The cat came back

RE: Nomad's pass, a cougar has crossed your borders

Through the fresh-fallen snow the silver female walked, new flakes settling gently on her shoulders as she moved but she didn't bother to shake them free; her pelt had grown so thick that her body heat did not escape and melt the snow. So like tiny stars they dappled her silver and black coat, and fell off in clumps whenever she quickened her pace or jumped over a snow-covered rock. The morning air was fresh and clean and the wind had not yet picked up, making it a fairly decent day even though the sky was covered by a stretch of grey clouds. It was still plenty bright, especially with the white of snow on the ground. It looked like a completely different wonderland in the winter, all dazzling and bright.

It was much easier to track prey in the snow- not as easy to catch, but definitely easier to spot, even from a distance, that something had passed by. She walked past many pawprints which had been left behind by packmates, recognizing them both by their size and scent, though the former was somewhat compromised as a wolf's paws would spread to a larger size while walking on snow. Even Mercy's footprints appeared to belong to a decent sized adult wolf, which made Sagacity smile. Where had the time gone?Her eyes narrowed when she saw a set of tracks ahead which looked larger than normal. Her nose quivered as she searched for the scent, but the wind teased and taunted her, albeit gently. It wasn't until she could see that the tracks were far too large to belong to a wolf that she caught the creature's scent and stiffened. She drew closer to the tracks and the fur along her spine lifted- these were the tracks of a cat, but not a bobcat or a lynx. These belonged to a cougar- and the offending creature had passed into their territory.

They were fresh enough that Sagacity did not bother to begin tracking until after she released a short but high and loud call to all of her packmates- alerting to the present trespasser and the area in which it had crossed over the borders. This was not the first time she'd caught a cougar trespassing- she remembered chasing one out with Naira shortly after she'd joined the pack. She'd hoped that she would never have to chase one away again- but that hope had just been dashed away.

Having called out a rallying cry she began to track the creature- in the hopes that her call had been a warning enough to send it on its way...If not, then she hoped her packmates would respond quickly, so that she would not encounter the cat on her own.

Avatars by Arla!

Patrol, patrol, patrol. Heavy footsteps fell onto the ever growing inches of snow. The trail of prints were left by none other than Faol as he was making his usual trips around the outside perimeters of Nomad's Pass. He had yet to be assigned a specific role from either alpha and so he was left to do basic tasks to keep himself busy. He did the job well, however, and was happy to have something to keep his mind occupied from the constant bothering of wanderlust. His winter coat had started to thicken nicely, still more black and dark brown than the white he possessed the warmer half of the year. His form became hefty and dark, bringing back the handsomeness of his younger years. His distinctly bushy tail now matched his body size which signed he had been doing well since joining Nomad's Pass. Stopping momentarily to investigate a single animal print a familiar song seeped into his ears. Immediately he recognized the sender's voice and without a second's hesitation he took off in a sprint in her direction.

It didn't take him long to reach her, aware of what her message had said, he hoped that she had called for help before she came in contact with the cat. He slowed as he approached Sage's figure, throwing snow forward as he stuttered himself to a complete stop. He had come across these cats more than a few times in the wild and they were not ones to be handled alone. He shook the snow dust from his pelt and looked to her in reassuring greeting. "I heard your call. Did you see it?" he asked, taking a moment to concentrate on the paw print it left behind.

It seemed that they were the protoplasts of the hunting party, and it shouldn't surprise her he was first to respond. Luckily they hadn't been too far apart - by mere coincidence it was. Faol wanted to take a moment to greet her properly, but it wasn't the time for that. He cast her a longing look and continued trying to determine what the cat came for as they awaited the assistance of others.

MOAR WELOME/ENCOURAGED TO HOPPITY IN AT ANY POINT! That'd make it pretty realistic, anyway :D

She continued to track the cat but made sure that she was aware of her surroundings...Sometimes, with cats, it was best to assume that you were always being watched. They were secretive creatures and excelled at moving silently, becoming invisible to those around them. This is what made them such a danger. They moved like water and could make themselves as limber and lithe as a stream of air, but as deadly as a falcon riding the current. She was careful not to gain too much ground- the stronger the scent became, the more endangered she became, and she did not wish to encounter the feline on her own. Surely one of her packmates would respond to her call- and one of them did.

