Eat or be Eaten!

[Eidolon]

Dawn, and the sun's early rays shone down over the golden downs, heralding the end of the night's hunting for the many nocturnal predators that roamed the plains. Hidden within a clump of long grass, a Farfetch'd watched with wide eyes as the light streamed through the grass blades of his shelter, the area beneath his eyes a deep purple from lack of sleep. Clasping his stick with his beak, he stepped out of his shelter slowly, his pupils constantly shifting, watchful for even the slightest sign of danger.

Ducking and weaving through the grass, all senses on heightened alert, the Farfetch'd began to make his way towards the berry bushes, knowing that right now was the time when the nocturnal predators were sleeping and most of the daylight hunters had yet to wake up. Anxious to take advantage of this small window of opportunity, the Farfetch'd darted out of the long grass and into the maze of Berry Bushes, picking one at random and plucking a berry from it's branches.

Biting down hard, his face suddenly turned red as the contents of the berry oozed out onto his tongue, his eyes watering with an expression of pain on his features. In his haste, the unlucky Farfetch'd had swallowed a Tamato Berry, a fruit well known for its intense spiciness. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" He screeched, as he spat the foaming contents of the berry out of his mouth, his tongue feeling like it was blistered and burnt. Worse, his cover had been blown, for there was no doubt that everything with ears for a 100-mile radius had heard his cry of pain.

[Pidgey]

<sub>The sun was only just beginning to peek above the horizon, but Keenai was already wide awake and preparing himself to face the coming day. As the Pidgeotto carefully combed his long flight feathers with his hooked bill, he knew that before the day was out his plumage would be stained and bloodied all over again, for today he was on the hunt. The wickedly sharp talons that now clutched a perch concealed within the twisted limbs and thick foliage of his favorite tree would soon be gripping the predator's next meal. With this mission in his mind, Keenai spread his wings and launched himself into the air, clearing the trees and soaring high over the berry bushes, searching the ground for any signs of activity that could indicate prey.

Somewhere, Keenai's unfortunate victim-to-be was going about their life, oblivious to their own death approaching on swift wings. In order to ensure his own survival, the bird of prey had to hunt, and kill. It was one of those cold facts of nature that he just had to accept, though it still caused him to have inner conflicts. Sometimes, he hated that he had to kill to eat, but he just couldn't survive on berries alone, like other kinds of Pokemon. Keenai could not be considered a bloodthirsty or 'evil' creature, but any prey species could beg to differ.

The hunter always selected his prey very carefully, usually targeting smaller Pokemon to minimize the threat to himself. A Rattata, caught out in the open with nowhere to run or hide, a Sentret that had strayed too far from it's clan, or a Magikarp that jumped just a little too high out of the water. Any of those would make excellent targets for Keenai, but as he circled over the bushes, he could see nothing but a few tiny bug Pokemon squirming for cover -hardly even worth the effort. He was about to give up and wheel away to search another area when an earsplitting cry drew his attention to a berry tree he had overlooked.

Keenai floated high above the ground, searching for the source of the noise. From the sound of it, whatever uttered that scream was close to death anyway, and the Pidgeotto could finish it off. His searching eyes soon spotted the flailing duck Pokemon, and the hunter knew he had found his target. Letting the air spill from his wings, the predator plunged from the sky, and just when it seemed like he would smack right into the ground he stopped his fall by flaring his wings and tail feathers, spreading his talons wide and seeking to connect with his target.</sub>

[Eidolon]

Standing up weakly, Hattori gingerly stuck out his burnt tongue and fanned it gently with his wings in an effort to cool it down. The cool morning air providing some relief as it caressed his sore and swollen tasting muscle. Taking a quick glance around, it seemed that there were no predators in the immediate vicinity. Good! If there were, I'd probably would've been sitting in a pancake right about now. The relieved duck thought to himself, blinking suddenly.

Checking himself, he looked around again, this time more thoroughly, staring deep into every shadow of every bush - and still nothing! In his mind a clear image of the usual plains predators formed; Houndoom, Absol, Arcanine, pack animals. Pokemon fast and powerful enough to catch the herd animals that thrived on the grassy plains. He could see no trace of any, and by all rights they should be all asleep at this time of day.

