Raven's Watch This is why we can't have nice things

Cahira Had spent most of her time on this part of the mountain. So far, she hadn't run into any wolves and prey was pretty easy to come by. Today, she found a nice, sunny spot and had spent most of the afternoon there soaking the warmth of the sun into her tawny coat. The wounds she had suffered had all pretty much healed, the only evidence now was new pink skin where any punctures had been. 

She owed the healing of the wound that had been infected to a lone wolf she had come across who had been brazen enough to strike a deal with her. She helped him hunt, and he had treated her infection. It was unorthodox, but she wasn't in the mood to die yet, especially at the hands of a wolf. All was well now, though, and she hardly thought about the fight anymore. 

So, she pushed those thoughts from her mind and just thought about how good the sun felt on her face, her tail periodically making slow, lazy movements up and down.

Grezig was taking one of her usual scouting missions outside the borders of the Plateau, though she never went too far. Today, she found herself walking around the perimeter of a lake. An overlook loomed above her, but the sun was high in the sky and there was some summer heat to it. It felt very nice, and despite herself, Grezig was feeling incredibly sleepy. In an effort to wake herself up a bit, she charged into the lake and dunked her head underwater. Despite the temperature of the air, this lake was cold and she quickly jumped out of the water with a yell, shaking the droplets from her fur. Instead of being annoyed, however, she grinned. The water had, indeed, woken her up! She was so focused on the wind blowing through her wet fur now that she did not notice the mountain lion nearby. They were good at holding still to an eerie degree, so perhaps that was why it had escaped her notice…

So consumed in her basking under the sun, Cahira did not notice the wolf below at first. When the unwelcome scent reached her nose on a deep inhale, her eyes shot open and her tail gave a few hard flicks in response. You have got to be fucking kidding me, she thought as her keen gaze found the wolf below near the lake. Not particularly wanting another fight, the predator just watched the wolf for a while as it moved and then sprinted into the frigid water. When it jumped out in surprise, Cahira rolled her eyes, and didn't even try to contain the scornful huff that followed. Why were most wolves always so dumb? And why could she not find one damn place that was free of the insufferable canines?  It seemed she was cursed to forever be forced to interact with the other apex predators no matter how hard she tried to avoid them.

Grezig shook the water from her fur and the biting wind abated somewhat. She was back to her serious self within moments, trying to think of something constructive to do now that she was wide awake. She was too far away from Blacktail Deer Plateau to do any hunting, for she’d have to carry whatever she caught for a day or so to reach the pack lands again. There was little point to that. She looked around, still trying to decide, when her eyes landed on the mountain lion. She froze—her entire body was rooted to the spot where she stood. Her legs were stiff as tree trunks, her eyes locked onto the predator, then she quickly looked away from it, though she kept it in her periphery. There was something about not looking a cat right in the eyes. It made them angry. Something her parents had taught her when she was young. Shit, she thought, her mind racing. What do I do now?

She watched as the wolf finally became aware of her presence and froze. Cahira briefly deliberated what she should do next. She really wasn't in the mood for a fight, and unless this wolf was dumber than most, she probably wouldn't want to take the cat on without any backup. She stayed on her perch for a few long minutes, watching the wolf and deciding what she should do. Eventually, she stretched and slowly moved into a sitting position, emitting a large yawn that displayed her formidable teeth before giving the wolf a bored look. I'm not going to start anything, so chill out, she said coolly, her amber gaze resting on the wolves face as she spoke.

The cat yawned, which gave Grezig pause. It didn’t seem like it was going to attack her, but then—it made noises at her. Cat sounds that Grezig could not understand, for she was a wolf. She could not help but make eye contact again, mostly out of confusion, then she quickly looked away, silently cursing herself. Whatever this cat did or did not want, it was still dangerous. Slowly—for she had also learned not to run, lest she ignite the Cat’s chase instincts—she meandered away from the area. She hoped fervently that the Cat would not follow as she stiff-leggedly marched away.

[Exit?]