Predator Rivalry

[lixvari]

The sound of rapid footsteps and panting filled the area as a young woman came exploding out of the nearby bushes constantly looking behind her. Almost as if she had seen a monster. Eyes wide and mouth open the women ran occasionally stumbling as her bare feet padded against the forest floor. Blood painted her entire body, yet not a wound lay upon her. The forests of Drommund Kaas were extremely dangerous anyone with sense would know that much, but no one expected what truly hid in the forest. The women made a fatal mistake as she cast another glance back in the direction she came which caused her to not the the stump reaching out the ground. Tripping over it she fell face first into the muddy ground where it mixed with the blood and coated her.

A slight rustle came from the bushes she had just ran out of and coming out was a young boy. One that appeared human except for his red eyes that were encircled in black. He seemed no older then 13 as his blonde hair blew from the occasional gust of wind. A smile more appropriate for a serial killer spread across the boys blood coated lips as he neared his prey. Tongue poking out his mouth it circled the boys lips as from behind him two extremely thick and scaled tentacles appeared. "How about some dinner?" He asked as one flew forward impaling the women square in the center of her chest.

Less then ten minutes late all that remained of the women was a skeletal corpse with barely any meat left on the bone. Raux was entirely painted in blood at this point. He had been chasing and tracking the explorer and her crew over the past day or so. They had led him far out his own territory, he even knew that he was encroaching on someone elses lands. Yet he did not care. He was Raux. The redeemer of the Vapula. Any that challenged him would pay.

[member="Zoya"]

 

[Nyx]

Zoya sat on the stump, deep in thought. It had been a few months since she had survived her trial, and the thirteen year old Rapax had been awarded her own section of her parent's hunting grounds. Her mother had never been prouder of her as she healed from the intense fight with her daughter, and it was the only time she had ever seen her smile at her.​

But she was beginning to tire of living in this forest. She knew every tree, every rock, and it was starting to feel like a cage. She needed more from life, more than the endless feasting.​

​

But those thoughts left her mind as she smelled the blood. Human blood. Female. And was that. . .​

She growled in anger as her telum shot out from her back, the wing-like appendages shining in the sun. Someone was intruding on her territory. And that someone would pay.​

​

She rushed through the trees, her anger rolling off of her, until she came upon the culprit: a small boy, her own age, his two tentacle-like telum still out.​

Zoya growled at him as she moved into a combat stance.​

"Didn't your parents teach you better than to steal someone else's food?!" She snarled.​

​

[member="Raux Vapula"]​

 

[lixvari]

Licking the blood from his fingers and enjoying the sweet succulent taste as it filled his mouth Raux craved more. More food, more power. He wanted to show all the other Rapax their mistake in doubting the Vapula family. It was all their fault Raux had become this way, or at least that's the way he saw things. Standing over the corpse he shook his head. Raux knew that he didn't have to eat as much as he did to survive, but he couldn't help it. The taste of the humans was so good that he almost seemed to be addicted to it. However now that his feeding was over he smelled it. Another Rapax, and one that was approaching with extreme speed. The ends of his mouth upturned as he saw a chance at another meal.

So when the young girl arrived Raux didn't even fully turn to meet her. Instead he simply leaned back and looked over his shoulder at her as she spoke. "Sorry, I'm not to sure my parents taught me such a thing... But this was not a meal meant for you. I'm the one who spent time tracking this women and her crew. It just so happens that she crossed into your territory. I will not apologize for something so trivial... As a matter of fact I think I'll be taking this land as my own since you won't be needing it when I'm through with you." Without a second thought both of Raux's telum reacted and would aim to slam down right where the young girl stood.