Then why, Hattori wondered, did he feel like something was amiss?

Something in the back of Hattori's adrenaline-fueled overworked mind rang it's alarm bells, a memory waiting to be remembered... what was it... something to do with being out in the open with no cover... brown, a red crest, a long pink beak... DING! Remembered! Fearow! Terror from the sky! Enemy birds! Things that bring airborne death! Creatures who's shadows come before them, devouring your own!

It was an old superstition, and looking down, Hattori saw that his shadow was already gone. Seemingly devoured by the much larger shadow of the thing he knew to be very close, and getting closer to him. The world went quiet as he strained for the sound of his killer's approach, even though there was none. It was the silence of waiting, waiting for one's death. NO! NO NO NO NO NO! Every survival instinct in Hattori's head screamed all at once, the duck's eyes crossing as the fear sunk in, clouding his senses and confusing his feet, one going left and the other going right as in a daze he tried to escape in both directions at once.

Ironically, it was this that saved him, tripping him up and throwing him to the ground a split second before Keenai's arrival. Avoiding death, but not without cost. "Gaaaagh, aaaaargh!" Hattori yelled into the soil, the Pidgeotto's talons raking across his back, clipping away a two lines of feathers and cutting into his sinewy flesh. Writing in pain, Hattori rolled away to his left, into the Tamato Bush, seeking shelter beneath it's crown of branches. His back to the ground, he looked up into the sky, panting heavily, his heartbeat drumming in his ears.

No time for rest, Run! Fight! Screamed his senses, Hattori standing up and reaching for the plant's fruit with his prehensile feathertips, grabbing wingfuls of Tamato berries and flinging them up into the air, towards the silhouette of the Pidgeotto. "Eat these! Eat these instead!" He cried as he flung them, most of them falling short of their mark, missing the raptor and splattering over the ground below. "Eat these! Eat these! Or eat THIS!" He yelled hoarsely with his still swollen tongue, switching to his stick and swiping the air around him madly as an intimidation tactic, in the process accidentally using Cut on the berry bush, felling it and depriving him of his cover. "Eat them! Eat them! RUN AWAY!" He yelled wildly, turning around and running for his life, flapping his wings as he did so to try and gain a little extra speed. "Must make it to next bush, make it to next bush!" He screamed to himself, making for a bush of Pecha berries a few meters away. "Eat them, eat them! They taste better! Better than my shadow! GIVE IT BACK!" He called, not really knowing who he was talking to anymore.

[Pidgey]

<sub>Only mere seconds away from sinking his sharp talons into his prey's flesh, Keenai was forced to break off his attack when the Farfetch'd suddenly dropped to the ground, narrowly escaping a gruesome death in the Pidgeotto's raking claws. Cursing silently to himself, Keenai flapped his broad wings hard to regain altitude, with nothing but a talon-full of dusty brown feathers pulled out of his would-be meal's body to show for his efforts. He let the feathers slip from his grasp and drift toward the ground as he wheeled high above the trees, preparing to follow through with a second dive-bombing attack.

But he was already too late. In precious moments it took for the Pidgeotto to gain enough altitude to put deadly force behind his dive, his prey had already found cover in the branches of the berry bush, well-shielded against aerial attacks. Keenai huffed, and hovered in place by rapidly flapping his wings as he contemplated a new strategy. He needed to flush his prey out into the open in order for a dive-bombing attack to be successful. And he couldn't miss again.

Meanwhile, his prey had decided that he wasn't going to let himself become a meal for the Pidgeotto without a fight. Keenai uttered a surprised squawk as a bright red berry sailed past his crested head, then another brushed his red and yellow tail feathers, and yet another connected with his chest with a wet splat, soaking his feathers with sticky juice. Clicking his beak in disgust, the Pidgeotto climbed a few feet to place himself above the barrage of berries. Though he couldn't see the duck-like Pokemon concealed within the branches, he could easily hear his loud shouting. He seemed to be taunting the predator, and Keenai might have laughed if he hadn't been so stunned and angry. Though it went against his nature, he was starting to want this Farfetch'd dead not just because he needed to eat.

