Cedarwood Forest Board Up the House

<i>Hide upstairs and wait...
But no one comes.</i>
-- Genghis Tron, <a href='http://youtu.be/CKb6W2uCVis' target='_blank'>Board up the House {remix}</a>

<blockquote><i>Mid-afternoon; Partly Cloudy; Current Temperature: 77° F/25° C</i>

The scent of something strange infiltrated the air. It made Borden Lyall's senses flare and every fiber of him <i>burned</i>. Everything about the energy just beyond his markers impelled him to move forward. <i>Wait,</i> he had told the youngest members of the pack. <i>Hide. Stay hidden... Stay here. Wait.</i> Something was not wrong per se, but something just wasn't... right. Something was unpleasantly <i>close</i>. The fur along his spine bristled and his ears had edged forward atop his skull, straining to hear any foreign sound beyond the usual hum of Cedarwood's locals. His muzzle wrinkled as the scent began to grow stronger the more he pressed onward.

Whatever - <i>whoever</i> - this was... they were <i>not</i> welcome.

He prowled to step beside his next 'landmark,' a distinguishable ring of trees which encircled a cluster of mushrooms atop a rotted, fallen tree trunk. The addition of the new marker had been recent - Borden, himself, had included it for the sake of expanding the territory in favor of gaining a new blind to observe nearby prey from - and the alien perfume that now surrounded it had the leader absolutely <i>furious</i>. This creature had tiptoed along the lines of Grizzly Hollow lands and had disrespected their borders. Now, it would pay. After he was through with the intruder, not even a <span class='word'>mote</span> of tolerance or forgiveness would be granted.

His pale eyes scanned the small clearing. For a moment everything was still. Then a glimpse of mottled fur appeared through the trees. Borden let out a growl in warning as he crept closer, aiming to make his and the creature's paths finally <i>meet.</i> His hackles rose and as soon as he caught a glimpse of the bobcat who dared to cross his borders, the Hollow leader immediately dove in to attack. The feline was young... perhaps even naive... at best, likened to the young girl who had finally left her mother's care. To think it had been safe to explore or even contemplate making a home within Cedarwood was utterly foolish, especially when the scent of wolf was clearly apparent. She had not even seen him coming. A stocky paw lashed out to pin the whiskered interloper as she rolled onto her back, clearly taken by surprise. Growls ripped through the air as screeches lifted from her lungs. Anger against shock. Instinct driving one against the other. Survival of the fittest.

Dainty clawed forepaws swiped viciously at his face and she managed to wriggle away for just a moment. Borden was quick to snag one of her legs. She screamed, twisting around in attempt to sink her teeth into his limbs; but, as quickly as she had sounded out, he drowned her out with another savage snarl. No matter how much she cried, help would not come for her. Borden would make sure of it. Grizzly Hollow, under his watch, would remain protected. At all and any cost.</blockquote>

Well, what do you want from me?

Don't know if you want anyone posting here, but Follko wants to be more proactive so... Plus now he's trying to out do Kade since he doesn't really like him. XD

A loud screech echoed through the woods and the snarls of a wolf
echoed after those alien screeches. Follko was bringing his meal back to
the caches of Grizzly Hollow when he heard this disturbing noise. Dropping
the meat quickly into the cache he began to sprint towards the noise
that reverberated throughout the Hollow territory. His face was lit up with a
deadly snarl and his hackles stood straight up even as the wolf pelted
through the undergrowth. The old man knew what this noise was. Bobcats were
one of those notorious animals that liked to kill wolf cubs, but this one was not gonna
anywhere near them. Follko would back whoever was attacking the creature and make
sure the pups were safe.


Why the hell did a bobcat come into our territory in the first place? It should
have scented the markers and stayed far away. Follko was only confused for a moment
then he realized what time of year it was. Summer. A young bobcat just leaving its
parents might not know of the dangers of a wolf pack yet.
Follko leaped over fallen logs and felt the pain of his two ankles but ignored it.
Pain and complaining about that pain would come later. Even if another wolf had already
gotten to the scene first Follko would help them, but only if they needed it. A young
bobcat was inexperienced and would probably be an easier kill than a bigger adult cat.


Finally the snarls and screeches were almost ear piercing as the
blackish elder came upon the scene. Follko actually laid his ears back to keep
some of the sound out. However in just a moment he realized exactly who was taking
out the bobcat. Borden. Aw damn so I came here for nothing then. He stopped a
few feet away from the fight and watched for a second. Then he realized it was stupid
to watch. Borden shouldn't be angry if he helped. A pack was supposed to help its
leaders. That was what wolves were all about.


