It was strange being called upon.

The ex-rogue had been thoroughly exploring Cut Rock River territory since the group had spent their first night by the river and by now felt quite the expert on the landscape within its southern portion. A few days had passed with little interruption of his solitary travels (which was welcome after the close quarters they had shared journeying from the Rapids) and it could have seemed that nothing was changed since he had been a lone wolf, but the knowledge that he was of a pack still coursed through his heart and mind. No matter how far he wandered he would always be a member of Cut Rock River.

That morning had been spent basking in the sun by the flat rocks of the pack's namesake, his black fur soaking up the warmth and pretending snow did not blanket the ground and the temperature was not well below freezing. It was then that Maksim Baranksi's summons pulled him back from his reveries and brought him to immediate attention, shooting along the river's banks and then perpendicular to the freezing waters straight to where his leader awaited. Hati had no idea what to expect but curiosity made him wonder what was going on and why Maksim had called for him specifically. The thought that he had earned disapproval did enter his mind but was swiftly cut off, for the howl had held no condemnation.

Within minutes Hati exploded from the trees and spotted Maksim standing with his senses working intensely. Immediately the subordinate's own interest perked and his nose flew up in the air searching for new smells as he trotted towards the tawny man. Amongst their own signature scents and the faint memory of many species of rodents burrowing through the snow, the one odor that caught his attention was that of a cat. The creature had passed through his area somewhat recently and had not even tried slightly to mask the peculiar musk which it carried with it.

Once the Baranksi's question was asked Hati immediately felt a flush of pride that was mingled with annoyance. He was not a fool—what could everyone do but choose a name to call him by—but every time the word "Taras" passed through his ears it reminded him fully of his problem. However the feeling soon was overridden with gladness and excitement as the two males set off away from Cut Rock River territory. A lynx hunt would be a new thing to the man of many experiences, though generally dealing with the breed was not altogether foreign.

As they moved stealthily through Cedarwood forest, now far from pack borders, Hati's mind and senses were working like mad exploring the knowledge he had acquired about the lynx. They were in no way passive, however he had no idea how one would respond to an onslaught by two big wolves. Would it fight? Run? If they hoped to rid themselves of the thing entirely they would probably have to corner it lest it flee (which Hati believed would be the sensible thing to do were he in the cat's position) only to return and pester the pack again. But he left it up to Maksim to give the orders and kept quiet. As always.

They followed the lynx's trail for a long ways before spotting any tracks, signaling night-fall and the beast's choice of resting place, for a fresh snow had fallen under cover of darkness concealing all prints which had been lain there previously. The scent was now incredibly strong; the cat could not have left this place more than a few hours ago. So they kept on at a steady lope, swiftly cutting the distance between them and their prey.

A feeling of serenity washed over him as the two continued to lope through the forest and snow in perfect quiet. Little effort was expended on tracking their quarry for the scent was overwhelming now and the paw prints were easy to see under the moonlight that filtered through the barren canopy above. Every movement was settled into a steady rhythm of long, powerful strides and every sense was in tune to their surroundings. As the distance between themselves and lynx swiftly shortened Hati's heartbeats became quicker and heavier, like that of a field mouse trapped in the middle of a cornfield with nowhere to run as the hawk descended.

Suddenly the musty odor tripled in strength signalling the very near presence of the lynx. Now the hunt truly began. With a confident glance at Maksim the older wolf slowed his gait to a fast trot in anticipation for a meeting with the potentially difficult feline, all his senses working to pinpoint its exact location. For a minute he kept on at this pace, the fur on his body standing straight up and a silent growl rumbling in his chest, and then something bid him stop. Confused, the dark male remained still as he thoroughly looked over the area he had paused in and then understood what had caught his attention so subtly.

A low, chesty hiss emanated from a thick patch of undergrowth only yards away and on its near edge one could see the silvery pattern of a lynx hunched down close to the snow. Hati knew it must have noted their presence for quite a while (judging by the faster dissipation of scent trail that had occurred several miles back) and had finally hunkered down to wait. A strange light entered Hati's golden eye as he watched the beast, his neck arched and body stiff. The cat obviously wanted to fight so cornering it was needless now. He charged.

Speed had always been on his side and as he flew forward the lynx had little time to react aside from leaping to the side as quickly as possible. But Hati had planned the direction of his rush so that as the cat evaded his attack his body twisted with it, and once he landed all three members of the event were in a straight line with the lynx in the middle and both wolves facing her. Satisfaction warmed his soul as he prepared for a second charge on Maksim's order, eyelid protecting most of the one good eye he had.

