Mira took to the comfort of the dark, dense canopy of the forest, a frequented place by the large lone she-wolf as of late. Now that she had rid the forests of that reckless hunter, who scattered poisoned traps along the forest floor for anyone to stumble into, she set off to find and disarm those vexing traps. It was mere weeks ago that one of those poison traps nearly took her hind leg clean off. Despite shattering he ideology of having a simple life here it left her with a reminder of that dismal night. A band of silvery fur upon her back hind leg now marred her flesh where her wound once was, it was stark against her the expanse of her midnight fur. She was lucky to get away, but not without the help of a total stranger.

It was quiet, almost too quiet in this tranquil forest and yet she is nothing but a ghost, quiet and aimless. She drifts through the thicket within this thick and whispering woodland, with the intent to hunt and disarm any active traps that lay in wait if she should come across them. Yet, all the while forest thrummed with pulsating magic that if you took but a moment you could taste it upon your tongue, feel it as it tingled upon bare flesh with promise and comfort. This place was an outlet for those predatory creatures that craved for the hunt or to simply run wild, much like she was doing now. She could see the well-travelled trails of creatures long gone.

She allows nothing but her silent paws and powerful legs to carry that pitch black form, to outrun thought and emotion, to give into that feral side that so often got suppressed far deeper than it would have liked. Living in the city fought against their very nature to be wild, while the try so desperately to blend in amongst the populace when that animal side wanted nothing more than to roam free. A mere semblance of a normal life, but the way of a shifter's life was far from normal.

This was the wolf's time. It was a moment where she could simply be free, no longer shackled within her other form. Hell, she could live like this forever, kiss her human form goodbye and simply be what she was meant to be. That itch to get out was often overpowering to burst free of that fleshy cage, but when she did she never wanted to return. It was like a continual war being waged within her very body at all times. That twitching edge that crept upon her as of late certainly did not help matters.

The woman was not able to shake that antsy nagging sensation somewhere deep within her gut, that feeling that she was not alone. She wanders further within that labyrinth of trees, making herself scarce and invisible as much as that large wolfish form would allow. Her strong limbs carry her diagonally and diligently, in a path of her own making, melting deeper into that dense foliage and concealing fir trees. A flicker of a white tail flickered in the distance that caught that her hunter's gaze. Her very movements become methodical, one paw in front of the other. So slow, as she hesitates to make damn sure the deer does not sense her ever looming presence. Each stride pulled her closer to the lone young deer. 'All by yourself and nowhere to go', her voice rings smugly through her own head.

Her paws dare not step upon twig or anything that made too much noise, her golden eyes stare intently upon her prey. Her mouth practically salivates, but she does not rush in. She is calculating and the odds seem in favour of her. Her maw parts so slightly as she became coiled and poised, ready to leap forward in her pursuit. That was when she was interrupted by the piercing and shrill cries of panic that tore through the quietude of the forest. She froze, her head snapped to the right to face the commotion while her glowing golden eyes watch as a family of pigs scattered chaotically. The white-tail deer already took off with a loud crack of a fallen tree limb, the sound echoed loudly through the forest as though it carried for an eternity. Her once perfect positioning was entirely ruined.

A grumble escaped her maw, more akin to a wolfish broken muttering of the word 'shit'. She swiftly deployed from that concealed spot to investigate the cause of such a poorly timed distraction that sent her meal hightailing it into the tangled depths of safety.

The wolf hovered closer and closer still until she finds herself almost within that clearing where a jungle cat loomed with her prey. Mira's golden eyes gleamed as she moved with purpose, only the front of her body entering the clearing as she observes that ebon feline, briefly struck by the strange hold of familiarity. Tetradore? She wondered, but those features had seemed more refined to be him. Then again the poison of that night had a twisted way of altering one's perception of reality, often bending to its own impulsive will. Yet the scent was all off, even with the fragrance of death and feline intertwining with the fragrant humid aroma of the forest.

The pensive she-wolf hovered remaining on the outskirts, eyes ablaze with golden fire as she studies the creature and her lifeless prey in careful consideration. After a brief and pregnant pause, her voice reaches out toward the were-panther. "Was it your intention to cause every animal in the forest to scatter?" She baits the cat, despite her disappointment of her prey getting away. At least one of them was successful, but one would have to admit that the timing was just abhorrent.

Mira Ramos