Faye slowed as she entered the grove of trees. Something felt...different today - smelled different, perhaps? She'd traveled through here a number of times and never had her sense of danger alert her, for she knew she was much more dangerous than most other Soquili she might encounter and as a result tended to be bold, not wary. She grinned. It'd been a long time since something had caused her to feel cautious. Maybe today would be an interesting day after all. A little excitement sure would be a nice change of pace. Faye was hungry though and was a little annoyed that if she felt like something was off that it'd be extra hard to find prey. They were probably all long underground or scattered far away. How irritating. Ah well, another night of no food wouldn't kill her. She'd eaten well recently anyway, having dragged a large buck with huge antlers down and back to her cave to feast on. She'd make something out of the antlers probably but the bones she'd just tossed on the growing pile against the back wall. Trophies of her conquests, she liked to think, although there were far too few bones of Soquili in there for her liking. Too many non-sentient herbivores making the majority of it, and the occasional carnivore that made the mistake of venturing into her territory. Nothing ever lived long when she felt it was trespassing.
[10:13 PM]
She thought about it and decided that whatever she was about to encounter, she was too far away to bring the bones back with her. Faye sighed. What a loss, to not get any memoirs of destroying a creature that made her feel uneasy. Although, if it were big enough or strong enough, she might cut her trip short just to have a keepsake. Yes, that was a good plan. See if there actually was anything to worry about in these woods to begin with and decide from there. She smiled and began walking forward confidently. Her wings were tucked in tightly against her back, keeping the fragile membranes from as much damage from branches or surprise attacks as possible, her mane feathers ruffling slightly in the breeze. The sound of the leaves rustling in the trees, a sound she tuned out automatically on a normal day, was distracting on a day she was alert and watchful. So distracting, in fact, that she failed to notice not one but two pairs of eyes watching her progress. She'd walked far enough that she paused and shook herself, ready to dismiss the apparently false sense of danger she was carrying, when she heard the very quiet sound of near-silent footsteps approaching. Faye swallowed and turned to face whoever was approaching.
(455 words)