Whitefish River So We Meet Again

| Limit 2 to keep this thread moving to completion! Hiero needs someone to sniff out this trail to identify the Lynx he has found a trail of!
| Mostly Cloudy
| 11:30PM

Winter was coming, he could see it in his breath. The white puff of air that escaped his maw was normally an indication at this time of the year that frost was to be expected every morning - and that huddling up in a den was wise to keep himself warm at night, if not to keep moving during the night and sleep during the hotter days. Once snow appeared it would be safer, it was good insulation, he learned from experience. For now, to keep moving was important to numb-man. 

During his nightly patrols, something caught his eye. A tuft of grey fur, too soft looking to look like any wolf he knew of... too tall for a rabbit's shed, and an odd time of the year for them to be shedding too. Squinting... he was afraid of the only possibility he could think of. Swallowing a few times, he took a look around for any familiar face to come by and take a sniff of it for him. If no one appeared soon... he would continue to follow the trail of this thing, tracks in the ground, fur on the shrubs, hoping it would lead him to it leaving the pack rather than lingering around.

The last time he came face to face with one of these, well, it wasn't pleasant; but that didn't mean he wouldn't chase it out now regardless of past experiences.

Malila had been huddled up in the den with Speedy, Emrik and Mohe. She enjoyed the closeness of her family, but in the recent months the air had grown colder, with a biting edge at night. Her chocolate and honey fur had not fully thickened yet, making her more easily susceptible to the cold, shivering like a wilted flower, should she fail to find an adequate source of warmth. Already, she was disliking this change. The cold, the dying of the beautiful plants and their colors. She missed the cheery days of spring and summer which she loved so.

Snapped awake by the sound of paw steps outside at this late hour, she untucked her head from the crook of her legs. Blinking, she found the sleeping forms of her parents and brother undisturbed. Rising quietly so as to be sure they remained as such, she crawled out into the chilly darkness, her breath fogging before her. Mismatched eyes landed on Hieronymous...the one who she had heard. Smiling sleepily, Malila still managed to run up to the adult with no small degree of enthusiasm. "Hey! What'cha doin up so late, huh?" Then she stopped dead in her tracks, as if she had run into a brick wall. And she had, but of the metaphorical kind, as her nose stung with the obnoxious scent of feline. She wrinkled her muzzle disgustedly. "Ehww...what is that?!"

So focussed on the tuft of fur, trying to make heads or tails of it. He dreaded his own answer, with the texture, color, and length, he already had a good guess as to what it was. He could only hope he was wrong. That it was some kind of rabbit whose fur just got caught in the wind. Even then, that rabbit had some mighty long fur. 

His focus was snatched away by a young voice, ears, and eyes following to see the youthful face of one of this year's puppies. His heart lept into his throat, the last thing they needed was one of those things lurking nearby, especially with one so young now wandering nearby too! Swallowing the hard lump in his throat, he cleared his nerves just enough to smile genuinely at the young lass. I always do a midnight patrol. Which he did, he was just not often caught doing so.

She smelled the creature, her reaction was alarming. It wasn't a rabbit, she must have smelled the prey before - and this couldn't be it. What do you smell, mind explaining it to me?

Momentarily distracted from the foreign, disgusting scent that was in the heart of their home, another question popped into her head. "Why at night?" Malila asked with a cock of her head. She was too young to understand the necessities of a midnight patrol such as the one Hieronymous was on, but it was never too late to start learning.

Malila had not wandered out of the borders of Kaistleoki, leaving her under the false impression that she was completely safe in its boundaries. But borders were not always effective in deterring outside threats from barging in, as she would soon learn. At Hieronymous' request to dissect the offending smell laced in the fur, Malila quickly obliged. She scrunched her nose, delicate brows pinching together. "It...isn't like us at all. Definitely not like food either. Something about it...it's unsettling..."

