Blackfoot Forest new blood

The children had changed everything with their arrival. When once he might have patrolled the territory edge for hours upon hours, now it took effort to leave the den for any measurable amount of time. Njal was not irritated by this fact. He was enamored by the tiny bodies that were held inside the den, nestled neatly beside Tuwawi. He was distracted, thoroughly distracted. It took great effort to finally pry himself from her presence - from their's - and once he did, the new father was craving their company on a constant, lovesick basis. The threat of the Sunspire pack had nearly evaporated in his mind, which was dangerous. Considering the threat that Jace and Ferdie still posed (and the comments they made towards his wife and family), the pair of fools should have been on the top of his list.

Njal reacquainted himself with the surroundings for a few hours. He traced the paths he once roamed, worming his way around the territory, familiarizing himself with the shifting scents. There were more wolves within Swiftcurrent now, some which were very new. What else had he missed? It didn't matter - the children were the future of the pack, and that was what counted. As long as they were safe, everything he did was worth it. The beast slowed his pace as he marched through the budding Wapun Meadow, and then when a scent caught his attention, he veered in to the forest. It had been his plan to dig a few more dens - and he had, just not this far south of the river. Not yet. The forest would provide ample cover but, with the bulk of its growth hidden in the crook of the mountains, Njal was unsure of its safety level. He thought he had caught a few familiar scents as he moved between the trunks - but they made little sense.

Jace had been here at some point. Maybe others? An animal scent was pervasive, but it wasn't wolf. Njal was reminded of the cougar that attacked earlier in the year, and his body grew stiff with apprehension. This isn't a safe place yet, he thought grimly. Perhaps he could work on guarding the forest as well - but that put him at a distance from Tuwawi. Decisions, decisions.

Speaking of cougars~

The cougar had found the piles of foxes the wolf Jace had described to her. Though cougars rarely ate another's kill, Laksha was insane so all rules of cougar life did not really apply to her. She feasted, feeling wonderfully full, then curled up on a thick tree branch and slept.

Sometime in the middle of the day she was awakened by the sound of heavy footsteps below. It wasn't the light-footed steps of deer or elk, but it wasn't the plodding gait of a bear either. She opened her blood-red eyes and glared down at the mystery beast, seeing another wolf below in the forest. It was not Jace, nor was it the fox-wolf or the gray one, it was someone else she did not know. She purred, intriguied by another wolf in the forest she hoped to claim one day and pounced down on the forest floor close to him. "Wolfff....." she purred, tail flicking gently as she regarded the male.

As he considered the best course of action in regards to the forest, Njal meandered between the trees. His head was raised and he inhaled every few feet, trying to discern where the aroma was coming from. The more he wandered - even just a few feet in one direction or another - the stronger the scent appeared to become. He halted when a voice drifted down to him from the trees, but only to bristle and become agitated. He surveyed the trees - keeping his eyes in line with the tangled boughs above - and after a few moments he caught sight of it: a cougar.

The last time the Swiftcurrent wolves had encountered a cougar, it had been in the open plains - and the beast had been disposed of with the force of the entire pack. It had not happened without injury, though. Njal was aware of the scar on his head and the vague memory of the ensuing sickness from the last beast's poorly placed bite. It throbbed in Harry Potter-esque style, but only briefly. A low sound permeated the air as Njal paced around the tree's trunk, like a hound which had tree'd their target.

He had not known cougars to be talkative beasts. Perhaps the way this one slurred its sounds was indicative of a language barrier; but Njal didn't care much for linguistics. The warden was zeroed in on this threat and would not let his attention waver. "Cougar." He stated, as she had spotted him and identified his own species with a similar bluntness. But he went further, and verbally prodded: "I'd help you out of that tree if you were in any way welcome here." There was a violent sheen in his eyes that warned against such action though - the only warning he would give.

The albino cougar mirrored the wolf's angry gaze with her own insane one. Suddenly she whined at the sudden torrent of voices whispering in her ear. The cougar paced and pawed at her ear desperately in a vain attempt to silence them. Kill wolf.....kill....red....blood......kill.... Laksha shook her head and then fixed her blood-red gaze on the wolf, trying to drown out the voices with her own.

"I go wherre I pleassse....I do not need do be welcomed....." she hissed. The claims of a pack would not deter her from living where she pleased. Pack borders usually applied to other wolves and even if this wolf wanted her gone, he would have to make her do so.

The arrogance of the big cat was no surprise, although the threat that it posed remained very obvious. Njal was not comfortable with it simply lounging about in the trees the way it did. The possibility that this animal would try and take one of his kids was far too great; even if they were still along the riverside. The cat posed a new problem for Njal though. He had wanted to make a few more den sites for Tuwawi and the kids, and yet, there was no point in putting forth the effort if a cougar such as this lived here. The wolf huffed softly to himself but made no mention of his thoughts—he cast a hateful little look towards the cat's shadowed face, and then began to creep around the base of the tree.

If he alerted Fox to the presence of this pest, this danger, then maybe they could drive it out. The pack had driven out a cougar before—this one was no different. But he did not alert anyone just yet; there was still the matter of Jace and the lingering scent that Njal had tracked through the trees. Were these two somehow in league with one another? Despite the tension in the air (and the comment made by the cougar in retort to his idle threat) Njal acted as if they were having some kind of casual conversation. He paused in his stride and raised a question to the feline: "How many wolves have you seen so far from your precious tree?"

Below her, the wolf paced around the tree, giving her baleful glances. She only purred in response, red gaze fixing on the canine below. The white cougar sunk her claws into the tree, sharpening them menacingly, preparing for a fight. This dog obviously wanted her out and if intimidation did not work, then claws and fangs would have to try.

But the wolf paused, looking up at her. He asked how many wolves she saw cross under her tree. She wondered what the purpose of the question was, but answered nonetheless. "You arre the only one...." she growled. Her tail lashed gently. Hurry....hurry.....kill.....kiiilll...... the voices hissed again. Laksha whined gently and rubbed her ears again, hoping the wolf would shut up and let her attack him already.

I don't wanna drag you through this thread for much longer, haha. Sorry for being so slow. Njal can exit here or Laksha can follow after him.

It responded swiftly, although Njal couldn't be sure of how truthful the animal was. He saw little reason to trust the large cat. The wolf stood near the base of the tree and halted, no longer pacing around it like a watchful hound; although, he kept his attention squarely placed upon the feline. If at any point the animal tried to leap from its perch, Njal would be ready—and he highly suspected the cougar would take whatever chance it got to assault him. He didn't want to linger long though. Fox would need to hear about this cougar... And the warden would have to find another location for his family's next den site. This forest was once a safe haven, but it would be too dangerous with the cat around. The wolf kept a scrutinous eye upon the cougar as he moved—tracing a path around the tree as if to return to his earlier circumnavigation of the trunk—but when he thought there was enough cover between himself and the potential assailant, Njal drifted off through the bushes.

Laksha's definitely going to follow him and that will be it. It's alright. :)

The threatening wolf was silent for a few moments and Laksha's tail grew increasingly more erratic. Would he shut up and attack already?! The voices were gettting louder then and Laksha wanted to sate them so she could have a peaceful night. She growled when the sound of rustling bushes reached her ears. "Cowarrdd...!" she hissed, going after him.