Citizen 865 Anthracite

Spotted brown and tan shoulders pushed their way through the brush; stepping lightly to accommodate for her large size, Anthracite was attentively sniffing the air. Her fanged mouth hung slightly ajar as she pulled the scents of the forest into her lungs. She paused for a moment, lowering her head to the ground to check for any tracks. She had been traversing this area for 3 days now, tracking down the larger-than-usual stag that had been rumored to be roaming around. It was her plan to take down the beast and gift it to the ancients; the task that would signify her Coming of Age Ceremony.

The first day of the hunt had gone extremely well. As if destined by the elders, Anthracite found herself face to face with the stag after only a few hours of exploring the forest. She had gotten too brash, however, and during the approach her haste sent her steps echoing like alarms in her prey’s ears. Her fangs had caught the beast by the hock, but a swift kick to her nose had released her grasp in the moment of recoil.

Since then the stag had been elusive, escaping Anna’s every movement. For the following days, even though the beast was wounded, she repeatedly failed to locate it again. Her closest attempts at following the metallic smell of blood seemed to lead her in maddening circles, frustration growing as yet another day’s hunt left her empty-pawed.

Scratching away some leaves to glance at the dirt beneath, she huffed, tossing her head as she stomped in frustration, momentarily letting her emotions interfere with the hunt. Her head snapped around as a few birds scattered from the bush behind her and she became all too aware of her blunder. If the stag was nearby, she certainly would have startled it away for now. She silently cursed herself before swinging around and returning the way she came. Making mental notes of the territory around her in order to keep the thought of another unsuccessful day of hunting away, her long steps took her back to camp quickly.

“I could hear you lumbering your way back. No luck then, hm?” The almost sing-song voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Sitting on a small stool was Lyricist, her best friend since childhood. Upon learning that Anthracite was planning this hunt, he insisted on coming along to help. As much as she had been appreciative of his company on the journey and the food he had prepared for them, an angered rush of embarrassment sent her hackles up. She shot the lacuna rex a glare, frustrated tears welling at the corners of her eyes and muzzle curling instinctively. Swiftly his posture changed, dropping the joking smile and raising his paws in acknowledgement.

“Not time for jokes -got it. Okay.” he quickly fixed himself, turning back to the small campfire he rested in front of. A small pot hung over the flames; he reached for a ladle hanging out of it and stirred idly, silently calculating how to proceed.

As he fidgeted Anthracite paced around to the other side of the fire, pulling out a soft pelt from the stack of supplies next to Lyricist and setting it down to lay on. She flopped down onto her belly, laying her head on her paws and staring silently into the fire.

After a few moments Lyricist spoke up once more - “It didn’t go well, then?” He offered softly. Anna turned to look at him and blinked blearily.

“Mnn” She shook her head. It hadn’t gone bad but she didn’t feel like she made much progress either.

“Just not how you wanted?” He continued, ceasing his stirring and pouring some of the stew into a bowl.

“Mmhmm.” She nodded, the sound rumbling from her chest.

Lyricist stood up and brought the bowl to his friend; Anthracite sitting up in response. She took the bowl from him and smiled warmly. They were a good pair - Anthracite was a rex of few words, but Lyricist was one of many, and he seemed to always understand what she was thinking. He placed a paw on her arm and smiled back.

“Tomorrow will go better.” He promised, giving her arm a gentle squeeze and returning to his own dinner.

The two of them ate their meals in comfortable silence as the sky settled into dusk. They completed their evening routines at their own paces; Lyricist’s being much faster than Anna’s. The moment he curled up in the pile of soft pelts he had brought he was snoring away quietly. Anthracite did one last patrol around their camp before following suit in getting comfortable. However, she couldn’t follow Lyricist to sleep quite as easily.

Rest came in inconsistent bursts for Anthracite that night, finding her thoughts unable to settle. What little sleep she managed to get was riddled with dreams of the stag; it ran circles around her, always being in the corner of her eye, just out of reach. Lyricist had no such issue, and the osseus rex looked over at her friend with a gentle sort of envy. The tip of her tail bounced rhythmically in an attempt at self-regulation, her body just as restless as her mind. As the first signs of dawn started to wash over the forest, she found the rising sun to be warm on her back. Before she even had a chance to realize it she drifted off to a more peaceful sleep; her breathing slowing as the forest woke up around her.

