been black and blue before

Cougar hunting party, forward!

They traveled North, up the sharp slopes that housed their home and past, to the sheer bluffs that aided in disguising Lost Lake from the world's eye. It was the outskirts, an area the pack did not often venture, and for good reason. It was dangerous enough in the thick of Summer's heat, nevermind grappling with Winter as it laid it's claim in sheets of ice upon ice. Chan had a theory, however. He was certain that if the cougar had denned somewhere safe or low within the valley, one of the Cove wolves would have found it by now. After all, the terrain only offered so many hospitable locations.

This cat had based somewhere crafty, somewhere out of the way. Intentionally kept from the wolf pack it was leeching off of by residing where they could not go.

The sky above was still and cloudless, the weather having broken as if to gift them with this very opportunity. Chan's mismatched gaze strained to search every inch of their surroundings as the trio walked, determined to finally bring home some good news. With @Flair and @Nash both at his side, he was feeling relatively confident that they were working with favorable odds. He knew better than to deny the possibility of failure, however.

"Anything?" he asked of his company, even though he knew they would have spoken up if they had seen something of importance. They'd been at this a few hours, now.

(This post was last modified: Dec 10, 2021, 04:45 AM by Chan.)

It had been too long already, living with this pest sneaking around their lands, raiding their caches whenever it had the chance. Despite everyone searching the pack lands and near surroundings, the creature had managed to stay hidden – either crafty enough to obscure its tracks or just too damn lucky. Either way, Flair was sick of it, and she was sick of going hunting just to fill this insolent beast’s stomach!   Now, finally, they were doing what they should have weeks ago, as soon as all other avenues had been exhausted; Going to the only logical spot left. She didn’t exactly blame Chan, or anyone else, for holding out for this long – no more than she blamed herself anyway, but she was tired and frustrated and so ready to tear this bastard cat apart!   The clear skies was a small favor. This high, out of the protection of the valley, the winds whipped up loose snow and whirled it into their faces, forcing their eyes to slits. That and the burning brightness of the white all around them made it pretty much impossible to see anything, so when Chan asked his question, she only drawled in a mock-questioning tone: “I’m freezing my ass off?” As if that might be the kind of vital information he was asking for. ”Speech" Thoughts

dawnthieves.de, FairieGoodMother @DA & Lakela @DA

When Chan had approached him about joining his scouting mission to find, and hopefully oust, the cougar that had made their territory its home, Nash had of course jumped on the chance. Even though he was still recovering from whatever illness had dragged him down, he had been keeping a sharp eye out for the feline. None of the pups had fallen victim to it fortunately, but it was only a matter of time if they didn't chase it off or kill it. Winter was here, and food was harder and harder to come by.

Even if the cougar didn't directly kill a pup, its raids on their caches very well could. They were going to be short on food as it was.

The hike up was long and arduous, and Nash couldn't help but be a little nervous in so precarious a position. With the way their father had died, Nash did not trust the mountain this far up. Still, it seemed the only choice left for them. If the cat wasn't here, he wasn't sure where else to look.

When Chan checked in with them, Nash shook his head - then huffed out a short chuckle at Flair's short response. "It's bright," he said, "and I don't think cats like to come out during the height of the day. I haven't had to fight one before, but my brief encounters have always been around dawn or dusk."

what i'm picturing: click

Even if they didn't want it of him, Chan did feel bad for putting the two through what was turning out to be a rather fruitless ordeal. It showed in the way his ears tilted back before softly offering them both;

"Just say the word when you guys're ready to turn around."

He should have just done this himself, and then he would have only wasted his own time. Of course, maybe... maybe they just had to push on a little bit further...

"If we get the d-," something caught his eye as he spoke, grabbing his attention and halting his words. Chan narrowed his eyes and stepped closer to the edge of the crevasse-like dip they'd been skirting, peering closer at the hump of ice sticking out from what otherwise was a smooth, powdery wall.

"Wait here."

He couldn't smell anything, couldn't see any disturbances in the snow. That meant he needed to get closer to see what it was. Chan stepped over the edge and slid down into the crook, using the mound itself to stop his momentum without slipping. Up closer, it was clear; there was a dark opening, leading to somewhere underground. Chan took a deep breath, and the stench of cat assaulted his senses.

(This post was last modified: Dec 30, 2021, 02:37 AM by Chan.)

She liked to gripe, it was her nature, but really would’ve been insulted if Chan hadn’t asked her along to deal with their cat-trouble. If there was one thing she knew how to do, it was fight, so any chance to use that talent for the pack was fully welcomed by the fiery woman – even if she wished the fight had been on a sunny meadow instead of the freezing heights.   Still, she had no intention of turning back, giving a short growl at Chan’s words to underline her determination. She’d spend 2 years on the icy plains up north, she could handle a bit of mountain climbing.   The brother’s seemed as set as her on finally sorting this mess, though Nash raised a good point about puma-habits. Letting them do the talking, she kept looking around as much as was possible, but when Chan suddenly trailed off, her attention returned to her companions. She couldn’t see what their leader had spotted, but instead watched him carefully as he walked carefully close to the ledge, making ready to grab hold of his tail, should the snow give way beneath his weight.   But instead, Chan went willingly down the slope, earning an annoyed huff from the rusty shewolf as she cautiously walked to his former viewpoint, to see what the fuss was about. She still only saw snow and ice, blinking against the white as she tried to keep sight of her friend amidst it all; I suppose there’s some shelter down there, at least… She mused, considering whether or not to follow, for that reason alone. But if it turned out to be nothing, she’d rather be spared the climb back up. Instead she turned to Nash, addressing his earlier point: “If we can find its den now, while it’s sleepin’, we stand a better chance of takin’ it by surprise.”   Little did she know that Chan had done just that, and the element of surprise was fading already. ”Speech" Thoughts

