Stalking with the Shadows - {Open}

[o~|*( |*/\/\*|~o]

Teal-blue eyes watched the leafy undergrowth, trying to pinpoint a stray Ratatta, or maybe a weakened snake or bug of some sort. Crouched against the ground, a body that almost matched the hue of the dirt stayed motionless, poised to pounce. The Pokemon's two bushy tails were puffed up and coiled behind her. The only things she could hear were her own breath and the shifting leaves about her. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted a Rattata. Swiftly pouncing, she caught the rodent and pinned it on its back. Hearing its squeals for mercy, she backed down and let the traumatized Ratatta go. Moving back to a more relaxed pose, the canine pokemon licked her paws before moving to a berry bush and eating a single berry. Thinking to herself, she said, "Rhyme- you've gotta kill something eventually, a Muravix can't live off berries alone..."

[Aeroth]

A green figure flitted from shadow to shadow, a young life in the grove of endless berries. His eyes moved over every leaf, every blade of grass, for any threat...any challenge. He could live here, if he wanted. The Scyther had found no predators, barries and greens in abundance, and plenty of shelter, not that he minded the rain. It was then he saw a tasty-looking berry on a mushroom-shaped tree. It was green and yellow spotted, oblong in shape...ripe for the picking. With a swift movement, Sage leapt high in the air and sliced the stem with his bladed arm, piercing it with a thrust of his other arm. He hovered on the fast beating of his ensectoid wings before returning lightly to the ground.
Examining the tantalizing berry, he took a large bite, with no thought of whether it might be poisoned or not. The juices trickled down his chin as the smell taunted his nostrils. Without hesitation, the Scyther tossed the fruit into the air and caught it in his mouth and swallowing. He had no idea that the juice was a deep crimson red, the one color all Scyther despised.

A rustle in the grass not too far away caught his attention, and he flattened himself against the berry tree, peaking around the trunk to examine the source. He saw the whole thing, a two-failed fox form pouncing on an unsuspecting Rattata, but letting it go...Sage watched curiously as the predator moved over to a bush and ate a berry. Not a threat. "My, aren't you a weird one?" He called, his screechy voice managing to sound smooth and calm. He darted with all the speed he could muster to the back of another berry tree, a fleeting shadow, or a blur at best. "Tsk tsk, taking pity on your food" And again Sage darted from his cover to another hiding space, this time he crouched behind a bush. "Won't get far like that" The Scyther meant no harm, he was just having a bit of fun, and perhaps a small scuffle to make sure he wasn't losing his skills.

[o~|*( |*/\/\*|~o]

Rhyme quickly retook her pouncing position, ears pinned back and tails puffed up, to appear more intimidating. She pondered her answer to the voice, leaving a moment of silence between them. "..." She still sat, but her wild teal eyes flicked about cautiously, trying to find the invisible threats. "...I mean no harm unless you wish to attack..." her soft voice rang out, "...but only then will I fight." Even though her words echoed peace, Rhyme still kept crouched, low to the ground and ready to spring on her possible invisible attacker.

[Aeroth]

Sage frowned, a difficult gesture for a Scyther. "Are you scared?" He taunted, before he realized he didn't really want to fight. He didn't want to hurt her, she was probably weak from hunger. "Pah, you're no fun" Sage pouted as he stepped out from behind the berry bush, stannding tall and flaring his wings so they caught the light and showing his blades to their full extent. He knew from her words she wouldn't attack, so he didn't have any qualms about turning his back on her. He repeated the process of the oblong spotted berry, leaping, slicing, and stabbing, and tossing it over to the Muravix. "Eat. They say the tastiest fruit reach highest" Sage prompted as hey casually leaned back against a tree, slicing his blades across the edge of each other, a habit. "Although, I would like a real match, when we are on equal footing."

[o~|*( |*/\/\*|~o]

Rhyme relaxed and stood normally, a stable four foot tall. Tilting her head to the side quizzicaly, she sniffed the berry before consuming it, then snapping back up, realizing she had no prior recognition of this pokemon before her. Hearing his last comment she seemed to snicker, thinking of all the preparations she had to help make. "For that I may enjoy very much, but for now, I must say no. Rhyme paused for a moment, sizing the Scyther up as her tails curled around her, covering most of her legs and feet. "You are?" she asked, waiting for the bug Pokemon's answer.