The mind of the young was so curious, so willing to learn and soak up knowledge like a sponge. If only they remained that way through adulthood, to keep that willingness to learn as opposed to believing they knew it all due to their advanced age. It was one thing Hieronymous hopped to hold onto even as he aged, the joy of discovery and learning - something he hopped was still rather obvious even now as an adult. At least, he hoped it's how he came off as. Someone has to keep the boogeyman at bay. He hushed, cheekily planting the idea of some spooky being out there that he was guarding them against. That was far better to believe in, some being called the boogeyman than reality. Either a familiar beast lurking to hurt an unsuspecting youth. It wasn't something he wanted them to know just yet, if he could help it, they wouldn't know to be wary of other wolves until closer to adulthood.

Speaking of the boogeyman though... he frowned at her description of the smell. It sounded like how anyone would describe the scent of a feline. He needed a nose.. but not this one. Not this one who would be an easy target should the feline ambush them. Does it smell fresh to you, or old? One more question, his ears were on a swivel, careful to try and pick out any sounds approaching... any minute sign that they weren't alone. He remained close to Malila, careful to guard her against all angles and that there would be no easy spot for a creature to come bounding out and snatch her up. Keeping his cool, he didn't want the child to panic either.

He had to be sure the smell was not as fresh as can be... if it was, they were already stuck. Even if he sent her out to find help, if the feline was lurking nearby, it would simply put her more at risk. First things first, he had to hear from her nose and then the next course of action.

Bi-colored eyes of gold and blue widened. Did he just say the boogeyman? Malila visibly shrank back at the mere thought of such a creature, huddling into Hieronymous' side momentarily. Dozens of possibilities of what this hellish thing could be, what forms it may take, flooded briefly in her thoughts. Huffing, she stiffened her spine and shooed them away. "I've never seen 'im, so I don't believe in him." She stated firmly with a cute tip of her chin. Classic Malila naivety. She was innocent, oblivious to the realities of the real world. Perhaps too much so.

Her tutor it seemed, needed more information than she had already provided. Unknowing of his non-functional nose, but all too happy to listen and learn, Malila didn't question him. Gingerly lowering her snout down to the tufts of browned fur, she inhaled deeply, eyelids fluttering shut. The scent filtered into her nasal cavity, hitting her hard. Overpowered by the intensity of it, she pulled back with a little cough. "This is new...real new..."

Oh no naive, but it was good she didn't immediately fear the monsters that go bump in the night - despite how quickly she huddled up to his side. He huffed a quick, amused laugh at it all and offered a gentle nudge from his shoulder to support her claim. I bet you aren't. Why not make sure she remained so certain of herself - so long as it didn't put her dangerously close to being too cocky and face off with dangerous foes, let her grow with confidence.

However, that all came crashing down. At her note that the scent was fresh, real fresh, the Constable took a defensive position. Gluing himself to her side and making sure she didn't break that contact by shadowing her movements, his eyes scanned the surroundings and his ears were on high alert. Shit. He thought to himself. Of course, it was fresh. The thing could be prowling in the darkness right now around them and just waited for the proper opening (assuming the worst). Stay close. He demanded. There was no sending her off for help now, she was far better with him now than wandering on her own.

Certain that if they called for help it would initiate combat if the feline was indeed prowling nearby, but what else were they to do? Walk with their shoulders tied to one another and hobble their way to the slumbering pack? Preparing for the worst, he sent out a call to gather anyone nearby to come and help with the threat. If they were lucky, they would just stand here until someone came by to help sniff out the feline, and better yet, another to take Malila away and back into the safety of the dens... for now, they waited -

But not for long, as soon as his call rang out, the malicious feline lept from the brush with the desire to silence the Constable. Cutting him off as he growled and gladly took the brunt of the attack, pushing Malila away with his hips to give them space; so long as the feline's attention was on him, Malila would be fine until help arrived.

:Eshe

On their own accord, Malila's growing hackles began to lift. She had never smelled danger before, but there was a first time for everything. This fresh, pungent scent hit all the wrong buttons, stirring in her the most basic of instincts. Hieronymous was there to guide her, watching over the vulnerable child like a sentinel, to make sure she didn't slip up. By his side she felt his larger body stiffen, almost coiling around her protectively. His command was met with a silent nod, dark tipped ears air planing to her skull. That playful glint in her eyes was gone.

She swung her head left and right. Scanned way out in front, and far behind. She was looking for something, but what exactly, she had no idea. Something not wolf, nor prey. Like all children, she mimicked the adults. Shrinking down some, she glanced up at Hieronymous while he let out a call for anyone nearby. In preparing to do the same, to let them know she was out and not in the den, Malila was completely un-prepared for what happened next.

