The young pup had spirit! That was good and her teeth were sharp. She could see it in the growl. It was the growl of youth, of innocence, but it was full of strength and spirit. That would be good if she wished to become a fighter alongside her and Blueberry. And, of course, their children. If she was as spirited and full of eagerness as she thought, she would make a great older sister.

Even with her failure, Blackberry continued to hop playfully, a guttural sound coming from her throat. She jumped forward, as if to attack, and the claws on her stomach shifted, as if she was eager for a battle to start. Well, of course she was, she was Blackberry! However, she had to stop herself from letting herself get too excited. This wasn't a fight, this was a test.

She lashed out carefully with her talons, making sure to keep the sharp part curled in so the scaly flesh was the only thing that brushed the pup's fur. If she had her claws out, she knew that attack would have done some serious damage.


___________________________________________________________

"Lock the doors and close the blinds"
We're going for a ride.

tags: @Kitaka
notes:

The Gemling tensed whenever her companion hopped forward, ready to hop away should an "attack" come. She noticed the claws on the goose's stomach shift toward her, but the hyena pup gave them nothing more than a passing glance. In her youth, and thus ignorance, she didn't know them as anything out of the ordinary. She'd already seen that they could move earlier, whenever they had gnashed at the air and tunnel along with the rest of the other Gembound. Despite that, Kit still ignored them in favor of the bird's beak. That's where she was expecting a hit to come from.

The strike seemed lightning fast to Kitaka, and yet was probably Blackberry's slowest attack ever. The bird's fist thumped the pup right on the snout, making her sneeze and shake her head a couple of times. Then, her eyes lit up and her tail wagged so fast that it became a blur. They know the boop game!! Kit thought excitedly as she bounced up and down.
The pup painstakingly stilled herself for the return boop. She stared straight into the goose's eyes as she slowly raised her right forepaw. A smile spread across her charcoal maw as she hopped forward, paw in the air as if to ward off her companion. Although every fiber of her being was buzzing with barely suppressed glee, Kit had to keep her focus if she hoped to land a hit.

The last two hops were short and quick, just enough to get the hyena close enough that she grazed Blackberry with a boop. Kitaka scrambled back pretty fast though, the threat of the beak still on her mind. She may be inexperienced, but instinct alone told her that the bird probably struck out with its long, slim head just like the snake in the green room had.
She tried to spin around and face her acquaintance again with a flourish, but it was overdone, and she flopped down on the floor on her side. Once again, the hyena pup stared up at Blackberry, eyes shining, tongue lolling out, completely content. Then, the desire to play kicked back in, and Kit hopped back up to her paws, ready for more.

@Blackberry

At first, Blackberry thought that she hurt the pup, but then caught the tail wagging even faster. As far as she knew, dogs did that when they were excited. She hissed happily and froze at the same time before the dog shot up and gave her a soft boop on her head. She reeled back, as if the hit had unbalanced her before jumping back again. Good! Strong, spirited, and it seemed ready to fight!

Even when it was on its side, it leaped right back up. If she could funnel this desire to play into desire to fight, then she would fit perfectly into the family. She hissed playfully and jumped forward again, lunging down with her beak. She would stop before she actually hit the pup, or dodge to the right before it sunk into her pelt.


___________________________________________________________

"Lock the doors and close the blinds"
We're going for a ride.

tags: @Kitaka
notes:

Even though she expected the strike to come, Kitaka did not fare well against it. She saw the goose leap forward, saw its slim head rear back just before it shoot down toward her. Whenever she tried to bounce away though, her long legs tangled and sent her sprawling once more. No actual hit ever came, even though she was wide open to one. Not that she had expected any real pain from her companion. They were too much fun to hurt her, right? They just wanted to play, like she did.

The hyena pup was distracted by a movement near the tunnel wall. Her dark eyes focused on a grey shape scurrying behind some rocks. The pointed ears atop her head followed her gaze, watching the rat as it attempted to escape the Gembounds' notice.

