Feline Collateral Damage (Dōkeshi)

[Onikka Abba]

[member='Dōkeshi']​

O'Nikka woke up in a sweat, the temperature around her had drastically changed from a gentle cool to a thick and hot air. While in her Humanoid form she gently tip toed to one of the shattered windows in the ship. Her acute eyes searched the area for any tell-all signs of the common predators roaming within the area at this time. Despite her early awakening, O'Nikka's well-developed senses were already in play. She was almost satisfied that this day would start with a hunt but there was something else in the air.

It smelt familiar, much like her own. Her eyebrows creased and she lifted her nose up once more time, her nostrils flared before she had to discover what and where it was coming from in the first place. O'Nikka knew it would be dangerous to find herself tracking an unknown smell. Though, there was a possibility that it was an creature of prey or another sentient that could be taken down.

On an empty stomach and on the brink of starvation, it was worth looking into. Tapping twice on the window, she then exited the ship. O'Nikka shifted and began clawing her way down the tree that held the shelter. Anyone could admit that getting up the tree was much more easier than coming down from it. Her large claws hooked themselves into the thick bark, eventually having to drop the rest of the way down. The gentle sound of exotic birds chirped above her head.

O'Nikka's ears flickered as she listened, one wrong move and the next thing she knows is there is a large Drexl on her instead. For now she would have her muscled body to appear as slim and as small as possible. It was much safer to keep a low profile then to stomp around the jungle trees, allowing ever presence to become aware of you. Her nose flared once more, taking in a strong scent. Slowly she lowered her head to the moist ground and looked for distinct markings or a trail left behind.

Though, it was not that hard to track when the previous day it had rained, making the soils and dirt easy to mold, and the hot sun preserving the prints. Unless they were covered up of course. It was more likely to be a sentient being if it was smart enough to do that. The more she moved, silent and deadly, the stronger the sent became. Before long she would know exactly what it was.

 

[Dōkeshi]

Another jungle Kobayashi had found himself in. He didn't know, or care very much, what planet this was or where he was on it. He was simply longing to be in total solitude, as suited his emotionless state the best. Nobody else was crazy enough to be here, with all the murderous-looking wildlife around. And that suited the White Dōkeshi just fine, until... That scent.

It seemed very familiar, very much like his own. Another cat, or another Felecatian? The snow leopard couldn't tell. His left paw gouged ruts into the ground with its longer claws, and he almost smiled. A hunt, after such a long time. If Kobayashi could have felt enjoyment, he would have right now.

The van-sized snow leopard began to prowl, the mask-like pattern of his face rippling slightly as he moved.

@O'Nikka Abba

 

[Onikka Abba]

[member="Dōkeshi"]

O'Nikka knew this terrain like the back of her hand. Despite her massive overall size and weight, there were certain trees that were able to support her. She climbed up half of a tree with ease. Slowly and carefully she maneuvered her way from one connect branch to another. Her ears stayed alert, flickering at any sound that came within the area. That's when she saw it. With a top view of the area it was not that hard to miss, it's coat a bright white, almost florescent against the matte dark green colors of the jungle vegetation.

The slick and thin fur on her body slowly began to fade into a transparent color and then eventually her whole body flowed with her. Now with her Force cloak in play it she could avoid it's eyes for as long as she could hold it. It was much easier for her to control her Force while in her smaller form. Shifting to her Humanoid form, the tree branch quickly raised up to it's original position with the large decrease in weight. O'Nikka's only clothing available consisted of worn dark brown cargo pants that were to large for her and a stained and dirt covered tank top.

Maybe if when she was dumped on this uncivilized moon than she would have appropriate clothes. Gently she came down from the tree. O'Nikka focused on the creature, it looked almost identical to her feline form. Perhaps it was another of her own kind even though never once has she seen one. Her bare feet formed calluses and with examination they could have been confused for paw like pads.

O'Nikka's foots steps could not have been any more silent. Normally she would stalk large predators for hours upon hours and whenever it was convenient for her she would jump them and sneak in a few bites and scratches and then slink off, time would pass and they would slow and grow weak enough for her to attack. She reeked of her natural birth scents and then blending in with the jungle. Her keen eyes were locked on it's light body, tracking this animal was not hard.

 

[Dōkeshi]

Kobayashi's ears twitched with surprise as the presence he'd felt disappeared, but the scent remained. His feline mouth turned up slightly from its permanent frown, to make the cat equivalent of a flat-lined mouth. He stood stock-still, sniffing out his target. Where were they? Who were they?

He could sense the Force far better in his 'human' form, so the White Dōkeshi let his gigantic feline form melt away into his ghost-like, white-clothed form. He looked around, his mask hiding his eyes and the scar over and around his left eye. His clawed left hand reached out into the air, as if he could grab his target's presence.

"I. Smell. You."

