As Love rolled around in the dirt, she heard a terrible noise send the birds chattering into the sky above them. Her head tilted down as she looked at the fox cubs beside her front paws. Between a series of barks and yelps, she asked the small ones what the horrid ruckus was. With their eyes wide with sheer delight, they chanted that is was the local idiot.

Breaking into a snorting fit (which would be equivalent to human laughter), her bright yellow eyes scanned the nearby horizon. There was nothing suspicious about it. Wherever the "local idiot" was, he wasn't hanging around where she was. Although, she couldn't help but wonder what made that noise.

Nipping their toes, Love hoisted her hinds off the earth and started to trot down the slope toward the call that came from the creature. Even though it was a warning to stay away, she couldn't help but want to sneak a quick peek at this creature. Was he large or small? Wide or thin?

Well, that would do it. Cackling, Love fixed her eyes open a marvelous sight. A nice pair of racks were caught in a mess of vines, branches, and leaves. Scattering off into the thicket, Love shifted from her wolf form to her human shape. She was known quite well around these parts as a human. The northern tundra knew her better as a wolf.

Creeping out from behind the trees, the woman donned in furs and feathers approached the creature with caution. "My wild brother, I mean you no harm," she whispered in her native tongue. "My belly is full nor would I kill such a beautiful beast like you." A few of the nearby birds went back to chattering, which was a fairly good indicator that she was not a threat. Even the young kits from earlier had found their way to her. Giggling as their tails tickled her legs, Love bopped one on the nose before playfully tickling his belly. "Oh, stop it Ahote. You'll only make your mother cross."

Her gentle blue eyes drifted toward the elk-like creature. "Well, that's one way to get yourself stuck," a smirk slid onto her face. Nearly standing before him, she extender her hand ever so slowly. Stopping a few feet in front of him, she closed her eyes and waited for the creature to butt his nose against her palm. "Whenever you're ready," she cooed to him.

A lot could be deduced by one's scent, if one knew what to look for. Constantly new smells were assaulted the nostrils of a grandiose beast that, by all means, should not have been there. There was the mind of a man inside the beast, and that mind had tuned out the smell of smaller woodland creatures, sensing no threat to an animal of his calibre; the megaceros, with its heavily muscled shoulders, carried a formidable rack of antlers that could esily impale a man.

But instead they seemed to get in the way, getting caught on low hanging branches. Which always caused him to panic for a few moments, as he had researched his animal form well and knew that such branches and snags used to be the death of the might beast. But with the mind of a man, he knew how to edge this way and that so as to not dig his own grave. The forests weren't where he thrived, but he didn't want to walk around in human form when he had naught a clue as to what was out there waiting for him. These wilds certainly weren't what he had been promised when he had signed up for the experiment.

He was in a tangled jam once more when he caught wiff of a new scent, the scent of a wolf mixed in with a human. The primal part of his brain felt panic renew, for in that position he could be picked off by a persistent predator. He wasn't sure whether to hope the wolf was a shifter or not, but either way he let out a low bellow that carried through the trees, an aggressive warning despite his not wanting to fight. He just wished whatever creature it was decided to avoid his area, since such a bellow suggested a very large creature. Which he was.

He just wasn't sure he had it in him to kick a poor beautiful wolf to death to save himself.

With a gleeful look in her eyes, she rubbed up against the larger cat. She really wanted to get a good sniff of him. She was the kind of person that could tell a lot about someone just from their smell. Thinking to herself, she couldn't help but laugh at her somewhat foolish move. Was it really wise to "cuddle" up against him? Nah. He seemed to be looking for a more worthy opponent.

Stepping back away from him, Nami took a seat on her rump. A bit of dust kicked up, but not as much as it could have been had she been a lioness.

'Nice to meet you, Mr. Bamidele. I'm Namazzi, but, please, call me Nami. As far as a worthy adversary goes... I'm afraid I'll have to displease you. I'm new to this area. I haven't noticed anyone out of the ordinary. Perhaps you should take things up with that gator. He seems mighty feisty today. Almost snapped my tail off!'

She smirked a bit at his final comment. A foe that could easily kill him or one that he could kill back with just as much ease. He definitely needed something bigger than her. Not that she was weak! No, not one bit. However Nami knew her limits and she knew there was no way should could take on this big guy.

Having just come from the tundra, Love was more than overjoyed to be out of the frigid world. Not that is was that bad. It did, however, wear and tear her some. Letting out a sigh, the white wolf swiftly shifted between a row of weaving trees. It had actually become a game and a fun one at that! She was having far too much fun with these trees that she hadn't noticed the crowd that was gathering. There were squirrels, rabbits, foxes, and even a few doe had taken a liking to her silly antics.

