Kit scanned the ground intently, her sharp eyes clearly seeing the rocks and ferns below even though her and Gabriel were high in the sky. Gabiel was flying slightly behind and above her, assessing her skills as she hunted. A flicker of movement caught her eye as a large brown creature stepped delicately into view. It look similar to a horse, except that it had six legs instead of four and it had razor sharp teeth meant for tearing flesh.
Tucking her wings to her side, Kit let herself drop towards the ground. Using her tail for balance, she positioned herself so that her claws were extended towards the creature. For several, long seconds she dropped like that until she was nearly on top of the creature. Then, she flared her wings to slow down so that she wouldn't smash into the ground and a sudden gust of wind unbalanced her. Being light, the strong burst of wind blew her off course enough to just miss the creature.
Startled, the creature lunged towards Kit and sank its teeth into her leg with bone crunching strength. Kit snarled and swiped her front leg at its face, slashing her claws across its eyes. The creature yowled in pain and took off, tearing into the trees as it flight mode took over from fight. Muttering a string of curses, Kit pelted after it, determined not to let her first large prey get away from her. Her leg burned like fire where the creature had bitten it but the adrenaline pumping through her system made the pain seem distant and unimportant.
Behind her, she could hear Gabriel shout her name but she didn't stop. The trees flashed passed her on either side as she closed in on the fleeing creature. Her small size allowed her to duck under low hanging tree branches and leap over fallen logs easily.
Behind her, Gabriel crashed through the forest, the thick undergrowth slowing him down. With a growl of frustration he launched himself in the air and climbed out of the trees. Although he couldn't see Kit or the creature through the thick canopy of leaves, he could hear them. The pounding of the creatures hooves as it bolted through the trees, and the quieter footsteps of Kit as she chased it. As he looked up from the trees he realized with a pang of horror that she was heading straight for the strange metal object he and Darkis had found!
"Kit!" He shouted over the roar of the wind in his ears. When she showed no signs of stopping, he shouted again, this time using her real name "Amaria!"
Kit's stride faltered when she heard her name and she nearly stumbled and fell. Gabriel's shout had broken her thoughts and she put on the brakes, skidding across the damp forest floor. Her foot caught on a tree root and she tripped, landing ungracefully on her face and sliding to a stop. She staggered to her feet, spitting dirt out of her mouth and looked around, trying to figure out where she was. As she got her berings, she felt a strange sense of darkness creep across her body, like claws tracing faint lines across her scales. She shivered even though it was still warm outside and looked around, half expecting someone to be standing there. But the forest was empty.
The darkness slowly took hold of her, entering through her lungs she breathed and through the cuts on her leg and face. She tried to back away, panic taking rising in the back of her throat as she realized her paws were moving, taking her closer and closer to the metal object. As she got closer, the power grew stronger, filling her ears with a dull, roaring sound and threatening to crush her against the ground as it weighed down on her shoulders. Her throat constricted, restricting airflow to her lungs. Her chest heaved painfully as it fought to breath, fighting in vain to suck in a mouthful of oxygen. Black spots began to appear in her vision and her paws tembled under the weight of darkness decending on her shoulders. With a small whimper, they finally gave out and she crumpled into unconciousness.
Edited by HollyBird24 - 4/9/12 at 7:05pm