Kit didn't even think about it, she just jumped up and sprinted after the lesser creature. Her desire to catch her prey stirred the magic within her. A gust blew through the tunnel, against Blackberry and the hyena's backs. It seemed to focus in on the pup though, pushing her lithe frame along as she barreled along in pursuit. The rat, now aware it was being chased, was runing full sprint beside the wall, desperately looking for any opening to slip into.

Fate apparently favored the lesser Gembound today. A crevice just big enough for the rat to slip into appeared, and just like that, it was gone. Kit skidded to a halt before the hole, a soft whine escaping in between her pants as she stared it. Not only had she hoped to catch it, to impress her friend again, but her belly was starting to ache with hunger. The disappointment passed as soon as she looked back toward her new companion though. They were still here, so everything was still good!

@Blackberry

Blackberry was about to ready herself for another attack, or, well, a boop, but the pup seemed to be distracted. She followed her gaze and caught sight of the rat. She wanted to leap forward and tear it apart, scarf it down in a few bites, but she wanted to see how the hyena handled herself in the hunt. She watched carefully as it sped after that rat and she watched it escape.

Disappointing, but the magic sure had been something as the gust of air pushed at her back, threatening to sweep her off her feet. However, the fact was, the little pup hadn't caught anything.

However, she had to remind herself. When she had come out of the chrysalis after her first death, she had been unable to hunt properly for a while. This pup was still young. Perhaps this was a good time to teach them about death and about the kill. She sniffed the air and listeed for movement before finding what appeared to be a massive cave rat scuttling along the wall. She shot forward and pounched, bringing her talons down firmly on its back, holding it down but not harming it. It squealed loudly as she trapped it to the ground.

She turned to the hyena and gestured with a wing to approach. She pressed her beak against the rat's neck and looked up at her again. "Kill." The word was a cold command, firm and knowing, trying to impart this word upon the young hyena so that she would know what the sound was meant to represent.


___________________________________________________________

"Lock the doors and close the blinds"
We're going for a ride.

tags: @Kitaka
notes:

The disappointment of losing her prey disappeared as soon as Kitaka started toward her companion. The tightening of her belly did not fade so fast. She pushed the dull ache to the back of her mind, and started wagging her tail as soon as she noticed the other Gembound looking at her. They had watched her, which meant they saw her going fast again, she thought optimistically.

Then her friend turned toward the wall, and launched into the air. Kit watched, maw agape, in utter awe as the older Gembound pounced upon a much larger cave rat than the one she had seen. With lightning fast precision, the bird pinned the rat to the floor, and held it there under her talons. Then, the moment that would probably become the most important one of the hyena's life came to pass. Blackberry looked up at her, gestured her closer again, and then leaned down to press her beak against the rat.

Assuming that she was going to eat it, and share, the pup obediently padded forward and watched with wide, anticipated eyes. Instead of ending the rat's life herself though, her companion looked back up at her, and uttered one, single sound. Slow enough that Kit was finally able to pick up on it.
"Keeel", Kitaka said in the slurred tones of someone unpracticed in speech. After another moment passed, with the bird still staring intently at her, what she was supposed to do finally clicked.

Stepping forward, Kitaka reared back her head and then struck down with as much force as she could. She was over eager though, and her aim brought her nose crashing into the stone right next to the rat. Pain shot through her nose, but it was nothing compared to the searing bolts that coursed through her jaw around her gem-fang. Yelping from the unexpected, and burning, pain, the pup stumbled backward.

@Blackberry

Blackberry narrowed her eyes as the hyena came close and spoke the word, slowly. It was fitting that her first word would be 'kill.' The knowledge pleased her and she moved the rat so its neck was more exposed.

However, she missed, somehow and Blackberry hissed. How could she have missed? The rat was right there! But she had been very excited, she could see. That was good and she cut off the dark noise.

