Boartusk Heights I eat boys up, breakfast and lunch.

Cahira walked the jagged cliffs with ease; her large paws made for such things. Occasionally, little shards of rocks slipped from where she stepped, falling down the side of the mountain as if to remind her of how high up she actually was. She paid it no mind, though. This was her terrain; where she felt most at home. 

Today, as she woke and made her morning walk around the area she considered hers, she caught the scent of boar and her mouth watered. So Cahira made her way across the mountain-side in search of her soon-to-be breakfast, her muscles tensing and relaxing under velvet-like sandy coat as she walked. Every so often, she stopped to listen to a sound that caught her attention, round ears pushed forward and the tip of her tail flipping back and forth until she satisfied herself there was no threat nearby and resumed motion once again.

For the first time since she'd returned with Towhee, Niamh ventured past the borders, feeling spry and healthy enough to go for a little explorative mission. She hadn't exactly mapped out all of the territories near the plateau, and wanted to get a better handle on what surrounded them, as well as the prey and predators that shared the area. Feeling as though she'd get a better vantage point by climbing up the mountainside, she grabbed a drink of water and began to climb, picking her way up the slope carefully, taking her time so as to not tire herself. 

She paused part of the way up and turned to look back over her shoulder, catching a view of the terrain she'd come from. Woodlands, lakes and plains stretched out, disappearing off toward the coastline, which made her bristle slightly. She would have to go visit Coelacanth sometime- but perhaps only once Raven was more recovered from birth, so she could freely take a few days to go and visit her friend. She'd not forgotten the welcome she'd been given by her sweet, quiet companion. 

She stiffened, though, when the breeze brought an unfamiliar scent to her- and while she'd only smelled it once before in her life, it put her on alert. She glanced around wildly, unable to see the predator, but had the feeling she might be watched. She flattened her ears, unsure which direction she ought to go in, as the wind switched this way and that, giving her no centre on the cougar. For the moment, she stayed relatively still, turning her head slowly this way and that, scanning the rocky terrain for any sign of the feline predator.

i am ok with damage on phas

it was not a welcome scent, the casual tracks of a cougar. she had briefly left the children in favor of hunting a meal, and with overwrought with mental exhaustion, had not considered how far she had traveled from their new home.

giving the tracks a pause, caiaphas frowned -- for laid across them were the tracks of a packmate. as if her life were not jettisoned enough, she now had a cat to contend with. having discovered their fresh prints on the pebbled loam, caiaphas hung back only a moment before new resolve took her.

caiaphas had already once, nearly lost her life to a cat. she had not forgotten shardul, nor the arrogant contempt in which he had carried himself. nor had she forgotten the last wild creature to pose threat to her children. it would not happen again.

blinded in part by immense grief that her family had shattered, and steeled by the fiery conviction her remaining children must live, caiaphas flung herself in fleet steps after the scent of the hellcat. a baying shriek curdled the corner of her lips as she rounded across the thing, lips pulled back in a snarl and teeth flashing after the bobbing heels of the tawny creature.

Shadow-posted; edited!!

Having spent the bulk of the previous day trying to find something to tide her over food-wise, the girl was in a rather sour mood by this point. She didn't know where she was, for one thing. There was no way for her to tell what kind of food she could find here, and there was the nagging voice in the back of her head that was saying, you can't hunt here or you'll piss off those plateau wolves, with the red-haired girl in mind.

Okay, the worst part was that she kept thinking about Ceara, when she should've been paying attention to where she was going and what she could be hunting. Her brain was fixated, replaying their spar over and over, ad nauseaum.

Until the scent of Redhawk hit her nose, that is. That and the sudden but inevitable aroma of something else, something foreign to the Anneriwok that made her pause and look around like a hound on point. She saw that the forest opened up to an expanse of rocky cliffs and ridges, and preferred being out in the open in case something were to go wrong — so that's where she headed, ending up directly in view of Niamh.

