Predation part 3

Predation part 3

http://toranistheauthor.tumblr.com/

Warning:  This story contains animals eating fluffies.  Viewer discretion is advised.


Be a cat.
A happy cat at that!
You've just had a small yet tasty meal.
And it was something new!
You'd never seen anything like it.
Small, a really bright color and covered in SO much hair, it looked like a stupid dogs chew toy.
It wasn't though, it was alive.
The smell was absolutely crazy, you still can't make heads or tails of the whole thing.
It was like smelling a cat, dog, gerbil, hamster, and other things you'd never smelled before, all at once!
No sense, it just made no sense.
But the flavor made up for it.
There wasn't much meat under all that pink fuzz but the muscle and guts were absolutely delicious.
Really, PINK fuzz!
So bright it practically glowed in the moonlight.
And they made so much noise you're surprised the other neighborhood cats haven't already showed up.
Figuring out how to get through the wall of hair took a little brain work but you're a cat, the smartest, fastest, best animal ever!
Besides being confusing, the little hairball had no way to defend itself, and barely even tried.
That was disappointing, you like playing with your food before the kill.
Delicious, but just a morsel.
You're ready for more.

Finding your way back to the dead bush those bright creatures were sleeping under took mere moments.
Nothing moves faster, quieter and stealthier than you on the hunt.
If you could call this a hunt.
And yes, there they are, sleeping in one big pile of hair.
Eight?
Maybe ten, something like that.
Totally oblivious to the little one you already gutted and devoured.
It was so light, so easy... it's time for a challenge, time for one of the big ones.
But that's a trick you've learned, they aren't so big at all.
It's all that hair fluffing out in every direction, it makes them look much bigger than they actually are.
If the adults are like the baby, they're mostly fuzz and eyeballs.
Well that's okay, even the eyes had a nice taste to them.

You creep around the perimeter tall, yellow grass.
Watching the fluff on a big one slowly expand and contract, seeing the haze of it's breath rise in the cold night air.
This might not be as easy as you'd hoped.
They all sleep packed tightly together, if it weren't for the strange colors it'd be hard to tell where one stopped and another began.
Not a soul awake and keeping guard, at least that's something.
These... whatever they are don't seem very strong or smart.
Creeping closer, one laying on it's side gives you a clear view of its legs, they don't even have paws!
You thought maybe the little one hadn't finished growing but this?
How do they defend themselves at all without claws?
Sharp teeth?
The baby you already dealt with barely had teeth to speak of.
So tasty, so helpless... but also so tightly packed together.
How to get one away?
The baby leaving on it's own was a stroke of luck but these ones aren't waking up any time soon.

Maybe... maybe if you just pull on one lightly, slowly drag it away... well it's better than waiting 'till morning, right?
You pace around the pile and eventually locate something you determine is a tail.
You bite slowly, gingerly and begin to inch this orange and blue thing from the rest.
Success! it's dislodged from the others, a full sized adult you think and it still isn't all that heavy, you definitely outweigh the ball of fuzz by a bit.
What you learned about their fluff from the foal holds true for adults as well, its all just a lie to make themselves look bigger.
What a cheap trick.
As a kitten you may have fallen for it, but now you're the master of your domain, the apex predator.
And these brightly colored creatures are nothing more than weak, yummy prey.

It's slow going but you're already a third of the way to the long grass and safety when your target makes a loud snorting sound and shakes.
God GOD that stinks!
"Muh?  Neh?  Ma...poop- fwuf- cowd... numm- pway?"
Stupid damn thing.
"Buh?  Whea?  Fwuffy?  Whea fwuffy?  wa' hap'n?  Why taiw hwut?"
It looks at you, you look at it.
Those enormous eyes widen in abject terror before it bleats out:
"NUUUUUU MUNSTA GOT FWUFFY!!!  HEWD HEWP!  MUNSTA! NUUUU! NU WAN DAI! IS NU NUMMIES!!!"
SO LOUD!
Now the rest are thrashing about, groggily trying to get to their hooves and yelling all sorts of things that sound eerily like your humans.
"Munsta?  Whea?  Wan huggies!  Mummeh, fiwwy scawed!  Wun!!!  Nu wan munsta, hidies!"
"HEWP FWUFFY HEWP FWUFFY GUD FWUFFY AM NU NUMMIES! NU DAI, NU DAI!!!"
You're pulling as hard as you can now but several of them have spotted you, plus your victim's horrible smell is making it tough to concentrate on matters at hand.
"Hewd fowwow smawty!  Stawwion an' nu mummah stay togetha', gif munsta owwies!"
Damn!  They're all facing your way, the pink one with the horn (horn?) is charging and bringing some friends with him!
"Ya gif owwies to munsta!  Nu huwt fwiend!  Bad munsta get sowwy poopies!"
You're almost there, but they're right on top of you... dammit!
Abort the mission!