[Aeroth]

Sage stopped sharpening his blades and looked up slyly. "When asking someone's name, isn't it polite to introduce yourself first?" The Scyther snickered before pointing the tip of his scythe at his chest "Anyway, the name's Sage. How did one such as yourself end up being all alone in the middle of..." He looked around, "Here?" before opening his mouth wide like a silent laugh.

Sage's wings beat occasionally, cooling his body from the sun's rays, he was anxious to do something, that fight would be nice, but it still wasn't fair. If he forced a fight, he would be shamed and dishonored. "And what's with the Rattata? Can't bring yourself to kill another?"

[o~|*( |*/\/\*|~o]

"I am Rhyme." She answered bluntly. Watching the Scyther wave his scythes all over the place, one of her two tails began to flick calmly, almost like a cat's. "..And why am I here? you ask? I..." she paused for a moment, ".. am trying to prepare myself for the moon ceremony. By keeping away from others, it makes the transition much easier for myself. The Rattata? I am truly not much of a hunter, but even if forced, my heart will not allow the slaughter of the young and unevolved." she answered cooly, as her ears flicked back, then forward again, sensing a distant presence.

[Aeroth]

"So you'd wait for the Rattata to turn to a Raticate before you decide to eat it? Well, it IS more meat, I suppose..." Sage chuckled, hefting himself from the tree and walking around for a lack of anything better to do before he realized what her words meant "Moon ceremony? Is that a polite way of telling me to get lost, lass?" He asked, the Scyther had a light voice, but his eyes had narrowed slightly, showing a slight strain of annoyance. He didn't believe for one second she wanted to be alone because of some 'moon ceremony' The only pokemon that might have something like that was an Umbreon, and besides, she was preparing by eating berries? "Moon's not out yet"

[o~|*( |*/\/\*|~o]

"No, no. The moon ceremony is something that my pack has been looking forward to, but I have yet to find any of them. Not many besidesare pack would know anything of, or about the moon ceremony." Rhyme said, her teal eyes locked on the Scyther, "But not all of us are prepared for this, not even I. But anyway, it is a week or so away, so..." She stood up, her tails laying slightly puffed, yet still limp behind her. "Well. I feel now like hunting, nowthat you've riled me up for some Raticate. Are you joining me?" She asked, leaping to a rock and looking back as she asked Sage to join her.

[Aeroth]

Sage still didn't believe the Muravix in front of him, he felt she was backpeddaling to appease him and probably avoid a fight...and it worked. Why would she want to be alone for a ceremony she didn't know much about that wouldn't happen for another week? This one was weird. "Can't find you pack? Sure they didn't leave you?" He asked, not trying to be vindictive or anything, he was just curious. The Scyther acknowledged her request to hunt and grunted his agreement.

The Scyther automatically darted away, so their techniques wouldn't hamper the others. Sage didn't know why he was hunting, he didn't know the first thing about hunting, because he never needed to hunt. He could eat mammals and avians and such, but he preferred insects and fruits and vegetables. Still, learning to stalk, or whatever, could actually help in battle, or so he thought. He crouched in the grass, letting his color blend with his surroundings. He listened. He waited. A scuffle in the underbrush a little ways away. Sage took off with his great speed, pulling his blades back for a swift kill before the creature even knew it was dead. He stopped in his tracks, or tried to. His momentum had him slide a long ways, and he tripped on a small stone and was sent flying headfirst into a tree. Sage's quick thinking allowed him to raise his blades. One scored deep into the tree, flinging him around with great force, but before he fell off he thrust his other arm into the soft dirt which dramatically slowed him down, allowing him to detach from the tree safely. What happened? Why did he stop? Stupid Rhyme not wanting to kill a Rattata...pah. 'Nobody saw that...' he thought, looking around...

[o~|*( |*/\/\*|~o]

As they ran, Rhyme answered Sage's question. "I'm sure the pack hasn't left me. Our numbers dwindle anyway, there are really only about seven of us. We all came from the same Ninetails pack, to begin with." Spotting a Ratticate in the brush, she stopped instantly. Assuming her crouching pounce, she quickly bounced to the side of the pokemon, waiting for Sage to finish it, or let it go. All she cared for was the thrill of the hunt, but not the kill.

