User blog comment:Ohmpahkan/Cycle of life/@comment-1011548-20110410194910

Not so sure about this one. I think it's still OK, though. Any advice would be great (and I'm still waiting for you to join me in posting ramblings, Ohmpahkan. I'm sure they'll be great!) Anyway: Snow whirled in little eddies through the air, and despite setting slowly, there was already a fine layer on the Giadrome corpse. This was not a problem, however, to the scavengers that approached. Three Blangos stalked forward, each with an aggression born from ravenous hunger. Their four legs gave them good traction in the snow, and their pristine white fur was perfect camouflage. Short, slightly squashed looking compact faces were topped with large, fluffy ears… but it was their faces that were particularly attention-grabbing. The forehead and checks were a pale indigo, but the nose, upper lips and eyebrows were pastel orange, contrasting starkly with the rest of their bodies. Whilst each individual had the necessary fangs and claws to forage for themselves, working as a group gave the opportunity to take down larger prey. Of course, no group was complete without a leader… There was a loud thump on the snow behind them, and each Blango looked round. There stood a Blangonga – tall, imposing, heavily muscled. Sabre fangs jutted from its jaws, and despite walking on all fours, it was large enough to be able to pick up any of its smaller brethren in its giant forearms. The Blangonga took a moment to examine its new surroundings; it, along with its group, were perched on a ledge high up near the peak of a mountain. To the left was a sheer drop, to the right was vertical mountain face – for a short while, until it petered out to another flat ledge, home to the shed skin of a Kushala Daora. Behind and in front were narrow, winding paths leading around the circumference of the mountain, wide enough for only one creature to pass at once. Reassured there was no imminent danger, the Blangonga stepped forwards and picked up the Giadrome carcass in its hands, before beginning to tear off strips of flesh with each bite. While an adult, healthy Blangonga accompanied by its pack was more than capable of bringing down a solitary Giadrome, scavenging from a dead one removed any risk of injury. A deafening roar shook the whole mountainside. The Blangonga flinched, and looked up from its meal, just in time to see a black shadow dropping down onto its little snow-covered plateau. The shade turned to face the group, and bellowed another challenge, the voice harsh and guttural. Snarling, the Blangonga quickly assessed the threat – quadrupedal; a fine layer of black fur; incredibly muscled shoulders and forearms, each ending in a large, grasping hand. The back legs were small by comparison, situated beneath a thin, coarse tail. The front end, however, was cause for concern – a surprisingly small head, topped by horizontally protruding horns, each capable of goring a smaller creature with ease. Tossing its meal behind it, the Blangonga roared a reply to the intruder, then steadied itself for the upcoming fight. However, one brave Blango had already begun bounding across the snow at the Rajang, which turned to face it. Rearing back, the Rajang cocked an arm, then swung, catching the Blango on the head with a sickening crunch. It went flying back through the air, narrowly missing one of its partners, before landing in a broken heap at the edge of the drop-off. The group, wary now, tried a different approach – they spread out, forming a semi-circle around the Rajang, hoping to drive back against the sheer mountain face. The technique wasn’t very effective. Jumping backwards, the black beast turned and gaped at one unfortunate Blango – before firing an immense beam of lightning that struck it directly in the face. Blackened and charred, it slumped to the ground, its brain completely fried. The Rajang was not finished. Seizing the initiative, it leapt forwards and grabbed a squealing Blango between its hands, nearly crushing several of its bones in the process. Then, arching its back, it flung the Blango off the ledge. The Blango cried out shrilly, and its call could still be heard for almost thirty seconds as it plummeted out of sight, before landing in the distance with a nearly inaudible thump. The Blangonga and Rajang stood alone on the mountain at last. Each stood there, waiting for the other to make the first move, before the Blangonga reared back, taking in a deep lungful of icy air. The Rajang bounded forwards, but was caught mid-stride by the release of the Blangonga’s ice breath, hitting it squarely in the face. Blinded, the Rajang roared in agony, and without pausing swung a massive fist at the Blangonga’s head. Thud. It struck out again, this time with its left arm. Thud. The Blangonga was bleeding heavily now, crimson rivers running down its face and from the stump of one broken fang. Thud. The final punch cracked the Blangonga’s skull, driving it to the ground. Still the Rajang was not finished. It leapt into the air, far higher than any beast its size should be able to leap, and fired a huge ball of lightning directly at the Blangonga’s body. The resulting explosion blew the corpse several metres sideways, before it collided with the rocky face of the mountain, and the Rajang performed a mid-air summersault before landing perfectly on all four limbs. Brushing the icy crust from its eyes, it roared a final challenge at the empty mountainside, before leisurely making its way over to the body of the Blangonga and the two Blangos. There was enough meat there to provide a fine feast.