[Empress Of Evil]

Originally Posted by Duskflight

{Jeez, I'm sorry about this late reply!}
It was a reaction most cats had when they felt that hollow, searing pair of orangeish-red eyes focused on them from a distance, a feeling of dread creeping over them as they peered over their shoulder to find the dark tom seated a good bit away, calmly washing a paw, or eating, or simply sitting there or laying there, staring at them, observing them. Just as he was doing to Tundra now. His gaze never left her, even when she perked her attention up enough to look around the clearing to see who was watching her until meeting his eyes, he didn't blink, he didn't move his gaze, he simply stared as she continued to eat. It almost gave a sense of foreboding, as if a silent threat that the she-cat could end up just like the bird he was carefully eating now, or perhaps that could all be in your imagination. There was no telling with Hannibal. No one understands him and likely, no one will. Perhaps it's because he didn't want to be understood, or perhaps no cat was able to get close enough to understand him, or perhaps he lets cats understand him from time to time only to lead them to crippling insanity or lead them to an unspeakable demise. Again, no one knows. Only one thing was known about Hannibal, and that was that he was very dangerous. Many cats outright avoided him, some had the nerve to speak to him, and a very daring few had gone out alone with him in the forest, some to never return. It was rumored that he was a cannibal, that he ate some of his victims and hid the bones, some even saying that he's eaten kits before, and when you looked into his eyes, you could see the souls of the cats that had fallen at his claws and fangs. But this was all rumor.. Right? Nonetheless, one thing was for certain, this cat was extremely creepy and sent shivers down many other cats' spines.
Hannibal didn't miss a thing as he observed her from his position, he saw her studying him and he saw her look down as if to cover up that she had been looking at him, perhaps silently hoping that he wouldn't get up and speak to her about it. She was looking over his meal. His way of eating was strange and very particular, many cats were disgusted or creeped out by the way he ate, removing all of the feathers in a neat pile, disemboweling it and sometimes even beheading it before digging in. And it was clear Tundra wasn't too fond of it either, though he showed no sign at all of anything going through his mind as he watched her shudder, his face was as blank and emotionless as always. It seemed she had had enough of watching him eat and he simply flicked his tail, eyes still focused on her as he chomped through bones and flesh, occasionally using a paw to hold the carcass still as he tore neatly at the piece of prey.

Tundra's amberish and greenish coloured hues concentrated hard on the dusty ground in front of her. Feeling a gaze, once again, upon her. Frozen and not daring to look up, terrified of the fact she might catch Hannibal observing her. She had always thought that when Hannibal observed cats it looked as if they would be a worthy piece of prey for him to kill. She gulped at the thought and kept her gaze on the ground. It was liked she was trying to dig a hole into the ground with her eyes. Tundra's concentration was snapped as she heard a low rumble from her belly. Her ears flattened and she felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her. She lifted her eyes slightly, just enough so that she could at least look around, and not at the ground. Her eyes scanned the clearing. No one was near her, hopefully no one had heard her belly make that embarrassing noise. She hated being embarrassed. The attention would all be on her and cats laughed at her, not with her. Tundra thought for a moment. She realised she was fussing about being embarrassed over a rumble in her belly. It's not anyone would care. Would they? Everyone's belly would rumble at some point in their life. Tundra sighed and shook her head slightly and slowly. Remembering her rumbling belly she gulped. She didn't exactly want to walk up to the fresh kill pile. Afterall, what if a cat talked to her? She would probably stuff up and say something awkward....just like she always did. Oh come on Tundra! It's just walking to the prey pile and picking up a piece of prey! How hard can that be?, Tundra thought, scolding herself for her fears. But then what if Hannibal is observing me while I walk up and get a piece of prey? Then I'd probably slip and fall over. How embarrassing! Then he'd laugh at me and get others to join in. Wait, does Hannibal even laugh?, Tundra thought, many thoughts of how simply walking up to the prey pile could lead to public humiliation. Feeling annoyed with herself she finally got the guts to rise to her paws and started to pad reluctantly towards that pile of prey that lay in the middle of the clearing.
Tundra's eyes raked through the pile quickly while she used her paws to dig in deeper. Her gaze landed on a plump squirrel that lay on the very bottom. She bent down to pick it up, her head accidentally knocking the rest of the prey over and tumbling down. She grasped the squirrel in her mouth and straightened up. She looked down and say the toppled pile laying in front of her. Had anyone seen that? Her eyes nervously looking from one side of the clearing to the other. There was this small thing nagging at her, a thing that made her want to wail. She couldn't even get a piece of prey without knocking anything over! Why did Tundra have to be....well, Tundra? An awkward cat who was clumsy and couldn't even take a single piece of prey from the pile without humiliating herself. She really hated herself sometimes. She blinked away small droplets that started to form in her eyes and trotted off quickly to the spot she was previously in before, tail drooping and head down.