Luncheon: Fast Food

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

A beatiful afternoon, spoiled by nothing. The sky was crystal clear, the birds chirping from either their perches atop the trees or from in-flight. It was the perfect time of day for a lunch outside, spent with nature and enjoyed by all.

And that's what brought Lok s'Ilancy to Jarek Tchort's estate. Lunch. From her vantage in the foliage surrounding his land, the Lupine watched with glistening tawny eyes at first her quarry, then the man who'd apparently had the same idea as her - only his lunch was very much dead, and he was at a table on the deck/porch adjacent to his home.

A snort, then the tawny orbs turned their attentions back to their main target - a jakrab. The thing was blissfully unaware of her presence, and the vornskr shifted just a tad.

The sounds of a beautiful day surrounded her and her future meal, enveloping them in the rich aromas of a land lush with life.

Still oblivious of the doom about to fall upon it, the jakrab continued to sit happily, grazing out in the open upon the freshly cut lawn that met the edge of the forrest.

The beast licked her teeth, her lips curling back.

... Lunch...

[Loki Ahmrah]

Alongside the vornskr, hidden in the thick underbrush, Loki waited with baited breath as he pressed himself hard against the ground. Silently, he dug his fingers into the soft soil and pulled himself closer, his wide eyes drifted curiously from the tiny, helpless jakrab to the hungry, drooling beast next to him. It was at this point that he concluded that this was, without doubt, the most surreal of his excursions away from the Jedi Order.

They had been out in the open for a couple of hours now and despite all the hunting, Loki was yet to have a bite past his lips, not that the furry jakrab looked even remotely appetising but the fact remained and his stomach growled. Then the table full of food in the distance caught his attention and he licked his lips. That was when an idea popped into his head and he crept forward, making every effort not to make a sound, of course that is always when the fickle finger of fate plants a dry twig beneath your foot. And snap!

"Sorry."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Not only had the twig startled s'Il, but it'd made the jakrab freeze, its ears upright and listening for anything out of the ordinary on the beautiful day that surrounded it.

The Lupine knew that she'd have to move soon, but she stayed utterly still, her eyes carefully watching the animal as it stood, studying its muscles and waiting for them to spring into motion. That's when she would move.

A quick turn of her head and she layed a slobbery one across Loki's cheek, letting him know that all was not lost yet. She'd brought him along with her to Thyferra for some fun, letting him get away fromthe Order for a little bit and let loose. It was easy to tell now though, that the boy was hungry, and the vornskr let her muscles tense, her body lifting just a tad from its' prone position - albeit jerkily.

Another quick turn to Loki, and thir eyes met. follow me, her tawny orbs seemed to say, and in less than a second she was up, springing through the brush and crashing out into the open.

The jakrab was terrified, frozen to its spot for a few moments before bolting...

... in the direction of Jarek Tchort's home.

[Loki Ahmrah]

So it appeared that even when wet-nosed and fanged, s'Il was on the same wavelength as he. Nevertheless, he wasn't too appreciative of the faceful of slobber and his cuff was now clammy from having to wipe his face dry so much. He knew what was about to happen but after that anything goes; that was one of the best things about hanging out with her but unpredictability seemed to be a trait shared by most of her kind.

"Your mine, Jakrab!" He cried suddenly as he cleared the shrubbery with ease and hit the ground running, right behind the vornskr. It was difficult to resist the urge to tap into the Force to give him a bit more agility here or a spot of speed there but having witnessed first hand the effect a Force user can have upon a Lupine, he dared not risk it. Luckily, the padawan had always been fast and nimble and was determined to give s'Il a run for her money.

"I'm right behind you, Lok," He called out while sprinting, then laughed. "You're not going to let a human outrun you now, surely?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

The jakrab banked right, and s'Il and Loki followed suit. At Loki's words, the Vornskr let out a bark, then a series of punctuated growls and utter gibberish.

massive paws hitting the ground, her claws dug up the freshly cut and pristine lawn.

This was the life! Chasing lunch down and running it into the ground. This was what made things fun and worth doing. And the fact that she had company was even better - that Loki took such an active part and even competed with her was great, and she loved every moment of it.

Veering left and heading once again for Tchort and his fancy lunch, the jakrab kept it's pace, Boy and Vornskr following close behind.

She caught site of Loki beside her - the little bugger is fast - and with a playful motion, she let her stride drift to the side a little, close enough to where her fur brushed against him and she nudged him just a tad.

She let out another rumble from the depths of her throat, as if to say he wouldn't be getting the best of her this time.

[Jarek T'chort]

"Suns shining, birds singing, blue skies. Time to relax."

Jarek had sauntered out from his estate in a loose black shirt and slacks, eyes covered by small, stylish sunglasses. With a staisfied hmph, he settled down on a recliner and closed his eyes, letting the Thyferran sun wash over him and made a note to thank his chef for the delightful lunch.

Wait.

Jarek opened half an eye, slowly, deliberately. He was sure he had heard a voice - a shout even.

No. Security was tight around his estate. Most likely he was imagining things. His eye flipped shut again.

