Biding my Time

The other wolf tore a gash in her target, and the lynx was sent into the dirt. In a flash of fangs and fur, Tuwawi collided with both the tumbling cat and canine, her jaws clicking shut as the air was knocked out of her lungs. Oof she wheezed as they impacted, the forest's trees swept into a dizzy spiral. A splatter for brilliant vermilion caught her gaze. Blood... but whose? Nails dug like pins into her shoulder as the lynx grappled for footing, eager to escape his precarious position. With a massive heave, Tuwawi sprung to her feet; mostly uninjured but disoriented. By that time, their foe had already wheeled away and the nervy female bayed at his retreat.

Tuwawi tried to comprehend exactly what had just happened, her expression blank. Auburn hair stood on end and a few beads of blood pooled where the lynx had inadvertently clawed her. Surely he had meant to use his teeth and flexible body to wrap about his foe like a devious python... However, that had not come to pass in thanks to this mystery rescuer.

Eventually Tuwawi's heart slowed and she blinked, finally understanding that she had been this bobcat's prey. It was completely unexpected. A bear... maybe, a cougar, sure... but a lynx? They were usually quiet creatures. If anything, it reminded the mother to not take the peaceful forest for granted. Nefarious creatures always lurked. "I owe you one," she stammered, still reeling from their lightening-fast confrontation, "didn't see him coming."