[member="Zoya"]

 

[Nyx]

Zoya narrowed her eyes at his response. Who did this weakling think he was?! Zoya had fought hard for this spot, and if he thought he was just coming to come along and kill her, then he was in for a pretty big shock.​

As his telum raced towards her, she moved with the speed befitting a Pluma to dodge them, the appendages landing harmlessly where she once stood.​

Zoya snarled as she released part of her own telum as projectiles, the sharp bits of her flying at him. She didn't expect to kill him this quickly but rather to distract him as she dashed closer, her whole telum extended forward as a blade ready to strike him.​

[member="Raux Vapula"]

 

[lixvari]

Whistling as he watched the young girl easily dodge his attack Raux was impressed. She was better then some of the adults he had ran into, a true challenge. Summoning both his Telum back to himself he brought one around to block the incoming projectiles while he kept his eyes on his target. The distraction would've worked on someone that didn't have multiple Telum, but for Raux it was merely a nuissance. Bringing the second Telum around Raux guided it forward in a straight stabbing motion to intercept the girls own telum. It was a shame they both were on opposite sides of the battlefield. Raux himself had not moved from his own spot, which would confuse most, but he knew Rapax lacked stamina when compared to other humanoids so he did his best to conserve his energy.

[member="Zoya"]

 

[Nyx]

Zoya blinked as their telum clashed, and quickly moved out of range of more attacks, narrowing her eyes as she circled her prey, knowing she wouldn't last long in a prolonged fight. She needed to conserve her energy, and react to his attacks. Then, she had an idea.​

"Why are you going after someone else's food, huh?" She taunted. "Mommy and Daddy don't want to feed you anymore?"​

Judging from the boy's age, she knew that he had to have gone through his own trial, and from her own xperience that it left wounds that couldn't regenerate. So, she figured her taunt would get her opponent to do something stupid.​

[member="Raux Vapula"]

 

[lixvari]

"Mom... Dad?! Those things do not exist to me anymore!" Raux screamed as memories of his beatings and harsh training came to the surface. How many nights he was forced to go to sleep hungry all in the name of toughening him. Hist fists clenched tight enough that his fingernails drew blood. Raux's body had even began to shake. Teeth clenched together all he could think of was killing the girl that stood before him. "She was mines to begin with! You have no clue of what I've been through!" Raux yelled as he ran forward and jumped high into the sky with the telum propelling him even further. As gravity took effect and pulled him back to the ground he would real both the tentacles back forming them into one giant appendage and slam it down right where the young girl was standing.

[member="Zoya"]

 

[Nyx]

Zoya had to admit, she was impressed with this boy. He had a surprising amount of control over his telum. If he wasn't trying to kill her, she might even respect him.​

But as he came crashing towards her, she did something that would change both of their lives.​

She stepped to the side.​

​

As he hit the ground, she was to his side, a self-satisfied smirk on her face. Her own telum was slashing at his back, and she let out a small laugh.​

​

[member="Raux Vapula"]​

 

[lixvari]

Just like that it was over. One mistake on his part, one flaw in his attack had spelled defeat for Raux. He knew it as soon as he saw the girl sidestep his blow. Preparing himself for the pain that would come next upon landing Raux kicked off the ground just soon enough that he wasn't cut completely in half by the telum. Yet the young girls attack bit deep as blood spewed from the large open gash on the boys back. The cut had went deep enough that the bones of his spine could be seen. Mouth open Raux screamed in pain as he fell face first into the mud. Was this what his parents felt as he killed them? Tears welled up in his eyes and flowed down his pale cheeks as he continued to yell out from the pure agony he was in. "I hate you!" His telum went wild thrashing around randomly as he had no clue what to do. "How dare you! I'll kill you!" The young boy promised as he cast his gaze up at the girl. He had never known such anger till this moment. Besides his telum the rest of Raux's body lay still in the mud.

[member="Zoya"]

 

[Nyx]

Zoya smiled in amusement as the boy screamed in hate, in rage at his pain, his humiliation. The girl then made another move, to put down her opponent farther.​

She moved forward, her telum slashing and cutting through the air, spraying blood over both of them, until the boy's telum lay on the ground. Zoya knew that they would grow back, eventually. For now, his missing apendages would cause untold agony.​

​

She stepped forward, putting her foot on his chest, as a sign of her conquest over the boy. She leaned forward, a self-satisfied smirk on her face.​

"If you're going to scream, might as well be my name." She taunted. "It's Zoya, you undeserving weakling."​

​

[member="Raux Vapula"]​

 

[lixvari]

Raux wanted to run from the monster that was tormenting him but he couldn't. He would do anything to escape her, to free himself from the torture he was experiencing. Raux tried to move his hands to no avail as only his fingers twitched. His legs wouldn't budge either. Then she took the things most important to a Rapax. To their survival. She took his telum. Raux felt it as his telum were cut into. There was no getting used to the pain, and with every slash and cut Raux screamed his voice echoing throughout the forest. Then seemingly appearing out of nowhere before him were his parents. Not with the concerned look of parents, or rushing to his rescue. But that of vengeful specters that took pleasure in their sons pain.

