colorful wild flowers. A lone deciduous tree stood guard over a bit of marsh near the middle. Mac's eyes roamed the field for a few chimes.

“I have no idea how to go about hunting for rabbits,” he said as he looked over his shoulder at the cougar. She wasn't there. She had been right behind him and now she was gone.

“I guess you know how to hunt for rabbits,” he mumbled. He suddenly realized that he didn't know her name. "I'll have to ask her next time I see her in human form," he said to himself. The thought of seeing her in human form again brought distinctly ungentlemanly ideas to mind. "Rein it in, old man. Rein it in. You're old enough to be her father." The sad part was the realization that she probably thought the same thing. One thing was sure: He wasn't going to try to make her do anything she didn't want to do. He liked a tumble in the hay as much as the next man, but his mama had taught him to treat a woman with respect. He'd look, but he wouldn't touch. On the other hand, he had a feeling that a visit to the House of Immotral Pleasures was in his not too distant future.

by **Renalee** on August 21st, 2012, 6:03 am

Rabbits weren’t stupid. Humans thought that they were, but Ren knew better. Rabbits were just scared - as they should be considering their size and lack of any claws or teeth that could be considered formidable. The Kelvic on the other hand had both of those and they were plenty sharp and deadly. The rabbits knew that. So of course they would run.

Traveling with the human hadn’t been anything special, but the puma had enjoyed his company. He hadn’t been trying to rob her or enslave her as the last couple of humans she had met had. He also hadn’t tried talking to her, well aware of the fact he wasn’t intelligent enough to understand the language of the wild and the felines, if the way they communicated could even be called a language. Ren had spent the time running forward, hiding low in the grass or behind a bush or a tree and leaping towards the hunter as he passed. It had been fun for her. For the human? Who knew.

She didn’t need the man to tell her when they had arrived to the meadow where they would be hunting dinner. The smell of rabbits and dug out dirt clung to the air, unmasked by the scent of the colorful plants. Ren didn’t wait for the human to say how he wanted to hunt. Even if she had wanted to, which wasn’t the case, she wouldn’t have been able to wait. She was a hungry puma faced with a field full of food, there for the taking and soon to be hers. Crouching low, belly grazing the soil, the big cat disappeared into the grass.

Ren knew how to hunt with a human, or at least a human with a bow. She had yet to learn how to use the weapon herself, but she had witnessed its efficacy at the hands of her father. This new human better know how to direct his pointy arrows.

The rabbits had noticed them, that was for sure. The first one shot in front of her before she even neared the middle of the open space. Renalee swerved after it, claws digging into the ground to help her make the turn more rapidly. She was faster than the small furry creature and she knew it. It knew it too, but it darted from side to side in zig zag, trying to escape her. The puma would snap her jaws at it, trying to direct its movements towards the human, who by now had most likely prepared his bow.

When she was sure that the man would see the prey Ren was bringing and the rabbit had nowhere of passing but by the hunter she dug her front paws into the ground and came to a halt. Whirling around she retreated into the meadow, planning on chasing out more dinner.

They had to act quick. In an open space like that only the rabbits’ desire to hide rather than flee could guarantee them full stomachs. They would know however that they were being hunted and be ready to run. It didn’t matter. Ren liked running.

by **Jeremiah Maccabee** on August 22nd, 2012, 11:43 pm

She burst out of the underbrush and zig-zagged toward him. He soon saw the rabbit. It was coming right at him. The cougar broke off and ran in another direction in great, graceful leaps. Even from this distance, Mac could tell that this was a game for her.

He notched an arrow in the bow, pulled the string back and sited a little in front of the dashing rabbit. He released. He missed. It wasn't even close. But a second rabbit was on its way, herded toward him by the happy cat. He notched another arrow, pulled, sited and released. And missed again. Six rabbits ran by him before he finally hit one. He collected his rabbit and his arrows and looked around for the cougar. “Maybe she should do the killing as well as the chasing,” he said to no one in particular.

He caught a movement out of the corner of his eye and looked, expecting to see the cougar. What he saw was a good-sized gray wolf. And another right behind it. Then a third appeared a little further away. They were looking at Mac. They did not look like they were afraid of him.

by **Renalee** on August 23rd, 2012, 7:41 am

Ren had had a grand old time chasing rabbits for what must have been at least 30 chimes. The creatures’ paws would shoot them forward, her own body following fluidly and mostly with ease. She would chase them out towards the hunter where he had his shot at securing dinner. The realization that the human wasn’t all that good or quick with his bow was almost immediate, but Ren hadn’t minded. The game she was playing was too much fun for her to care about the results at this point.

The sixth rabbit went down. She was headed for the solitary tree in the middle of the meadow when the sudden burst of blood tainted the air. The cat’s tongue shot out to wet her nose and it was almost as if she could taste the rabbit in her mouth already. A happy grow escaped her chest as she lunged after another one of the creatures. This one was hers.

She made a quick work of it, making a longer jump after a short pursuit that landed her almost on top of the animal. Her head shot down, jaws securing a hold on the small neck and snapping it a moment later with ease. The crunch of bones resonated in her ears and blood trickled in her mouth and on the fur of her muzzle. With her prey held securely in her mouth the puma made her way to her companion.

The moment she turned she saw them - three gray wolves, approaching the human out in the open, as if they couldn’t even be bothered to stalk and hunt him. A snarl broke through the quiet meadow, one of the canines making its first move towards the man. Ren’s rabbit was dropped to the ground as she shot forward, taking the distance between her and the wolves in a couple of long leaps. Her body slammed into the wolf who was closest to the hunter, sending it flying to the ground, before she jumped back and assumed a fighting stance between the three canines and the man.

This wasn’t her bonded, but it was her human for the time being and Renalee wouldn’t be allowing the stupid dogs anywhere near him. The wolves appeared startled and hesitant at her sudden appearance. The puma was a little below the average size of her kind, having yet to grow into her actual body so she was smaller than two out of the three canines, but her claws were sharper and she moved quicker, and she had a human with arrows. At least the wolves presented wider targets.

The wolf Ren had taken to the ground was getting up on his feet and the big cat turned towards him. A threatening grow escaped her chest, followed by a his as her ears flattened towards her head. She lunged at the animal, coming from below , delivering a quick bite to its shoulder. Ren thought that if they took down this one the others might run away. The wolf’s jaws snapped close to her ear, but she was already pulling back and shooting forward again.

Before she could deliver a second bite another of the wolfs had jumped towards her, coming to aid his companion. His teeth landed on her right scapula, but only managed to graze it as the puma whirled around, causing him to loose his footing. She used his weight to send him to the ground and away from her.

As she was fighting Ren made sure to keep herself between the human and the wolves, both guarding him from their teeth and giving him the opportunity to release some of his arrows.