Moonspear you were the one next to me

@Liffey 

Wraen first caught scent of the big cat and caught sight of it some fifteen minutes later. It was a mountain lion - a large specimen for the species, who was obviously doing very well this winter. He was fit as a fiddle, strong and quite confident as well, because here and there along the Moonspear's claimed territories he had left the scent marks. It was a horrible smell for the nose and it was hard for the young she-wolf to imagine, how on Earth something this stinky could impress anyone? Maybe the cougar ladies had different taste in perfumes or... quite... prehaps it was meant to keep people out - wolves and other cats alike. 

Since none of the guardians, who were experts at marking and all the other "how-to"s that belonged to the trade, were around, Wraen was a bit confused about, what to do with the intruder and the borders it had set. Lifting a leg was not an option, because her bladder was empty for the time being, therefore she decided that following the cat and observing it's doings from the distance would do fine for the time being. And if he was up to any trouble, she could easily call for help.

Liffey felt anxious as she tread through the territory. Days had passed since Galaxy's death and no further damage had been done to Gannet, and yet the young Blackthorn felt worry for him deep inside of her heart where it was quite hard to dislodge. So, she did the only thing she could in order to combat it - keep herself busy and find all the excuses she could to visit her healing friend.

That day, however, an even greater distraction came upon her. Liffey had just given up on a trail that dead ended unexpectedly on her and was heading off in search of another when she caught sight of a packmate in the distance. She knew the girl only by sight and decided that it was time to change that. She trailed after the other female, spending only a couple of minutes attempting to catch up before she too caught the cat's scent. Her hackles raised immediately in alarm and she hurried along towards the epsilon with new purpose.

Liffey's steps grew quieter as she came up alongside Wraen, growling softly to get her attention so as not to startle her. She glanced sidelong at the girl before whispering as softly as she could, "Does it know it's being followed?" Liffey had no experience with beasts such as the mountain lion. For all she knew, it was aware of them and simply didn't care, thinking them no threat. Or, perhaps it didn't know about them, otherwise it would have turned and ripped their hides right off of their skeletons.

Wraen had been so absorbed in watching the big cat, that she hardly noticed anything that was going on behind her back, which was a mistake, in case there was another mountain lion lurking around. It was not, luckily, but Liffey's sudden presence scared the girl nonetheless, she made a little jump, when the other made her presence known with a growl. Quick look to the side, a sigh of relief and then with ears perked and focused gaze back to the task.

"If it does, I doubt it cares," she shrugged continuing to follow the beast, keeping the same distance between them. "That beast is leaving it's stench everywhere," she explained. "What should we do about that? I like this place too much to be stinked out by an obnoxious cat."

Liffey cringed apologetically as her packmate jumped. She didn't like sneaking up on others (unless she was playing with Rannoch), but the cougar's presence didn't leave her much of a choice. The other female didn't seem to harbor any resentment over it, so Liffey fell easily into step at her side and shifted her attention to the cat as well. She was relieved to hear that the cougar likely didn't care about them. She was still pretty intimidated by it, though.

"I don't know... I've never actually seen one of these before. Definitely smelled them, though...," Liffey answered, wrinkling her nose, "My mom used to tell us stories about how she'd antagonize them for fun, but she never really explained how to get rid of them. Seeing it up close confirms for me that my mother has got to be insane." Which she already suspected, if we're being honest.

"Are you sure that she did not make those stories up just to mess with you?" Wraen asked quietly, keeping up the pace with her gaze still fixed at the cat several feet away. It occurred to her though that if Liffey's mom had done, what she had just suggested, then it was very likely that she was mad either way. 

"Leaving it be, would not be wise either," she told her companion, now watching, how the cat stopped and sharpened it's claws on the tree trunk. They were scary looking even from afar. "Would not one anyone run into him or become his meal. What do you say, if we take our chances and drive him out?"

"Positive; My dad confirmed it, and Dad is sane," Liffey whispered back promptly, "...though he did choose my mother..." In spite of her misgivings about the beast they were tracking, she couldn't help but smile at the thought. There were no two wolves in the history of the world that were more perfectly matched than her parents, in her own completely unbiased opinion.

