Turtleback Lake [s] taken by the tide

// I've been given the go-ahead to say that Vigil's Keep is currently split.
This is set around the western edge of Turtleback Lake.

That had to have been the shortest leadership any wolf had ever held in the history of all wolves. What had it been - four days? But Ayti had received what he wanted, since the Keep wolves were all heading off to find Elias and settle elsewhere. He understood that they would want to settle under Nineva again and thereby erase all of his efforts, but... well, it didn't discourage him much. He could always challenge up again, and eventually this would all work out.

He'd stayed back for a couple weeks, in case Elias showed up again, and he had Adarius with him most of the time so it wasn't too horrible to be without a pack. Ayti had never done well on his own, but now he didn't have to be.

Nose twitched as he padded along the shores of Turtleback Lake, seeking out Elias' scent.

But what he picked up was different indeed.

Feline in nature and too near for his liking, Aytigin's fur stood on end and he strode toward the scent with purpose. Whether it was a cougar or just a bobcat or lynx, they could do some serious damage to a pup, and he had Adarius to think of now. So he could not let that go unchecked.

(This post was last modified: Oct 21, 2018, 03:48 AM by Aytigin.)

As always, things at the Surge were boring. Everyone was growing used to his tricks and were starting to see through his ruses. This, of course, made it very hard for him to have any fun. Lately, however, he’d been hearing news that their neighbors may have packed up and shipped out. This has disappointed him, honestly. They had been the only chance if action and excitement that he’d get. Now what was he supposed to do? Well, explore what had been theirs of course.

The boy headed in the direction that the troublemakers has settled. He moved at a leisurely pace, as if he hadn’t had any particular time or place to be. And, of course, he didn’t. Leith went by his time, followed his own clock. Everything he did was slow and calculated, methodical even if his silliness made him seem otherwise. And all the better for him if others didn’t see it. He could pull strings from behind better that way to suit his own taste.

As he neared the western edge of the lake, a particular scent blew across him. His hackles rose and he paused, emerald gaze squinting and peering around him. God damn bobcats. They were pissy little guys, always skulking around like they owned the place. He gave himself a shake and went to take a step forward, but a growling-hiss made him pause once more. Suddenly, the cat appeared from beneath the roots of a nearby tree. Ah, so he’d happened upon a den did he?

The Stark child lifted his chin indignantly, tail lifting behind his frame. Lips lifted to reveal his canines and a growl reverberated up his throat. ”Aye! I ain’t here t’ mess with yer kids, aight? So I sugges’ ya get on yer way and I’ll get on mine,” he grumbled. But, the cat didn’t speak wolf. However, it did speak body language and it wasn’t liking his one bit. With a yowl the cat sprung forward, swatting at his face with it’s needle claws. He snarled, ducking and skittering away with auds flattened to his skull. Well, he’d wanted action and now he was getting it.

He smelled and heard them far before he saw them. Now that he was closer, Driftwood scent was harsh and pungent on the breeze. But it wasn't a Surge wolf he had encountered before, he didn't think. Too young for him to have known in his time there - a possible pup he would have been babysitting had he not fucked up as he had during breeding season. But he didn't regret it, now that he had met Dari. Whether the pup was his or not didn't seem to matter - he fully accepted him as his own, whether Adarius liked it or not. It wasn't something that he had brought up or anything.

Hazel gaze snapped up at the yowl of an angry felidae, and his ears angled forward. This whole thing smelled of a pup in danger, and that wasn't something Aytigin could ignore, whether the pack the pup was from would maul him or not. So he sprinted toward the commotion as quickly as he could manage - which, to be fair, was not very quick.

It wasn't until he crested a small hill that he saw the pup and cat in question. Thank god it was a bobcat and not a lion, or they would be in real trouble. Not that they weren't in enough already, because even a cat that small could cause damage. But Aytigin was not afraid of himself getting severely injured in this fight.

What he was worried about was the pup.

The distance was hard to close when he wasn't as quick as he would like. He just hoped he could get there before the child was seriously hurt.

You smell the remains of an elk nearby. Enjoy your feast! +10 Health

Leith’s full attention was placed on the feline in front of him, because he couldn’t afford to think about anything else. Even at 6 months of age he hadn’t had much experience with fighting. Sure he’d gotten into a few scuffles, but this? This was life or death. This cat was out for blood and, unlucky for Leith, he was all bark and no bite. Thus, he acted purely on instinct.

The pair circled, the bobcat lunging and Lee dodging in just enough time. He snapped at the feline, jaws closing with a sharp click and a warning growl rumbling from him. However, it seemed it wasn’t deterred. After all, the pair were roughly the same size and the other mammal clearly had experience on its side.