With a start, Jarek's eye opened again. Now that, was a bark.

"Oh for the love of..."

Jarek slid upright, his eyes open, just in time to see a flurry of motion headed right toward where he was reclining!

"What the frell?!"

Jarek leapt up, knocking the recliner over as he struggled to gt clear of the onrush of fur, teeth and a human boy...?

[Loki Ahmrah]

"Nudge me, will you?" Loki said in response to a nudging from his vornskr companion, he grinned mischieviously and huffed lightly as he picked up his pace to run alongside the charging beast. He jumped and cleared s'Ils full height so that he now ran on the inside, closer to the jakrab than her. He heard a growl and laughed heartily.

"Oh, you don't like that now, do you?" And playfully he flicked one of the pointed ears then laughed some more, falling behind a little since he couldn't maintain a sprint at the speed for as long as his four-legged friend.

They were upon their target now, both of them, as the vornskr closed in on the jakrab and the boy approached the porch, the well-dressed gentleman and a table full of food. To his dismay, the jakrab veered right, away from his destination and in one hasty turn the vornskr followed. The large creature's weight and momentum pulled it to one side as it turned and it's hefty rump collided with one of the table legs and the neatly arranged lunch fell to the floor.

"Oh, no you don't." Loki bolted for the falling food and scooped up in his arms several sandwiches, an apple, a slice of spongecake and a glass of fresh lemonade. His mouth watered as he gazed at his catch.

"Thanks for the lunch, mister!" He called back and then darted off after the vornskr and jakrab, laughing gleefully.

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Loki had his catch, and s'Il intended to have hers, and so as the jakrab shot back out towards the lawn, the vornskr followed closely. Of course the little creature proved to be quite the moving target, and it bolted to the left in a u-turn that took it right past the Lupine, back towards Tchort.

With a hurff, the beast whipped her body around, heading once more after her prey. Closer... closer... she was closing the distance, and the closer she got, the more she could taste it.

The deck was coming up swiftly, and as s'Il lengthened her strides, she readied herself to jump back up onto the wood surface. And then, the jakrab was gone - disappearing into a small burrow that would take it beneath the deck, and in disbelief, the Lupine neglected to jump...

... and ran headlong into the woodpanel siding. With a crack, the beast went from full speed to a dazed standstill, and she flopped to her side, staring glassily off in the distance.

"hhnuurrrrfffhh..."

[Jarek T'chort]

Picking himself carefully from the decking, one hand planted firmly in the remains of a sponge cake slice, Jarek surveyed the chaotic porch before him. Frankly, it was one hell of a mess. Sandwiches, cakes and shattered glass littered the place.

Wonderful.

Then he noticed the bundle of fun and claws that was laying in a daze just in front of him. A very familiar bundle of fur it seemed. Jarek was a keen hunter - when he had time - and this was a vornskr. He contemplated fetching his blaster but if he was right, which he was sure he was, this particular furball was the self same one he had encountered on Asmeru, in a disaster of a hunting trip.

He crouched a meter from the downed predator, slipping his glasses off and looking to see where the human boy had gotten too with a startled expression crossing his features.

"Well, what have we here?"

[Loki Ahmrah]

After stashing his spoils away in the thick underbrush on the estate periphery, Loki leaned forward and once he'd peeled aside the greenery before him, aspied the still form of his hulking vornskr companion with the well-dressed gentleman towering over her. He feared for s'Il and could only wonder what a man such as the one standing on the porch would do with trespassers, especially those of the big, furry variety. The gentleman dug deep into his pocket and fearing the worst, Loki leapt out of the bush.

"Wait! Hey mister, please wait!" He cried out, arms waving frantically as he darted in his direction. "Don't do it - we didn't mean any harm!"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Very literally she was seeing stars, and as the Lupine cast a confused gaze up to the man who now knelt over her, she let out a hurrrff. Tawny eyes stared at him, and with a grunt she let her head fall back.

The jakrab had gotten away and now she was just a tad bit more than dazed and confused.

Loki's voice pierced her thoughts though, and with a start s'Il halfway rolled over, craning her neck to look in the direction of the boy's voice.

[Jarek T'chort]

With a start, the Imperial watched the young boy come out, cautiously, from the shrubbery. Jarek removed a hankerchief from his pocket, wiping away the remains of the cream that covered his hand.

With a perplexed look, he pointed at the vornskr.

"How did you and your" he paused, frowning, "pet, get into my estate?"

[Loki Ahmrah]

"I, er--" Loki came to a stop and fumbled over his words.

"I followed her, sir." He revealed suddenly with a nod of reassurance knowing ful well that the gentleman would throw him a look of disbelief. Loki smiled and crouched down by the vornskr, rubbing it's neck.

"Oh yes, I follow my vornskr everywhere. I didn't even realise this was privately owned land until just now."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Still reeling, s'Il struggled to at least get her legs beneath her, and sitting up, the Lupine rose to rest on her haunches. Further perpetuating Loki's statement, she leaned into his touch, her weight threatening to push the boy down, and letting out a slight whine she she lick-kissed the side of his face once more. Oh, she'd hear it from him when they got back home.

