Epi pressed herself against the thick, mossy trunk of a tree, holding her breath. Cradled in her clawed hand was a polished skull, which she held close to her as she waited.
On the other side of the tree, Torik growled to himself as he swung his head back and forth, letting his good eye get a good look at his surroundings. He knew the skull had to be around her somewhere....unless....
"Ha!" He snarled, swinging around the tree and tackling Epi, grabbing at the skull as she twisted away, her smaller form easily slipping through his arms. Laughing derisively, she turned and tore off through the trees, leaving Torik behind.
But she hadn't gone far before she found herself confronted with a very different, and far more challenging, opponent. In mid-stride, she felt her muscles seize up, and fell forward with a shocked snarl. But just before she hit the ground, she was frozen once more, hovering just a few inches above the dirt, her dreadlocks brushing the twigs and other debris that littered the forest floor.
Looking up, she cursed as Frost stepped forward, a somewhat smug smile on her face as she held out a clawed hand, saying, "Dear Epitaph, I told you that you would be sorry you let me play this game." Her fingers twitched slightly, and Epi felt her hand loosen, releasing the skull, which floated through the air and landed in the albino female's claws.
"Curse that power of yours, Frost." Epi growled, grinning as her friend waved a hand and released her hold over her younger leader and disappeared into the trees, melting out of sight despite her unnaturally pale skin. As Epi picked herself up, she heard Frost's echoing roar that announced to the others that she was now the holder of the skull.
That was when Torik made another appearance, scowling as he walked over to his mate, saying, "Great. Just as I find you again, she has to go and ruin my fun."
"So go after her. She's got the skull now." Epi remarked playfully as Torik rumbled unhappily, draping an arm around her shoulders.
"Are you kidding? I'm a lot bigger than you are, Epi, and Frost doesn't like me as much. I don't know exactly how strong that brain of hers is, but I don't want to risk her deciding to just let me crash." He grinned at her jaggedly, rubbing the scars that slanted over his blind left eye. "Come on, let's go see if someone actually manages to get that thing away from her."