Follko lowered himself submissively as he came closer to the leader and the bobcat.
The stupid thing already had bad injuries from Borden now. And he doubted that
the bobcat would be able to get away too quickly with its leg bent at the angle it was at.
With a savage growl at the creature Follko snapped at the air around its face and
watched pleased as it redirected its clawed attacks towards him and not the leader.
Now with the bobcat focused on defending its head from Follko, Borden could kill it quick.

“Never to suffer would never to have been blessed.”
--Edgar Allan Poe  

:D

<blockquote>The bobcat continually swiped her claws at the leader's face, leaving him no choice but to blindly snap at her. Without being able to see and being forced to keep his eyes closed Borden had no choice but to put up with her punches. The grasses rustled and one of his eyelids instinctively flashed open when the sound was accompanied by the aroma of someone familiar. Follko had arrived, but before the Lyall could even set his gaze upon him, the feline successfully land a hard blow to his left eye. Borden withdrew slightly and anticipated another strike with flattened ears.

Follko snarled and cautiously Borden blinked. The dark male intimidated her, fully distracted her from her intentions of injuring her initial attacker even further. What the bobcat had lacked in experience, she made up with her youthful vigor and the energy to give the two men every bit of fight she had within her. The masked man's muzzle wrinkled further in annoyance and lunged at her. He might have had his paw on her but he had mindlessly lifted his weight from her hock and allowed her dodge the other brute's attacks by mere centimeters. She scrabbled away on three of her limbs, causing Borden to miss her completely with his vision temporarily debilitated in one pupil.

He lifted a paw to rub the side of his muzzle to his wrist. It didn't help. Stars were beginning to flash and twinkle everywhere the sun managed to light up the forest floor; and trying to keep his surroundings in focus, without blinking, made him feel like the whole left side of his face, from his brow to his cheek, was starting to <span class='word'>deflagrate</span>. <b>"<i>Get 'er!</i>"</b> he barked, his left paw planting back into the dirt. He whined, his neck craning his head downward as his forehead creased in pain. <b>"<i>Get her!</i>"</b></blockquote>

(This post was last modified: Jul 18, 2012, 07:23 AM by Borden.)

Well, what do you want from me?

Follko was surprised by the young bobcats vigor. It was giving the two wolves
a hard time even on three legs. The problem was those claws. Whereas
wolves had power and fangs to fight their opponents, bobcats had fangs, claws,
and speed which didn't bode well for a lone wolf attacker.


Follko flinched inwardly when Borden got caught on the eye by the spitting cat.
The elder could see the injury was giving his leader some issues especially when he
tried to hit the cat and missed by a large space. Just as the cat sped by Follko he
lunged for it and felt its fur between his two front paws. He held it down only to get
numerous scratches up and down his front legs. Those claws were getting real annoying.


"Fucker!! That hurts you little shit!" He snarled and took the cats right front leg into
his jaws and crunched down. He felt the animals brittle bones snap under his jaw pressure.
With another earsplitting screech the brown and black spotted bobcat clawed at Follko's
face. He felt deep cuts open where the cats claws struck and clung to his skin. The
brown black elder yanked his head back essentially dislocating the felines
shoulder out of its socket and then yelped jumping backwards a bit. The damn
thing tore open his face from his left ear to just under his jaw.


"Bastard cock sucking cat fucker!" And more insults came pouring outfrom the old
wolves bloodied mouth. For a second he opened his eyes to see the cat desperately
trying to get up on two legs. It stood for a second but fell as it tried to take a step forward.
"Good riddens. That shithead ain't going anywhere now." He half snarled and laughed at the pitiful creature..


"You wanna finish it? Or let it be and die slowly.?" Follko uttered a few more
curses at the cat while he waited for his alpha to recover. Now the elder truely hated
all stupid felines, but he was lucky not to have gotten as bad an injury as Borden
seemed to have gotten.
"You okay?" Follko had to bark a little louder since the cat was still spitting and hissing
from its spot. It was still trying to slink away with now two bad legs.

“Never to suffer would never to have been blessed.”
--Edgar Allan Poe  

<blockquote>The Lyall flinched as Follko's cries pierced the air, cursing the creature that had caused everything that had unfolded in mere minutes. As Borden tried to recover from the disabling attack, he focused his gaze on a fixed point in the distance, a crooked tree just beyond where the older wolf and their opponent were still at it. He blinked again, willing himself to see properly. His vision remained mismatched. The shapes in his left would not bring the blurred shapes back into focus. What stars he had worried about had ceased though the twinkling still flashed here and there. Again, Follko wailed and the leader shook his head, forcing himself to fully concentrate on the action before him.