dawnthieves.de, FairieGoodMother @DA & Lakela @DA

It seemed both Chan and Flair were in agreement with him on the sleeping habits of cats, but Chan's next thought faltered as something caught his attention. Nash glanced briefly at Flair and found her carefully watching their leader, so he scanned their surroundings for any sign of their quarry. They were sneaky, and liked to come from behind. He knew they struck quickly, too; he'd seen one take down a deer, quick as lightning. He wouldn't let one creep up on them today. It was his responsibility as guardian to look after them, even here.

He nodded at Flair's words and risked a glance down at his brother. He was focused on something. "Did you find anything?" he called down, keeping his voice as quiet as he could while still being heard.

Chan could hear voices above him, but whatever words they carried were lost. His mind could only focus on the pitched, threatening growl leaking out of the ice den's maw. Asleep it was not - the cat knew he was there, and it was taking his presence very personally already. His muscles wanted to tighten and freeze, but he forced himself to turn and bolt. The way he'd come was clearly not a viable option, something he'd formed something of a solution to before slipping into the steep ditch.

"Bury it!" he barked in the same instance, the only thing he could think of that didn't ask his pack mates to attack a cougar. At the least, it would give him enough time to run the length of the crevasse, to its end where it wound upward and joined the path they'd been walking.

The ground was more rock than earth, providing an incredibly uneven terrain that was also coated in ice. It slowed Chan greatly, and while the sound of the cougar bursting from it's hiding place gave him an extra push, it wasn't enough. Teeth clamped down on his tail, tearing what little flesh and meat there was to cut down against the bone. It yanked painfully, all the way up his spine in a way that forced a yelp from his throat. Before he could react, the cat was grinding it's jaws and the vertebrae severed.

Chan kept running.

(This post was last modified: Jan 05, 2022, 11:11 PM by Chan.)

She glanced sideways briefly as Nash called to his brother, ears flicking back in anxiety; If it hears you… There was no time to finish the thought. Below, Chan was moving, quickly, his body language communicating clearly even before his shout could reach the bluff.   Flair jumped instantly, bounding forwards and landing on the ledge she had been so worried about collapsing, sending a cascade of snow, ice and rocks rolling down the side of the ravine towards the cougar’s den. But it was too late already.   Like lightning, the beast shot out of its cave, hot on Chan’s heels and catching up fast. “Shit!” Without taking time to think, Flair reacted, leaping over the edge to her friend’s aid. She half ran half skidded down the slope at break-neck speed, straight at the cat, jaws already parted.   She collided with the enemy just as it gnashed down on Chan’s tail, his yelp ringing in her ears, filling her with rage. Her own teeth closed on the cougar’s neck, taking a solid hold of the loose skin there as she half straddled its back. The creature thrashed and bucked, unable to reach Flair with teeth or claws, but her grip was failing, teeth sliding through skin and fur and then, with one final vault, the fiery wolf was sent flying.   With a loud thump, she slammed against a rock face, the air knocked from her lungs as pain shot through her side and the world spun. ”Speech" Thoughts

dawnthieves.de, FairieGoodMother @DA & Lakela @DA

It all started happening so fast. Chan was suddenly moving, and Flair and Nash were in motion at the same time. While Flair threw herself down onto the ledge and then at the feline, Nash skittered around a side-way and down an incline of rocks. He arrived the the center of the battle just as Flair was being thrown, and before the cougar could turn and follow her Nash was upon it, snarling and tearing at its shoulders with his teeth as he scrambled around on the slippery slope to stay out of its reach. Cats were so much more flexible-

The cougar twisted in a half-roll, swiping one massive paw at Nash's head. He jumped back while ducking, and his back right paws lost all traction, skidding across the icy incline while his body went the other way. A sharp yipe left his mouth as something in his hip wrenched and he fell, tumbling a short distance down the incline. Huffing with a short, quiet whine escaping with every breath, Nash forced himself back onto his paws to face the bared teeth of the disturbed cougar.

Chan could hear the others rush the hefty feline, causing his heart to lodge itself even further up his throat. He thought he might be able to taste it, practically vibrating against the root of his tongue. He dug in his paws and shifted, turning completely around to face the beast as well. If they were going to risk their lives, so would he.

His face twisted violently with fully bared fangs as the cougar officially shifted from rival to prey.

Flair hit the ground one way and Nash the other, but damage had been done. It's wild eyes were too distracted to see Chan return to the fray, leaving the opening for him to strike as well. He aimed for the back of the neck where his pack mate's fangs had torn flesh and drawn blood, and dug in with vicious, deeply gouging bites when success was found.

A yowling scream rent the air, but it wasn't done fighting for it's life yet.

(This post was last modified: Jan 15, 2022, 09:08 PM by Chan.)