"Well, we're in," Anxius remarked.
"Yeah..." Malacia replied quietly.
The two hyenas had just entered the dim forest. They simply stared around in wonder, having never been in a forest before. They began to make their way deeper into the forest, cautiously watching out for any creatures that may have been watching them. The calm fresh aroma of the forest soothed their minds, allowing them to rest at ease for a while. The gentle wind whistled calmly through the leaves of the tall trees, and birds could be heard singing in the distance. Malacia let out a warm sigh, "It's so beautiful." Anxius simply chuckled and continued forward. Malacia ran ahead, playfully nipping him on the ear as she past him. She nimbly leaped over a fallen log and looked back at Anxius expectantly. Anxius rolled his eyes and ran forward. He leaped over the log in one easy move. He gave Malacia a shove and ran ahead of her. She chased after him and they continued to run through the forest for some distance.
"We should probably start thinking about getting food or water soon. We haven't eaten since before dawn, have we?" Anxius asked Malacia some time after they had calmed down.
She gave him a curt nod, "Yeah, you're right." Anxius returned the nod and turned away from Malacia. He lifted his nose and sniffed at the air. He was hoping to, by luck, catch the scent of anything that may have been lurking nearby.
He lowered his head and glanced at Malacia, "I don't smell anything. Let's keep moving." They continued wandering through the forest, pausing every so often to check for a smell. It was a couple of hours later when Anxius caught something. "Hold on, I'm smelling something," He lowered his head and sniffed at the ground.
Malacia gave a little sniff, "I smell it too. Must be really close by then," She joked.
Anxius wandered around the area, trying to find a track. "I can't tell what it is, but-" He paused and walked in a direction for about ten feet then paused to continue sniffing, "Yes, it's stronger in this direction. Come on, we may be able to catch a meal!" The two of them charged in the direction of the smell, wishing for it to be a good catch. Finally Anxius stopped them again and the two crouched down in a small depression at the top of a small inclination. "The smell seems to be getting stronger. I'd better scout ahead before we make another move." Malacia nodded and watched as Anxius' eyes glowed bright. The regular color and shape of his eyes faded away, leaving behind a perfect glowing mirror of what he was seeing. The reflection's point of view rushed through the trees while hovering a few feet off the ground. The reflection continued flying further until it came upon the source of the scent. Malacia shuffled a few steps forward to get a good look at his eyes to see what he was watching.
A small pond came into view, around which crowded a few animals. "They don't look edible," Anxius said slowly, trying to not break his own concentration.
Malacia gave a whine and pawed at his foot. "But we can eat the rabbit!" She exclaimed. Anxius didn't reply and continued to study the scene. They seemed to be talking or arguing about something; He had trouble telling. He finally pulled away from the Hissatsu, having started to feel the strain on his eyes. He squinted at the trees and rubbed his eyes. "Too far?" Malacia said with a hint of concern in her voice.
"Nothing that won't go away in a short while. Come on, let's find them; We'll figure out what we'll do later." The two of them stood up and began moving in the direction of the pond. They made sure to move quietly, not wanting to alert anything. The two of them crouched down some distance away from the pond. "Don't get any closer," Anxius whispered, "They might smell us..."
"Okay, what's the plan?" Malacia whispered back, her eyes locked on the rabbit.
"There is no plan. We're going to wait and watch. Then we can develop a plan," Anxius replied. Malacia groaned silently and wiggled anxiously, her eyes still refusing to budge from the brown rabbit.
"Calm down. I promise you we'll eat well tonight," Anxius assured her. He turned his attention back to the group around the pond. He knew he was hungry too, but he was a trained hunter; He wasn't going to allow his hunger distract him from the hunt. The rabbit was the clear choice, but he could tell that this wouldn't be easy. The group was tense about something. A suspecting target was a hard target. He could only hope that the group would at least calm down or split up.