Despite the fact that she was a wolf, the other animals had come to know that she wasn't just a wolf. No, Love was more than that. To her, life was not just something you could steal away. She was friends with these creatures and would ask for their forgiveness if she ever decided to eat one.

Today was not a hunting day. Today was, as you might have guessed, a play date! Bouncing down the slope, she kicked some dirt up and she playfully pounced beside a few kits. Nothing could ruin this day. Nothing. Well, maybe a grizzly, but that wasn't likely to happen.

'Clever girl,' he mentally purred, his physical feline throat purring as well. She wasn't backing down despite her size, and he found that interesting. A female who obviously had intelligence, even if the amount of which was yet to be seen.

'You can be correct on some things, but very wrong on others; I've been a beast since I was old enough to give chase. But you're interesting for a kitten, so my claws will remain sheathed.' Unblinking, he held out a paw, almost as a human would if they were offering their hand to shake. 'My given name is Bamidele, but most just call me 'Poacher'. Most being the authorities. But no authority out here, kitten.'

He gave a yawn - an excuse to bare his yellowed fangs. 'Tell me, kitten: have you seen more formidable shifters about? I should like to chase something with intelligence that could kill me as easily as I could kill it.'

A light hiss pursed her muzzle before she, too, let down her guard. Although she wasn't completely free of the thought of a retreat, she wasn't about to show any weakness to the beast before her. Lowering so that her body movement mimicked his, she listened to his nasty little comment.

'If you were really going to eat me, you'd have done so by now. Besides, I believe all men are born good. I don't foresee you becoming a beast, of sorts. You appear far too rational to fall to victim to such wild behaviors. If I'm wrong, then, please, end my life now. I'd rather not be your chew toy.' Her eyes were wide with compassion and hope for a brighter ending to his gruff tone. As her tail tip flicked some, Nami let her claws dig into the earth. The fresh scent of turned soil soothed her.

If it weren't for the elephant that was nearby and the herd of zebras, the fossa might have left. Although, she knew better than to turn her back on the enemy. Yes, enemy. At this point in time, the shifter left her with no other choice but to label him as a foe. He showed no sighs of patience or even compassion. Hostility and aggression seemed to course through his veins and it disgusted her. How had her kind - the shifters - succumb to such wild behaviors?

'Not a correction, little kitten. I was agreeing with you.'

Her reaction certainly was amusing, more amusing than most of the reactions he recieved on such hunts. It caused a hesitance in him as he attempted to make a decision: to continue in aggression, or switch gears and see the result?

During this time, his paw hung in the air, eyes watching the smaller animal. Then, as he reached a decision, her curled that paw, bringing it to his muzzle and scraping his rough tongue between the pads, pulling out a bit of tree bark that had tagged along.

'Like I said before, kitten, assumptions can get you killed.' He mentally chuckled as he sat down on his haunches, tail flicking gently at its tip. 'Just because a human is not born a beast does not mean he won't become one.' He hated how he sounded like a poet to his own mental ears, flicking his physical ears in distate of such a thought.

He contemplated shifting to his human body, but decided they probably wouldn't speak the same language, which made their animal bodies the best way to communicate. 'Perhaps you should run along before I change my mind about eating you.' He growled for good measure, but he held little desire to carry out his threat. Sometimes leaving a meal alive was more interesting that reducing it to a pile of useless flesh. Besides, if the cat-thing hadn't fled at an aggressive action, he doubted his aggresive words would drive her off.

He was curious about what exactly this small thing would do.

'Oh, you know what I meant!' She, more or less, snapped at the male that was correcting her statement. It was then when a four-legged feline pounced before her. Not batting an eye, she looked up at the cat. He was... HUGE! Okay, not that big, but he was certainly bigger than her. Just as she was about to greet him, she saw him draw back a paw, a massive one at that. Without even thinking, she recoiled backwards down the bank some to avoid the punch.

Ears matting back against her little skull, she let loose a wicked hiss. 'Hey now, what was that for. Or are you... oh shit, maybe you're not the human! Uhhhh, crap, crap, crap....' Cowering back onto her hinds, she readied herself for a full-scale retreat, but she didn't want to flee the scene just yet! No, she was too stubborn to run. She just had to meet this mystery voice. Perhaps he would be a doll and come to her rescue? Now that would be a huge turn-on for the little fossa. Knightly heroic men. They were a real catch.