[Aeroth]

Sage immediately recovered, darting over to the cornered Raticate and slicing with his blades. To his immense astonishment, the rodent managed to dodge his attack by leaping high up into the air. It couldn't maneuver off the ground, however, and all Sage had to do was hold his scythe up on the air as the Raticate was falling. Amazingly the prey was still attempting to fight back, as it fell, it tried to block Sage's attack by biting onto his blade. It didn't work, however, and his blade sliced between the massive front teeth and the tip pierced the roof of the rodent's mouth, piercing the brain and killing it instantly. Sage immediately closed his eyes as the red liquid flowed down his bladed arm and trickled onto his face. He quickly threw the fresh kill onto the ground, letting it slide of his blade and lay limp in the grass.

The green insectoid let his heartbeat slow, if he was any slower those teeth would have dug into his shoulder, or worse, his head. He then moved over to the two-tailed figure, moving by guess alone, his eyes being closed. "Er..Would you be kind enough to wipe the blood off me? I...uh, go a little crazy at the site of red..."

[o~|*( |*/\/\*|~o]

Rhyme moved away from the now slaughtered pokemon and towards Sage. Her tails worked together like a brush, wiping the blood off the Scyther before Rhyme began to lick the blood from her tails. "..."

[Aeroth]

He waited and crouched as Rhyme painstakenly removed the blood from his crusty shell. Once it was all gone he stood. "Thank you. You look hungry. I don't usually eat meat" He said as he motioned towards the raw meat, careful to not look in the same direction. In the meantime Sage went crouched next to a berry bush and started nibbling on little red berries until he was full, and wiped his blade arms on the grass, getting the rubble and sap off of them from his run in with the tree.

After that, he went back to sharpening his blades. The back end of his blades were part of his bug-like shell and they were structured like a whet stone. It is how he kept his arms sharp, sliding the sharp end against the back of the other arm.

[~*Sinario*~]

A nearby russle in the bushes, something small. Something that was actually smaller than a Ratticate, more subtle yet obvious in her movements. Sinario ended up bumbling through the berry trees, tripping over her own paws and crashing to the ground. A squak eminated from her as she hit the soft ground. She regained her composure, afte hearing the sharpening of blades. Never a good sign in her book. She looked about, seeing a Scyther and a Muravix didn't exactly calm her down. "Woops..." she mumbled, now shaking dust and small leaves from her emerald coat. She chuckled nervously, the small patch of fresh blood warning her that she probably wouldn't die. Today. She had realized just yesterday that leaving her family wasn't on of her brightest ideas, and now didn't care that much.

[o~|*( |*/\/\*|~o]

Rhyme dugg into the corpse of the Ratticate, scarfing down as much meat as she could, leaving about one-third for the Scyther. earing the rustle in the bushes, her head snapped up and she turned, ears back. Seeing the emerald-green Eevee calmed her instincts. "For what are you doing here, little one?"

[Aeroth]

A Scyther's hearing wasn't too acute, and that coupled with the fact that Sage was lost in his own dealings, he hadn't heard to Eevee stumble into the area. "Who are you talking to?" He asked, stopping his sharpening. He didn't wait for an answer, he stood and turned around, seeing a green Eevee. "Oh"

This one didn't look like a challenging fight, he put the thought out of his head immediatly. He scanned her over, wondering what she wanted. This one seemed scared, probably lost. "You hungry young one? I'm not really hungry, you can have my share" He was just being nice, he really didn't want a share, and didn't expect he really had one. Sage had no reason to stay with this Muravix, he doubted he would get a fight anytime soon. He could leave right now, and yet...he was hesitant to leave. Rhyme was the first Pokemon he knew outside his Clan.

[o~|*( |*/\/\*|~o]

Hearing no reply from the Eevee, Rhyme simply disappeared into the foilage. She had no idea where she was going besides away.

[Aeroth]

Sage had closed his eyes for a minute, expecting the Eevee to eat or say something. A 'thank you' would be nice...but he got nothing. He opened his eyes to say something, to find Rhyme, the two-tailed Ninetails had left. Sage was a Scyther, not the best hearing, so even if she wasn't very silent he wouldn't have heard her. He glanced around looking. No! He wanted that fight! Had she fled because she was scared of losing? Grr...didn't even say goodbye. The Scyther wasn't trained in manners, but he was pretty sure that would be considered rude. Now he couldn't track her, he had poor smell and couldn't make sense of animal tracks too well...

He let out a yell and scored a deep mark in a nearby tree with his blade before running off with all his speed, not caring which direction he went. He needed to get stronger.