The cat remained hidden, not that Ikkuma was aware of the danger, until a blood-curdling shriek penetrated the air and made her spin with uncertainty; she assumed a naturally defensive posture and felt her fur puff out a little, but looked to the sound of the call as if it were the primary offense. It took a second before she realized what was going on — and without thinking, she charged towards the black-faced stranger and the feline form just beyond.

The scent of wolf was definitely an unwelcome one. Immediately, Cahira froze and scanned her surroundings, a low, ominous grumble escaping her chest. She had dealt with wolves before, unfortunately. They battled for the top of the food chain, so fights with the bothersome canines were inevitable.  

The sound that came from behind her was not from the wolf she had just scented, and she spun around to meet the beast it came from, letting out a loud, high-pitched, roar that echoed through the mountains and showed the brazen creature her long, sharp, fangs. Seeing the second wolf apparently coming to the first aggressor's aid furthered Cahira's fury. She Charged forward a little, swiping the air with her massive front paws and roaring again, hoping it would scare the wolves away. Her first line of defense was always to deter, but she would take it further if that proved unsuccessful.

Going to do a dice roll, both for Niamh's attack and the opportunity for Cahira to strike back. Feel ABSOLUTELY free to use these as prompts AND/OR ignore them altogether :) I just wanna roll dice XD
1 = miss
2-4 = minor wound inflicted
5 = decent hit
Niamh's attack: 4
Possible Cahira counterattack: 1

It wasn't until Caiaphas attacked the cougar that Niamh was able to place its whereabouts. Only seconds beforehand, another wolf had come into view- a stranger, who seemed to be on alert as well. Simultaneously they reacted to the sound of the female's scream, and Niamh too charged up the slope, surprised to see that it was Caiaphas who had attacked the cougar. She wasn't entirely sure why she'd done it- unless of course the cougar had in fact been stalking Niamh. Niamh would have much preferred to leave the cat alone and leave, but she couldn't bail on her packmate so she too lunged toward the feline.

The cat struck out toward her packmate, but as far as Niamh could tell, it was a defensive move. She hadn't gone in for the kill, and that surprised Niamh. Regardless, to hopefully give Caiaphas either an opportunity to back off- at which point Niamh too would leave- or issue a counterattack, she charged for the feline's side on dancing feet and with snapping jaws- hoping to possibly distract and maybe even injure the cat, while keeping herself relatively clear should the cat strike out again. But with the terrain loose, the cat had an advantage. Niamh had not spent much time on a mountain, and found it difficult to maneuver.

up the slope the she-wolf clambered, fangs beared and hateful eyes focused on the hellcat. when it became aware of her it whirled around in that envious feline grace -- a scythe of claws issued in retort. claws too swift and exacting in their vengeance to possibly dodge.

caiaphas was not as agile; the brunt of claws raked across her cheek in a welt of stinging fury. forced back by the blow the she-wolf tried to readjust her momentum, springing to the left to circle hungrily around the mountain cat. niamh, a golden flash in the corner of her vision, set to distracting the feline. a stranger prowled into her sights shortly thereafter. emboldened by the boon of two fellow wolves, caiaphas lowered her bloody muzzle and circled with her tail lashing in the same aggravated manner.

Gonna roll a 1d5 as well, going off Niamh's list above.
Kisaut: 5
Possible reaction: 3
I don't mean to PP! If you'd prefer that your cat didn't smack Ikkuma, let me know. She's throwing herself all up in there, so it'd make sense if she got injured.

Everything happened so quickly. There was the scream, and then there was a flash of gold that matched the Anneriwok's own speed as she tore after the sound. She saw the cat at the last second, mostly because the golden girl had zeroed-in on its location and was trying to distract it so the black-faced woman could escape. These were Redhawks — Ikkuma knew that well enough by their scent — and while they were not family to her, nor affiliated in any way, she reacted in order to defend them anyways. Perhaps her desire for a fight won out over common sense; either way, she threw herself in to the fray alongside the golden girl, throwing her weight around a bit as she sought out the feline, eagerly snapping her teeth and doing all she could to dissuade the cat from continued battle. A part of her wanted the fight to go on for a while — she had never fought a cat before and it seemed like a formidable opponent — but that brief lapse in thought weakened her position.

