Dropping to all fours, the two panthers hunted. They could stand on two feet if they wished, but they had found out quickly that it was much more cost effective if they stayed low to the ground and below wind when possible.
Keith and Jackie totally let themselves go, allow their new instincts to take over, to lead, to control, leaving just enough Super Ego in the forefront to keep themselves from eating something that was going on two legs. It felt good. It felt natural. Jackie felt free. Gone for the moment, just the moment where the doubts and fears that had plagued her for the last two days. She knew they’d return soon enough, but this reprieve was enough for now.
Even like this, Jackie knew she still couldn’t bring herself to kill a doe, even if Keith could, it was just too easy for her to picture her friend opposed to just a witless animal. She wondered for a moment what they thought of Jackie and her ilk. These strange versions of the predators they were used to who were much smarter than their normal counter parts.
The animals likely looked upon them as unnatural, nightmarish, something totally illogical and irrational: something that by all rights and reason just shouldn’t be able to exist. Jackie couldn’t blame them: after all, that’s what genetic engineering often was.
The male panther growled in annoyance at his hunting partner not keeping step with him, and Jackie let go of her musing and focused totally on the hunt.
The male and female panthers stalked calmly and coolly through the forest, making noises of annoyance and agitation when the promising scent of prey let them to a forbidden two-legged animal. Yet ever relentless, the male and female panthers trekked on, always making sure to stalk below the wind to pick any scent of prey and to avoid their own scent being picked up by any future meal.
The male panther picked the scent up first and halted. The female did the same without question. A moment later she could smell it too. Prey. No doubt this time, no two legged forbidden, but truly four legged prey. Not making even a sound to each other, the male and female panthers coolly and carefully made their way to their prey. Being graceful and cautious not to snap so much as a pin needle, the two beasts soon made visual contact with their soon to be meal. The four-legged sow calmly munched away, ignorant of what fate awaited it.
With barely a motion of its head, the male panther gestured the female to circle one way and himself to go another. Obeying without hesitation, the female circled around to the animal’s front, while her mate took the rear.
Like shadows of death the predators moved carefully into position, waited for less than a moment, then pounced.
The sow didn’t stand a chance. Seeing the panther coming at her from the front, she turned to returned only to face a larger panther coming from behind. She turned again to try and escape sideways, but by then it was already too late.
The panthers tore into her, the female biting into her hips crushing them into splinters, while the male ripped open her windpipe, spilling blood onto the ground and staining the great cats. In less than a minute she was very much dead.
As the two beasts began feeding the female picked up the noise of several small oinks. She calmly turned, saw the small gaggle of piglets, and left for just a moment left the feeding with her mate. The piglets innocently stood there for a moment longer. She tore through them like wind and scythe through wheat.
The female then brought the rest of the kill to be devoured with her mate.
A while later, the male and female panther stood up on her back legs, and with their forelegs calmly picked up the remains of the carcass, it was best not to just leave it here for others to find.
After half an hour of walking, the male leading, the female shook her head, glade she hadn’t made friends with any two-legged wild swine.
“Good hunt.” The male said.
“Yes.” The female replied haltingly. “Good hunt.”
Keith was glade Jackie was finally letting go of the idea that being half animal now somehow meant that eating animals was wrong. Or he hoped so at least.
“Keith.”
“Yes honey?”
“We –were- in control of ourselves back there right?”
“Of course we were honey. It’s not like we would have attacked a person. And it’s not like we would have attacked someone who came along for a look see.”
“Thank you dear. I needed to hear that.” Jackie replied.