Solo Adrenaline Pump [Sunset Falls]

[Ivandra]

Ivandra || Kelvic
1 Summer 513 AV

It felt like forever. Forever since the last time she'd had the chance to step out of the city for some fresh air. Forever since the last time she'd eaten some freshly-hunted prey. Forever since she'd been able to have her time to herself without having to worry for others. It hadn't been so long ago when Ivandra had made up her mind of what she wanted to do in the world. She didn't have the worldly ambitions of some of the other beings she'd met, those who dreamed of becoming Syliran Knights or the most successful trader or politician. Rather, what she wanted was to explore. To travel to the very corners of Mizahar, to the lands unknown to the rest of her family. But just as she had been about to leave and pursue her dreams, her mother had fallen ill. Unable to bring herself to leave her parents behind she stayed, helping to nurse and comfort her. Her mother had recovered not long ago, but Ivandra had wanted to be certain that she was well before heading off. After all, once she left, who knew when she would next be able to see her family again, if at all?

Ivandra let out a loose sigh and continued up the path that led to Sunset Falls. She had left to hunt for her family. Fresh meat was always healthier and tastier than that bought at the butcher's and she was raring to practice her hunting skills. Even though she hadn't been to Sunset Falls too many times, the few times she'd been there she'd noticed traces of deer prints in the muddy ground, even a few of their droppings here and there.

As she neared her destination, the rush of the waterfall gradually crescendoed into a deafening roar and the mist became thicker. Ivandra breathed a sigh, welcoming the feeling of the mist on her skin. Even though Syliras's weather was mild in contrast to some other cities, or so she'd heard, summer had still warmed the days much more than before.

Ivandra finally reached her point and, upon arriving, immediately became alert. Her amber eyes flickered around warily, searching for signs of other hunters, before carefully stepping into a bush. She threw off her clothes then allowed her transformation to begin. Almost immediately, her smooth skin began to change into a furry, spotted one. Her face became longer, more triangular. She was a leopard.

Quietly now, she stepped out of her hiding spot and into the open again, scenting the air. Ivandra always felt more comfortable hunting in leopard form. It felt much more natural than using a slingshot or a bow and arrow; not to mention, it gave her the feeling of ultimate power when she was the one delivering the killing blow, not just standing from afar watching the rock or arrow do the job. Her nose twitched slightly as she detected a scent of deer in the wind and she crept forward a few paces, ears pricked. Positioned so that she was hidden behind a tree, she peeked out to the adjacent clearing and immediately noticed that there was a small family of three deer. Two of them were obviously full-grown while one was a fawn, still struggling on its legs. Immediately her target was already picked in her mind. She would go for one of the two adults. If she would fail to catch it, then she would turn and hunt down the fawn, who had no other defense. Allowing a quick smirk to form on her face at how little effort it had taken to come across a family of deer, she began to creep forward slowly. One paw was set in front of another, carefully, slowly. Her eyes were fixated on her prey. But as if luck itself were against her moves, the direction of the wind changed suddenly; from her spot, she noticed the deer's ears prick up.

Knowing they would leave if she didn't pounce right then, Ivandra leapt forward, claws extended, towards the deer closer to her. It let out a squeal of surprise and turned tail to run, leaving Ivandra batting at empty air. Letting out a growl of frustration, she whirled around on the fawn and slashed at its neck. With a high-pitched squeal, it collapsed, the light fading from its eyes.

[Ivandra]

Ivandra stood panting; the adrenaline which she'd felt shooting through her at that point of attack had been something she hadn't felt in ages, but she welcomed it. It was excitement and action, something she needed after time spent nursing her mother. She gazed down at the deer, a certain thrill running through her as she gazed at its limp body. It would be able to feed the family for a bit and if they decided on it, she would also be able to sell it at the marketplace for some coins. She sunk her teeth into the fawn's neck and dragged it into the shadows next to the place where she'd hidden her clothes, amber cat eyes flickering around suspiciously as if she were afraid someone else would steal the prey. In fact, that wasn't even an uncommon occurrence; there were some poor families around the city that were known to stoop to such actions.

Feeling slightly thirsty, she approached the pool beneath the falls, narrowing her eyes to block out the clouds of mist enveloping the clearing. The sun was beginning to set, casting a glow on the water, making it appear as if it were on fire. She leaned down then, beginning to thirstily lap up water, not quite having realized how thirsty she had been during the hunt. As she lifted her head, she noticed a tiny flicker of silver dart through the water.

Looking carefully, she realized it was a group of silver fish darting by. Perhaps she could also settle on catching some fish for her family. It wasn't a bad idea.

Ivandra suddenly realized she had no idea how to fish at all. Being able to shift into leopard form, she had only been taught how to hunt prey on foot. She test-dabbed at the water, but the shadow of her paw caused the fish to scatter immediately. Ivandra flicked her tail irritably, then removed her paw from the water. She sat poised on the edge of the pool, watching the fish flick back and forth. There they were, right in front of her, and yet she didn't know how she was going to haul them all up. It would be a waste simply to walk away with all the fish practically waiting to be caught.

She finally decided to give it a go; whatever happened would happen. It was better than not trying anything at all. Having realized that shadows cast on the pool would only scare the fish away, the female Kelvic positioned herself so her shadows were facing the opposite direction. Her eyes fixed onto one fish and she watched its movements intently, waiting for the right opportunity. As it approached the surface of the water, she jabbed her paw in, creating an enormous splash and simultaneously missing the fish.

Ivandra let out a growl of frustration as she watched the fish dart away. Perhaps it was the angle of her paw and the way she entered the water. If she entered directly perpendicular, it would probably minimize the magnitude of the splash. So she tried again. As one of the fish drew closer to the shore to nibble at underwater vegetation, she struck her paw in again. This time, she could feel that she touched her target, but before she could flip the fish onto the shore, it, too, darted away.

One last time. This time I'll make it. And that was a promise to herself. She would learn from these stupid mistakes. Awaiting the right opportunity, Ivandra again made sure that her shadow didn't fall upon the surface of the water. When she noticed a fish nearing her spot again, her paw flashed out into the water and flipped the fish onto the shore. It created a huge splash, scaring all the other fish away, but at that moment, it didn't matter to Ivandra. Before the fish could flip back into the pool, she struck it with a killing blow.

Feeling a sense of satisfaction, she peered into the pool again, but all the other fish had receded away from the shoreline.

[Ivandra]

She stood, taking the fish in her jaws, and headed quietly back to the clump of vegetation where she'd set the dear and her clothes. Quietly, still weary of her surroundings, she transformed back into her human form and put on her clothes. This was always the part she despised, the momentary feeling of weakness during the transitions. She had always wondered what would happen if slave traders or other evil beings would come upon her during her transformation. She wouldn't be able to defend herself there. The thought sent a chill through her spine, and suddenly the darkening sky seemed to have a menacing side to it. She picked up the prey she'd hunted and headed out of the waterfalls at a quicker pace than she'd arrived. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but she always felt a feeling of danger at night, as if something were about to leap out at her. She would feel much better when she were back at home, with her family.

[Emblem]

Congratulations! You Get Glorious Experience! Ivandra Skill Points Earned Observation 3 XP Hunting 2 XP Lore Earned On the Prowl Other Shenanigans: Comments : Sorry for the wait, RL has me bogged down. PM me with questions or concerns.