Hunting

[Akuroku]

Moonstone flew swiftly, yet quietly, through the forest. Her head twisting and turning wildly as she searched for the sound of tiny feet, squeaks, or even a heart-beat. Her large bright yellow eyes blinked as they looked at the trees and ground while her head turned. The medium-sized owl carefully navigated past the millions of trees, being sure her mud brown and snow white feathers didn't hit any branches.

Normally, her white speckled under-belly was useful, blending her in with any clouds in the sky. Here however, against the green, it only mad her easier to see. Though anything above her may mistake her for some rotting pines or part of a tree. It was like a camouflage malfunction.

With a sigh, she alighted onto a branch, her coal black talon digging into the branches bark. Still scanning the forest, she knew the likeliness of finding prey was little to nothing her. Though, if it was night-time she could always leave the forest and search in a field. Looking up however, she could she bits of the sun pouring through the pine needles.

A soft chur, the sound all owls make when the laugh or giggle, came from her shining black beak as she realized how easy hunting was when she didn't live on this island. In the quite forest she had lived in with her parents there were so many plump rats, mice, rabbits, and squirrels to eat. The churs quickly stopped when she remember she parents telling her not to move too far from the forest.

Fluffing her feathers she reminded herself to remain silent no matter what, she was still trying to find prey for goodness sake! Swiftly she flew down to the lowest branch, quietly alighting her self in an attempt to draw little attention to herself. Here it would be easier to here the little sounds of paws on the pine needles, or darting through the branches. Being a Hawk Owl, her hearing wasn't nearly as good a Barn Owl's, but she could make due.
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Word Count: 348

[mudbug]

--Garnet[/b][/i][/color]
``Do I annoy you?[/font][/b][/size][/color]

Garnet worked as hard as he ever did on collecting small bits of bark, twigs, and leaves for his nest. Of course, hard work was a much looser term for Garnet than most. His idea of a complete nest was very messy, unorganized, and really just a pile of whatever he could be troubled to collect in a single day. So far he had..one twig. Well, that was a good foundation, for him anyway. He never had high expectations for his nests. The most important part was that they kept the rain from hitting his head as he slept, something any leaf could do well enough. He was growing tired of the hunt for materials. He'd already perched himself in one of the highest points of a tree, hope to find some shedded bits of the uppermost branches. Night had fallen quite some time ago, and what faint bit of survival instinct he had was beginning to alert him of the dangers of darkness.

This was the hour of the owl. Owls of all kinds were on the prowl in these woods, hunting creatures just like himself. Small, weak, helpless creatures. His slender face grimaced as he thought of the true nature of his situation. He hated to think of himself that way, hated it, but he wasn't stupid enough to think the reality was any different. Surely, if he were to fall prisoner to an owls talons, or fearsome, clamping beak, he would have little time to say a departing prayer, let alone the idea of saving himself. He worked his way along the length of the branch he sat atop. Chewing, scratching, working to loosen the bark from the tree, small bits at a time. His effort was reaping very little rewards. None, actually. He sat back on his hind legs, with a small weezing sigh. "Aye, I best be gettin' down. Don't want some flying beasty to snatch me up."

He turned around slowly, and froze where he stood, in the shape of a half moon. His ears twitched frantically, as alarming sounds told him of a menace's presence. A series of alarming sounds fell from the sky, and Garnet's fine hairs stood on end, one by one. The soft whoosh of graceful wings flapping was like a thunderous roar ripping through the air, to Garnet's now overly sensitive ears. He froze, his breath stilled, as the owl perched itself atop a branch just above him. He did not look skyward, nor flick his ear, or even twitch a whisker. His mind raced, though it was as if time had stopped. It's above me. It's right above my buggered head! His thoughts were loud, much louder than the outside world. They rang in his head, as if they'd been shouted in an echo chamber.

His lungs were beginning to cry out, desperate for oxygen. He was moments from having no choice but to surrender to his body's needs, when he heard odd churring sounds from above. The owl, was laughing? His brows stitched together ever so slightly. He allowed himself a breath, a short, sweet breath. No owl that had honed in on his scent would have sat above him and laughed. Unless they were mad. The idea did not seem entirely implausible, so he stilled his lungs, once again. Suddenly, or atleast suddenly enough in his current jumpy state, the owl was below him. It had removed itself from above and now perched on the lowest branch the tall tree had to offer. This was his only chance at freedom. He slowly, so slowly that the precision of his movements made his muscles ache, realigned his frame to move forward. His legs moved deliberately, taking as few steps as possible. His front right lifted, his front left pushed him forward, his back right lifted, his back left pushed--SCRAPE!

His ears were ringing. A single one of his claws-Curse it to hell!-had drug it's pointed end along the callus bark of the branch. The resulting noise was undetectable to human ears, quiet to the ears of a beast, but to the precision hearing, and heightened by adrenaline ears of himself, it was like the sound of an entire structure be ripped apart. He looked down, a reflex. He could not see the owl, she was darker on her back than the rest of her form. His thoughts passed in microseconds, and it only took three for him to make a decision. He ran. His small legs were all but set afire, as he pushed them like you were push a prized stallion. There was a hole, in the trunk of the tree, and it was his only chance at seeing the sunrise. He ran, whiskers blown back across his face, whipping his small wide eyes. He could only hope that he would make it.

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Words; 803
Muse; Eh, ok?
Notes; I guess she's gonna chomp his tail now? D8[/blockquote]

[Akuroku]

ooc;;Sorry I haven't replied in ages. I was going to leave but I changed my mind.

Moonstone blinked as she launched herself into the air, swerving 'round to find the source of the sound she heard. Soon her eyes locked onto it, a mouse. She could hardly hear it's rapid heart-beat as it ran, trying to escape her talons.
The talons she was now extending in front of herself as she aimed them at the mouse. She felt them scrape against the branch and grab the thin tail. Blast it all, clumsy me! Her head twisted under her body quickly, she could feel the mouse slipping.
Just managing to grab it's tail she placed it's plump body in her talons, accidentally biting it's tail off in the process.
Crap, she thought. The trunk of a tree had come into her sight suddenly and she knew she couldn't completely avoid it. Squeezing gently onto her prey she closed her eyes and veered to the right.
He left wing smashed into the tree and she was now spinning down to the ground. Moments before she reached the ground she went twisted upright and slowed herself. Landing somewhat ruffly she realized she no longer had her prey, she must have let go on impact.
Her head twisted looking for her prey. She could have begun to fly around to find it, but her wing ached in a sharp throbbing pain. But she would not lose that mouse. It couldn't have survived the fall, could it?
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Word Count: 246
Muse: Somewhat interested.
Notes: Wow I jumped around a lot there. Rusty D: