Chapter 3 Fight Among Alpha Predators

The night sky was stygian tranquillity, married to millions of bright stars. The glowing warm light of the lucid yellow moon shone through a lattice of leaves, illuminating the once jet-black Woods. The chirping sound of crickets filled the void and blackness of the night. Cold wind slipped through leaves creating a 'WHOOSH', 'WHOOSH' sound.

Against the hazy night, dark branches of the trees writhed like tendrils of a grotesque, obscure monster. The rustling of the leaves, snapping of twigs and the flight of a startled animal shrouded in the bush instigated an eerie, creepy atmosphere.

Except for the occasional disturbance the forest was seemingly quiet.

Probably the deep breath before the plunge.[1]

In the pitch-black night, two green eyes glowed behind the trees. The rustling of leaves heightened as the animal revealed itself. With its long body, short legs and fur-covered with rosette patterns, it leapt on its prey.

A dark aura of bloodlust emitted from the wild Leopard.

The prey, a Wildcat resting on a giant greyish rock was startled. The wildcat's drooped ears perked up and it jumped a few yards back with a balletic grace[2], dodging the leopard's attack.

The prey growled and hissed at its attacker, it began to stalk the leopard with icy malice

Within a lightning flash, the alpha predators pounced at each other, like an irrepressible and remorseless hunter.

The leopard, with its claws like thorns, scratched the wildcat's white, snowy chest. With an attempt to tear its opponent, the vicious leopard gripped the wildcat with its front legs and kicked it straight to the ground.

The bruised wildcat mewled and groaned in pain laying in the dirt. A deep gash became visible down the back of the wildcat's leg that appeared only superficial.

The once sleeping forest was now filled with a barrage of sounds.

Striking while the iron is hot[3], the leopard circled its prey and with the help of its prehensile-like tail[4] turned sharply to charge at the wildcat. With intentions purely murderous, the nocturnal hunter once again gripped the wildcat with its front legs and began to rip apart with its back legs.

Suddenly the leopard stopped its action as it felt something blocking its legs. It looked down at its prey only to realise that the wildcat which was supposed to be half-dead was glaring with red eyes.

The wildcat swiftly moved despite the injury and kicked the leopard. The leopard, before it could understand anything, flew back a few yards and hit the tree behind.

The leopard groaned and its vision became blurry.

Faraway at the spot where the injured wildcat was supposed to be was empty. No trace of the animal on that spot.

The leopard seemed to regain its vision and tried to move but staggered and fell. The once vicious hunter was now reduced to a wounded prey.

At the same time, a dark figure emerged from the shadows of darkness and hovered above the panting leopard. An ominous feeling of dread rose in the heart of the leopard and to its horror, the smouldering, red eyes of the wildcat stared right at it.

The leopard stepped backwards, trying to get away from the wildcat.

Did I prey on the wrong person? It's not simply one of those wildcats, right? It's...It's a DEMON! A Devil in Disguise! thought the terrified leopard.

They say that don't be too quick to judge your opponent otherwise you'll be the one to pay. This term seemed to perfectly fit the foolish leopard.

Amidst the silence of the dazzling night, the wildcat's shiny fur burned brilliantly under the moonlight. The fleecy apex predator opened its vampirish, wicked teeth and fiercely clasped on its prey in a death grip.

The wildcat wanted to end the leopard in one go.

The painful howls and growls of the leopard and the sound of flesh tearing echoed throughout the forest for a long time. The small animals watching the predators fight retreated into the depth of the forest.

The cacophony of deafening cries echoed before the forest became deadly silent. Other than the drip trail[5] staining the forest pathway there was no evidence of the gruesome act.

••••••••••••••

The sky was gravel-grey and large clouds were moving above the city. Pedestrians on the road picked up their paces and hurried in different directions for shelter as heavy rain began to veil the sub-provincial city Chengdu[6]

Most of the people were dreading the sudden downpour and murmured curses under their breath, while others strode weaving their way in and out to avoid getting their feet wet.

As the rain cascaded down heavily their voices died down with it.

Inside a dark alley, a small figure of a limping cat appeared. Its previous white fur was dirty with red spots on it, soiled mud covered most of its body but some were washed away by the rain. It staggered and stumbled along the way then stopped near a trash can.

The cat's vision became hazy and slowly it collapsed on the muddy, watery ground. The cold rain continued to pour intensely, drenching the rooftops, people on the streets and the lonely cat.

Glossary:

[1]the deep breath before the plunge- simply calm before the storm

[2]balletic grace- having graceful movement of ballet

[3]Striking while the iron is hot- taking advantage of an opportunity

[4]prehensile-like tail- a tail of an animal that can manipulate objects and also balance its body while taking turns or chasing its prey

[5]drip trail - a bloodstain pattern that forms due to the movement of the source of bloodstain from one point to another

[6]Chengdu- Chengdu is the capital of southwestern China's Sichuan province

Fact about the animals: Leopards are a type of wildcats however, I have separated both the species as different so in this story Wildcats and Leopards are different feline species. Leopards do hunt by gripping their prey with front legs and ripping with back legs