Reaping 1

The sulfurous smelling mists of the Blasting Moors hung heavy in the air as Vice stalked through the scraggly underbrush. The black ketucari was feeling hungry so he had dipped into a nearby forest to try his claws at hunting. The vast open plains were often filled with various fauna ripe for the reaping but Vice was feeling a particular hunger for rabbit. He hadn't had much luck finding any burrows on the open plains so he thought that the rabbits might have preferred the sparse coverage of the forest instead. The massive black ketucari slowly and carefully stalked through the brittle bushes, taking care to avoid making noise as much as possible but it was quite difficult to be silent when even the grass was as dry as a sun-dried autumn leaf. His green eyes scanned the shadows under the bushes and around the tree roots, searching for anything that might contain the prey he sought.

As he stalked he finally heard something coming from the bushes up ahead. Vice froze and crouched down, straining to hear the tiny noises of something small shuffling through the underbrush over the gentle rattling of the leaves in the wind. There it was again, a faint scuffling sound followed by a tap, tap tap. He frowned as he stared in the direction of the noise, whatever was up ahead didn't sound like a rabbit. As the black ketucari stayed still as a statue watching for the prey he heard he noticed the leaves of the bushes start to tremble as something pushed its way through. A tiny, magnificently colored bird head peeked through the branches, its feathers were a deep azure with an light green iridescence. The feathers around its eyes and into its wattles were a vibrant blood red and around its neck was a thick white band. The rest of its plump body was a brilliant rusty brown with small black bars and pale tan speckles. Vice smiled as he watched the large pheasant strut out into the open right in front of him.

This wasn't a rabbit but now that he had such a marvelous bird in front of him, he couldn't just pass up the opportunity! Vice stayed concealed as he watched the oblivious bird slowly cross the clearing. The little idiot barely even glanced at it's surroundings as it focused on scanning the ground for any morsel of food it could get its chubby little beak on. Once the bird managed to trot all the way in front of the ketucari, Vice exploded from the underbrush with a powerful lunge. The bird barely had time to squawk and spread its wings before Vice's claws wrapped around it, followed closely by his massive fangs. With well practiced efficiency the experienced hunter dispatched the bird and stood up triumphantly with his prize in his maw. The bird had barely lost a feather in their encounter and Vice felt delighted as he tasted the soft feathers tickling the back of his throat. This wasn't the rabbit he was craving but it would certainly be a pleasant lunch!