The mottled figure that had once resisted the male's closeness wavered as she attempted to get up. The leg that Borden had practically damaged with a swipe of his forepaws was one thing... The shoulder and the arm that could no longer function with it was another.

Threat <i>eliminated</i>.

Follko mocked their now pitiful foe. What once was courageous, bold, and mettlesome was now broken beyond repair. Spirit and all. <i>"You wanna finish it?"</i> the subordinate's voice reached out to him, shattering his fixation with the creature he probably wouldn't have been able to take down on his own, given his advancing age and already stress-plagued mind. <i>"Or let it be and die slowly?"</i> Borden's ears twitched as his attention went back to the bobcat, his comrade continuing to curse it further as he thought. Truth be told the girl had put up a good fight and just as he had proven to her {as well as himself} that he was {still} not a beast to be reckoned with, she had earned the right to suffer as little as possible. <i>"You okay?"</i> Without even wasting another second to answer, he prowled forward. Though the feline dared to raise her good paw and upset her balance for the sake of one last good jab at him, Borden clamped his jowls around her neck. Her claws dug into the side of his face but soon went limp after a faint crunch came from her vertebrae.

His heart pounded in his chest and for what seemed like an eternity he stood there with the cat's body in his grip, quivering slightly. A minute passed until her bloodied fur came back into contact with the forest floor. Borden slowly turned back to Follko and carefully eyed him. <b>"I'm..."</b> he stated slowly, blinking twice as he fought the urge to flutter his eyelids and continually assess the damage that had been done. <b>"I'm okay. Are <i>you</i> all right?"</b></blockquote>

Well, what do you want from me?

Follko stopped his silent cursing and watched his leader step forward.
The gray male fastened his great jaws around the bobcats neck and
ended the poor creature. Slowly the black elder began to nod his head
in respect to the leaders decision.It did fight valiantly...


He watched blinking his orange eyes while the leader stood there
with the clawed creature still dangling from his mouth. At least the
pups were once again safe. Though the bobcat didn't make it too far into
the territory to begin with. Though it was a mistake the young feline paid with its life.
Borden still seemed to be having trouble with one of his eyes and this worried
Follko. He hoped it wouldn't be too much of a problem for Jaysyek to heal.
The elder didn't know if anyone in the pack was a healer. He guessed he would
just have to rest a while until his injuries were okay.


"Don't mind my complaining. Hehehehehe.. It's just a flesh wound! But you
should probably let someone else who knows more about herbs take a look
at that eye of yours." The blackish male smiled gruffly then flinched at the
pain spreading from the wounds on his face. For all those years as a loner
I didn't get one damn scar and now look... He shook himself then turned his head
to gaze back towards the forest where he'd come from. Everyone else
would be at the den watching the pups.


"So anyways.. Now what?" He asked Borden with a shrug of his
rusty black shoulders. " Back to the den?"

“Never to suffer would never to have been blessed.”
--Edgar Allan Poe  

<i>XD !</i>

<blockquote>The dark-pelted man stated that Borden didn't need to bother with his carping and that he ought to have his eyes looked at. Borden's brows furrowed but they eventually relaxed and he let out a weary sigh. It had been foolish to let Elettra Archer go but from where she stood, determined to keep him in a lowly place beneath Kade, it had been for the best. When he really thought about it losing his vision in one eye, even temporarily (or so he hoped), was not as bad as he initially thought. Vlarindara had managed to survive; with Grizzly Hollow for support and motivation he was certain he would be all right... even if the sight in his left eye didn't return. He offered a small smile to the male, a hint of relief that Follko wasn't badly injured aside from a few scratches.

Follko shrugged. <i>"So anyways.. Now what?"</i> The leader lifted a paw to rub his snout along the side of his forearm. He knew actually rubbing his brow instead of his muzzle would do further harm and it was the closest thing he could do to temporarily numb the uncomfortable sensations dancing across his face. <i>"Back to the den?"</i> Borden placed his paw back on the ground and he tilted his neck to one side before righting it again. <b>"Y-yeah,"</b> he replied. <b>"Check up on them. I'm... I'm going to complete my patrol route on this side of the territory. If everything's fine then feel free to continue your agenda - patrolling, hunting, scavenging, whatever."</b>

He was about to depart from the scene of the fight but after taking a step he turned back to the male with a wag of his tail. <b>"Thank you, by the way. I wouldn't have been able to take her down without you. I know she wasn't much of a threat but I... I just couldn't risk having her this close to home. So... <i>Thank you.</i>"</b></blockquote>

Well, what do you want from me?