But that was neither here nor there. Liffey focused on the cat again as it paused to maul a tree, her hackles prickling uncomfortably. Her packmate's words were enough to tear her nervous gaze from it, and she turned to look at her in surprise. "Drive it out? Just us?" she repeated, "Don't you think we could use some back up? I mean, I might look like my mom, but that's about all I inherited from her." The cougar-fighting skills skipped a generation, as did the mute button programmed on her mother's common sense.

"I am not asking you to fight it, just freak it out enough to get him running," Wraen explained her plan, which according to her was pretty rational and for the greater good. If they chased it out - good. If it began to chase them? Well, there were two of them, the cat could not split itself in half and take after one of them. With this thought in mind she looked first at herself, then gave a long and evaluating gaze at Liffey - she looked fit enough, fast as well. 

"I mean, it is two to one - the cat can't charge at both of us," she reasoned. "Plus, if we surprise it with - say - unholy howling, yowling and other noise-making, that beast is sure as hell to run first and think second. But... before we start - can you run fast? Like for your life?"

Liffey listened to her packmate's suggestion with trepidation. Her reasoning was somehow both sound and absurd at the same time. It was actually a lot like talking to her mother, come to think of it... And perhaps that's why the Blackthorn found herself nodding along in agreement with each word. That or she really had inherited her mother's crazy. Whatever the case, Wraen had a completely valid point - they couldn't just leave it to wander and potentially harm someone else in the pack. What if it was one of Charon's kids? Liffey hadn't been there to help with Galaxy and the guilt over that plagued her still. She couldn't let this cat threaten the alpha's other children.

"Okay,"" Liffey said, "Let's do this. I can run fast." That was true enough. She hadn't particularly like the whole For your life? part of the question, but she did consider herself capable of that level of speed. Looking at her packmate again, she paused in the planning to add, "I'm Liffey. I feel like I should properly introduce myself just in case I'm about to go get myself killed in front of you."

"Wraen, in case we don't meet each other in the afterlife," the girl introduced herself as well, surprised about the fact that she had not done it earlier. She was usually a polite person and hoped that her accomplice in soon-to-be trouble did not mind it that much. 

"Okay," now they were down to making precise plans for a situation that could become entirely unpredictable. The cat had put some distance between them, while they both had talked, which Wraen now found as a very good thing. This gave them time and advantage. "Let's do it like this - you go in one direction, I go in the other - so that the cat is somewhere in the middle. Try to make the unholiest of the noises you can, but avoid direct contact. And if everything gets fishy then - run!"

She waited to see, if Liffey had something to add to the plan, and if not - it was time to act.

In spite of the tension of their situation, Liffey couldn't help but chuckle at Wraen's introduction. She liked this girl. She hoped that they weren't both about to die so that they could get to spend more time together. Hopefully partaking in less stressful activities together.

Liffey nodded, her expression shifting to one of determination. She could definitely run, and she could definitely make the necessary amount of ruckus needed to startle the beast into skedaddling. Her eyes narrowed as she picked out the path she would take to bring herself quickly and safely to the cat so she could do her part in this venture. Her limbs tensed and she was ready to spring when suddenly, she paused and looked back at Wraen one last time. "And.. you're gonna do it too, right? The yelling and the crazy noise-making?" she asked as it occurred to her how completely ridiculous she was about to look. She was alright looking stupid if it was for the greater good, but if it was some sort of practical joke... Well, she'd probably fall for it anyway.

Wraen was all about serious business and, until Liffey asked her, if she too was going to partake in the mission. First - slight confusion about the question, then came the "zing" light-bulb moment, and then she nodded. "Well, I would not want you to have all the fun, would I?" she asked with a good-natured grin playing in her lips and then went past her companion, to make her attack plans. 

"Ready?" she cast a glance to the side, "Set - GO!" And off she went.

Dice-roll to find out, whether they success to drive the cougar out or end up being chased themselves?

lol the dice are not our friends

Liffey smiled at Wraen's response, successfully convinced that the girl wasn't just messing with her. She nodded confidently to confirm that she was ready. She was feeling far more confident than she had a moment ago and in retrospect would wonder why on earth that had been the case. In the moment, however, the yearling was swift to spring forward in the opposite direction of her new friend, sweeping around the cat to begin the attack.

Her lips peeled back as she set to making the loudest, most obnoxious snarling barking sounds she could manage. She darted towards the cat, only to stop a very safe distance away from it and drop into a bow as it swung around, snarling in turn at its harassers. She hesitated running forward, her courage not quite up for such a bold move quite yet.

