Prompt Opportunity 01 - Complete

((I hope this is acceptable. XD))

She didn't know quite how she managed it, but Nerah made it out of the orchard and was now wandering through quite different land. Her steps were still clumsy, but she only tripped occasionally, having more or less gotten the hang of how her body moves by this point. Her tail wagged as she sniffed around, finding many diverse scents that were quite unlike what she had discovered before. It was an exciting time to be alive and about, though she could use some company.

One smell wafted toward her that caught her full attention. She had no idea what it was, but it smelled delicious! Her stomach growled as she realized her hunger. She had to find whatever it was and eat. Soon.

Nerah made it to the woods and was nearly instantly bowled over by masses of orange feathers and taloned feet. With a yelp, she jumped back and stared at the swarm of birds as they rushed about. Her head tilted to the side as she studied them. They were the source of the smell, but they were creatures just like her. Was she really supposed to eat them?

One of the birds rushed at her, flapping its wings aggressively. With a yelp of surprise and fright, she ran to the side, following the edge of the woods. Yeah...she would not be eating those. They were mean! Instead, she would find a way around them.

Except...there were even more of the things this way, it seemed. They were everywhere! But...maybe they weren't all bad. Maybe she had misunderstood the one bird's intent.

Maybe they wanted to play!

Her tail wagged hard enough to be considered a weapon as she barked at the birds, startling a few of them. She lowered her front to the ground and continued barking and wagging her tail. Fine, then. They would play! Worked for her.

A yelp sounded elsewhere, and Nerah was distracted from trying to provoke the birdies into play. She knew that voice! It was her shadowy friend that shared her shape...sort of. Nerah bounded toward Silva, dodging the birds with some success and falling mroe than a few times over the tree roots and rocks and sheer amount of bird in her path.

At last, she saw the other canine, and noted that she was surrounded by the birds. Nerah let out a few barks, and one or two of the birds rushed out of her path. A couple clumsy leaps brought her close to the other canine and within the circle of birds.

"Hiya!" Nerah wagged her tail and licked the other canine's muzzle in greeting. "You all right? Do you know what these creatures are? My body thinks they're food, but they can't be food. They're moving and they have claws and...and...they look kinda funny. I've never seen them before. Have you?" She gazed around at the birds. What was all this, exactly? How come they were out here? Why were there so many? She'd never seen so many creatures before, especially in one place.

The black canine greeted her in return and said she didn't know what the birds were. She also said they were kind of mean, and Nerah whined. That one that had chased her had looked aggressive...she hoped it was just wanting to play, but if the shadowlike canine was intimidated by them as well...

Then her friend yelped as a blur of orange pecked her side. Nerah jumped, startled, and growled at the birds. In response, one of them flew/jumped over her, its talons grazing her back. She yelped and darted forward, narrowly saving her tail from a pack, and then had to jump back and to the right to avoid another bird attack aimed at her face. Her body was still not as graceful as it could be, and she landed on her side.

That had hurt. That had really hurt. This was the first time Nerah experienced real pain. She hated it. It was the first time she experienced hate. She pulled herself to her feet and drew close to the other canine. Maybe they could protect each other from this mess.

The black canine suggested that maybe they were food. They did still smell delicious, but she didn't know how to go about eating them. Besides, wouldn't that hurt them? But...the birds weren't all that fussed about the canines getting hurt. Maybe it wouldn't be so terrible to hurt them back, if it meant getting food and stopping their attacks from doing any serious damage.

"I guess so..." Nerah looked at her friend. "And maybe if we try to eat them they'll leave us alone."

The other canine nodded at her, and that simple action improved Nerah's mood somewhat. This situation was bad...but it was less bad with someone else there to experience it with her. This was the downside to exploring. Sometimes one encountered danger. This was clearly going to be one of those times. They couldn't do anything about the past, but they had a potential way out of it. Even better, they had a way to make it good.

Her companion had a plan, and Nerah nodded, watching as she crept toward one of the birds. At first, things looked promising, but the successful attack lead to the rest of the birds attacking her. Well, Nerah couldn't just stand by and let that happen. She growled at the rids fur standing o end, and dove into the flock, snapping her jaws on whatever she could reach. Her goal was to scare the non-pinned birds off, though it would be a plus if she ended up with even more food than what the shadowy canine had caught.

It seemed to take forever, but - finally - the orange things began to thin out. The birds were running away as it dawned on them that their victims could fight back. Nerah continued to bite and snap at the birds, speeding their escape. Once they were all gone - well, except the captured one - she collapsed on her side, panting. She had never done anything that required so much activity before. It was tiring, and the fear of the situation hadn't helped.

After catching her breath, Nerah struggled to her paws and approached the bird, staring at it as she tried to figure out what to do. They wanted to try to eat it, so...should they eat it? She was really hungry...

Finally making up her mind, Nerah approached the bird and bit down on its neck. She then attempted to close her jaws in the neck and remove a piece of the bird for consumption. How else were they to eat it but...well...eating it?

Nerah wagged her tail at the compliment and chewed the piece of bird neck that was now in her mouth. The sensation of taste was so weird...like smell, only more physical. That was the only way she could explain it to herself. As for the meat, she lacked the words to describe the taste to herself, but she knew she liked it, and it wasn't long before she swallowed and reached down to tear out another mouthful.

"It's really good!" She answered her companion's question as she savored the taste of her second bite. In the pods they had their food ready for them whenever they wanted it. Out here in the world, it seemed they had to fight for it. They had to earn their right to survive out here, and it seemed that Nerah and Silva had done just that. The brown canine wagged her tail, feeling a great sense of accomplishment.

((All right. ^.^ Works for me. So...are we banned from future prompts until others have had a chance to participate?))

Nerah continued to eat until her belly was full and the bones were more or less picked clean. It was the most satisfying meal she had ever had, and it was an experience she was sure she would always remember. Their first adventure outside the birthplace. Their first fight. Their first win. Their first kill. Their first meat...so many firsts all in one event.

"It was!" Nerah responded when Silva said it was fun. "And we can find others to bring with us. Maybe they don't know what they're supposed to do for food yet, so we can help them. It'll be awesome!" When Silva suggested meeting the others, she nodded. "Yes! I'm not done with adventuring yet!" She wagged her tail and followed her companion, eagerly awaiting the exploration.