The Larl
When the Larl hunts alone, it hunts silently, never uttering asound until the sudden roar that momentarily precedes it's charge, the roar calculated to terrify the quarry into a fatal instant of immobility. But tonight a pride of larls was hunting, and the cries of three beasts were driving cries, herding the prey, usually several animals , toward the region of silence, herding them in the direction from which no cries would come, the direction in which the remainder of the pride waited.
The light of the three moons was bright that night, and in the resultant exotic patchwork of shadows below, I caught sight of one of the larls, padding softly along, it's body almost white in the moonlight. It paused, lifted it's wide, fierce head, some two or three feet in diameter, and uttered the hunting scream once more. Momentarily it was answered, once from about two pasangs to the west and once from about the same distance to the southwest. It appeared ready to resume it's pace when suddenly it stoped, it's head absolutely motionles, it's sharp, pointed ears tense and lifted. i thought perhaps hea had heard the turn, but he seemed to show no awareness of us.
I brought the bird somewhat lower, in long, slow circles, keeping the larl in view. The tail of the animal began to lash angrily. It croched, holding it's long, terrible body close to the ground. It began to move forward, swiftly but stealthily, it's shoulders hunched for ward, it's hind quarters almost touching the ground. It's ears were laying back, flat against the sides of it's wide head. As it moved, for all it's speed, it placed each paw carefully on the ground, first the toes and then the ball of the foot, as silently as the wind might bend grass, in a motion was as beautiful as it was terrifying.
~Tarnsman of Gor, page 148~
The larl is a predator, clawed and fanged, quite large, often standing seven feet at the shoulder. I think it would be fair to say that it is substantially feline; at any rate it's grace and sinuous power remind me of the smaller but similarly fearsome jungle cats of my old world. The resemblence is, I suppose, due to the mechanics of convergent evolution, both animals having been shaped by the exigencies of the chase, the stealth of the approach and the sudden charge, and by the requirement of the swift and devestating kill. If there is an optimum configuration for a land predator, I suppose on my old world the palm must go to the Bengal tiger; but on Gor the prize belongs indisputably to the mountain larl; and I cannot but believe that structual similarities between the two animals, though of different worlds, are more than a matter of accident.
~Priest-Kings of Gor, page 17~ |
