Rising Sun Valley salvation anywhere

It was a stalemate. Neither animal wanted this confrontation, but they couldn't exactly turn around and simply leave. The rivalry between predators was too great - and the trust too fleeting. The lynx refused to do the natural thing and scurry up a tree, assuming (perhaps wrongly) that he would be stranded there by a zealous young wolf; but now that they were squaring off, Hassun realized the mistake. He should have just fled and avoided this entire situation. The wolf couldn't be trusted but it was also warning him away - not outright attacking as he anticipated. So while the feline paced a wide crescent around the stranger, the stranger did the same to him. Eyes locked, warnings issued, and then — without so much as a scratch, the cat withdrew. He spotted a gap between the trees and took off after it, slipping through the underbrush at such a sharp speed that he was sure to escape unharmed. Still, his senses were tuned to the wolf and he was ready to twist away if the hound tried anything.