The cat's retaliation came swiftly, cleaving Ikkuma with the club of a broad paw and lacerating her flesh within an instant. She felt the pound of the hit, but wasn't yet aware of the blood that sprang from the wound, nor the burning sensation of the flesh which had been torn asunder by the cat's claws. For a split second she was stunned that such a beast could exist — the cat was certainly powerful — and as the warmth of blood finally welled up across the junction of her neck-to-shoulder where the creature had slapped her, she realized how foolish it was to get involved in all of this.

To make things more realistic, I changed up the dice roll rules a smidgen for Cahira, at least on my end, since she does have somewhat of an advantage. If anyone has a problem with that, please feel free to let me know, and I'll gladly change it. :)

1=miss

2-3=minor injury

4-6=decent hit

1d6: Cahira attack on Niamh= 5; Cahira attack on Caiaphas= 5

Edit: you guys can use whatever rules to roll for counter attacks!

All rolls were done on tabletop in discord

Even after getting dealt a slash to the face, the dark faced canine didn't back off. Instead, she circled Cahira threateningly. She tensed, about to deal the female another wound but was distracted by the addition of yet another damn wolf. 

Fucking wolves; always willing to throw themselves into a fight, regardless of the consequences. She didn't know if it was bravery or stupidity, but she was inclined to believe it was the latter.

This new wolf actually managed to graze Cahira's side with her teeth but was out of the way before she could connect her unforgiving claws to any part of the tan female. Cahira let out a furious roar at the attack and looked at the wolves with murderous intent in her eyes. Unwilling to just attempt to forestall her attackers any longer, she charged at the sandy canine, spurred by her rage. She felt the satisfying tear of flesh as she slashed the wolf across the face, leaving deep grooves where her claws had been. 

The smell of blood was like a fanning to the flames of the rage fire building in her chest. There was no thinking now; just acting. Her only driving forces being to cause harm and stay alive; a dangerous combination when the bearer wielded razor-sharp claws and immense, equally-sharp fangs. 

The reddish wolf chose this time to charge at Cahira, sinking her teeth into her other side, this time deeper than the first wolf's bite. Letting out another enraged roar, Cahira whipped around and connected her claws with the wolf's shoulder, leaving similar, but slightly less deep grooves than the ones currently on the face of the tan wolf.

Her eyes caught the dark-faced wolf then. She started all of this with her unprovoked attack. Cahira wanted to inflict pain on the female for putting her in this situation. Moving quickly and efficiently, she threw her full weight at the she wolf, eyes filling with glee as her teeth sunk into the loose skin at the back of her neck. Not the killing blow she had intended, her aim skewed by her rage-fueled attack, but it was enough to leave a few deep puncture marks where her teeth had been. 

She found herself on the other side of the three wolves now, having sort of catapulted her self with the inertia from her lunge at the dark-faced female. She faced them, ears flat against her skull, and let out a blood-curdling roar. Her keen gaze tracked any and all movement, ready to face them head on if they still wanted to continue this dangerous dance.

Totes cool with me! And yes, the stakes’d be weighed in her favour of course, as opposed to a wolf vs wolf.

I did another roll in the miscellaneous dice rolls and Niamh ot a 5 out of 6- but still, a 5 for a wolf vs a cougar is like....VERY far from life threatening :)

Niamh was pleased to have distracted the cougar- but the feline then turned on her with an unworldly speed and with catlike agility swept one of her massive, scythe-clawed paws at Niamh and raked the left side of her face. Niamh backpedaled, but fur and flesh were torn regardless, and she was lucky that the claws cleft her brow and her cheek, and left her eye in peace.