He arrived shortly after her call- she'd made very little progress in her tracking when Faol came whipping into sight, sliding to a stop and sending a small volley of snow flying. In any other circumstance, she might've laughed out loud or batted some snow back at him- but in this instance, their safety was at risk...Though this didn't keep a relieved smile from coming to her features. Faol was much larger than she, much more imposing. She shook her head in response to his question. "No. You're too quick." She said, her voice- albeit fairly serious and carrying a nervous edge- showing her relief. She moved forward for a moment, then paused. Two wolves against a cougar...She and Naira had done it before, and Faol was even larger than she...But perhaps this cougar had more gumption. Perhaps it would be bolder. It wasn't the sort of thing you could take a chance with.

"Let's get it on the run, hopefully others will join in." She said. Now that she had the attention of at least one other packmate, and another voice to reiterate the message, she hoped it might disrupt the cat's conviction before they got too close. She called out again, her message sharp and clear- there was a cougar in their midst, and it was not welcome.

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Look Out!

A fight broke out between two male mountain goats. Hunt Opportunity

(I'm assuming it's not getting hits because of the mandatory pack thread, but points are points. I guess we can attempt it alone.. or take the hunt opportunity. Doesn't say how many points it's worth though)

As Sagacity's call once more called out to her pack mates, and to warn the cougar of it's impending trouble, Faol also joined her in her message. His deep howl resonated across the vast blanket of snow like a ripple in water. The cold air carried their messages louder and farther than dense summer air would. He hoped it would further intimidate the cat and speak great volumes to their members. He had come across cougars in the past, but none that he deliberately had to chase, but being part of a pack this was now part of his duty; and he wouldn't dare allow Sage to do it alone. Between her swiftness and his size they might be able to confuse or frighten the cat enough to push it to leave the borders, but it might not be enough to ward them from injury. This time of the year it was not smart to put yourself in the possible path of injury, but with food scarce and young pups about, one had to weigh their options.

He agreed with Sage about pursuing the cat on the run. It would be their best bet. Giving her a nod of joint agreement he took the initiative to lope ahead of her. He prayed his size and the appearance of a dark mass would be enough to intimidate the cat away without direct involvement of Sage, but that wasn't quite realistic. Minutes into their trip he could hear the echo of bone on bone. A slamming crack that whipped across the mountain. Goats. Immediately he thought that this had to be the sound that attracted the cougar in the first place. Where there were fights there could be injury. Tired, lucid males, and unaware females. All the cougar needed was to wait and attack at the first weak point spotted. Scenting the trail would be their only option to know exactly where the cat had went. It seemed the cougar took the route opposite the goats, but he turned to Sage for direction. His expression simply asking, "which one?"

(This post was last modified: Dec 12, 2013, 05:01 PM by Faol.)

Hmmm...The child in me says BOTH!!! But it might be best just to do this quickly so that we can make the move without having all sorts of threads left behind...I have like....6 hah!

Their voices resounded against the mountain's rocky sides, amplified by the cold air and the walls that rose up around them. She hoped that it would be enough to get the cougar on the move- if no other wolves joined them, then it could mean a very dangerous situation for the two of them if the cat was stubborn and refused to leave when warned. Fortunately, it seemed as though the cat wasn't interested in hunting on their lands- when the sound of rams rutting filled the air, she too was momentarily distracted. It would be a choice opportunity to hunt, but even still, with only two wolves, a mountain goat might be tough unless injured or exhausted. Plus, the cougar was still in their lands.

The hunt opportunity lay in one direction while the cougar's tracks led in another. Faol allowed her to make the decision, and she apologetically wagged her tail. She wanted to hunt, but she knew that it was their duty to keep the pack safe, rather than feed themselves. It was the difference between going hungry for another day and keeping a cougar from potentially injuring or killing one of their packmates- so she prioritized that. She gestured toward the cougar's set of tracks in the snow, and picked up a trot, releasing another threatening howl as she did so.

Fortunately, within minutes, she saw a swift change in the pawprints- where once they'd belonged to a cat casually swaggering along the mountainside, they now belonged to a feline who had burst into a run- it had kicked up snow and its strides had become immense- she took this as a good sign, and renewed the threat, to keep the cat on the run.

Avatars by Arla!