[B] Egg-specting [Owlbear x The Killing Moon]

[Gl!tch~]

Eggs...

Eggs!

Peck was having eggs!

Normally territorial and protective as-is, Owlbear's instincts amplified each day that she spent thinking about her impending fatherhood.

She spent her frantic energies preparing. A sufficiently hidden den... Comfortable nesting materials... Plenty of meat and berries... Anything to make Peck comfortable and safe. Because if Peck was comfortable and safe, the same could be said for the eggs.

But, Owlbear would have to hurry back soon with today's meal. Any time spent away meant that she wasn't protecting Peck from any intruders.

She pulled the duck she recently downed over her flanks and hoped the blood wouldn't leave a trail.

Though, anyone who would even think to try bringing harm to her or her mate would swiftly join the duck in the afterlife.

[Ruriska]

The blood didn’t need to leave a trail.

Any good hunter could smell it, a fresh kill on the wind, and The Killing Moon was most certainly a hunter. He stalked in wolf form, ears perked for sound, scenting the air. And it wasn’t just that appealing to his hunter instinct, there was the call too. An indefinable sense that he was going in the right direction.

A blessing was needed.

One that he planned on having some fun with.

With a flick of his ears he called off his pack, the wolves and eaglehound falling away like lost shadows. The instructions he gave them were wordless, but they understood.

He continued forward, along well-worn trails, seeking his new prey.

Following the blood.

[Gl!tch~]

The kiokote had sent her owl up ahead to scout on the way back and had left her owlcat back at the den to keep an eye on Peck's marshfowl.

Owlbear had not been on her own like this in a while.

She shifted her shoulder, rolling the duck a little bit to the side in efforts to keep the blood from flowing too much to the ground.

And then all she could do from there....was run.

Her powerful kiokote legs sent her through the brush and down along the swamp. She leaped to avoid some of the deeper puddles (and hidden caiman). Still, she kept a slower pace than she would have liked so the fowl wouldn't go flying away on her.

Fast enough to slam into anything unfortunate to stand in her way, as was her standard.

[Ruriska]

He stopped at where his trail bisected the path and sniffed at the hoofsteps left in the soil

Whoever it was, they were certainly in a hurry.

The Killing Moon’s tongue lolled in delight as he began to follow in earnest. No matter how hard or fast they ran, he could keep up, wear them down with sheer persistence. Eventually his quarry would have to stop for a breath.

The thrill of the hunt rushed through his veins.

The hunt was on.

[Gl!tch~]

She ran on and on, but the duck still kept slipping around on her flanks. Owlbear understood that she couldn't just buck it into place every time without potentially over-correcting. And she was growing thirsty. After a few leagues of ducking and weaving through foliage, she had to take a moment to get a drink and adjust her kill so it wouldn't slip from her grasp.

The kiokote knew she was leaving herself vulnerable, but held no fear in her heart. At least, not for herself.