The Sunspire you are my sunshine

Ibis was not an adventurous creature; the furthest she had ever been from her mother had been just outside the den, and even in those moments she wasn't far from an adult. Today, things were only marginally different. She still did not want to be far from her immediate family, but the sun was out in full force, and Ibis was baited out of the den because of it. She liked how warm it was, how bright, and the way her fur seemed to glow when directly under it — it spotlighted her as she crept from the cool den, and within moments the little one was dancing about, skipping and prancing in the light with laughter on her tongue. She saw how her paws left prints behind, and retraced them again and again, until she was too warm to bother, and plopped down in the shade of the entryway.

Rocco had entered the wolves' territory a couple of hours before, and made his way toward the heart of it. He could smell them all around, and he kept his ears and eyes alert for any signs that there might be one ready to attack him. So far, so good. He slinked through the forest trees, ever so quiet.

Movement caught his attention and he froze as his eyes focus on the small pup. While she was distracted and playing, he moved into the position he wanted, which was behind the entrance of the den. He hoped to put himself between it and her, so that she couldn't dart back into it. She turned and headed straight for it, and he thought his opportunity had passed, but instead of going in, she laid at the entrance. He could work with this.

He snuck up behind her, his movements purposeful and sure. When he was just above her, he swiped his paw behind her, hoping to push her away from the entrance of the den. His claws were out, and he growled his presence as they cut through the air, hoping to come in contact with her flesh.

The presence of danger went unnoticed. Poor little Ibis was ignorant to many things, chief among them was the weakness of her own body. She was so small, so meek, so young, and an easy target. But her size was also a boon—for when the creature came in close and reached for her, she narrowly escaped. This too, she was unaware of. The closeness of death—

But before long she was rolling in the shadows, feeling the temperature difference through her sparse fur. Around her the birds had stopped singing and this she did take notice of, if only barely, and righted herself in the next instant. Her eyes were wide and curious, her ears spinning, and she looked around in wonderment at the stillness of the summer day. Where had all her singing friends gone to?

hope this pp is okay!
i might see if it's okay to pp @Olive since they share a den!

it was an unfortunate day for the wild cat.  momma had a watchful eye, and she saw the cat coming before her daughter could.  she rose with a growl — one with much more purpose than she'd ever been able to muster.  it was more powerful than when redshank had come and threatened their claim, more powerful than she'd felt when mato had taken her world and shattered it.

this was her baby.  ibis moved as she stepped in the way, and she did not hesitate as she launched directly towards whatever her fangs could grab.  there were not just her babies on the line here but five little lives, and she wouldn't let any of them get hurt.  not after oaxaca.

She moved just as his paw came down, and his claws caught nothing but air. His ears flicked back in irritation, and abandoning all thought to any adults around, he jumped down in front of the entrance of the den as the pup walked away from it. Finally, he was between her and safety. 

He stalked her, thinking how much he was right about wolves. Dumb wolves raised dumb pups. He was so close, yet she was so oblivious. He thought of how much fun it would be to toy with her, to strike fear into her heart. So, he simply followed close behind her as she looked around.

But, his fun would be short lived. He heard movement behind him, and jumped out of the way just as the mother's jaws skimmed his back leg. He growled in response, and swung a clawed paw at her face, his own fangs flashing in the sunlight.

The girl's tiny world got a little bigger that day, and she did not like what she had discovered. The arrival of the cat didn't bother her; she did notice it finally, staring up at its big tawny shape and slowly focusing on it's blunted face with some interest. The darkness of the den was behind it, and the sunlight made it's fur turn a copper color she rather liked.

Ibis didn't realize the danger still, she merely saw a new friend—the possibility of playtime, maybe. But before such things could transpire there was a roar from behind the cat, the snapping of teeth, and the creature was away. Ibis saw the flash of its fur as it vanished with a few strides, and she caught sight of a frightful grimace on her dear mother's face as Seabreeze tried to sink her teeth in to the creature.

For the first time, Ibis knew fear. She felt it as she saw the contortion of her mother's features, feeling a chill delve deep in to her bones despite the season, and in moments was letting out a frightened cry. Her tiny body became smaller still as she flattened to the soil, cowering and crying.

Bernard had just finished making his rounds on the border and was going to head for his usual dipping spot when the scent of cat hit him. Felines were such slippery creatures, able to penetrate pack territory. Still, he felt this was incredibly foolish. Immediately, the bearish canine loped after its trail, which brought him closer and closer to the densite. Bernard's heart sank in its chest; was he too late? He pushed himself to run faster, despite the heat and despite his lack of stamina at top speed.