Odds are still not in our favor, but this is kind of fun. Dicerolling the outcome. :D Shall we do it again?

Wraen reached the cougar few seconds later after Liffey had, therefore, while the big cat was busy aiming it's angry energy towards her companion, she had a small window of opportunity to do something very stupid. She lunged forward in order to nip at her opponent's hindquarters, but the angry animal was quick to notice her coming and, though the purpose of distracting it had been successful, one of the cat's paws hit her hard against the side of her face. She yelped more out of surprise than actual pain and tumbled sideways.

lol yes more rolls! We must defeat the dice gods. Whiiiich I did not this time either haha

The cat snarled at her, but turned suddenly as Wraen made a bold move towards it. Liffey's heart spasmed in fear as she saw her friend leap, grazing its flank with her teeth. The cougar's heavy paw connected with her face a second later, the resounding yelp piercing Liffey's ears. Without thinking, the Blackthorn sprang forward as well, snapping her teeth around its tail and giving a hard tug to regain the beast's attention.

Fortunately, and also unfortunately, the ploy worked. Liffey dropped its tail and turned to leap away, but too late as the cat was far quicker. It swung around with a hiss and raked at her hindquarters as she jumped away, connecting and tearing into the tissue of her left haunch. The claws slid away easily, making it possible for her to dart back out of its range, and the hit had not been too deep. But Liffey could smell the faint tang of her own blood now, and it was becoming alarmingly apparent that this whole endeavor may not have been the best idea.

Still, Liffey spun around with a loud, angry snarl to engage again - completely unwilling to back down now.

A draw - http://wolf-rpg.com/showthread.php?tid=21686&pid=290053 - though poor Wraen's pretty face.

By now it also had occurred to Wraen that they were no better than Liffey's mother now - the plan that had seemed so simple and amazing had gone seriously awry. But there was no time to regret past decisions or flee - while she had collected herself to a sitting position, dealing with her head that was spinning and made her feel dizzy, her brave companion had grabbed the cat's tail and drawn it's attention to her. However, her small victory was short-lived - the cat did not hesitate to retaliate and the first blood was drawn. 

During those few precious seconds, while the two creatures were snarling at each other, Wraen sprang forward and grabbed the cat by one of his hind legs, her jaws and teeth closing around the limb and crushing it. This did not go by unnoticed, of course, because the cougar screamed in pain, fell to the ground and kicked trying to get his captured leg free. Wraen got a well-aimed kick straight between her eyes and though this action rendered her blind and woozy, she forgot to let go of the limb.

Maybe Liffey really is going to die... ooops. Hey - you think we should forward date this since they're getting their bums kicked pretty bad and I have totally not been playing as though she's had any injuries lol?

Liffey's heartbeat was thundering in her ears by the time she turned back once more to engage. The cat was not backing down as they had planned. In fact, it was simply growing angrier, and more violent. Murder was beginning to blaze in its eyes - rage written on every feature. Plus it was getting bigger, and more muscular. Or maybe that was just the iota's panic screwing with her. Either way, it was clear now - they had made a terrible error.

Liffey watched as it fell under Wraen's latest attack and landed a kick at her friend's face. She was already moving towards it again, but was clueless as to what the plan was this time. In a hunt, she had learned to go for the jugular in order to make the kill. But this jugular was surrounding by huge, bared fangs and muscular arms that ended in daggers. It was too much a risk, one that she stupidly took anyway because Wraen was still hanging on and the cat was reaching for her.

The blackthorn went for the cougar's throat and missed, but not so impressively that she didn't land her grab somewhere nearby. The cat was moving too much as it tried to free itself from Wraen, and so Liffey's jaws connected with the tender tissue at the base of its neck just before its shoulder. She shook her head as fiercely as she could, trying to tear the wound deeper, but once again the cat was too quick for her and she felt claws against her skin once again.

