09-02-2015, 08:25 AM
Dark eyes track the movement of the jaguar above her, watching it as it stalks its prey.
In any other circumstances, she should be afraid; jaguars are vicious animals, capable of stripping the flesh from her bones in moments. But she has no reason to be afraid--she is an Amazonian woman. She may not be sworn in (yet), dedicated to protecting her sisters, but she will be. Her loyalty to the Jungle should protect her from the dangers of the kingdom. This was Big Sister's--Quark's--home for a long time. She had even been Khaleesi, once! She is sad to admit that she hadn't been around much for most of Quark's reign, but she knows that her sister must have been a magnificent, loyal Khaleesi.
A low rumble comes from the jaguar as it positions itself on a low-hanging tree branch. The small capybara it has been stalking pauses in its foraging, glancing around nervously. Tessla knows what will happen next--the prey animal will scent the predator and panic, rushing right under the jaguar's hunting spot. The cat will drop onto the victim with a guttural snarl, its weight crushing the smaller animal beneath it. It will waste no time in grasping the creature's neck, slicing through bone, tendon, and vein to kill it swiftly. After that, the hunt is over and dinner is served.
She knows this because she has spent years of her life researching her home and exploring every nook and cranny of the Jungle. Her travels keep her away from others, including her family, but she doesn't mind too much. She misses them, of course--especially Quark and Daeryssa, dear, precious Daeryssa--but she has had so many years to just explore and learn. She knows that she's nowhere close enough to knowing all of what the Jungle has to teach her, but perhaps it is time for her to actually be useful to the Jungle. She isn't a fighter like her mother was, or her siblings, but she has knowledge. That counts for something, right?
She has a lot that she needs to apologize to her sister about as well. Quark has been through so much and all Tessla has done is traipse around the Jungle. She should've been there for her. Especially after Nocturnal's... death. She refuses to think of it as a suicide out of cowardice. Noct wasn't a coward. She was a kind, loving mother and a fierce, loyal guardian. She was a brave soul and Quark's very best friend and soulmate. She was family to Tessla and she should've been with Quark more after her death. She failed her family for the sake of knowledge. Hopefully they can forgive their knowledge-thirsty sister and aunt.
This is one of the reasons she is emerging from her self-imposed exile. To beg forgiveness from her sister and to try to pledge her loyalty to the Jungle. She is nervous and shy but she is going to try.
She had been traveling back towards the Amazonian-populated part of the Jungle when she stumbled upon the jaguar, too intent on its prey to notice her. She has been standing still for several hours now, watching the unsuspecting prey draw closer and closer to the jaguar's hiding spot. She knows that if she accidentally startles the capybara, the jaguar is likely to come after her instead. She has studied the cats for too long to not know how they operate. She has no intention of dying, so here she will wait until the jaguar makes its kill. It'll happen soon anyways.
Almost as if she willed it into happening, the capybara spooks. Crashing through the sparse undergrowth, it heads right for the tree that the jaguar is roosting in. The cat screeches as it drops upon the capybara's shoulders, halting the mad dash of the prey animal. The jaguar doesn't prolong its suffering; sharp, yellowed fangs sink into the capybara's neck. Bright red blood spatters the Jungle floor and Tessla stiffens as the metallic stench washes over her, forcing herself to not look away. This is a learning experience. The jaguar's prey falls limp under the cat's teeth and it drops the capybara. The big cat glances towards her hiding place and she understands; it has allowed her to watch the hunt, but now it is time to leave.
She does not stick around to watch the feast.
In any other circumstances, she should be afraid; jaguars are vicious animals, capable of stripping the flesh from her bones in moments. But she has no reason to be afraid--she is an Amazonian woman. She may not be sworn in (yet), dedicated to protecting her sisters, but she will be. Her loyalty to the Jungle should protect her from the dangers of the kingdom. This was Big Sister's--Quark's--home for a long time. She had even been Khaleesi, once! She is sad to admit that she hadn't been around much for most of Quark's reign, but she knows that her sister must have been a magnificent, loyal Khaleesi.
A low rumble comes from the jaguar as it positions itself on a low-hanging tree branch. The small capybara it has been stalking pauses in its foraging, glancing around nervously. Tessla knows what will happen next--the prey animal will scent the predator and panic, rushing right under the jaguar's hunting spot. The cat will drop onto the victim with a guttural snarl, its weight crushing the smaller animal beneath it. It will waste no time in grasping the creature's neck, slicing through bone, tendon, and vein to kill it swiftly. After that, the hunt is over and dinner is served.
She knows this because she has spent years of her life researching her home and exploring every nook and cranny of the Jungle. Her travels keep her away from others, including her family, but she doesn't mind too much. She misses them, of course--especially Quark and Daeryssa, dear, precious Daeryssa--but she has had so many years to just explore and learn. She knows that she's nowhere close enough to knowing all of what the Jungle has to teach her, but perhaps it is time for her to actually be useful to the Jungle. She isn't a fighter like her mother was, or her siblings, but she has knowledge. That counts for something, right?
She has a lot that she needs to apologize to her sister about as well. Quark has been through so much and all Tessla has done is traipse around the Jungle. She should've been there for her. Especially after Nocturnal's... death. She refuses to think of it as a suicide out of cowardice. Noct wasn't a coward. She was a kind, loving mother and a fierce, loyal guardian. She was a brave soul and Quark's very best friend and soulmate. She was family to Tessla and she should've been with Quark more after her death. She failed her family for the sake of knowledge. Hopefully they can forgive their knowledge-thirsty sister and aunt.
This is one of the reasons she is emerging from her self-imposed exile. To beg forgiveness from her sister and to try to pledge her loyalty to the Jungle. She is nervous and shy but she is going to try.
She had been traveling back towards the Amazonian-populated part of the Jungle when she stumbled upon the jaguar, too intent on its prey to notice her. She has been standing still for several hours now, watching the unsuspecting prey draw closer and closer to the jaguar's hiding spot. She knows that if she accidentally startles the capybara, the jaguar is likely to come after her instead. She has studied the cats for too long to not know how they operate. She has no intention of dying, so here she will wait until the jaguar makes its kill. It'll happen soon anyways.
Almost as if she willed it into happening, the capybara spooks. Crashing through the sparse undergrowth, it heads right for the tree that the jaguar is roosting in. The cat screeches as it drops upon the capybara's shoulders, halting the mad dash of the prey animal. The jaguar doesn't prolong its suffering; sharp, yellowed fangs sink into the capybara's neck. Bright red blood spatters the Jungle floor and Tessla stiffens as the metallic stench washes over her, forcing herself to not look away. This is a learning experience. The jaguar's prey falls limp under the cat's teeth and it drops the capybara. The big cat glances towards her hiding place and she understands; it has allowed her to watch the hunt, but now it is time to leave.
She does not stick around to watch the feast.