[member='O'Nikka Abba']

 

[Onikka Abba]

[member="Dōkeshi"]

O'Nikka knew she had gotten to close to the.. man? Her tail flickered behind her, as his did. There was every tell-all sign that they were definitely the same species just not the same color and type. His form was decorated with white coloration and hers was dark and mellow, definitely fit for such an area. His hand was so close to her face as he reached out. There was almost a gasp from her lips but she contained herself.

If she got scared every time there was a close call her heart would probably not be beating. In their humanoid forms they were just about the same height with the exception of an inch or two. O'Nikka could feel the power within her slowly draining. Slowly she began to back up, her foot prints began to form, showing of her backing up. Disappearing through the area would give her the chance to shift and defend herself if necessary.

There was a small patch of missing leaves in which she tried to get through silently but a few brushed up against her arms. O'Nikka with enough safety of natural camouflage shifted. Slowly the fur on her body rose, making the appearance of her being much larger than she already was.

 

[Dōkeshi]

Kobayashi smiled coldly at the retreating tracks, far thinner than his own. A female, then, hunting him? Trying to kill him, maybe? The prospect was... amusing. However, it wore on his nerves a bit. He didn't enjoy hurting women out of hand, no matter how cold he was. His ragged voice was raised, enough to carry through the jungle.

"I'm not trying to hurt you. But I'm not going to let you treat me as prey. Nothing hunts the White Dōkeshi, woman."

[member='O'Nikka Abba']

 

[Onikka Abba]

[member="Dōkeshi"]

Slowly her lips curled and bared her teeth. A soft growl formed, O'Nikka was not taking to liking how much confidence he had. Whether his claims were true or not, it's not very polite to boast. Or that's what her caretaker would at least preach to her. O'Nikka's heart metaphorically stopped, heavy breathing sounded from behind her. A boma, normally she would have just pounced on it but this one was unusually large. The loud noises this man made most likely traveled for miles, attracting whatever was watching them. Even her reflexes were just a second to slow. It's large mouth snapped at her tail and caught the tip of it.

With a yowl the massive feline sent her unsheathed claws across it's horned face. Blood was bound to be drawn and O'Nikka was confident it would not be hers just yet. It released her tail and announced his pain with a deafening scream. Cloaking herself she clung to a tree, she knew it's stubby stature would never be able to follow her up a tree. Taking in a deep breath she managed to assert herself with returning the roar. Her vocals burned with anticipation, a fight would always bring her such adrenaline. It rammed it's thick skull against the tree that harbored the feline.

She shifted into her human form. There was a long branch that extended it's length to another tree. Right now if she was not going to eat this creature for a meal today then it was not going to make a meal out of her. O'Nikka almost forgot about the other Felacation she had be stalking now it seems that stalking him was pointless. Of course she had devoured other sentient but for now there was nothing bringing her to straight cannibalism.

Taking in a deep breath, she found herself not caring if the boma below her led to his demise or he would put up a fight. She wanted to watch, he boasted about his strength and wanted to see if he could actually own up to it. Reading herself for a large leap, she did as though a cat would. In the position the boma collided with the tree once more and backed up, shaking his head of the new headache. With a quick and flawless run O'Nikka kept one foot in front of the other. It was obvious to anyone that she had years and years of practice to prefect such a leap of faith.

She leaped forward, her feet moved below her as though she could walk on the air when in reality it was only preparing her for the fall. Grabbed the nearest branch as the vegetation clouded her view and she slipped a little but caught her own mistake. Swinging herself up right once O'Nikka was hidden once more with the leaves but moved them just to see the spectacle below her.

If the man was able to defeat the creature then she would have no probably dropping down and dragging it off into the trees or back to her home, even if that meant she would have to smack him around for it.

 

[Dōkeshi]

The pained roar of another creature, and the snapping of branches as Kobayashi saw the woman who'd been hunting him, running with the obvious ease of years of practice. She was running away from a gigantic tusked lizard, about twice the size of his leopard form. Not bothering with any more words, the White Dōkeshi silently drew his sword from its oiled sheath, and leapt to the trunk of the tree. His left claws and the specially hardened and sharpened sword bit easily into the wood, giving him good purchase.

But he found that the sword had bitten too deep into the tree. It suddenly creaked as if it was about to snap, and the huge lizard looked up, hissing at him. Kobayashi bared his teeth and hissed back, still somehow managing to look cold while doing so. Kicking away from the tree, the white-haired masquer bore straight down onto the reptile's tail.

The sword wasn't wide enough to cut all the way across the tail, but it sure got the stupid animal angry. It spun around, throwing the strange-looking white creature that had just stabbed him off. Using the claw to stop himself from sliding, Kobayashi pulled his sword out and faced the lizard again.

"Come here, scaly. I'm your reaper."

@O'Nikka Abba

 

[Onikka Abba]

[member="Dōkeshi"]

She narrowed her eyes, her tan skin dark against the green flora of the jungle. Gently O'Nikka watched the two forces go head to head. Both showing an almost equal power. Never once has she picked up a weapon. The Felacation went through years of training to use her own body against another. So far it's kept her heart beating in such a morbid moon. O'Nikka could not help but to look away in disinterest for a second. Her long spotted tail curled around the branch that kept her high and elevated off of the dangerous ground. The sky above her also held it's own dangers.