She clung tightly against the pain in her shoulder where fresh wounds were pooling blood. She pivoted on her feet to try and shift herself away from the cat's reach without letting go, opening eyes she hadn't realized were shut just in time to see gaping fangs coming right at her face.

panic began to set in as the smell of blood and the sound of cries of both wolf and feline hit him. he recognized his sisters right away, and his heart pounded just as fast as his paws did against the rocky terrain and he made to the borders.

he saw it— saw them, liffey was there too. and he actually, despite the cerberus’ misgivings, kind of really liked her. oops. he couldn’t help it, she just truthfully was a treat to be around— she was just cool all around. and besides, she was rannoch’s mate... nothing could hurt her. but, especially, nothing could hurt wraen. nothing -should- hurt wraen— she was the world’s angel. 

he raced onto the scene, emotions driving his attack more so then logic, he didn’t have time to think, to plan. he viewed whatever weaknesses he could as he sprinted up— howling and barking to draw the attention away from the girls— but didn’t plan any logical attack, right now he just had to divert. and he did, just... not in the way he wanted. 

just as teeth made to clamp down on the pretty face that liffey sported so well, terance slammed into the side of the cougar. whether or not the cougar got a bite of her, he couldn’t tell, but in the next second terance felt a heavy swipe of claws down his own shoulder, hooking and gripping in tight. ah shit. the only thing Terance could do (since he knew if he stayed he’d likely be uh, kilt) he yanked hard away from the beast, tearing off a good chuck of flesh from his own should. ow.

Wraen is getting a bit of luck - http://wolf-rpg.com/showthread.php?tid=21686&pid=290087 - people, please, don't die in this thread or at all. I will feel guilty! Yes - let's forward date it to the present day. The cat now is pinned down until my next turn.

The enraged animal kept moving and fighting for it's freedom with all it had got in him. Wraen managed to avoid yet another kick, she kept hold of the foot, feeling, how her fangs pierced the skin and grazed against the bones, but she did not have enough strength to make the bite harder, so that the bone would crush. 

For a moment it became easier to hold on, because - what the girl could spy from the corner of her eye - Liffey had yet again distracted their victim by biting him in the neck, causing some damage, though not without suffering herself. Another swipe of the clawed paw - it hit her and drew blood. 

There was no time to feel sorry, because a third party arrived - a heavy mass of black fur, hit the cougar from the side and Wraen was forced to let go of the leg. For a split of a second the cat was lying on the side, one side of the neck and throat exposed. Wraen took the opportunity, jumped and got hold of the skin and flesh right next to the cat's jaw. Though she did not have enough strength to finish the cause, she had it pinned down for the time being. 

There was a small window for her comrades to act, because Wraen would not be able to hold the cat forever.

dang. get him guys! http://wolf-rpg.com/showthread.php?tid=21686&pid=290578#pid290578 

In a flash, the teeth were gone, but not before a single canine sliced hard across the bridge of her nose. All at once, the cat was torn from her grasp and Liffey nearly fell from the impact. She caught herself before falling completely over, but was temporarily blinded as she spun back by the blood and the pain. She had no time to try to figure out who this new wolf was - there were too many black wolves to choose from in this pack - for Wraen had grabbed at the cat and left an opening that was quickly closing as it attempted to roll away.

Liffey sprang. She aimed for the exposed throat, but was blocked by a swinging arm that she latched onto instead. She tugged his forearm back and away, leaving the creature's neck open for Terance, willing the dice are actually nice for once.

not rolling since it seems the thread has figured itself out... @Wraen if you'd like me to go off of a roll instead let me know! i'll gladly change it. (:

he checked and, oh thank zues, liffey hadn't been absolutely face-fucked by the cougar. in fact, she seemed to have gotten away in that moment. granted, he'd taken the force of that blow, and his shoulder looked actually pretty disgusting-- like a whole chunk of that bad boy was missing. he focused on other things. 

wraen, miraculously, had taken him down!! she must've caught him off guard of something because she pinned that sucker to the ground like it was nothing. terance took this moment alongside liffey to lunge for the beasts throat, and while liffey grabbed hold of it's arm, he himself found a good spot to take hold on, clamping down with all his might-- blood spraying onto his dark face as he shook with all of his might to absolutely fuck him up. it worked, it seemed, because soon enough he found that the creature had stopped all of it's yowls and struggles-- lying still beneath the three wolves.

When Liffey missed again, Wraen's heart sank, because she was unsure of how long she would be able to hold on. The cat was big and less-injured in the process as the wolves, who had attacked him, were. Her joints and muscles ached from exertion and she knew that, if nothing was going to happen right now, she would have no other choice than to let go. And given the state her companions were in, their chances of surviving this whole ordeal were very grim.