'Eat or be eaten.' the leopon concurred, just before he leaped.

He landed directly in front of the spot his nose told him that the little animal was. He stood at his full height, raising a paw as if to strike the creature, who was larger than his eyes had determined but hardly a size to be considering a lethal. He lips pulled back to reveal sharp teeth, but he still didn't lunge. Despite his background and the love of the hunt, he still had reservations about killing a creature he knew to also be human. Shifters and humans were the funnest to hunt often, though.

He swiped at the female creature with his massive paw, not fully intending on hitting her; he wanted to see if she could dodge. If not, what a pathetic excuse for a predator indeed.

Her whiskers twitched a bit as she felt an uneasy air float around her. He was coming and she was terrified to the point of running. But, knowing all the stories about running, she decided death wasn't going to be her fate today. Resting her rump beside the elephant herd, she peered out across the sea of golden blades.

'To kill or to be killed that is the question, is it not?' Her dark colored eyes tossed about, looking and hoping that she would finally be met with a creature that wasn't too terrible looking. Smirking, she wondered if it would be possible to facing a little mouse. Oh would that put her at ease! Nothing scary. That's what she kept telling herself. It'll be okay, don't you work, she repeated over and over.

Resting her head on her paws, the fossa awaited the fateful encounter. Still curious, she painted a few pictures in her mind of what the creature might actually be. Such a valiant voice was surely not the sound of a mouse. Perhaps this male would be a cheetah? Shaking her fur out, her body shuttered when it finally found a suitable host for the voice. A lion. The mighty kind of the Savannah. Knowing her ill-luck, it would be just as she suspected. Rearing up her rump, she made herself ready to flee, should she deem it necessary.

The creatrure's reaction was delectable, like when a mouse knew it was beng watched but knew not which direction to flee in. At least at first. A predator like that little cat quickly switched to a sort of hunter's stance, searching for him. Closing his eyes he listened to the silent words. A fossa? The name was familiar, but its association was not. A creature native to Madagascar, a corner of the African continent he had never visited. Such a small creature hardly called the prescence of a poacher. At least not one of his caliber.

'Presuming is a dangerous thing, kitten. It can easily get you killed in the wild.' He sent mentally, pushing himself up from the bark. With a practiced ease he hopped down from the tree, bending his joints to absorb the impact. His large eyes focused on the fossa as he stood, shaking out his short mane. 'But in this case you happen to be correct. I could have been the greenest of chameleons, though that would have probably been luckier for you.'

He stepped forward in a very obvious hunter's crouch, hoping to make her run, to be able to give chase. If she didn't run... perhaps he would talk with her. Even a shifter was subject to strong flight responses, but if that turned to be a fight response, he could deal with her. Pin her down, feed off of her fear. And feed off of her, if it came to it. He wasn't above devouring his own kind, especially if they were weak.

It was the way of the hunt.

Nearly jumping out of her skin, the fossa sunk her claws into the mud below her. Fur standing on end, the little creature's ears popped up. Ready and alert, she scanned the area, searching for the owner of the voice that spoke to her. When her mind turned up nothing, she decided to extend the invitation to talk. So he wanted to know what she was? She would lay it on him. Let him know a thing or two about herself, and, all the while, she would be feverishly looking for the morph like her.

'What am I? I am but a humble little creature that loves to hunt and bathe in the sun's golden rays. I am a Fossa. I am not native to this area, but I did grew up near the Savannah. I hail from a rain forest, but I also enjoy the drier more humid type of forests. So, my half-human friend, where might you be hiding? I might look intimidating, but I'm rather friendly. So please, don't be shy on my behalf.'

Nami's eyes were still going over every inch of the area that surrounded her. From the elephant to the mouse to the hyena cackling in the distance. Her brown eyes drifted to the skies and noticed a few birds flew above, but they appeared to be out of her range.

Sinking her claws into the raw earth, she felt for the presence of a creature using her other senses. The eyes can lie, she told herself. Nose twisting up, she picked up a scent that was unfamiliar to her. Those ears of hers swiveled about, trying to grasp each and every sound that echoed around the grassland. Tasting the sweet aromas of the planet around her, the fossa finally twitched her whiskers toward a large, board tree. Although her eyes were unable to see the cat that laid in the branches, her body had made her aware that there was something watching her from over yonder.

'I presume your coat is of the colors of the land. Reds, golds, browns, and creams? Am I right?'

Smirking, or getting as close to one as she could, Nami waited to see if the voice would come from the direction her tiny body was facing. The thought never crossed her mind that she might end up in someone's stomach. She just couldn't fathom such a thing. Cannibalism was a level she refused to drop to, which could be why she didn't figure that the morph would attack her.

