Jasper Rocks Feline Fancy

I was hoping for him to go out with a bang.

He didn't want to wake up. His constantly shivering body yanked his eyes open alerting his tired mind of the feline scent drifting in the air. Follko's orange eyes snapped open wide with urgency. Keeping as quiet as he could be the elder lifted his head ever so slightly and scented the air. Lion scent permeated the area telling the man to stay hidden. A mountain lion was extremely close by.

The ex-hollow wolf had been staying near his old packs territory unwilling to go out any further. Sleeping in the crooks of trees and paw-made snow nests. His latest sleeping spot apparently was not a safe place. Though his body was well hidden from view in a snow nest wedged under and between numerous bushes. Where are you bastard... Unable to pinpoint where the animal was Follko tried to stop his shivering so that the creature would not see his hiding place. His ears swiveled listening to the area around him. Listening for paw steps crunching on old snow.

His breath came in short puffs while he waited, hid, and listened. Soon the telltale paw steps of some creature stalking over the hardened snow caught his black ears. The animal was dangerously close. A low growl emitting from its throat as it scented wolf but could not find it. Being a creature that hunted deer, Mountain lions would attack lone wolves and kill them to get rid of the competition.

Follko sincerely hoped this one would give up soon and stalk away to some other place.

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

Sometimes Sibyl wondered if it was his ghost she scented on the icy winds. Follko had been gone so long, and though the winter was not unseasonably harsh, any northern winter would be a trial for an old, injured, lonely wolf. Sometimes she would find tracks coated in his scent, or a few dark hairs left in the snow. Despite this evidence, following these leads never lead her anywhere. She tried to not give up hope that he was truly gone, but was beginning to wonder if the signs of him were his spirit lingering on the border, still tied to his pack even through death...

On the day's scouting Sibyl found such a set of wolfish tracks, leading right towards Follko's recognizable yet diseased stench. Sibyl stopped for a moment, her breath caught in her throat as her mind reeled. Could that be him? Alive? Or would she only find more empty forest ahead of her? She set off at a run, cold air burning in her lungs as she sprinted after his pungent scent, before he might disappear again. Too excited by the prospect of finding him alive, she was oblivious to the scent of the big cat. Cougars weren't something the small wolf had ever encountered.

"Follko! Mister Follko!" She hollered, skidding to a stop once she came to a set of snow draped bushes where Follko could just be seen nestled still and inside. She poked her head timidly between the branches of the bush so that she could see him better. She almost wished she hadn't, as he looked terrible, sick and gaunt. He was so nice, and he didn't deserve this. "Mister Follko, what are you doing out here? Why have you left? Why don't you come back?" She choked out, blinking through the burn of unshed tears. She had no idea of the feline that lurked at her back.

His orange eyes widened as another set of paw steps, lighter and quicker, came to his ears. They were quickly coming his direction. Does this thing have a kitten with it? He wondered starting to get antsy. The need to cough ached in his chest but he held back to keep himself hidden. Then the scent hit him. wolf scent. Familiar wolf scent.

Grizzly Hollow scent. More specifically his friend Sibyl's scent.

Why is the little lady here of all places?!? He cursed silently with a snarl lighting his face. The ache in his chest growing tighter with each passing moment. Her paw steps came ever closer. Until he spotted her brownish fur trudging carefree through the dangerous area around them. He growled realizing that she was coming for him... Had Borden not told the rest of his members that he had chosen to leave? Or did she know this and not care? Did Sibyl still want to help him?

Annoyance and anger flickered across his face as she padded right up to him giving away his hiding place in the process. Then she began crying and asking him about why he'd left. Apparently Borden did not tell her about my leaving. Which means Shadowstorm and the rest of the pack don't know either. He sighed knowing there was no way out of this situation. It was likely the cougar now knew where the both of them were.

"I left because I didn't want to pass on this sickness to the younger one's. I couldn't bare to see the pups Renier, Calla, Ryvet, or Taima get sick. Not when I was supposed to help teach them about the world.." He answered the females question then gave her an exasperated sigh. Now how was he supposed to evade the sight of the mountain lion?

"You picked the worst possible time to find me ya know?..."He growled then finally gave in to the aching need to cough. Standing up the male brushed passed Sibyl and began to suffer through a bad fit of coughing. All the while keeping his eyes open gazing around at his surroundings for the cougar. Why the hell could they hide so well? "Stupid tawny coated son of a bitch.." He cursed not realizing that Sibyl might misunderstand and think he was talking about her.

The coughing fit subsided and Follko was finally able to listen to the silence around them. The big cats paw steps were gone. Likely because it was hiding or stalking to two wolves. The silence unnerved the old wolf. Without looking back to Sibyl he began padding away. He wanted to get as far as he could away from the danger there.

It will attack in his next post or in your post if you so wish.

