Livin la Lynx-a Loca

Mila
The day was brisk and cool, and occasional late-season snowflakes drifted down lazily from the dark clouds overhead. Mila never seemed to notice the weather- she had a toy made of a squirrel tail that she kept flinging up into the air and bounding and romping after. She pounced it and growled and snapped and yipped as it lay harmlessly on the snow. She danced back and forth around it, then snapped it up and flung it in the air. It landed several feet away and she turned and pounced on it, digging it with her front paws, making tufts of grey-brown fur float away on the light breeze.

When nothing was left of her toy, she turned and peered around, tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth, panting eagerly. She wanted to go find her big friend Uk, but she didn’t know where to look. So, nose to the ground, Mila trucked off.

She’d find someone!

There were scents and tracks all over here, not too far from where the tribe of people had all settled. Tokos and people and prey had moved all through the surrounding area, and the scents were all so exciting! Her person had been so proud the last time she brought a prey home, so maybe she would find a new friend and bring a new prey home!

Chiri
Pressing her nose down into the snow she tried to get as much of the scent into her nose. All information she could get from it was good information. Especially when it was of a prey she wanted to get. It had snuck around her twoleggeds den for quite some time but so far always managed to...well outsmart the males. The big dire female had tried but lost track of the lynx after it got up in a tree. The oldest and most high ranked of their own smaller pack had other duties. Tarr wasn't interested unless he had to sniff something up. In Chiri’s eyes it was odd because if he just set his mind to it, he was good and most of the time when he put both brain and brawns to it, he was quite successful. Uk on the other hand... Chiri huffed, and snorted out some snow from her nose. Decent hunter but quite the scatter brain. Perhaps some years on his shoulders would set him straight.

The track had taken her some ways away from the tribal grounds, deeper into the woods. Here and there the tracks of other forest animals crossed the one she was following, moose, deer, hare, coyote but no bear - yet. The cold and dark season was coming to a close. Soon the grasses would light up the white with color, young of both predator and prey would pop out from dens and nests. Some would live, but many would die - perhaps in her jaws.

She had just found a fresh print when something, without warning barreled into her side. There was a bit of tumbling, legs caught in other legs, but Chiri had been run over by the young dire male and had learned a few things. Twisting herself on her back and then onto her feet she lurched around, fangs barred. In the back of her mind she knew that if it had been something that had wanted to seriously harm her that damaged would have been done already. That however didn't mean she couldn't teach whoever it was a lesson. She had nipped the young males several times when they stepped out of line in her eyes or if they came too close to her beddings. The dire female took the hint at visual signs. The chimera male that was the dominant one. Well she did not touch him but then again he never really bothered her.

Mila
The spotted female darted through the woods, head and tail high, tongue lolling. There were so many birds and squirrels! And different scents too, scents she wasn’t familiar with yet. Just as she was peering around after a pheasant that scattered at the sound of her approach, she barrelled into another furry body.

Mila went down heavy, with a yelp, and then with a sharper yelp when teeth snagged her flesh. She took her customary submissive position to apologize and show she was no threat- on her back in the snow, belly bared, tail tucked, ears back. It was another tokota, another female, and Mila tried her hardest to appear non threatening and meek. She craned her neck up and tried to lick submissively at the other female’s bared teeth. Her tucked tail began to wag firmly between her legs, and she uttered a puppy-like whine.

Mila was a lot of things- young, excitable, brash, but she never aimed to hurt anybody. With the people she thought she was a lot smaller than she was actually, but she never harmed a soul. She was full of love and cheekrubs and good intentions. She was a little distractible, but once her focus was gained, she was actually pretty efficient at hunting! What she lacked in skill she made up for in energy and enthusiasm, and she could actually take direction pretty well… so she whined a little more and asked for forgiveness.

Chiri
She was not high ranked - yet - in her own small pack and her somewhat ‘unsure of the situation’ was shown at her slightly bent tail, like it couldn't make it's mind up weather to be tucked or raised up. Chiri had raised her hackles though so she would at least appear big. When she noted that it wasn't more than a young overexcited female she relaxed. With a short snort it was determined that the squiggling female that was on her back wasn't worth any more attention and she turned around, to continuing her tracking of the lynx.

There was no time for slackers! There was enough that the pied male in her pack tried to sneak away from his share time to time. She was proud to do a well done job and there was nothing greater than to come back to her twolegged and get her praise. The lynx had gone here, not that long ago...and what was this... She inhaled deeply at what seemed to have been a ‘nest’ under a spruce branch. Another one, two of them in total. The first must have picked the other up, because there was now...Chiri pressed her nose in the tracks, yes...there was two of them. The second going in the first ones tracks, but here and there it was overlaps and the second pair of prints were clear. She made sure not to step into the tracks herself, incase she would lose the scent, then it was just to go back and start again. There was of course always the chance of the scent drifting but there was hardly any wind, so it would most likely stay close to the ground.

