Sex: MaleAfter managing to make his way out of that dreaded forest Niki had given it a wide and, frankly quite unnecessary, berth to make sure he did not stumble into its clutches again. One terrifying experience with the closely spaced trees and their reaching limbs that seemed like the wanted to grab him was enough for him; a second round was absolutely out of the question. Relieved to find himself out in the open after his ordeal with the forest, the white yearling gazed with wonder at the open field filled with tall grasses and clusters of bushes that, if it had been spring or summer, would have most likely been covered in berries. There had been very few berry bushes back in his homeland and so he was not very familiar with what was what, but he had been told the basics of their appearance. If only it was the proper months for the berries to be ripe, then he could have had a quick snack. As it was he would have to focus his efforts on a rabbit or some other small creature.
While the current day was clear and warmer than the past couple days, there was still slush on the ground from the previous day's light snow which only served to keep the grass slick and slippery and his paws cold. Niki had never been one much for snow or the cold as it tended to kill off or render plants useless to be used for medicinal purposes. Slowing his pace, the white yearling trudged his way through the tall grasses to a cluster of bushes near the eastern side of the field, curiously sniffing at the bush as amber eyes scrutinised its appearance. After a couple moments of gazing at the brambly and prickly-shooted bush he determined that it was a variant of blackberry, possibly the evergreen blackberry as it had retained its leaves, though until the warmer months came around he could not be sure.
Glancing up at the sound of rustling leaves, Niki stilled his body, tail moving to curl around a hind leg as white ears perked up, slowly rotating to catch where the noise was coming from as his black nose twitched. The scent of grass, slush and greenery was very strong, but there was an underlying scent of hare. If only the wind was in his favour, but sadly it was a particularly still day concerning wind intensity. At least it meant his position would not be given away either. After a few moments of watching he spotted the partially rusty brown and white coat of a snowshoe hare still in the transition from its summer to winter coat. Usually they were more nocturnal creatures so he hazarded a guess at it being a juvenile. They tended to be more active and less cautious than adults. He was surprised to see it out in the open, knowing that they preferred living in forests, but decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth and took the opportunity without a second thought.
Slowly moving his body so he was crouching down low, stomach nearly brushing the ground, the white yearling kept his amber gaze on the furry body of the small prey, eyes narrowing as he watched its movements. It was nibbling on a blade of grass while under the cover of a nearby blackberry bush. He inhaled and put one foot forward, just barely brushing against a leaf, but it was enough for the hare to raise its head mid-chew and look around. Niki held the breath in, silently waiting for it to return to its business, and after a few tantalising seconds it hopped away from its cover and resumed nibbling on the blade of grass. He gradually moved his body away from the blackberry bush one careful step at a time until he was in the perfect position to strike. Pushing off with his hind legs, the white yearling silently leaped at the hare as it scattered at his sudden movement. He ran with powerful strides after it as it sprinted away, breath huffing as he lengthened his stride as much as he could. This was where speed would really come in handy, but his body was made very much for stamina which meant if he could just keep up with the hare eventually he would catch it.
Lungs burning with the effort of keeping pace, the hare slowly got further and further away until it vanished into a thicket just ahead. Knowing there was no way he could catch it in there Niki came to a jolting halt, body heaving as he breathed and head down low staring at where the hare had disappeared. "Gosh darn i'," he muttered to himself between breaths, white ears momentarily flicking back to lie against his skull at his failure. It seemed he would go hungry for today unless some other form of prey popped up later on, but for now he slowly made his way back the way he had come from, eager to stay out of any close spaces for the time being. If only he had some assistance then maybe he and some others could take down larger prey if there were any nearby. He could really do with a meal, and the company would be great too.