Suddenly, the scent of a wolf crossed the breeze and for a moment he was distracted. Could it be someone from the pack? His emerald gaze shifted from his rival for just a moment, and that was when it took its chance. Pouncing forward with outstretched, oversized paws it sunk its claws into the nape of his neck. He yelped, thrown off balance by the force of the blow he fell with the animal on top of him. Teeth met his shoulder and he snarled, snapping his jaws at anything they could grab and lifting his lower body to rake his claws against the body of his assailant. He wouldn’t go down without a fight.

Ayti cringed when the kid took his attention off of the cat and laid it on Aytigin himself. The feline was swift in its reaction and lunged forward, latching onto the youth with no intention of letting go. And for a moment, Ayti both cursed and thanked god for his large size. On one hand, he was capable of overpowering the smaller cat. On the other, he took forever to even get to the fray, and that was detrimental on all accounts.

Finally, the massive wolf reached the two. It was clear the pale-furred boy was fighting at his best, but he couldn't succeed in this battle. It only drove Aytigin further - with more of a vengeance. Adarius was still out there, and this beast was not going to be allowed to be anywhere near his own kid.

Leaping with his own paws outstretched, Aytigin's fangs came into contact with the side of the cats neck and he managed to dislodge it from the pup. He and the cat both went rolling - the bobcat was furiously clawing at the mocha-furred man's shoulders and neck, but Aytigin wouldn't let go either. And it wasn't even doing that much damage - nothing in comparison to what it could do to a pup.

He didn't kill it instantly, and the two broke apart, but the cat was badly wounded. Its tongue stuck out as it heaved for air, standing still momentarily and staring at the two wolves before leaping again.

He felt like he’d been fighting for hours when in all reality it had only been a few seconds. But, suddenly, the weight was off of him and he felt like he could breath. He sucked in lungs full of air, rolling to his stomach clumsily then grimacing at the pain. He looked to his right to see blood freely running from his shoulder, coating his white pelt in bright crimson. Ah fuck, that was going to do some damage.

His attention returned to the scuffle, where the two had just rolled apart. The car was badly wounded, and some wounds had been inflicted on the massive stranger but none near as bad as his opponent. The boy felt indignation rise in his chest. He wasn’t some damn damsel in distress. Who even was this guy?

As the cat lunged again, the boy was quick to his feet. He wouldn’t let the stranger have the crowning glory. He moved himself, this time being the one to ram the other off their feet. With it on the ground and already wounded badly, it didn’t have much more fight left in it. He stuck downward, sinking his teeth into its throat and shaking violently. Gurgling yowls echoed into the openness of the lake air and bounced off the trees before dissipating with the cat’s life. Once it stopped twitching, he released it and stepped back. His tail lashed behind his pale frame. ”Now ya got what was comin’ to ya, ya fucker,” he said, spitting at the corpse. No one messed with Leith Stark and lived.

The kid was quick to act then, lunging at the cat and finishing the job. It was cute how he was acting like he did that all on his own, though Ayti was pretty damn sure he would have been cat food if he hadn't been there. Still, he wasn't going to say that - a bit of pandering to the kid's ego wasn't going to hurt anyone.

"Showed him who was boss, didn't ya?" Ayti asked the pup, a small smile formed on his lips. It faded when he saw all the blood, brows drawing together in concern. "That can't feel too good. We'd better get you back to Lach, so he can patch you up," the older wolf reasoned, but didn't step closer to the pup just yet. "Let's go rinse it off in the lake first. Clean it up a little so it doesn't get infected."

Clearing his throat, he turned to head toward the water, only pausing momentarily to look back at the kid. "What's your name?"

His emerald gaze turned to the stranger as he spoke, gaze narrowing at his comment. “I coulda handled ‘er. I was jus’ playin’” he replied with a flick of his tail. Yeah, that’s definitely what had happened. The man mentioned his wounds, saying that they couldn’t feel good. He’d been about to lift his head and sniff, playing it off like he was all big and bad when the man mentioned his father’s name. He squinted, eyeing him up and down (or rather, mostly up). Why did he know his name, and enough to simply refer to his father as ‘Lach’?

As curious as he was, Leith would find a way to get the information out of the man. But, he never went straight forward. The Stark boy was manipulative and sly. He liked a good puzzle. ”Eh, it ain’t so bad. Me an’ Mak’ve done worse t’ each other. But ah s’pose a lil’ dip wouldn’ ‘urt,” he replied, moving forward to sweep past the man and toward the water’s edge as he inquired about his name. He let it hang in the air as he slipped into the waves, biting back a wince as the frigid liquid bit at his skin and wounds.

“Ah’m Leith. Ya can call me Lee if ya want, though. I ain’t so formal, bunch uh shit tryna kiss ass,” he replied, buckling his legs to dip his back below the waves. He rose again, giving his pelt a good shake spraying crimson water droplets all around them. Boy that stung. “Now tha’ ya know mine, wha’s yers?” he asked, bright eyes flickering back to offer a charming grin from his charcoal tinged muzzle.

(This post was last modified: Nov 03, 2018, 04:07 AM by Leith.)