Her ears tilted back as she heard the sound of paws in the snow following. There was a slight twitch in her lips as she turned. What now?

Mila
Mila shot up after the other female, following her meekly, with a lowered head and semi-tucked tail. She kept sniffing tracks, so Mila sniffed them too. These smelled interesting! They smelled sort of almost like the cats that others kept in camp, but they were quite different too. It smelled more wild. More interesting! She trotted after the other female, her tail finally relaxing as she tailed her, stepping inside of her tracks so she didn’t disturb the hunt.

It was another hunt! With her new friend!

She liked to hunt. She liked to make Ali happy, and happy was happy and proud of her when she brought things back, so she would join the other female in her hunt, and maybe she’d bring more things back! The thought brought a lively spring into her step and she bounced along behind the other female, tail daring to wag a bit.

At least until she turned.

Mila stopped dead then, her multi-colored eyes going a bit wide. Her head lowered again and she wagged her semi-tucked tail hopefully again. She wasn’t hurting anyone! She wanted to help, really! She was good at helping! She helped Uk and they both brought back lots and made their people very proud! Mila awaited her judgement, looking hopeful.

Chiri
Grey green eyes looked sternly without blinking at the other female. Up until the previous moment she hadn't heard the other following her. Chiri broke the eyecontact and faced the trail forward again. She thought for a moment. It was always easier being more than one in a hunt for these things. Especially if the animal they hunted were more than one. Not to forget they had nasty claws. One could be the distraction. She flicked an ear. Thought some more. Then she let out a short sound, that sounded much light a dry cough. The other could come. Chiri even ‘invited’ the other to walk beside her. Never hurt to teach the young female some manners.

Chiri had learned the way of tracking the hard way. Her mother had been stern on the rules and therefore Chiri’s teaching methods where the same. Any stepping out of line or getting too excited was quickly quashed with a as good as silent growl or a nip if it was needed. The tracking and the following was not the time or place for frolicing or invites to play. Any mistakes could lead to a failed hunt, even before the hunt was started.

Then, after a good while following the tracks, something made her stop in the middle of a step. Up ahead, in the other end of the glade, a movement made her drop to her belly. Thankfully her pale coat made it easy for her to blend in. The two smaller feline hunters were playing and had not yet seen the two bigger ones. They had the chance to take them by surprise. As it was now the distance was too big. They would be gone by the time they got to where the felines currently played. Chiri sniffed the air. The wind was in their favor. Keeping low she pulled back and then began to find her way around the glade, still keeping low and making sure to every now and then check on the intended prey. Still clueless. They must be young and inexperienced. Too bad for them they would never learn anything more. A quick glance back. The other seemed to be a good student.


Mila
Mila was a good student! When her attention was set, she took orders well, and right now, her attention was laser focused! She kept close to the other female, and it only took two nips to make her settle in and get serious. She followed, sniffed, carefully padded over branches and things that would make too much noise. She listened and learned how the other female hunted, and she tried to apply those techniques to her own hunt!

Overall, Mila lacked the finesse of the older female, but she was getting there. Slowly.

When they came upon the two playing cats, Mila did just as Chiri did. She dropped to her belly in the slow, ears forward, listening, intent. Her eyes were focused, although she did pay attention to the other canine’s body language and posture. Just like before, Mila went from playful mode to serious mode. She let instinct and the drive to please take over. She settled in, hunkered down, tensed her muscles and waited… She was patient, and took the opposite path of her companion. If they both flanked the prey, there was a better chance of one or both of them catching one of the cats to bring home. And she so wanted to bring one home!

Once she got into position, carefully poised behind a bramble, her white-and-brown coat blending well with the thawing environment, she waited. It would be best if she let Chiri make the first move. Once the other female lunged, she could see how the cats were going to go, and give chase from there!

Mila took a breath and let it out slow… and once Chiri sprang and the cats broke apart, trying to run, Mila sprang too! She rushed into the clearing, slushy snow flying in her wake as she aimed for the cat trying to lunge up a tree for safety. She willed strength and speed into her muscles, knowing that if the cat made it up, there was no catching it!

Those wickedly curved claws caught the bark, and that powerful grey-brown little body started to climb, so Mila hoped her hardest and lunged...