The young, grazing hoofbeast was a bit on the small side, but it would have to do. She had only a few hours until sunrise and in that time much to do - gutting, skinning, beginning the preservation of whatever meat she didn't eat that night. It would only last for another day's worth of meals, maybe two, but she could bring down a larger beast tomorrow.
Her claws dug sharply into the branch she crouched on as the animal grazed just a bit closer. She could probably jump down now, leap forward, slice through the fat of its neck and into an artery, take it down with a single claw. Quick, easy, and a practiced move that would expend little energy. It was a bit boring, really, but her grumbling stomach reminded her that an exciting chase wasn't top priority at the moment.
The muscles in her legs coiled in preparation. She was mid-jump when something struck her in the head and bounced to the hoofbeast's feet. It startled and ran; she fell into a crouch and spun on the balls of her feet, snatching up the offending object as she turned. Her face immediately fell into a scowl.
“So you've resorted to just throwing the arrows now, huh?” Nepeta demanded, watching the hoofbeast's retreat from the corner of her eye.
Her sudden companion made a deep hum in the back of his throat, stepping forward through the brush. For such a large guy, he had the eerie ability to remain hidden and appear out of nowhere when she least needed his disturbances. It figured that the creepy, hulking brute would sneak up on her when she was hungry and distracted, but that was Equius for you.
"That's a few days' meal you just scared off. Thanks!"
“Nepeta, you are well aware that hoofbeasts are forbidden game in the estate.”
She pouted, briefly, before scowling at him. "Like that's ever stopped me before. Besides, a young one like that is bound to get itself killed, anyway. It's pretty far from the herd."
The tall, muscular man who intruded upon her hunt didn't seem to change his expression, but she could imagine a narrowing of the eyes behind his glasses. “Be that as it may, you know better. And the young hoofbeast will find its way back to the herd – they always do.”
“Not always,” Nepeta grinned slyly, “but whatever. Why are you skulking around when I'm trying to hunt, anyway?”
Equius squared his shoulders a bit and let out a low, indignant huff. “Is stopping your illegal murder of estate-protected fauna not reason enough?" he asked, and after a pause, "And I was not skulking.”
“Uh huh," Nepeta said teasingly. “Then how did you find me way out here? The estate communal clanhive is at least a half hour's walk from here. Sounds like you've been stalking me.” Goodness knows he didn't actually have the tracking skills necessary to find her. He must've been following her. If it were anyone else, she probably would have noticed, but Equius was always an anomaly. How someone of his size could move so silently she could never quite figure out. It's like his very existence gave off some sort of void or something.
“Fine. I suppose it does me no favors to avoid the truth. I was looking for you. But I was not stal-”
Nepeta snorted. “Okay, sure. Call it whatever you want. Was there a reason you were not-stalking me?” Equius frowned.
“I had not heard from you in several days and was beginning to grow worried.”
Her ears, fortunately hidden behind the waves and curls of her hair, grew warm. “I wish you wouldn't be like that.” She began walking, passing him and pushing through the heavy brush he'd come from. “You're not my lusus, you know – and certainly not my culler. It's super creepy when you act like it.”
Equius followed quietly behind her. "No."
"Yes!" she argued, and before he had time to disagree again, snapped, "I'm not doing the back and forth thing with you!" Nepeta looked over her shoulder at him with the nastiest glare she could manage. "Besides, you saw me the day before yesterday."
"Yes, and your point?"
Nepeta gave a long-suffering sigh and then they both fell silent for a time.
The gated grazing fields and bleak, gray stones of the communal clanhive came into sight as they walked. Nepeta's own hive was quite a distance beyond, on the other side of a steep hillside and a meadow of tall, waist-high grass, carved into the side of a cliff face. Nearby, a river and the streams that split off from it. She'd have to go to those and settle for some of the bitter-tasting fish native to the estate.
Hers was just one of many in the empire, but probably among the oldest and most traditional. The estate Nepeta called home was under the care of a clan of blue bloods known as the Zahhak clan. The clan was old, from the times before estates even existed, and their history of archery and hoofbeast husbandry was one clan members would talk at you about for hours if you let them.
Nepeta wasn't a member of this clan. Her blood wasn't nearly blue enough, was almost barely green. No, Nepeta just had the misfortune of being hatched by the area's Mother Grub, and she'd been stuck here with her lusus, Pounce de Leon, since. She was just one of the many lower-bloods here under the care of the Zahhak clan and all other highbloods that happened to live in the estate.
Equius, on the other hand, was the clan's heir. He was a Zahhak not just as a member of the clan, but in name, as well. As a wiggler, he'd been culled in a special way that went far beyond normal culling. In ancient times, when trolls still lived in small tribes with their own Mother Grubs, they would care for their own descendants. The population wasn't so large, then, so it was usually pretty easy to tell which new grub carried the most of your genes. Nowadays, the tradition of troll-raising-troll was pretty uncommon, but one still alive in traditional clans such as the Zahhak's. Equius was particularly lucky in that the highblood troll who had cared for him happened to be the leader of an estate-wielding clan.
As the communal clanhive grew closer in sight, Equius cleared his throat. Almost as if he'd been able to trace the route of her thoughts, he said, “It is my duty, after all, to worry about the lower bloods of the estate. You'll have to forgive me for being concerned about your welfare.”