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

Sibyl's lips pulled into a thin line, understanding but still unsure of Follko's reason for leaving. Surely, there was some other way to keep Follko away from the children without making him suffer in the wilderness. Her rusty red ears pinned to the side of her head as he growled to her, though she wasn't sure what about this moment made it the 'worst possible time'...

Follko began to head off into the forest, and despite the curses he seemed to direct her way Sibyl slunk low after him. Even if he was mad at her, she couldn't let him back out of her sight again. Maybe, somehow, she could convince him to come back. The coughs that rattled his frame were worse than she had remembered, but she had the smallest of hopes that maybe, this time, Aniu could find the right concoction of herbs to heal him. Spring was just around the corner, and she wanted to tell him that if he held on just a bit longer, things would be better. Instead, her mouth felt dry and dusty, cementing the words in her throat, and she kept as a silent shadow in his tracks. But, most silent of all was the puma skirting just out of sight of the wolves.

The elderly wolf was not unhappy that Sibyl was following, but in fact was worried for her. Though two wolves presence might keep the cougar away longer it will eventually realize that Follko was very weak. The old black wolf was feigning strength of a healthy wolf by padding strongly ahead and lifting his head a bit as he strode forward. However with each step he took the strength ebbed from his black legs, his tail drifted downward, and the wheezes grew louder from his throat.

The old man kept his orange gaze aloof trying to watch many area's around him at once. To increase the chance of spotting the lion.

"Sibyl... You have to go back to Borden. Tell him that there's a mountain lion near their territory... It might not attack the pack but It sure as hell will go after wolves caught out alone, and the pups..." He growled still tense waiting for it to attack. Follko planned on getting as close as he could to the border to help Sibyl get away, or perhaps howl to alert the others of the danger.

A flash of tan fur caught his good eye and Follko snarled tripping sideways while trying to avoid the claws and teeth that appeared just above him. It had sprung from a tree to surprise the wolves, and it was going after the weakest first.

Knocked sideways by the tan body that slammed into him Follko fought to catch his breath. Instead a fit of coughing left him gasping for air on the ground as the cat pinned Follko down with a large paw, sharp claws gripping into his chest. The elders orange eyes opened wide with fright as the cat stared down at him shrieking a war cry. It was about to get rid of the competition for food in this area.

"Sibyl.. GET!...GET OUT OF HERE!!" His howl to the young lady was cut off by the cat who placed its free paw on the side of the black wolfs head burying his muzzle in the snow with its weight. Another screech came from the big cat as it towered over the pinned wolf. Follko struggled helplessly kicking with his free legs weakly at the cats muscular body.

With deep glittering eyes the cat, gripped with blood lust, dipped its head and fastened its fangs into Follko's neck. The old mans scream came from the snow as a gurgle as blood welled up into his throat and mouth. Fear was the only thing that dulled the ex-Hollow wolfs eyes.

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

Her jaw dropped in near-disbelief, a horrified downward turn at the corners of her mouth as Follko told her of the lion's presence. Was there something wrong with the Hollow? Was the very soil they tread on sullied with some curse as to bring all manners of wild beasts within their bounds? Bears, bobcats, foxes, and now cougars? Sibyl's head whipped around, suddenly aware of the feline scent that had earlier gone ignored. She shrank down, the beginnings of a tremor shaking her narrow frame. She started to slowly back away, eyes wide and nostrils flared as she was now aware of just what she had been bothering Follko. "Mm-m-m-mister Follko, sir, s-s-sorry, I-" she began an apology in that tiny voice of hers, but would not get the chance to finish it.

A sharp yelp screeched forth from Sibyl's mouth, clashing cacophonously with the puma's yowl. Sibyl's body ducked and dodged away reflexively before her eyes could catch up with what had happened. A big tawny beast full of teeth and claws had dropped from the sky, so sudden she nearly expected the thing to have wings attached to its sinewy shoulders. She waited, tense, helpless as she could do nothing but watch the cougar shove her friend roughly against the snow. With what were to be his last words, Follko screamed at her to run. Black edged in at the corners of her vision, tunneling frighteningly onto the horrid scene.

Briefly Kiche flashed through her mind, how she had left him behind at the risk he could have been killed. But, all that blood. The choked gurgle, his futile attempts at escape, the pained convulsions of the old man's body under the cat's wide paw. Dead, dead, dead. There was no hope for him now. When the cat looked up at her, bloodstained lips lifting to issue forth a hiss, Sibyl was snapped from her trance. She turned sharply, paws skittering and slipping uselessly in the snow for a few panicked seconds before she gained enough traction and bolted. As fast as her legs could carry her she ran, fast and far, not daring to look back to see Follko's bloodied body or even if the puma was following. Not even a whimper broke her parched throat, as she instinctively knew that signs of fear would only signal to the cougar just where she had escaped to.