Flapping hard to hover again, Keenai had worked out a way to flush his prey out of the tree, and then it seemed as the bush fell in pieces to the ground that the Farfetch'd had done all the work for him. Seizing this opportunity, the raptor tucked in his wings and dove after the fleeing duck, stretching his taloned feet out in front of his body. Again, the prey attempted to elude his attacker by seeking cover in the branches of another bush, but this time Keenai followed him in, refusing to give up the chase. He felt his talons connect with something soft, and he squeezed them shut, believing that he had snared his prey. But as he rose back into the air, he realized his mistake. Clenched in his claws was not the body of the Farfetch'd, but instead a plump Pecha berry.

Cursing loudly, Keenai let the berry drop to the ground with a loud thud and glared menacingly at the bush. Somewhere in there, that Farfetch'd was looking out at him, maybe laughing at him. But not for long. Now, Keenai put another tactic to work. Climbing a few feet higher, the Pidgeotto began to beat his wings furiously, whipping up a violent Whirlwind attack that bent the berry tree almost to the ground. He was going to blow his cover. Quite literally.</sub>

[Eidolon]

Desperately fleeing towards the Pecha Bush, Hattori made a triumphant dive into the safety of it's branches, letting out a sigh of relief. SQUELCH! Went something close to him, and he let out a cry of terror; had he been skewered!? Turning his head around to look, he saw with relief that he had not. Whether by accident or by design, the Pidgeotto had taken a Pecha berry in place of him, buying him another precious few moments of life.

Watching the Pidgeotto circling in the skies above, for a few seconds Hattori actually wondered if maybe he'd gone for the berry instead, maybe he'd decided to let him live? Not likely. As suddenly around him the whole bush started to shake, getting more increasingly violent every second. Looking up, he saw that the Pidgeotto was the cause; trying to flush him out. Grabbing onto two branches with his wings, holding his stick in his beak, Hattori struggled to hold on as the plant was buffeted around by the harsh winds, pecha berries fling off their branches and splattering into his eyes and over his body. Great. He thought humorlessly. Now when he eats me I'll have a sweet aromatic taste.

Wait! That was it! "Eureka!" He yelled triumphantly, a plan springing to mind. Oh if only he'd thought of it before! Back when he was in the Tamato Bush. Sadly, he couldn't do anything from where he was; all he could do was buy time and advance until he was able to put his plan into effect. Turning his head around, he spotted a distance away another berry bush... with any luck the kind he needed, directly behind the bush he was in now. Grinning to himself, the Farfetch'd grabbed his stick and in one quick motion cleaved through he stalk of the plant he was sheltering in. Now if these winds were strong enough...

Thankfully, they were! And immediately the Pecha bush was sent flying backwards through the air, Hattori diving out of it's branches once he'd gained some height and opening his wings like sails. Using the Pidgeotto's whirlwind to help fuel his escape efforts. "Eat them! Eat them! Eat them not me, eat them eat them, you can't catch me!" He sang aloud as he sped like a bullet towards the next bush, narrowing his eyes as he neared it... what kind of berry... what kind of berry... Oh please be something spicy... that he hates the taste of! Hattori prayed as he neared it, closing his wings and smashing into it full force... too fast! He sped right through! "NOOOOO! AUUUUUUGH!" He cried with dismay, as he shot right past the bush and out into an open plain; no sheltering grass or other bushes in sight.

Landing in a feathered heap in the ground, Hattori felt something stuck to his plumage... it was one of the berries from the bush he had just gone through. Grabbing it hopefully, his heart sank as he saw that it was only an Oran berry. Nothing that would make him taste disgusting, as he had hoped. Grabbing his stick, Hattori looked up at the approaching bird warily. Out in the open with no cover, with only an Oran berry for company, and covered from head to webbed toe in sweet-tasting gunk. There was no way it could get any worse... but it was about to. "Um... eat them, eat them? HELP!"

[Pidgey]

<sub>Every muscle in Keenai's body pleaded for oxygen, but the determined hunter ignored his own pain and beat his sore wings even harder to intensify his attack. The winds howled savagely as they buffeted the small berry bush, stripping the branches of almost all of the fruit and leaves and sending stray limbs flying through the air. The Pidgeotto pressed his attack. He knew that the plant wouldn't be able to take much more of this abuse.

