It was only by the advantage of Ranuk's lookout point that he saw the approach of the others. There was Ursalo and Jera, hanging back in the trees while Tamlin crept forward, edging his way within range. He was as skillful as they said, coming into the glen downwind and with the sun at his back so the shade were on his side. His skin blended well with the darkness of the tree trunks, and he moved so carefully that he seemed hardly more than a swaying branch in the breeze or a flit of insects or a shadow of a bird.<br/><br/>Ranuk stared unblinking, entranced, as the elven prince settled himself in the grass so still that the demon would have lost him if he were not already watching. The elf scanned the grounds, his eyes pitch black as a crow's. He saw the cows and their calves and dismissed them just as readily as Ranuk had. Unworthy quarry. He wanted a bull as well.<br/><br/>Ranuk could have growled with excitement as the gleeful spirit of competition swelled in his chest. Who would catch one first? The demon or the elf?<br/><br/>Ranuk's very limbs vibrated with exhilaration, muscles twitching, heart thundering, eager to be the victor. It was only by the ingrained discipline of his training that kept himself from leaping the moment he saw Tamlin shift again.<br/>The elf prepared his bow, body angled purposefully. He had seen the bull before Ranuk.<br/><br/>The white demon followed the elf's gaze and at last, there was their prize. It was not a young bachelor but a seasoned elk in his prime. The animal was beautiful, his proud rack held aloft like a crown, still bloody with the last scrapes of the spring velvet clinging to the bones. He was large but Ranuk was larger.<br/><br/>And more importantly, the demon was closer, Tamlin still some precious feet out of range.<br/><br/>Ranuk ever so carefully crawled along the branches, getting into a position where he could leap upon the bull's back and hopefully break its spine with one strike. It took great patience for Ranuk, every movement calculated as he flirted with the constant threat of gravity the thinner the branches became.<br/><br/>The bull was nearing Ranuk's tree just as the demon settled at the perfect height. All he needed to do was wait for the bull to enter striking distance. Just a few more pondering steps and then he will be Ranuk's.<br/><br/>Snow white tails stood stock still, body frozen, winter eyes piercing, every muscle locked, coiled, like a trap to be sprung. Almost. Almost. Not yet. Not yet.<br/><br/>And then there was a crash across the glen. A roar of an animal and the thundering hooves of the cows and calfs fleeing into the trees.<br/><br/>It seemed Ranuk and Tamlin were not the only hunters prowling after the herd. A saber toothed snow cat had burst from the trees in the same way Ranuk would have, but her prey was one of calves instead of the full grown bull.<br/><br/>She was lucky and caught her prize in a manner of seconds. It was a brief struggle, a flurry of leaves and dust and then there she was, a bleating calf caught in her mouth and the rest of the herd scattered.<br/><br/>Saber toothed snow cats usually stayed in the snowy peaks of the mountains but they were known to wander down to the lower elevations should the cliffs get too crowded. As the name suggests, their fur are usually a snow white so pure they seemed tinged with frost, but in warmer months they turn dark brown with vibrant stripes of red along their sides.<br/><br/>This one was more black than brown, her stripes little more than the thinnest slashes of vibrant red. Her pelt and teeth were far more beautiful than the elk bull, now long gone, and Ranuk did not waste a breath as he switched targets.<br/><br/>The white demon leapt from his perch, a roar ripping from his throat. The snow cat scrambled back from Ranuk but she was unwilling to let go of her prey. The calf kicked as she dragged it, bleating even as it bled out, fighting weakly against her hold.<br/><br/>The snow cat hissed, her long whip like tail thrashing. Her knife like teeth were buried into the calf's neck but she was not defenseless. Her paws were as massive as Ranuk's and her claws were far sharper. The easiest way to dispatch her would be to go for her throat but the calf was in the way.<br/><br/>Ranuk growled and lowered his head, showing his four massive horns while his tails fanned out. The snow cat was slightly smaller but she was built more densely, compacted while Ranuk only had weight in his shoulders, the rest of him long and lanky. With his tails flared he looked massive, a giant blooming flower of white.<br/><br/>The snow cat was alarmed but not intimidated. She held her ground and yowled her anger and distress, calf still in her mouth. She was desperate to keep her kill, even if it meant facing a foe like Ranuk.