With great reluctance you release the tail and bolt off into tall grass, not far but you're up a tree in a flash and continue watching your prey.
"Hewp fwuffy! Hewp fwuffy!"
"Yay!  Hewd scawe munsta, munsta wun 'way!  Hewp fwiend, gif huggies!"
So close, you're stewing away in the tree as the every colored lumps dance and hug.
"Gif huggies, nu moar scardies!  Munsta gone, babbeh saf.  Wuv mummeh! Tank yu smawtie fwiend"
"Hewd is best hewd, smawtie is best smawtie!"
It's like they're mocking you somehow, shaking their yummy bodies around like that, latching onto each other and making themselves prime targets...  this isn't over by a long shot.

A VERY frustrating half hour later the things are finally settling back in to sleep, good, good.
Wait... one is staying up, it keeps walking around the pile of hairballs and mumbling something:
"Fuwffy am gud fwuffy, gud fuwffy, why haf wook fo' munstas when sweepie time? Nu faiw."
It just keep walking around and around, go to sleep already!

It's not going to sleep, the yummy things actually posted a guard.
Dammit.
DAMMIT!
They taste SO good and they're SO close... But may as well be flying through the air for all the good it does you.
Looks like you aren't getting any more of that sweet, sweet... whatever the hell they are.
You're the best at what you do, but wound up denied just the same.

This can't stand.
It won't!
They won't get the best of you, you're the best around!
Nothing's ever gonna keep you down!
If there's no more meat tonight, you'll get your pound of flesh figuratively.

Down the tree in seconds, you're back up to the edge of the long, yellow grass surrounding their makeshift home.
A little longer, let it get closer...
Just a few swipes and away, a little something to remember you by...
That's right you stupid fluffy thing, come say hello...
Now.

You leap from the grass directly at your target, it barely has time to let out a high pitched yelp before your claws rake across its face.
It makes a new kind of sound, even higher pitched and even painful, but so satisfying.
"WAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!! MUNSTA HUWT FWUFFY! Face owwies, eye haf big owwies! Nu see, nu wan dawk!
The rest are just as lethargic to rouse as they were last time, pathetic.
Your left paw comes up and slashes deeply across the fluffies jaw and nose, you feel skin giving way and wetness against your paws, a good kind of wetness.
"OWWWWIeehhhh, monhuaaaaa, uhhhieeehhh!"
Well that changed its tune, but to more important business.
"Munsta?  Wha' hap'n?  Yu get off fwuffy!  Owwie, nu stan' on fwuffy, nu huwt!  Sowwy, gif huggies."
The pink one is trying to dislodge itself from the pile, this is too perfect an opportunity!
You pounce again, both paws dragging deeply down over its exposed face.
Blood flies freely as it screeches and tries pushing back into the herd, their faces are much easier to slash than those fluff covered backs or necks you guess.
"Mummeh!  Babbeh!  Smawtie huwt, fwuffy scawed!"
Another swing catches the pink one against its horn and forehead, opening a big gash.
"HEWP SMAWTIE!  BIG OWWIES!  Pwease nu moar munsta!"
They're panicking, running in every direction.
Little ones fall from their mothers backs and cry, others drop to the ground and put their tiny hooves over their eyes, all the while screams from the blind sentry and smartie friend terrify them further.

Well that went WAY better than expected!
The herd scattered but there are still some choice targets left behind.
For the first time you gaze upon a HUGE one, so big it's stubby legs thrash around uselessly in the air.
"Nu huwt mummeh, PWEASE!  Haf babbeh weal soon!  *sob* Mummeh gif huggies, gif wuv if nu huwt!  Wingies, take mummeh fwom munsta pwease!"
You don't understand this chatter just like you don't understand your humans, it means nothing.
Somehow the fluffy creature kicks up dust despite laying on its back.
Weird, but you've come to expect that with these delicious things.
It must have so much meat, and can't even run away... save it for last.

Turning away you spot another little one laying on its belly and crying, hooves hiding its face.
"Mummeh!  Whea mummeh?  Pwease fin' fiwwy, fiwwy scawed!  Huggies?  Pwease huggies?
What is it doing?  You pad up quickly and observe it's scrawny little legs covering it's eyes.
Not running, not fighting, just... laying there?
This keeps getting stranger, chew toys offer more of a challenge!
But a meal's a meal.
You know how to deal with the little ones.
It's just a matter of pushing through that hair on the back on the neck and... there we go.
"Guhhh, mu- hu- gehhhh nuhhh-....."
It's dead in seconds, you bit right through its tiny spine.