Tiny post sorry...:(

Follko wasn't so sure of leaving the alpha as he was
to check on the borders. The elder was more worried about him
meeting some male loner who thinks he's all that. Then seeing Borden's
injuries the loner male would attack him. No Follko was not gonna leave
Borden to do border patrol alone today. He wished he could just tell him to
go back to the den himself and let Follko do the borders, but the black
wolf knew he probably would get a jaw full of sharp teeth around his
muzzle if he tried that. So he kept quiet. For the most part.


"I'm pretty sure Kade is back there with the pups or someone else..." He
ducked his head to Borden keeping himself low.
"I'm just asking I guess, but.. Can I go out on the patrol with you?" Follko
watched silently wondering if he would be refuted by the alpha. He hoped not.
But if Borden demanded it he could do nothing but run back to the den.
Maybe he could tell someone who's at the den to go out and keep Borden company
while he finishes the patrol. It wasn't safe for the leader to do a patrol the way he was.

“Never to suffer would never to have been blessed.”
--Edgar Allan Poe  

<blockquote>The corners of his mouth twitched but within moments he was able to achieve a genuine smile, even as Follko quietly declined Borden's order to ensure the old bear den had been left alone. Even if the single juvenile feline had been wandering on her own, he would not risk having any other bobcats investigate the territory further. Most of them stuck to the sides of the Mountain and the Hollow leader preferred it that way. The bears within Cedarwood ought to be one of his, if not only, main concern within this neck of the woods. <i>Not</i> rogue cats.

Follko assured him that Kade was back at the den, granted Jaysyek or Vlarindara or Sibyl had opted to patrol along the territory lines. The Lyall merely nodded. <i>"I'm just asking I guess, but.. Can I go out on the patrol with you?"</i> Borden's tail swayed upon hearing the subordinate's request. <b>"Sure,"</b> he indulged. <b>"Come along then. I'll... tell you now I'm not much of a 'talker' on these runs but I would truly appreciate the company. Never hurts to have two sets of eyes on alert."</b> He took a careful step to his left to indicate the direction of the path he was about to take, glanced towards the forest with his good eye then turned back to the male. <b>"We'll skirt along the River and make our way towards Jasper Rocks before turning towards the den site... Just... to make sure <i>she</i> wasn't traveling with anyone else. Bobcats usually hail from the east; this is the first time I've ever seen one this far from the mountain range."</b></blockquote>

Well, what do you want from me?

(Assuming they're walking now?)

His ears tipped forward listening to Borden's words. The darker
male could understand that the other male would not want to talk much.
So he nodded thoughtfully and gazed along past the gray male towards
the forest where Borden pointed to. This would be the first time Follko would get to
see the part of the territory near Jasper Rocks. He wondered if he would at some
point in the future know the land as well as Borden knew it.
Waiting for his alpha to lead Follko diligently followed along his head held not low
but not high either. He glanced around at the surrounding forest and scented the
air for any more strange scents. Whether the scents were wolf or some other
unwelcomed visitor to their packs territory.


"So bobcats are rare in these forests? Where I used to live they
multiplied like the rabbits they fed on and covered every inch of the land we
lived." Follko spoke quietly. This was all the male said as they traveled along some
unseen trail. The elder blackish wolf could remember his old pack constantly having
troubles with bobcats. Not only their pack but other bordering packs also had
trouble with the sly felines. His pack had lost more than one litters worth of pups over
the years that he lived with them. He himself had lost two sisters to bobcats. The first sister
was picked off when they were only a month and a half old. The other sister whom he had
once admired had been killed by a large bobcat while she was doing a border patrol
much like this one. She had only been a year and eight months old.


Follko shook away the memories and was quite glad to hear that bobcats like
that last one were rare to see outside of the mountains. It meant these forests were
far more wolf friendly than the ones he used to dwell in.
I wonder if any of my family miss me? Probably not. I always caused some
sort of trouble for them. As if I was a burden they had to lug around everywhere
even when I was young. He glaced forward to his alpha again and thanked Jaysyek
silently for allowing an old wolf like him into the pack. He would show her that her
choice was not a bad one. Follko would not be a burden to this pack.


So far everything else seemed fine. No strange wolf scent had crossed his nose.
He hoped the rest of the patrol would be as non eventful like it was now. Follko did
not know what exactly Jasper Rocks looked like. So he wasn't sure if they were
nearing it or not. All he did was gaze into the woods with orange eyes occasionally
setting them upon Borden's slight limping gate. The elder began to relax further
as the smell of the wood washed over his black nose. No strange scents. Only the scents
of life in the forest which were supposed to be there.

“Never to suffer would never to have been blessed.”
--Edgar Allan Poe