Still, with blood spilling down the side of her face, her vision was impaired but at least for the time being, the cougar had other threats to deal with. If she’d chosen that moment to focus on only one of them, she could have easily killed one of them. Fortunately, the cat seemed aware of the fact that she’d still have two others to deal with, and spending too much time on one opponent would leave her critically vulnerable.

She missed the panther’s attack on the lone female, but when she leapt for Caiaphas, Niamh too sprang forward, ignoring the sting to her face and the fact she could not see out of her left eye due to the blood. She knew she’d be too late to knock the cougar off course, and she knew that no matter what Niamh did she wouldn’t be able to save Caiaphas from the brunt of the cougar’s attack, but she lunged for the feline’s flank, aiming to sink her teeth into the supple flesh there and at least stop the cougar from killing her packmate.

oh totally - cougars are big flipping cats! so, i rolled 1d6 (using same style you're using for damages) in discord for caiaphas' attack - not sure how to tag you on there but the outcome was: 4 - LMK if i need to change anything

maybe it had been stupid to antagonize the cat, yet the bloodied siren queen was still without regret. all of her frustrations hinged on her actions; her mate's disappearance, the loss of her children, the grief that consumed what was left of her shriveled soul -- it drove her to drastic and impossibly foolhardy measures.

with two other wolves alongside her the sylph believed in their victory - yet as claws came for her, she had no recourse in which to dodge it. the cat's talons dug deep, and crimson welts rose immediately thereafter. she did not even see the flash of her golden comrade, nor the russet she-wolf that had come briefly to their aide -- all she saw was the snarling, tail-twitching feline that had fallen, like her, into a berserk fury.

caiaphas was stagged by the blow - the strike plowed painfully right through her and she lurched downward. in that moment the cat's opposite forearm was well within her reach -- with a lunge caiaphas set her teeth (attempted to, anyway) upon it, aiming to clasp her jaws around it and yank abruptly, enough to upset the cat's balance so that the other two could close in.

Didn't include a roll. Feel free to roll for her if you want though!

The strike left her feeling angry of all things, imbibing her with enough adrenaline to keep going even though it would've been smarter to turn tail. The feline was enraged, that much was clear. It was angry and it was powerful — but so was Ikkuma, and the more she bled the more furious she became as a result.

Unwilling to give up any concessions during the fight, Ikkuma might've been briefly winded but she was racing after the cougar just as swiftly, refusing to be kept down for long. She knew to change her tactic: rather than an all-out smash and grab, she gave chase to the creature, snapped at its hocks, pulled at its tail, did anything she could to distract and annoy it. They weren't damaging maneuvers — Ikkuma didn't want to be hit again and the flashes of movement gave her some leeway in that regard, affording her the time and ability to evade.

The cat seemed fixated on the black-faced woman that initiated the struggle; Ikkuma couldn't understand why the fight had begun in the first place, but she also didn't know why the cat would linger long. Even if it was bigger and more powerful, it was outnumbered. They would succeed because of that — the wolf was certain. Ikkuma continued to harass their target, growing impatient the longer the battle went, but finding it oddly exhilarating.

Last from me! She's gonna bolt!

Before Cahira landed in front of her three opponents, the sandy wolf managed to get in another bite to her flank while she was in the air, and she roared in pain. In her distracted state, the dark-faced wolf was able to land a bite into one of her front legs, leaving a shallow wound there. 

She stared at the three wolves in front of her, ears still plastered to her head and fury in her gaze. They had managed to deal her some injuries, and she knew if she kept this up, there was a high chance they could give her some kind of debilitating wound that wold prevent her from hunting, and would subsequently kill her. As much as she wanted to continue this fight to save her pride, she valued her life more.

Turning quickly, she jumped to a cliff above their heads and took off across the rocky peaks, not daring to glance back to check if they were following.