Finally, the trunk snapped right in two, and the crown of the bush was sent sailing through the air, ejecting Keenai's Farfetch'd. For a moment, the duck-like Pokemon glided through the air at high speed, straight into another bush, and Keenai cursed, thinking that he'd lost the prey -again. The Pidgeotto slowed his flapping and let the winds die down, gasping to catch his breath. He was about to call it quits and look for easier prey when he spotted the Farfetch'd sprawled out on the ground several meters from any useful cover. And Keenai saw another chance to feed his hunger.

The Pidgeotto dove from the sky at high speed, streaking toward his target like a feathered missile. He was bound and determined not to let the prey escape again, but he knew he couldn't keep wasting so much energy on this stubborn Farfetch'd. After all the effort he'd put into this chase, he had to make this attack count.

As the distance between himself and his target shriveled away, the Pidgeotto launched a Quick-Attack for an extra burst of speed, hoping to overtake the prey before he could take any action to evade the attack.</sub>

---

This is fun. xD

[Eidolon]

Twisting his head around, feverishly searching for any sign of shelter, Hattori gulped, accidentally swallowing a mouthful of the Pecha mush coating his body. He was stranded. Too far from any bush to get there before the Pidgeotto - ugh, he didn't want to think about it!

A shudder running through him, the grim realization dawned on Hattori that he would have to fight - fight for his life. Narrowing his eyes, he raised his stick threateningly, running through his head the list of moves he knew. Cut, Sand Attack, Featherdance, Flail. Narrowing his eyes on his target, he stuck a pose like that of a baseball batter, aiming to strike his foe head-on. "Alright shadow-eater! You asked for it!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, his knees knocking together with terror.

Tensing to swing, he blinked and the Pidgeotto disappeared. Seemingly vanished into thin air! "What?" There was a whoosh and then something struck him full in the chest, moving to fast to be seen, even by his keen eyes. There wasn't even time to scream, and Hattori was thrown forcefully backwards by the tremendous force of the impact. Skidding across the ground on his back (which was still sore and bleeding from Keenai's initial attack), throwing up a huge cloud of grass and dirt in the process, Hattori finally came to a screeching halt several meters away; covered in plant matter (ironically from edible seasonings such as saffron, rosemary, and other delectables) due to the stickiness of the Pecha berry gunk and suffering from a painful wound in his chest inflicted upon the Pidgeotto's impact.

Garnished, tenderized and still clutching his leek, the Farfetch'd was practically served. Still reeling from the intense blow dealt to him by the hungry raptor. His eyes crossed and his suffering from numerous wounds, Hattori lifted something to his mouth and bit down - swallowing a corner of the Oran berry he had taken from the bush before. "Gaaaah... NO!" He yelled suddenly, sitting up and devouring the remains of the berry; feeling fresh new energy surge through him with each bite. Standing up, he brushed himself off and glared in the Pidgeotto's direction, just barely hanging on due to the effects of the Oran berry and his own stubborn will.

Looking around to see where the attack had thrown him, he saw that he was now in a slightly better position; on sandy terrain with a rock behind him. Yes, that gave him an idea. Getting on top of the rock, Hattori faced the predator and pointed his leek towards him, coughing to clear his throat. "Your mammy was a chicken, and your daddy was a DODuO! Step over this line-" Hattori bent down and used his tick to draw a line in the sand in front of the rock, grinning and looking back up. "- and I'll clobber ya! So buzz off chicken boy!" There, that ought to have him fired up! Hattori thought to himself in a panic, reaching down with his leek and throwing up a cloud of dust and sand; obscuring himself and the rock. Diving behind it, he placed his head in his wings and trembled, lying in wait and praying to Arceus that his trick had worked.

---

OOC: Yup! ^_^

I think I sense a nemesis-relationship developing here... xD

[Pidgey]

<sub>Feeling his talons connect with the target's plump, feathered body, Keenai uttered a piercing, triumphant cry, assuming that the chase had finally reached it's end. The Farfetch'd was sent tumbling head over webbed feet through the grass, eventually coming to a sliding halt beside a rock. As the duck-like Pokemon picked himself up, screaming insults at the predator circling above, Keenai tucked in his wings and dove for the prey, seeking to finish him off with a quick strike of his claws.