Those last seconds were a blur as a tawny form with tufted, pointy ears and massive paws leapt out from the undergrowth. It moved with a grace and ease that no wolf could ever hope to match, and the gleam of its brandished claws sent a shiver up her spine. The flower child let out a petrified squeak. So boogeymen were real after all! Frantic, she backed herself further into the Constable, who threw himself in between her and their assailant. But Malila was young and inexperienced. Adrenaline pumping through her blood, guided by the desperate need to flee, she panicked and took off, running out of the safety zone Hieronymous had provided.

Eshe didn’t hear the commotion at first. She was busily digging into the soft soil at the roots of a tree, carefully pulling up the moss that lined the ground. It was distracting work, but not even she could ignore it when a piercing squeal of fear and running paws suddenly sounded nearby. She stood immediately at attention, nostrils flaring and ears perked. More sound came and Eshe was off, without a clue as to what she was getting herself into.

She nearly tripped on the young wolf as she darted past, her eyes wide and surprised. Eshe paused for only a moment to take in the scene before her gaze landed on Hieronymous and the cat. She didn’t think any further than to note that the little one was distanced from the fight and thus safe enough for now. Eshe ran at the cat with a snarl, reaching out with bared teeth to grab whatever hunk of fur she could to try and pull it away from the Constable.

With the feline in battle, he was no longer worried about Malila running back to her mother and the rest of the slumbering pack. The threat was with him now after all and no longer concealed in the shadows of night. The child's cry was horrific but understandable, he could only hope it wouldn't scar her for life. Physically she would be fine, but mentally, did they need to have a chat after this to ensure her previously high confidence didn't waver?

Locked in battle, this time the Constable wouldn't let the feline escape as he did last time. He was certain it was the same one, similar scars left on its skin rung a bell in his memory. A scratch along his snout retaliated for the swift bite on the feline's shoulder. He was merciful once, letting the cat escape and only making sure its trail left the borders - this time, would be different. This time, he had aid too.

A grey blur joined in on the fray, pulling at the clawed foe. Tonight would spell the end of the feline threat that lurked in the crystal cave earlier this year. The beast hissed and yowled, swatting at both of them ferociously, fearlessly. Cats were such a horrible opponent, flexible, armed at every angle. He was bound to leave with more scratches, there was no avoiding such a fate; and so he moved in once more, confident with the new companion aiding, jaws stretched and poised to at least try to take control of the feline's neck and maybe take the claws attention away from Eshe. 

Maybe give her the opportunity to do damage elsewhere while the cat was focused on the wolf hanging from its nape.

Ears pinned back, mismatched eyes wide with newly blossomed fear, Malila ran for cover. Praying as her heart thumped against her ribcage that the beast wouldn't set its sights on a soft, easy target like herself. She dared not look back, fearful for what she would see. She was afraid for Hieronymous. That he would get torn to ribbons with those razor claws.

Salvation came in the form of a young gray angel, who threw herself into the fight to aid the Constable. Malila could only glance at Eshe gratefully yet worriedly before she dived head first into a particularly thorny bush. She reasoned it would provide her ample enough cover and though the spines snagged at her fur and scratched her skin, with any luck it would be a tough fortress for the cat to breach. It would make sense, that Malila, lover of all plants, would take refuge in one, while she looked on with the dreadful blue and yellow eyes of youth.

Since stevie is leaving I'm just gonna finish this up so I can put Hiero to rest <3

With two vs one and the puppy safely tucked away elsewhere, Hieronymous was confident in their ability to take down this feline opponent of theirs. With a ferocious snarl and crunching bites, he aimed to finish the beast once and for all. Mercy was shown once by letting it escape and now, there was none to spare. Eventually, as the commotion faded, the dust settled, the two canines stood victorious over the carcass of the Felidae as it hung limp in their maw. With Eshe's blessing, he would take the body away to burry elsewhere outside of kaistleoki's borders, away from the young eyes of the puppies to spot and weep over the death of another. There the beast would rest and never bother any of them ever again.