Firefly Ravine cats, dogs, and rats

@Firefly set 12/16

things between minori and himself had gotten better, but not all was well. liri was sick and the plateau’s numbers were shrinking. of course, there were enough of them to sustain themselves, but there could be more. issun never cared too much for the plateau as he did for his previous home, but he still played his part. kavik had provided him a home in a time of need and he would repay that through work. so he decided to go out in search of new faces.

his travels took him to a dip in the earth, where he found something interesting, or rather smelled. a doe carcass lied in the snow. maybe it was separated from it’s heard, maybe it died of old age. one thing was certain; it was his now. he walked to its side and grabbed it by the neck. it felt a bit warm, it had died fairly recently. some would never choose to scavenge, but issun had learned to make do with what life threw at you.

As the storm in the bay worsened, Firefly felt the need to find an escape. He wasn't typically afraid of storms (as far as he was aware) and yet, the volatile winds and pounding of the surf upon the shore, served to disrupt some part of him. He rested by the ominous sequoias on the edge of the territory, too anxious to find their shadows comforting, and by morning he was up and hobbling — meanwhile, the storm gusted.

He crossed the southern fields without a sound. Snow coated every inch of the once-green expanse and muffled his steps. He told himself he was hunting for something more substantial than fish and shells to pass the time — and get his mind off of whatever mindless stress had stricken him — but he was forced to stop when the earth, seemingly out of nowhere, gave away to nothing. 

The chasm likely led down in to a gorge of fast-flowing water even the winter could not control. He peered over the ledge but when he caught sight of something glimmering (which was just some abstract light caught upon the ravine's rapids, reflected out of the chasm) he flinched back — and when Firefly adjusted his posture and his gaze again, he was staring at a dark shape grappling with something he couldn't quite make out.

Firefly slipped along, his strides sharp and awkward at the same time. He was limping in a more pronounced manner because of all the wandering but he was curious of this being, of whatever they were doing, and did not think to stay back. As he drifted closer he saw what was going on - a wolf prying at the neck of a dead old deer. A thin breath puffed out of the man as he observed, and he slunk closer while the other wolf was distracted - hungry for his own pound of flesh.

he pulls and tugs and maneuvers around the carcass to find a grip. this would have been much easier if someone was here the haul would be much easier. two would probably be an optimal amount to make the trip back to the plateau but it was just him. if he could get the deer out of sight, closer to the plateau, and away from any other scavengers, that’d be good enough.

well speak of the devil.

he had been so preoccupied with the kill that the stranger went unnoticed for a moment. when issun noticed he was there, he furrowed his brow. there was no true way of knowing the scarred man’s intent, but he didn’t like the way he was eyeing him down.

the warrior dropped the doe around and faced the young man. he protectivly stood over the carcass and growled lowly. mine.

The wolf did not look like it was eager to share in the meal; that was fine for Firefly, who wasn't in the habit of joining strangers in their consumption of frozen dinners, but he was feeling particularly bold in the moment. Confidence brimmed from him ever since the pack had taken root in the Sound. He was adapting to a diet of seaside delicacies but the fine taste of deer — even old and half-frozen deer like this one — appealed to him.

The stranger was adamant that he ward Firefly away, and his growling punctuated the moment beyond what his contorted face could do; he was bristling all over, standing astride the dead hunk of flesh. Firefly's lips lifted away from his own teeth and he rumbled a rival note, defiant and pacing closer, his filigree'd fur spiking as he made his approach. The stranger could've been older or he could've been around his own age, the man couldn't tell. They were beat up almost to equal measure and that told him all he needed to know - this guy was a fighter, and maybe that's just what Firefly needed right now.

this wouldn’t be as easy as he hoped. instead of turning away, the man inched forward. the closer he came, the louder issun’s voice grew. his tail flicked back and forth irritably. if it was a fight he wanted, then a it was a fight he shall receive.

issun leaped over the carcass with jaws outstretched. he would bite into anything he could get his teeth onto.

Unfortunately for Firefly, the wolf was not going to let him get close. He was not surprised when the dark-coated stranger lunged for him, leaping over the carcass and aiming for the man's scarred and blurry eye; they didn't land their teeth upon his face as he tried to redirect their aim with a side-step of his own, but their fangs caught in the fur of his ribs and he felt them clip at his flesh. He countered by spinning his body away from them and snapping his own teeth, but Firefly's aim was off. He missed with plenty of room to spare and let out an agitated snarl, but did not yet back down.

he would’ve gotten to the face, but his opponent was able to step out of the way. his attack wasn’t a complete failure, he was able to snag at his side. there was an opening and issun was quick to take it. he dove for his shoulder.

Sorry for the lag on this! Since the result was determined already I'm gonna be vague in my reply, and have him retreat.

As the dark shape came lunging at him, Firefly reacted as any other wolf might — shuffling to get out of range but swinging his own teeth close to the oncoming body, eager to grab and deflect, or cause some kind of harm. He was hungry but not enough to fight this wolf for long; beyond that, there was a slight hesitation to Firefly's movements that surpassed his usual limp. For a split second that dark shape wasn't canine, and he was surprised. The stranger collided with him and his teeth cut through flesh, bringing a snarl out of Firefly but also snapping him out of whatever post-traumatic episode had tried to take root. He snapped his teeth a few more times but, given that the stranger was both older and healthier, did not press his luck. He withdrew after a few more parries, fleeing before those strange images could become something more tangible.

a final blow was enough to send the stranger packing. he grunted as he watched the man flee from the scene. it was a good thing the fight hadn’t lasted any longer, otherwise the injuries inflicted could have been worse. issun grabbed his prize by its neck and dragged it to the plateau.