A big one is close by, mimicking the actions of it's little counterpart.
"Hidies, munsta nu fin' if stay hidies."
Oh and look at that, its the orange/blue one that got away before.
If you could smile, it'd put the cheshire cat to shame.
Time to erase an error from your spotless record, time to make a big kill.
You drop the foal and dart over to it, forcing your mouth through the fluff, searching for a good space to bite.
It whines and cries but STILL doesn't run!
How stupid are these things?
"Nuuuu, fuwffy hidie, dat nu munsta... fwuffy hidie..."
Your head is almost surrounded by fluff before finding what you were looking for and bite down hard
"OWWIIEEEEEE!  Hidie nu work!  Pwease nu huwt! Pwease wuv! Gif wuv if nu moar huwt!"
Not quite right, you re adjust and clamp down even harder.
"Pw-gegghhhhhh, guuuugggggeeehhh-hhh-h..."
Bleah, its making that horrid odor again, is that supposed to be it's poop or did it crap out a week old corpse?
You're only gonna eat the top half of this one.
Still, that's one blemish removed from the record forever.
But there's still more flopped down in the dirt, whispering and hiding their faces.
When it's all over, you're bringing your friends here for a feast.
But no rest for the wicked, there's still much to do.

A mini white one catches your eye, not even trying to hide anymore, just laying there and shaking violently.
It was watching what you did, mouth agape.
"Nnn-nuuuu-nn-nn"
Finally a quiet one.
What's that on it's back?
Little skin flaps?
They kinda look like wings from a bird.
Padding over to your next victim serenaded by the crying of those hairballs blinded earlier, it lets out that same awful smell they all seem to.
What?
Those ARE wings!
What a bizarre little freak show you've discovered!
It even starts flapping them when the creature looks up at you, is it trying to fly away?
You're poised to strike, but the wings flap madly without even moving the fluff ball an inch.
"Hu-hu-hugg-hugg-"
The pointless sound is cut off by sharply batting it in the head, sending the tiny morsel spinning over and over.
You're on top before it even stops, aiming quickly and raking your claws where you think it's belly is.
A screech of agony is your reward, along with all the guts and expected blood spilling forth.
"TUMMY OWWIE!  MUMMEH, wowstest owwies!  Why mummeh nu hewp?  MUMMEH!!!
Seems their thick fluff isn't decent protection from these claws after all, you're learning more and more about your new favorite snack.

But really, wings?
Far too small and weak to be of any use.
They guys'll never believe it.
This time you dig in, relishing the taste of warm entrails and blood.
It's so sweet, this beats rats or birds any day.
But a very high pitched screech draws your attention from the meal.
Ah yes, the big fat one.
From her position upside down on her back she could still see what you did to the white one.
"NUUUUU! Babbeh is nu nummies, nu eat!  Pwease nu huwt babbeh, nu huwt mummeh, nu huwt pwease! PWEASE!  Nu wan owwies, bad fo' babbehs.  Pwease nu huwt, pwease nu, pwease be gud munsta... nice munsta?  Pwease?"
It can't make up its mind between screaming and mumbling it seems.
But the rest coming back could potentially spoil your meal, so time to deal with fatso.

You stand, upper half of the red stained kill still twitching and gurgling as it dangles from your mouth.
Let's see what's what.
Two yummy things blind and crying, pawing lightly at their eye sockets, several little ones laying on the ground covering their faces, two big ones laying on the ground covering their faces, one massive one that can't walk and a symphony of delightful smells in the air.

Oh it's gonna be a great night after all!

Wait... *sniff*... someone else!
The morsel drops with a squish and a final beat of its wings, temporarily forgotten.
Your head snaps around, searching for the what's intruding in YOUR hunting ground.
Did another big one come back?
No! Another cat!
Two, three...
Your friends!
They heard all the commotion and came to check it out.
You sit tall and proud, letting your work speak for itself.
Each friend in turn approaches and rubs against you, asking for a share of the kill.
But of course, there's more than enough to go around.
You're a civilized hunter after all.
They're transfixed by that big fat one who's gone into hysterics.
"Nuuuu hu hu hu hu, nu wan' moar munstas. Pwease nu, haf babbehs soon, mummeh haf babbehs, nu huwties, pwease wingies, pwease fwiends come bak..."
They're confused by what they see and smell and hear.
It won't matter once they taste.
"Mummeh gud fwuffy, munsta nu huwt gud fwuffy, wuv babbehs, pwease nu moar munstas, pwease nice munstas..."

You teach them all about these fuzzy balls with the ones who just lay there and cry.
They think they're hiding, but you don't know that.
Your friends pick up on the techniques you've pioneered quickly, naturally.
They are cats.
Apex predators.
The best of the best.
And once they've had a kill or two each, all turn their attention to the main course.
"Mu-munsta pway?  Pway wif mum-mummmeh?  Nu huwties? *sniff*  Y-yay, munsta nu hwuties! Wu-wuv munsta *sob*.  Gif huggies fo' mu-munsta... hu hu hu, munsta fw-fwiends, pway an' huggies an'...an' nu huwt babbehs.  Nu huwt mummeh hu hu hu, *sniff*, is okies, ba-babbehs... hu hu... babbehs pway wif munstas, wuv munsta fwiends *sob* wuv munsta fwiends, wuv...hu...hu hu hu hu..."

More of that weird, humanish babble.
No matter, we'll take our time with this one, savoring every moment.
The night is still young, and the best have prevailed.