She saw that the hyena was in pain and she noticed the purple fang. She must have hit her gem.

She pushed the rat forward and gave her a knowing look. "Try again. Kill."


___________________________________________________________

"Lock the doors and close the blinds"
We're going for a ride.

tags: @Kitaka
notes:

Deep brown eyes looked up, instinctively seeking reassurance or comfort from her friend. She saw nothing on the bird's slim facade but the same cold, intent stare though. The avian's beak parted, and she spoke again, saying a couple of words, that much the hyena recognized now, before then saying the only word Kit truly knew. Kill. The end a life. She knew how to, had had to do so in order to survive this long, but she hadn't known that it had its very own word to describe it. Until today, until the goose.

Stubbornness drove Kitaka back up to her paws, and over to her previous position beside her companion, over the rat. She glared down at the incessently squealing thing. Hunger tightened her belly as she thought of crushing its neck, and feeling the warm blood in her mouth. With a low growl, the pup snapped down at the rat's neck.
She didn't account for her gem-fang though, which stuck out just a good bit farther than her natural canine. Her bite to the neck was true, but Kit was only able to snap it with pressure, not pierce it. The position of her bite, and her underbite, made it too awkward to bite any further. So, she let it go, and then stepped back and looked up at the goose.

Her stomach audibly groaned, making the hyena's wagging tail still with embarassment. She wanted to eat, of course, but she didn't want to take away her friend's catch. She'd proven she could kill, that was enough, right? If she found another rat, maybe she could prove that she could go fast AND kill. Then the other Gembound would really be impressed with her!!

@Blackberry

Blackberry smiled as the hyena bit down on the rat's neck. She noticed the under bite and realized that the gem tooth would be both an asset and a weakness in both battle and the hunt. But she seemed to do well enough on her own. The rat was dead now, and that was all that mattered.

She wasn't hungry - she had grazed not long ago. Besides, even though she could process meat now, it still wasn't her favorite form of food. She pushed the rat forward so that it was underneath the hyena's nose. "You kill," she affirmed, nodding towards the young one. "You eat."

Yes, that would be a rule. A rule in her family. The one who kills is the one who eats, or, at least, the one who decides who eats. The hyena had killed the rat so the hyena eats the rat. She stepped away so that she could enjoy her meal and sat down, tucking her talons safely under her soft underbelly.


___________________________________________________________

"Lock the doors and close the blinds"
We're going for a ride.

tags: @Kitaka
notes:

The hyena's eyes widened whenever her companion pushed the rat toward her. Although she didn't consciously understand the words that were said, except for kill, their meaning was clear enough in the goose's actions. Kitaka's tail began to wag again, slowly at first, as she carefully leaned down to receive the gift that was offered. Once her jaws closed on the still warm body of the lesser Gembound though, it picked up speed until it turned into a dark grey blur at her backside.

After a long, grateful look at the older Gembound, Kitaka dropped her meal and then unceremoniously dug in. She was a messy eater, mostly due to her haste to consume as much as possible. Whether it was her youth, or her expenditure of magic, that sapped her, she'd never know. Mainly because she didn't think about it, and didn't care to. She just knew that she grew tired, needed food, and sleep, and then she could do whatever she wanted all over again.

By the time the pup was done, blood stained her entire maw. She grinned at her friend without any thought to the fleshy bits stuck in between her teeth. The bird had offered her the meal after all, and had caught it herself. Surely that meant she ate meat too.

Thoughts of her friend's diet disappeared as a wave of drowsiness overcame the pup. She was full, she had played, now, usually, she would sleep. Blinking sleepily at the other Gembound, Kit looked from the ground next to her, to where Blackberry laid, then back and forth a couple of times. She hoped her question of where she should sleep got across, because if it didn't, she wasn't up for explaining herself right now. She'd just plop down anywhere, and pass out.

@Blackberry