Surrounded by three wolves and outnumbered, the cat scowled at them before it leapt overhead- it really was a magnificent beast, she had to admit- and bounded away with ease. Niamh watched it go, not considering giving chase as she was sure the cat would likely respond by targeting them and killing at least one of them out of spite.

She licked the blood that trickled down her cheek, then moved toward Caiaphas, greeting the warrior with an affectionate, victorious bump of her muzzle to the dark faced woman’s cheek, before she turned to the stranger. ”Good fight, friend,” She said, impressed with the loner who had seen fit to join in a fight despite the fact hat she owed them nothing.

whatever victory caiaphas envisioned when she had grabbed the cougar's paw was fleeting; with awful, lethal grace the cat had spurned her wounded advances and then, as soon as caiaphas had rallied herself for a third attempt, had simply jumped clear of the clumsy trio and disappeared.

the cat appeared to have the good sense caiaphas lacked; feeling overwrought with numbing fatigue and the sharp contrast of sense-heightening pain, caiaphas' tired gaze swept from niamh to the unknown wolf who had offered aide to them at the cost of great injury. she studied the she-wolf's wounds, and drew herself up with a wincing inhale. she would not admit it, but that third body had likely spelled their triumph rather than their death -- somehow, three wolves was unarguably far more favorable than two.

niamh had already lauded the bloodied companion for her assistance, so caiaphas remained silent; it was her gaze that spoke for her, and seemed to briefly hold a rare shade of gratitude in those virulent yellow spheres.

Despite the ending of the battle and the flight of the cat across the rocks, Ikkuma was pleased with herself. She was thoroughly invigorated by the fight, feeling her blood pumping in a way that was familiar and welcome in equal measure; the last time she'd felt this rush of endorphins she'd been back home with her family, going through the trials put forth by Tartok. No sooner did she think of her old haunt that she banished it from the moment — it would only sour her mood to think about her status as Anneriwok.

Both wolves seemed pleased with the result of her intervention, and she grinned a bloody smile towards Niamh, licking her face clean a second later before responding. I've never seen something that big before! You guys are nuts — but that was awesome! Without thinking, she stepped close to both of them and tried to inspect them for wounds. All of them had sustained injuries but it was Niamh's face that drew Ikkuma's attention the most, If you leave that, you'll have a wicked scar! Praise and adulation were rare from the girl, but kicking ass was a good way to earn it.

The stranger seemed to be enthused about having fought such a mighty predator, and Niamh merely smiled, slightly, and nodded. "Just what I need," She said, but not without a tinge of pride. Sure, the claw marks would make for a pretty cool scar- but she wasn't entirely sure that was the image she wanted to have. After all, she did still want to stay relatively prety, and wasn't sure what Colt would have to say when she returned with yet another scar added to her face. 

Caiaphas was injured, though, and likely needed a bit more medical attention than Niamh did. "Let's get back to the pack." She said, giving her friend and packmate a gentle nudge. She turned back to the loner, and again bobbed her head in thanks. "Appreciate the help, friend; take care of yourself, now," She said. Normally, Niamh might have been more inclined to learn more about the wolf who had bravely jumped in to help them fight- but right now, she was tired and injured, as was Caiaphas, and she wanted to get down from the godforsaken mountainside as soon as she could.

the siren shared niamh's longing to go home; to hold svalinn and raleska tight, and leave this bloodied chapter behind. how she hated cats.

ikkuma's vigor was noted with a thin shade of amusement, but caiaphas did not speak -- for niamh had spoken adequately for the both of them, and a second voice was simply unnecessary energy needlessly spent. she felt her fur behind her ears and neck matted thick with blood, now cooled -- but a soreness was creeping through her that would bode ill if they dallied for too long.

she cut ikkuma one last glance - as if to permanently etch the woman's features in her mind - and then she turned alongside niamh, and made for the plateau in mincing steps.