Even with his immanent death looming above, the Farfetch'd taunted his attacker, calling him 'chicken boy.' The Pidgeotto just smirked to himself and remained on target. It would take a lot more than name-calling to throw him off the chase. Stretching his talons out in front of his body, the raptor closed in. For the prey, escape seemed impossible.

With only seconds to spare, the Farfetch'd kicked up a cloud of sand in what Keenai presumed to be a last ditch effort to save his feathered hide. His target then disappeared from view behind a veil of dust. Not even Keenai's sharp vision could penetrate the blinding sand. But it was too late to break off the attack now.

The Pidgeotto plunged taloned feet first into the cloud of dirt, aiming for the spot where he thought the Farfetch'd might be. But instead of snatching up a plump, juicy meal, Keenai felt his talons collide with something very hard and jagged. Almost immediately, the hawk-like Pokemon fell to the ground, stunned as if he had just hit a wall.

Shaking his head to clear his vision, the Pidgeotto quickly picked himself up, limping around on his throbbing feet.</sub>

---

Not my best. I was pretty tired when I wrote this. Dx

[Eidolon]

Hearing a "whumph!" noise as the Pidgeotto hit the ground, Hattori lifted a wing off his head, peering out nervously through his feathers. Was it over? Poking his head out over the top of the rock, Hattori could just make out the dark shape of the Pidgeotto through the sand... moving! Ducking quickly back down behind the rock, Hattori chewed the tips of his primaries nervously. He had been hoping for a quick attack, in which case the bird of prey would've smashed his head on the rock and gone out like a light... at least according to plan. His trick had failed, and now he and the Pidgeotto were closer than ever. Separated only by the rock and a rapidly vanishing veil of dust.

He knew he had to plan this, do something, soon! But there was no time! Panic sunk in, moving through his mind like a slow, freezing tide, slowing his thoughts and making his jumpy instincts scream at him louder. He couldn't win in a fight! No time to plan! RUN! "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRH!" He screamed, picking up his stick and climbing to the top of the rock, jumping off from the top and into a haphazard flight over the Pidgeotto's head, bursting out of the sand cloud beak-first and flapping his wings wildly, his altitude decreasing steadily until he was just running along the ground while flapping.

His grimy feathers coming loose and flying off of him as he ran, Hattori set his sights on a the berry bush he'd flown through last time; which still had a Farfetch'd-shaped hole through the center. If he could get there, he'd have HIS meal, and a shelter from the raptor... but first he'd have to run across a full field wide in the open. It didn't help that the sun was in his eyes, obscuring his vision and making him miss little things... like the small stone slap-bang in the middle of his path. Running forwards blindly (literally) Hattori let out a yelp of surprise as he tripped over the stone, which was in fact the tip of a much larger rock hidden under the soil.

"Eeeeeyaaaaa-oooof!" He screamed as he was thrown face-first into the dirt, his stick flying out of his grip as he did so - off to his left. Getting back up quickly, shaking his head around to dislodge the dirt sticking to it, his panic suddenly turned into frantic terror as he realized his only and most treasured possession was missing. "My stick! Where's my stick!?" He yelled, looking around for it desperately, rummaging through the grass in search of it, only too aware that he had no time to waste.

---

It's no prob. Just post when you feel like it.

[Umby]

(OOC: Mind if I join in? I'll probably bring another of my characters over here soon, since there's no real active threads closer to her location, but will probably give it some travel time.)

Aurora had been wandering around for long enough to begin to feel the boredom. Maybe I should have followed that other eevee... she thought, letting out a long sigh.

She was about to turn back when she heard some loud sounds, which sounded like high-pitched screams. What was that? she wondered, even as she ran toward the source of the noise.

What greeted her eyes was more comical than anything else. Not wishing to disturb them, Aurora found a nice spot out of the way to watch the two birds.

[Pidgey]

<sub>In the moments it took for Keenai to regain his composure, the fleeing Farfetch'd had gained a considerable lead on his attacker. The Pidgeotto clenched his hooked beak in frustration as he spread his wings and took to the air once again, still determined to capture the prey despite the numerous setbacks. The proud hunter couldn't stand the thought of being outwitted and outdone by the likes of that loony little quack.