Were he speaking to anyone else, they might not pick up on the hint of sarcasm in his words. Nepeta had known him for sweeps – and had been pestered by his insistence on treating her, in particular, like a precocious grub for nearly as long. As much as she wished she didn't, she knew him well enough to catch his fleeting bits of sass.
Part of her was always a little - proud was much too strong a word, really, but it would have to do - but mostly she felt uncomfortable when he opened up in front of her in this way. She disliked him, hated him even, in the most platonic way possible, after all. No doubts about that. None whatsoever.
Moments when he did open up in front of her made her realize she was more fond of him than she would have liked, especially given his attitude about spectrum issues. That alone should have been enough for her to want nothing to do with him, but there were times when she found herself wanting to worry over him the same way he did her. Not just worry over, but actively guide him in ways she was sure would be construed as some sort of backwards culling relationship. Gross.
"There are plenty of other lower bloods to bother, you know," Nepeta replied tiredly, exhausted and irritated at her own thoughts. "Your worry does me nothing. 'cept scaring away my meals."
"Would you perhaps be interested in joining-?" Equius didn't finish; Nepeta made a face and mimed gagging at him. "Don't be so crude. A simple 'no' would suffice."
"Yeah, maybe," she said with a shrug. They were getting close to the clanhive area and Nepeta had to alter her course soon; she always walked around the fenced-in area of the commune property, never on the path through it. As she separated from Equius, he stopped her.
"Nepeta. There is actually a reason I sought out your presence tonight," he said, suddenly stern in his tone. Nepeta turned back to him, shoulders sagging.
"I should have figured. What is it? And why should I care, mister smelly?"
Equius ignored her latter words, reached into the pocket of his shorts, and pulled out several pieces of paper, folded together. "A courier dropped this buy the clanhive today. He couldn't find your private hive so he left it with us." He unfolded the papers, tearing them a little in the process, and then held them out to her. "I order you to explain to me why you are receiving notices from the Academy."
He had this way of looking down at her through his sunglasses sometimes that could make her feel downright guilty. That he could actually get to her like that was frustrating, especially given the subject. She eyed the papers in his hand, noted with some relief that he at least hadn't taken it upon himself to invade her privacy, and shrugged as nonchalantly as she could.
"Yeah, and?"
"What could possibly spur you to pursue information about - from - the Academy?" he asked. "It's hardly a subject that concerns you in any way."
Nepeta snatched the papers from his hand. "I could say the same to you! It's hardly a subject that concerns you blah blah blah," she mocked. "What notices I receive and from who is my business. It's just a letter."
"It must be something important if you've broken out the petty,defensive mimicking," Equius said and crossed his arms. "And I do not sound like that."
"You do," Nepeta replied and continued after a beat, leaving him no time to argue further, "I'm going home now." She turned and began to walk away again, hoping he would leave the discussion at that.
"Did you apply?"
She stopped, blinked a few times, and looked over her shoulder at him. Ugh, why did she feel the need to bother with continuing this? "...no!"
Equius sighed heavily. "I would hardly call that appropriate. Just the thought of you considering an application - I am sweating so profusely, heavens."
"Gross." She pivoted on her foot to face him again, nose crinkled. "You don't have to announce it all the time, weirdo."
After a pause in which she seemed to hesitate, she continued, "But you might as well get to sweating because I'm not just considering it. I already did!" Her words were boastful, but also dared him to challenge her decision. There was a strangled noise from Equius.
"That is.... rather unfortunate," he said, "What program?"
"Nothing but the best. I'm going to be a theraspartan!"
"Then that letter must be - oh, dear. I hope you didn't get your hopes up, Nepeta." He sounded genuinely sorry for her and Nepeta scowled, squared her shoulders, and pushed her chin out at him.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" She made her tone as dangerous as possible. He couldn't be stupid enough to say what she knew he was thinking.
"A midblood such as yourself is much too delicate for the Academy," Equius said, "much less that field. That is just how it is."
Maybe he was that stupid.
"That's bullshit!" Nepeta's hands balled into fists, crinkling the papers she'd received.
"Watch your--"
"No! Now you listen here, mister sweats-a-lot. You know fully well that I am more than capable of it! You've known me for sweeps now, haven't you? I could run circles around the other applicants!"
"Nepeta, calm down." Equius placed his hands up to placate her. "I do not mean to anger you. I'm simply stating some of the simple facts that our long-standing society and culture are based upon. This is why highbloods such as myself must dedicate ourselves to caring for trolls such as yourself, and-"
"Other lowbloods and midbloods have done it. They're proof that all of that blood stuff is wrong - and I'll be proof, too," she said. "I don't know why I even bother arguing with a jerk like you, anyway."
"I'm looking out for your well-being. I do not wish to see you hurt."
The fact that he seemed so distressed on her behalf angered Nepeta even further and she growled. She didn't need his condescending pity and she certainly didn't need his approval. Not that she was even looking for it in the first place.
She turned around for the last time and began to stomp away. This time, when Equius called out to stop her, she simply lifted her arm up and gave him the middle finger, papers still folded shut and clutched in her opposite hand. Equius sighed.
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