Finally after what felt like an eternity the telum were cut free from Raux and hit the ground lifeless. No longer were they apart of him. Lips quivering as he saw his precious telum taken the boy cried out till he was forced to lie on his back and look up at his tormentor. Raux saw her lips moving but couldn't hear anything besides a loud ringing. Taking what strength he had left he spit blood into her face. Defiant till the end. He would remember that name... The name that caused him all this pain.

[member="Zoya"]

 

[Nyx]

Zoya blinked as he spat his blood into her face, her hand moving up to her face to wipe away the blood, and lick it up in plain view of this boy.​

Her smile grew once more as she stared into his hate-filled eyes, her own glittering with amusement.​

​

"Listen to me, weakling. You, are nothing. You are less than the prey you ate on my land. You did not deserve that meal. You do not deserve anything. You are less than the dirt you bleed on. If you died in this forest, no one will miss you. No one will remember you. You will pass from this world leaving no mark, not even worthy of a footnote in history. You're not even worth killing."​

​

[member="Raux Vapula"]​

 

[lixvari]

This girl was insane. Most would've been appalled by blood being spat in their face while she took pleasure in it tasting Raux's blood. This brought a smile to the young boys face as the darkness swam at the edges of his vision threatening to engulf him. He had met his match, someone who had put him in his place. He took in the young girls appearance and scent so he would never forget. As he would never forget what had been done to him. His body was so badly damaged that it hadn't even started the process of healing yet, but his ability to hear soon returned just enough for him to hear what the girl said.

"I... I will get stronger... Then I will kill you." Raux promised as the darkness finally engulfed him and the boy fell unconscious from bloodloss, agonizing pain, and mental trauma. His head fell into the mud with it plastering his blonde hair. He almost looked like a child at rest as he laid there at Zoya's feet.

[member="Zoya"]

 

[Nyx]

The mauve haired girl stared at the boy laying at her feet. She considered eating him, but decided that she was right; he wasn't worth it. Let him suffer. She didn't care one way or the other. Chances were, another Rapax would come along eventually, and take care of him.
Zoya took a moment longer to stare, then shrugged and began to walk away. Her territory had been defended that day, and she felt proud of herself.
Surely, Mom would be proud of her little hunter.

[member="Raux Vapula"]

 

[lixvari]

There she went. Turning her back on the young boy and leaving him to wallow in his pain. Screaming her name as she left all Raex could think of was revenge. He even went so far as to roll completely over onto his stomach and start dragging himself in the direction she had went. Each time he pulled himself forward he was rewarded with a handful of mud and a few inches of progress. But by then Zoya was gone, she had escaped. Breathing heavily Raux looked back at the large trail of blood he had left behind from dragging his body.

If he didn't hurry it wouldn't take long for another Rapax to detect him. In this condition he wouldn't stand a chance. Eyes darting around he looked for something... Anything to eat to replenish himself. To give him the strength he needed to make it back to the Vapula hunting grounds. That's when he spotted it... His telum, crawling to one of the tentacles Raux looked down on the purple thing before sinking his teeth into it. Each bite tasted like a rotten corpse, it was disgusting. Each swallow was a struggle to get down but he had to do it. Close to an hour later all that was left of the two tentacles was a few crumbs. But it still wasn't enough. He still hadn't healed enough. So he ate himself. Raising his arm to his mouth Raux bit down on the limb and ripped out a chunk of his own flesh. A howl of pure agony escaped his lungs as the pain radiated through him but he kept eating till almost nothing was left of the limb.

[member="Zoya"]

 

[Nyx]

Null