There were of course Crasna but she was in her own territory and the signs of such a plant were not known to her. Though, one is never truly "safe" in such a hospitable land. In some way the feline managed to detect the life here, a home. O'Nikka would prefer perishing here rather here instead of some far of land. Like the distant planets above her head. "The stars are never the same in other places," her watcher would tell her.

Traveling above the canopy's thick covering and mass would provide enough reasons to stay on such a moon. Even if there was death at every corner, from creatures, villagers, or one's own self. O'Nikka found herself entranced in thought, distracted from the entertainment that raged below her. Once more she opened the wall of leaves to watch the battle rage on. Only to taste the reptile's meat from such a distance. If this male did not kill it, then she would. A feast was to be had.

 

[Dōkeshi]

With another strike, the lizard's tail fell off. The beast still felt no fear as it charged Kobayashi to resume its attack. With a sudden burst of speed, it was on him, slashing and biting at him as he expertly blocked with his sword and his own claws. Here and there, bit by bit, the white-clad man cut into the scaly hide. To an outside observer, it might look like he was losing, but he was really just letting the creature's rage kill it.

With a cold glare under his mask, Kobayashi put both his hands on the handle of his sword, and swung it hard enough to crush through the creature's thick skull and the muscle under it. Still able to move, it charged again, with the wide-bladed sword sticking comically out of its head like an antenna. With almost contemptuous ease, the Solemn Jester plucked the lizard's left eye from its socket, tossed it into his right hand, and stabbed into the socket with his claw, again.

The creature screamed, twitched once, and died. Kobayashi just looked around for the woman he'd seen, biting into the eyeball he was holding like an apple.

"I wasn't bragging."

[member='O'Nikka Abba']

 

[Onikka Abba]

[member="Dōkeshi"]

The battle was rather savage, unexpectedly so. O'Nikka peered outside of her camouflage, it wasn't the first time she say someone do such things and then bask in it. It was clairvoyant to her that he had no respect for the lives he took. That just happened to rub her the wrong way. Gently and quietly the woman made her way down to the floor, shifting into her feline form and meeting the ground with a gentle bounce. O'Nikka eyeballed the male, her coat slick as she made her way over to the slayed beast.

Her nostrils flared as she took in it's iconic stench. The feline shifted from her giant form down to her humanoid self. Gently her hands came up to it's face, the eyeballs while one was completely missing and the other gorged into. It's mouth wide open, still in the position to allow a scream. Taking in a deep breath O'Nikka began to close it's mouth, her hands moved up it's large face and close it's open lids. She then proceeded to close her eyes. Whispering a traditional prayer of thanks.

A life was relieved of it's duties today and that was not to be taken lightly. Even if it was to attack O'Nikka and this man. Opening her eyes she hissed, looking over her shoulder. "You toyed with this creature when instead it should have been swift and quick." She shook her head and then shifted into her Jaguar appearing form. Crawling over it's side she faced the man but on the other side of the large boma. Slowly and defensively her hair rose on her back and her lips rose, bearing her teeth releasing a low growl. O'Nikka placed her claws on the carcass, dragging closer to her and claimed it as her on.

 

[Dōkeshi]

Kobayashi raised a hidden eyebrow at the other Felacatian, raising a still-bloody claw finger to forestall any more sentiment along that vein. She didn't realize, then, that he'd been going for a clean kill the whole time. He was out of practice, from the looks of it, from fighting other sentient beings. Showboating was part of fighting people.

"If I'd been in practice, his eye would have been in my hand before that fourth strike. You'll pardon my rustiness, yes?"

When the woman shifted back into her cat form, the White Dōkeshi just tilted his head, sat down, and watched her drag the carcass to the other side of the clearing. Biting into the lizard's eyeball again, he shook his head back at the woman who felt such contempt for him after one fight.

"So naive, the reverence you show to this creature's life... What would you have done if that was a person? Stopped me? Wounded me, maybe? I imagine you've never left this jungle, to act like that."

[member='O'Nikka Abba']

 

[Onikka Abba]

[member="Dōkeshi"]

O'Nikka easily ignored the man's comment and begun to dig into the thick reptiles scales. O'Nikka lifted her head and shifted into her humanoid form. Taking in a deep breath she licked her hands and then reached into it's torn side. Digging out a thin string of flesh and before eating it she answered his question. "If it was a person I would have watched you kill them and then taken them after. Just has I have this creature. It makes no difference to me." Lifting her chin up, she kept direct eye contact with the boma slayer and downed the bloody remain.

"If I am fed one more moon then I am thankful." Reaching in once more she continued sarcastically. "May lightening strike me down if I am ever grateful." Wiping her mouth, O'Nikka removed was crimson residue was left on her mouth only to have the blood on her hand replace it. "What do far places have to offer that I do not have here?" Her brow raised and then she took her gaze off of him for one minute to go back into the carcass for another handful of flesh.