With a dulled thump, her whip-like tail hit the soft ground in an offset beat as she wagged it, lips curling back and tongue lolling out in a grotesque, razor sharp smile.

That is Tchort - I think; gawd I hit that thing hard. Stupid jakrab; I'm probably gonna lose braincells because of that thing. Though come to think of it, I should really milk this for what I can...

And without a sound the beast rolled her eyes up into her head, collapsing onto Loki as if she'd lost all consciousness, her weight knocking him down, giving him a facefull of silver fur as she lay atop him.

[Jarek T'chort]

With one eye narrowed at the boy, Jarek rose to his feet.

"I see," the Field Marshall lied, "well you don't look like Republic assasins, though I'm sure it would not be beneath them to send a youth and a vornskr."

As he spoke, Jarek had the uncomfortable feeling of familiarity with the animal that lay at the boys feet. A feeling, try as he might, he could not shake.

"What would a young man such as yourself be doing alone, I presume, with a vornskr for company?"

[Loki Ahmrah]

His face shimmering with thick vornskr saliva, Loki wriggled and groaned in a vain attempt to free himself from under the beast's dead weight; s'Il is going to have to go on a diet, Loki thought bitterly; and his strength failing him, he accepted defeat and whined.

"We're not assassins, sir. Nrgh! Dumb dog."

Loki's hand came to the vornskr's face and he saw that it's eyes were rolled back and glassy and it's breathing was very faint. She's knocked herself out chasing that bloody jakrab! The padawan sighed.

"What am I doing out here with a vornskr?" Loki repeated, somewhat confused then he laughed giddily and replied: "Why, we're looking for lunch, of course!"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Despite the splitting headache that was starting to take over, s'Il still remained unmoving, save for her shallow breathing. At Loki's 'dumb dog' comment though, it took all of her willpower to stay "knocked out", and as if in retaliation, she shifted, rolling more onto her side - effectively sprawling over Loki even more.

Letting out a string of groans, moans, and gibberish, the Lupine felt her stomach tighten. One eye peeked open though, eyeing the hole that the jakrab had disappeared into in the hopes that the small creature would venture back out.

[Jarek T'chort]

"Why, we're looking for lunch, of course!"


"Looks as though you've found it."

Muttered Jarek, looking pointedly in the direction of the shrubbery the fresh faced boy had emerged from. Seeing the animal slouched across the boy as if it owned the place irritated Jarek.

"Now, if you are quite done here, I'll call security to have you escorted from my property."

[Loki Ahmrah]

"What? Security?" Loki blurted breathlessly from beneath the lupine's dead weight. He tried to shift the vornskr but to no avail and after resisting the temptation to flick her wet nose, the boy turned his attention back to Jarek. He smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, there's no need for that now; let's be reasonable! My friend-- Gah! Geroff! My vornskr and I are well capable of escorting ourselves off your property and if you would be so kind as to help us catch that jakrab then we'll be off your land much sooner."

Loki was wearing a knowing smile now and patted the unconsious beast on top of him.

"This old girl wont go until she has her lunch no matter how much security you call. Sir."

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

Eternally satisfied with herself, s'Il grinned inwardly as she stirred, pulling herself upwards and off of Loki. Turning to offer the boy a toothy, vornskr grin, she cast one more look to the hole the jakrab had escaped in to. The thing hadn't come out, and so that left only one conclusion in her mind.

It was inside the house itself; there was no other explanation - possibly there was a hole behind a kitchen appliance that gave it access to the interior. No matter. She'd find it. Not to mention the fact that Tchort seemed to be annoyed that the two were on his property. Of course this didn't help matters any; at least in terms of Loki and s'Il being on their way.

Shaking the loose dirt from her pelt, the Lupine set off at a comfortable jog; right past Tchort, up the stairs to the deck, and straight inside through the open door as if it was her own home.

[Loki Ahmrah]

"Er-- heh heh. Pets!" ^_^;

[Jarek T'chort]

With a lopsided grin creeping across his features, Jarek swept his hands out in a defeatist gesture.

"Make yourself right at home then."

As the Lupine wandered dangerously close to some of the ancient texts that were mounted on stands in the display room she had strolled into, the grizzled Imperial winced.

"You ever heard of keeping pets on a short leash, young man?"

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

She was halfway into what she figured the dining area was, when she caught the last bit of his sentance, and ears perking, the vornskr stopped in mid-stride to send a look back to T'chort.

With a hmpphhh, the Lupine looked to her left, eyes falling on an undoubtably expensive piecee of glass sculpture, and curling her lips back in a toothy grin, she angled her head to the side while craning her neck out, jaws opening to welcome the decorative piece into their depths.

She stopped though, tawny eyes fixed on T'chort even as she held her jaws around the thing's delicate neck - teeth mere centimeters away from the glass surface.

She was taunting him.

There was a certain mirthful intelligence in her gaze, something that no regular 'pet' could ever hope to have. She knew exactly what she was doing, and she knew that he did as well.

And if she could have smiled, she would have.