She awoke when the sun was at its peak in the sky, the spot she was laying in now too warm to be comfortable. Red-orange eyes blinked open as she rose with a stretch, looking around for Lyricist. To her surprise, he was nowhere to be found. A rumble grew in her chest before she called out timidly; waiting a moment for a reply that didn’t come. Anthracite huffed and lowered her head to smell the area, starting from where the petit rex was sleeping last night. She knew he wouldn’t have wandered far and was able to pick up his scent trail with ease. For a moment she forgot all about the stag, setting off into the woods to find her companion.

The trail Lyricist left was easy to traverse, Anthracite silently laughing to herself, knowing that he wasn’t one for the grand outdoors. She appreciated that he left the comfort of his studio to accompany her; a sudden pang of worry shooting through her mind at the thought of him getting hurt while he was out of his depth for her. Her head carried low to the ground to keep following his scent, the smell of something else suddenly washed over her tongue - blood.

She pulled the scent deeper into her lungs and recognized that it wasn’t Lyricist’s, but the stags. As if her worry had come to reality she realized that they were headed in the same direction, the territorial stag likely pursuing the lacuna rex. Anthracite picked up her pace, breaking into a trot as she followed, hoping to intercept the beast before it found her friend.

What felt like only a heartbeat later, she found herself in a wide clearing - one she had passed through multiple times over the last few days. Lyricist was hovering around a bush, gathering some berries off of it, and blissfully unaware of the large stag pawing the ground only a handful of lengths away. She was about to call his name when the stag let out a loud bellow, lowering its head and charging with lightning speed towards a frozen Lyricist.

Anthracite jolted into action just as fast; her long stride making quick work of the distance, but the stag was faster. She felt the burn of adrenaline as she pushed her legs even harder; her path perpendicular to the stag’s charge towards her friend. Lyricist scrambled backwards in their panic, his hind end getting tangled within the brush behind him. A loud roar escaped her snarled muzzle as Anthracite leapt at the animal.

Catching onto the beast’s antler and knocking it sideways onto the ground, both Anthracite and the stag tumbled. The creature shook its head in panic, desperately trying to find its way to its feet again, it's injured hock slowing it down. In the fray the beast slammed its horns into Anna’s chest as she let out a cry in pain. No time to wallow in her injury or catch her breath, she pushed away the sting and scrambled to her feet as quickly as her body would allow. The stag had been one step ahead of the large rex since that first day; this time however, Anthracite was just that necessary bit faster, allowing her the upper hand.

In a moment of pure instinct, Anthracite attacked with ferocity. She lunged at the animal’s throat, her large fangs making purchasing and putting the beast down swiftly. She growled slightly as she laid the stag’s head down gently. Anthracite closed her eyes and let out a silent prayer to the ancients, blessing this beast and what it would provide. When she opened them again, Lyricist was unraveling himself from the branches. She let out a deep rumble in his direction, and he turned to her with beaming pride.

“I told you today would be better!” They sang, giving his pelt a shake as he trotted towards her.

Anna huffed with relieved laughter “You almost died.”

“Not the point!” He joked back before continuing “ Wow, that thing is almost as big as you. Do you think it will take us long to get it back?” The smaller rex was unable to hide the relief in his voice at the idea of heading home. Anthracite laughed again before letting out a deep cough, the pain in her chest becoming apparent to her as the adrenaline faded.

“Oh elders, and we should get you taken care of, too.” He said with worry, furrowing his brow. “You’ll be okay to get back, right?”

Anthracite nodded, straightening her posture and carrying her head high. She heaved the beast onto her shoulders with the help of her friend, aiming to pack up their small camp before making their way home. The journey would be slow, Lyricist insisting that they take their time to not aggravate Anna’s injury. After being successful in her hunt she returned with a new found confidence in herself - knowing that when it came down to it, her instincts wouldn’t fail her.

Author: BrokenRhymes