It was a while before any creature with a self-awareness passed his vision, and even then the curious little golden cat was almost lost to him amoung similarily coloured grass. No, not a cat. Certainly not a creature Carver had ever seen... alive. It was not a creature that seemed entirely out of place, though its smell certainly was; faint human scent. A shifter, like him. He rested his large chin atop his paw, pink nostrils flaring, eyes watching as the relatively tiny critter moved along, seeming to be... unsure with the territory. More proof of what he already knew.

His great belly rumbled, a condition he could remedy by either devouring the tiny creature or shifting to his human body, which was still fed. But he did neither, instead shifting his position in the branch, tail twitching at its tip. Did the creature know where they were or why? These things he would have asked, were he not simply observing.

Soon he found himself bored with watching however, great tongue curling as his even greating maw opened in a yawn. So he decided to test. It wouldn't do to reveal his intimidating form, so he chose a different route: calling out.

'What are you?' his mind called out, extending his range as far as he could to ensure he was heard. If he was after all wrong, his target would not react. But if he was heard... it would be interesting to see if the creature could find him. There were many places a big cat like him could hide in a savannah, after all.

She wouldn't admit it, but she had managed to get herself turned about. Her sore paws ached as she continued to press onward. Thankfully, the ground wasn't as warm as it could have been, but still, it was hot. Namazzi Ba, preferred to be called Nami, took a quick pause to scope out the place around her.

Grass. Grass. More grass. Even more grass. Oh, Nami, what have you gotten yourself into this time?

Those large round eyes peeked through the weaved blades of grass that had been kissed by the sun's rays. Dancing and rippling in the dry wind, the creature arched her back before a shiver snaked down her golden spine.

Lost wasn't really the term to use at such a time. Off the path. Now that was more fitting. To say she was lost would indicate that she new not of her whereabouts. Nami, being a smart little critter, knew she was in the Savannah. The exact sector and the distance south (north, east, or west) from her village. Now those were without an answer. To be frank, Nami couldn't be sure of the time, either. So she wasn't even able to wager a guess as to how long her little legs had carried her.

Her little ears folded down as she let out a pathetic cry. The grass around her tickled her whiskers, which sent her bounding toward the unknown. To her luck (if you can really call it luck), she found her paws on the bank of a small pond. A few large animals were lapping up the water beside her dainty little paws, but she paid no attention to them for their size was not worth fretting over. Even among the beasts, she knew that size was not the sole factor that contributed to status. No, bred and food-chain status played a very crucial role in the circle of life. Being a meat eater, she knew her herbivore neighbors wouldn't stand a chance against her tiny little claws. Okay, so fighting an elephant wasn't a brilliant plan. Nami shook off the idea and decided to just be civil. She she didn't start anything, they wouldn't either.

Nami, parched at this point in time, tiptoed forward and allowed her chin to gracefully lower into the water. Murky as it was, she didn't care. It felt heavenly. Lapping it down like a hungry kitten, she snorted and sneezed when she discovered water had found its way into her tiny nostrils. Flaring them, the cat-like creature fumbled backwards onto her rump. Rubbing at her nose, Nami went to work. She had a messy face and that just wouldn't do, especially in front of so many new faces!

The soft wind whistled gently through the northern savannah, bringing murmurs of rain from the nearby trees. Insects buzzed, chirped, and sang in the grass, the air itself distorted with the heat rising from the golden blades. Trees scattered the landscape, providing shade where flat land failed.

Within one such tree was a curious creature, an unusual sight within any territory, let alone a broad savannah. Splotched spots splayed themselves across slicked golden strands, water dripping from a short, reddish mane around a feline neck, a most predatory set of dark eyes peering through fronds and into distance beyond. From such a perch the great cat could spot a softly spiraling steam, slinking into a placid watering hole. Animals of various sizes gathered there, but none of them held any interest for even a hungry predator. Not, at least, this particular predator, for behind those keen eyes was not the mind descended of cat, but one descended of ape. Still however those orbs held the countenance of a hunter, of one who knew the thrill of the chase.

It was not beasts he wished to hunt, however, nor did he wish to eat their flesh. Despite the taste of his hobbies, as a man the creature was far fonder of fruit. But still those eyes watched, waiting for a creature in the guise of a beast, but with the mind of a man.

He was waiting for a shifter.

And when one came, he would watch. He would wait. He would observe. He would know the creature inside out before getting into any sort of communication range.

It was the way of the hunter.