The minutes stretched into the fading hours of twilight and the shadows thickened through the vineyard. Meanwhile the distant rumbles if thunder echoed lightly in the distance as the smell of cold rain filled the air. Golden shafts of sun lanced the rising tempest clouds and spot lit the land in glorious hues if gold not unlike Jin'a's own dazzling optics, which even now darted around for signs of the possible coeurl and its fangs. Coeurls could drag one of the many labor chocobos screaming into the night and that was a loss of profit to Jin'a's employer.
A gust of wind shook the rows of vines but the male froze. His nostrils were open in the way the members if the Morbovine Clan had taught him and he had caught a hint if matted fur and dried blood. The musk was definatly there mixed with scent of earth and grapes. Jin'a lowered his right hand to his holstered firearm and pulled it free, his thumb cocking the hammer slowly as his ears twitched, searching for sounds. Jin'a gave a Sharpe whistle and continued to wait.Â
Nothing.
The male miqo'te slowly inched forward, the thunder growing louder as the vines shook around him. Anther whiff and the scent was there again, stronger. He scowled and lifted his weapon forward.Â
He then heard the snapping and cracking to his right and his golden eyes went wide as they darted to the side.
"Clever coeurl!" Jin'a muttered as he dove forward as the four legged predator exploded from beside him, hooked claws swinging at him. Jin'a slammed onto the ground and rolled, his pistol falling from his hand. The male leapt to his feet and glared, flexing his left, gloved hand.Â
The coeurl and miqo'te stared at one another, eyes locked, fangs flashing. Jin'a saw the coiled sinews of the coeurl flexing and he sucked on his lower lip.
The coeurl lowered its head, silivia dripping from his maw. The male miqo'te reached slowly for a knife at his belt. The coeurl charge, its maw emitting a horrible shriek.
Jin'a a leapt backwards but the coeurl was faster. The animal was almost upon him.
Suddenly there was a blur of yellow and a frantic sqwuaking as something bowled out of the foliage and slammed hooked talons across the coeurls face. The snarling predator tumbled through a line if vines and onto the ground.Â
Jin'a didn't wait. He sprinted through the hole the coeurls violent passing had made. He opened his left hand and drew it back as he neared the coeurl which was struggling to its feet, its eyes trying to make sense if what had happened. The male miqo'te swung the left hand forward. It struck the coeurl's head with an alarming smack and then a small eruotion as the firearm in the metal hand discharged its shot directly into the creature's brain.Â
The coeurl went limp as blood oozed from the head wound.
Jin'a rose to his feet, the wind tugging at his red coat as he looked down at the dead creature at his feet, its coukd muscles still taught, even in death.
"Gonna be me some day." Jin'a said calmly as he swallowed. Â How many times should he have ended up like this coeurl? More than he could or dared to count. He was getting older, his luck couldn't hold forever. Sooner or later ever coeurl meets its end. One way or the other. And Jin'a very much wanted it to be an end met a long time from now.
The morbid thoughts were interrupted as Jin'a's helped stuck his beak beside the male and sqwuaked loudly. Jin'a jumped and then laughed as he reached up and patted his chocobo on the neck.
"Always have to make an entrance, don't you Drumstick?" the chocobo cooed happily and the miqo'te turned to retrieve his firearm from the ground. He holstered the weapon as he looked up at the thunderheads which now hung ominiously in the twilight sky.Â
The miqo'te pressed his lips together as he removed the gloved from his left hand and pocketed it before covering the metal hand with a new glove, one free of a bullet holes from the gun in his arm. He then approached his chocobo and mounted.
"Come on, Drumstick, we'll come back for the coeurl's body after the storm."
The chocobo sqwuaked again and then the two began a stready trot back towards the distant buildings and their flickering, yellow lights.
A gust of wind shook the rows of vines but the male froze. His nostrils were open in the way the members if the Morbovine Clan had taught him and he had caught a hint if matted fur and dried blood. The musk was definatly there mixed with scent of earth and grapes. Jin'a lowered his right hand to his holstered firearm and pulled it free, his thumb cocking the hammer slowly as his ears twitched, searching for sounds. Jin'a gave a Sharpe whistle and continued to wait.Â
Nothing.
The male miqo'te slowly inched forward, the thunder growing louder as the vines shook around him. Anther whiff and the scent was there again, stronger. He scowled and lifted his weapon forward.Â
He then heard the snapping and cracking to his right and his golden eyes went wide as they darted to the side.
"Clever coeurl!" Jin'a muttered as he dove forward as the four legged predator exploded from beside him, hooked claws swinging at him. Jin'a slammed onto the ground and rolled, his pistol falling from his hand. The male leapt to his feet and glared, flexing his left, gloved hand.Â
The coeurl and miqo'te stared at one another, eyes locked, fangs flashing. Jin'a saw the coiled sinews of the coeurl flexing and he sucked on his lower lip.
The coeurl lowered its head, silivia dripping from his maw. The male miqo'te reached slowly for a knife at his belt. The coeurl charge, its maw emitting a horrible shriek.
Jin'a a leapt backwards but the coeurl was faster. The animal was almost upon him.
Suddenly there was a blur of yellow and a frantic sqwuaking as something bowled out of the foliage and slammed hooked talons across the coeurls face. The snarling predator tumbled through a line if vines and onto the ground.Â
Jin'a didn't wait. He sprinted through the hole the coeurls violent passing had made. He opened his left hand and drew it back as he neared the coeurl which was struggling to its feet, its eyes trying to make sense if what had happened. The male miqo'te swung the left hand forward. It struck the coeurl's head with an alarming smack and then a small eruotion as the firearm in the metal hand discharged its shot directly into the creature's brain.Â
The coeurl went limp as blood oozed from the head wound.
Jin'a rose to his feet, the wind tugging at his red coat as he looked down at the dead creature at his feet, its coukd muscles still taught, even in death.
"Gonna be me some day." Jin'a said calmly as he swallowed. Â How many times should he have ended up like this coeurl? More than he could or dared to count. He was getting older, his luck couldn't hold forever. Sooner or later ever coeurl meets its end. One way or the other. And Jin'a very much wanted it to be an end met a long time from now.
The morbid thoughts were interrupted as Jin'a's helped stuck his beak beside the male and sqwuaked loudly. Jin'a jumped and then laughed as he reached up and patted his chocobo on the neck.
"Always have to make an entrance, don't you Drumstick?" the chocobo cooed happily and the miqo'te turned to retrieve his firearm from the ground. He holstered the weapon as he looked up at the thunderheads which now hung ominiously in the twilight sky.Â
The miqo'te pressed his lips together as he removed the gloved from his left hand and pocketed it before covering the metal hand with a new glove, one free of a bullet holes from the gun in his arm. He then approached his chocobo and mounted.
"Come on, Drumstick, we'll come back for the coeurl's body after the storm."
The chocobo sqwuaked again and then the two began a stready trot back towards the distant buildings and their flickering, yellow lights.