But Terance - being the brawniest and strongest of them two - finished the job. It took effort, it took time and Wraen kept her hold on the cat for a while longer after it was dead. Then she let it go and sank to her hindquarters, looking from the cat to Liffey and to her brother. She began to tremble, but managed to muster up a weak smile and say: "We f*cking did it... we did it."

Liffey's strength was waning, even against the rush of adrenaline that continued to pump through her veins. She wrenched at the cougar's arm, fighting to keep it away from Terance as he leaped forward to deliver the killing blow. When finally the cat stilled, Liffey momentarily found herself still unable to let go out of fear that it would somehow spring back to life and maul them some more. But it didn't move even as her packmates backed away, so she too finally released and stepped back on shaking limbs.

The Blackthorn looked between her companions, pausing on Terance to ascertain it was him and not one of the other dark wolves that lived on this mountain. She was panting heavily, trying to catch her breath and calm her violently beating heart. Wraen was the first to speak, and Liffey could only stare at her for a moment before speaking as well, "Yeah. We did, yeah. I mean... not the way I'd had in mind but... yeah..." She was starting to calm down now, and in doing so, was able to marvel at what they had actually just accomplished. They'd killed a mountain lion. Holy hell.

"Thank god you showed up, Terance," Liffey murmured, staring at the dead cat and shaking her head in disbelief. Though speaking of which... Terance. Rannoch. Oh hell, they were going to be in trouble, weren't they...

panic terance? it's a work in progress of a character development, but all the same.

 

when the creature finally stilled beneath him, terance let out a soft sob-- fear suddenly grabbing hold of his chest. had wraen and liffey seriously been fighting this alone? what might've happened if he didn't show up?? liffey's comment only further horrified him, and he spun around to find wraen, sitting down, muttering something about how we fucking did it. terance agreed, wholeheartedly, but he didn't have time for that kind of celebration. he was fucking scared. 

"wraen," he muttered quickly, concern saturated in that one word. he turned and moved to her as fast as he could, stumbling as the pain in his shoulder began to set in. but he made it to her(she wasn't that far) and pressed his face to her cheek and neck, tail thumping. "what happened to running?" he asked with as much light-hearted humor as he could manage, "i'm so glad you're okay." then, as an afterthought, and after a moment of relishing in the fact that wraen was alive and fine, he looked towards liffey. 

"you too, lif, seriously,"  he said, ears flat to his head.

"Ehm... we... I had a worse idea?" Wraen scrambled up an answer, but her mind was not yet working that right. How the hell had they got from simply scaring a big male cougar to the next logical thing, which included running away, in case things got heated, to fighting for their dear lives and eventually sitting next to the big cat's mangled corpse. She recalled Liffey's words about her mom, who had done this for fun in her days (Really? Fun? What kind of twisted sense of humor she had?!!!) and was pretty sure that entertainment had been way down on the list of reasons, why they had decided to assault the intruder in the first place.

"Eh... I don't quite remember now..." she cast Liffey a guilty glance, then gave one to Terance. Both had suffered injuries - she - aside from the blow accross her face was intact. No missing limbs or broken bones for her. "I kind of think it was my idea... but - I guess - a sorry won't make your wounds heal," she let out a little hysterical chuckle and shut up abruptly. Lying down seemed like a better option.

Running. Running. What had happened to running? Liffey looked from Terance to Wraen, who was clearly also having difficulty with that suggestion. It had been so obvious, and in retrospect, the Blackthorn was at a loss for understanding why they hadn't just booked it. Slowly, it came to her. Wraen had been hit, and she'd needed to distract the cougar from mauling her while she'd been down. And then Liffey had gotten hit, and Wraen had done the same for her. They were just trying to protect each other.

Holy shit. Had Liffey just made a friend??

"It was our idea," Liffey said, not wanting Wraen to take all of the blame for this, "We only wanted to drive it out of the territory, but things... got out of hand. But.. But it's all okay now!" She looked quickly at Wraen and smiled, relief finally settling over her. They were okay! The cat was dead and they weren't! Everything was fine, really! "These are just scratches, they'll heal. It's nothing. Everything is okay. Everyone is okay. Right?" she too chuckled as apparently, Wraen's hysteria was somewhat contagious. 

Rannoch was gonna bury her. She took a sudden deep breath to steady herself and snapped her attention to Terance, worry replacing her smiles. "Are you okay?" she asked, one last okay from her to confirm the thesis of her super eloquent monoloque.