It was too late. Assuming Maksim was not going to command a course of action after several tense moments, Hati waited for the lynx to focus her attention on the advancing alpha: a fatal mistake. He lunged just as Mac's growl registered in his brain as a planned signal, and a split second decision opted for continuing his attack rather than back off now since the latter would warn the lynx to be more careful of her smaller and darker assailant and steal the chance. As it was she had no idea what was coming until his jaws snapped shut on the upper meaty part of her left hind leg. Immediately the lynx had twisted and retaliated, spitting, hissing, and snarling as her teeth and claws batted at his face. Hati backed off with more than a few shallow scratches littering his broad head. But the cat was rendered immobile, or at least extremely slow.

He would let the huge Baranski have the honor of finishing the animal off, so he stepped backward to relate his intentions...right into the oncoming rush of a second lynx attracted by the commotion and seemingly attached in some way to the already dangerously wounded specimen writhing in the snow before them. A strangled mixture of a yelp and a snarl, of a kind no ordinary wolf would utter, escaped through Hati's jaws and now it was he who twisted around to face the second offender. But the larger male cat had retreated leaving the wolf quivering in rage more than the searing pain of a deep gouge in his flank.

Nothing registered in the subordinate's mind as he stared after the vanished wolf and lynx with one intense golden eye and remained there alone, shaking violently. It had been such a surprise to be attacked from the rear that it had rendered him useless. But only for a second. Even as Maksim slowed Hati's spirit flared up and he took off, ignoring the screaming pain in his flank that intensified every time weight was put on his hind leg. He was fast, and he was stealthy. While the latter was of little use to him now as he raced through the forest the former proved to truer than ever.

Two things urged him on. The first and foremost was his alpha and his pack. He would prove that he was strong, not a pup to look after. He would do his part in protecting those who were by taking down this second lynx that Maksim Baranski could not for all of his great size and strength. The second was his own pride which had been severely cut down by the lynx's surprise attack. He would steal it back. Because Hati was fast. A sly grin was slowly spreading across his face as his strides became longer and more powerful carrying him closer and closer to the cat. He could see it now, sprinting away as fast as its legs could take it, but not nearly fast enough.

The cat had made one mistake that Hati gladly took note of. It must have been counting on an easy escape for rather than heading for the safety of bushes and undergrowth that wolves could not move through well it instead fled through the openness of the forest where only bare trees and undisturbed snow gave shelter. The chase lasted only a few minutes. The nearer Hati got to the lynx the less he could feel the sting in his side and more he hated the creature. Eventually only feet separated the two as they ran. The end was close and both knew it. However, Hati was not sure what he would do once he came within leaping distance. If he could put a leg out of use until Maksim arrived on the scene (hopefully he had been following quickly) then all would be well. A fight with a lynx was not something the half-blind man could wish for and if at all possible he would avoid it.

But there was no more time for planning. Hati put all of his strength into one last bound that swiftly closed the remaining distance between himself and his target. Just at that moment the lynx swerved slightly to the side and his jaws snapped together on only a bit of skin. The momentum behind him sent both tumbling over the snow. The lynx was quicker to gain footing and, understanding the impossibility of escaping his undaunted assailant, leaped at the black wolf as Hati rose from the snow just in time to see the flash of silver.

For several moments the two bodies were locked in battle as both dealt blow after blow. At first Hati did well, blocking the cat's move with his own but soon his opponent became wise to his many weaknesses. Slowly it gained the upper hand and blood flowed freely all over Hati's body and still he refused to give up. Dozens of times he had forfeited battles with his own kind and fled far away to a place where he was unknown and therefore safe. This time the result of his actions would be carried with him for as long as he lived in Cut Rock River. So he fought.

The close grappling only lasted seconds before they backed away and circled each other. The cat's hissing and growling was met by Hati's silence as it tried to trick him into exposing his weak side by dancing lightly around where the wolf stood panting. And then it saw its chance as the moon hid itself behind a cloud and the movement of Hati's ebony head to watch his opponent was weak and sluggish. His lithe body parted with the ground and sailed over the ground in a graceful arc. Hati's instinct warned him to sidestep and he partially evaded the lynx's throat-aimed rush, instead meeting it with his rump. Time slowed as he writhed and twisted in half faster than the lynx could comprehend and his bloodied teeth sank into the creature's jugular. Red liquid spurted out all over his face and shoulders and pooled in the snow as he backed away from the limp body. The whole encounter had lasted less than a minute.