A light breeze picked up, filling Keenai's wings and helping him gain airspeed. Within moments, the Pidgeotto had almost closed the gap separating him from his prey, and he spilled air from his wings and swooped low, preparing to drop on the target from out of the sky.

As he ran, the clumsy duck tripped over a rock and fell flat on his face, causing his pursuer to overshoot. Already frustrated, Keenai cursed loudly, banking sharply to the left and circling around to come in for another attack. As he swooped low over the ground, something caught his sharp eyes. The duck's leek; he had dropped it when he tripped. Acting quickly, the Pidgeotto snatched it up in his sharp talons.

Keenai circled the Farfetch'd, waving the leek around in the air. "Looking for this?" He taunted, laughing loudly.</sub>

[Eidolon]

"Looking for this?" A scornful voice taunted, one Hattori had never heard before. Looking around for the source, he jumped backwards in surprise when he spotted the Pidgeotto circling above him in the sky; it was he who has spoken. Raising his wing as he prepared to hurl an insult, Hattori's eyes moved over to the object in the hunters cruel talons. It was his stick! "MY STICK!" He cried, standing on his tiptoes and reaching up, almost as if he thought he could snatch it back from all the way down there. "My stick! MY stick! Give me back my stick! I need my stick! Give it back! And give me back my shadow too!" He said, jumping back to avoid the Pidgeotto's shadow as it lunged for him, cast by the rising sun before him, with his own shadow behind him out of the panicked Farfetch'd's sight.

His eyes beginning to well up with tears, Hattori reminisced over his time with the green leek; how it had saved him from death numerous times, how it had provided something to cuddle and protect when loneliness reared it's ugly head. And how tasty it would one day be, once he found a better one. He needed his stick, for practical purposes as well! After all, what is a Farfetch'd without a stick? Just a rather unusual-looking duck. He needed his stick to do 3/4 of his attacks. Without it, he was to put it plainly a sitting duck.

"Give me back my stick!" The Farfetch'd pleaded, too attached to his possession to even think of running away. "Give it back! Give it back! The berries! Why don't you eat them, not me!? Give me back my stick! And keep your shadow-eating shadow AWAY from me!" He screeched, suddenly turning and running from the shadow, which drove him around in a circle, penning the confused dand desperate for his stick.

[Pidgey]

<sub>If birds had lips, Keenai would have been wearing a broad smirk upon his as he watched Hattori flailing around on the ground, desperate to recover his leek. "What?" The Pidgeotto yelled to him in a mocking voice. "Oh, you mean this." Said Keenai, dangling the leek above the duck Pokemon, just barely out of his reach.

With a flap of his broad wings, the Pidgeotto pushed himself ahead of the Farfetch'd and, still clutching the stick in his talons, landed in front of him, blocking his path. "Well, I suppose I could let you have it back," he started, a gleam appearing in his eye. "But you have to do something for me, in return."

Without pausing to allow Hattori to respond, Keenai elaborated. "See, baby Sentret are my favorite snack," he told him. "The meat is so tender and juicy...it just melts in your mouth..." His voice trailed off as he wiped the drool away from his hooked bill with a wing. "Anyway, I have a problem. See, I'm too big to squeeze into a burrow and reach the kits. But you're just the right size."

Aware that he was rambling on, and possibly giving the duck a chance to escape, Keenai got down to the point. "I'll give you your stick, but I want you to find some little Sentrets and bring them to me." He ordered. "And don't even think about trying to escape, or I'll hunt you down and eat you slowly, starting with your feet."</sub>

---

Very sorry for the long delay.

[Umby]

(OOC: I'm gonna pull Aurora out, since she's not really suited to the topic. The character I was gonna bring over here is in another topic, and I really wanna get them together, so I'm gonna move Aurora over there, with travel time.)

After watching the two for a while, Aurora began to get an understanding of what was going on. She felt uneasy, and a little wary of the larger bird. I'd better get out of here... was her concluding thought.

So with as much stealth and speed as she could muster, Aurora began to retreat from the scene of the confrontation.