Finally, the lynx came into view. The creature was face-to-face with Seabreeze. Releasing a loud, fierce snarl, the behemoth did not slow down, even against his burning muscles and throat, aiming to barrel right into the intruder before it could harm his packmate. Ideally, this would send it to the ground, where he would mercilessly tear into its throat, if able. Such thoughts normally didn't cross the gentle giant's mind, but when his packmates―especially children―were in danger, he had no qualms with extreme violence.

and then her baby is screaming and so is she.

she wasn't able to see if the cat had actually gotten to her daughter, but that voice — !  the cat's paw strikes across her face and seabreeze, delicate as she is, is swatted away by the broad-handed swipe as a scream (distantly, she realizes is her own) punctuates the air.  he sharp smell of iron assaults her as her face is opened for a third time and she fights to blink the blood away before he can get to her baby.

then from out of nowhere comes bernard.  she swipes a paw across her face, smearing the blood but clearing it from her eyes, and tries to hone in on the creature's weak spots because one thing was for certain — nobody would teach her child the meaning of fear and get to live to tell the tale.

It had been a peaceful day and Cin had done nothing more than lounge around, hunt on and off and take some nice walks. Then the screaming started and ruined any semblace of peace the Sunspire had. Hyacinth took off running, identifying the screaming as Seabreeze and Ibis. The smell of blood made her panic and as she came upon the scene she saw Bernard attacking the feline and Seabreeze injured. She didn't hesitate, Ibis' s screaming brought out the protective instincts in her and she lunged straight for the feline her fangs aiming to take hold of it's hindquarters and bite down.

rolled a 7/10 attack success om discord. I am down for minor wounds. A bite and maybe a good claw across the shoulder.

Satisfyingly, Rocco's claws connected with her face, and it spurred on his fight. But, before he knew it, he was outnumbered, and his chances of getting out alive were dwindling quickly. A wolf barreled into him, sending the cat rolling onto his back. But, Rocco would not give up his neck. His head tucked to protect it as he bared his fangs in preparation to bite down on whatever he could.

He legs waved, and all four sets of claws slashed at the air in hopes of connecting with the wolf's flesh. Something bit into his left hindquarter, and Rocco turned his attention on the female, squirming his body to claw at her shoulder. He would aim his jaws towards her face, possibly biting own on an ear in hopes to get her to release him. If she did, he would right himself and make a run for it. He could not outfight three wolves, but he might just be able to outrun them, if his left leg wasn't dead from the bite.

Skipping Ibis with permission!

The cat was smart enough to tuck in its head and avoid his teeth. It retaliated with its own, which sank into his shoulder. Then the claws came, raking at his flesh all over like needles. Bernard snarled, his fury growing astronomically when someone else diverted the lynx's assault: Hyacinth. He would try and make the best of the opportunity to sink his fangs into the damned cat, as it couldn't fight all of them. The wolfdog was too angry to aim at this point, he just wanted it dead.

the cat's fangs rake across the top of her crown, but this time she does not make the mistake of letting go.  another woman arrives — hyacinth, she is surprised to see — and she knows that between the three of them, they can take this beast and either kill it or dispose of it somewhere far away from her children.

Hyacinth had torn open the beast's hindquarters fairly good and expectedly pissed the feline off. When he retaliated with claws that swipe downward she ducked, the attack missing her head and instead slashing down across her shoulder. She yelped and cowered for a moment, whimpering before the sound of Ibis screaming replayed in her mind like a stuck tape. The sound encouraged her to stand up and circle, facing the cat and snarling. She snapped at it's face and then backed away, challenging it to follow her. Getting it away from Ibis was the best option in her mind.

It was whirle of claws, fangs, and fur flying as Rocco fought for his life. He knew he connected some of his hits, but he couldn't say to where or what wolf. He simply turned on whichever wolf was closest and unleashed his fury on them. The wolf who had his leg let go, and so he turned to the brute that hadn't backed off. 

He let go an ear-piercing scream as he took one paw and clawed at the male in front of him. His back leg was bad, and he couldn't afford to lift both his front legs off the ground. Thankfully, the other female merely snapped at his face and retreated. He took that moment to turn on his heal, as best he could, and make a run for the borders. Not believing he could make it that far, the cat got to the nearest thick tree and made a bolt for it, using his front legs and one good back leg to claw his way up the trunk to a high branch. He turned, then, to face the wolves. He knew they couldn't climb, and he was high enough that they couldn't jump and get him either. Still, he growled a warning. Blood seeped from his hindquarters, and the droplets fell to the ground below. 

With an infuriatingly loud scream, the lynx clawed at his face. Bernard instinctively snapped his head to the side, and its claws snagged the flesh of his jaw, raking across his cheek. The wounds stung horribly, and the cat managed to escape his grasp while he was stunned. The lynx made a run for it, and Bernard gave chase. Despite his lack of stamina at full speed and already being drained from the sprint here, he was slowly gaining due to the cat's injured leg. Smartly, it scrabbled up a tree, growling from its perch.

Its ability to climb was its saving grace... for now. True to his domestic roots, he bayed at the feline from the base of the tree, baring his fangs ferociously as he did. He soon controlled himself, though, stepping away from the tree while still glaring daggers its way over his shoulder. The cat would have to come down eventually.

Turning to Hyacinth and Seabreeze, his boiling anger shifted to a simmer, becoming replaced with concern. They were all bloodied and surely still in shock from the whole situation. Adrenaline still pumped through his body, but Bernard managed to say, I will protect the den until the threat is gone. You two should go get healed up. They may deny his request, but he would suggest it anyway. He'd value their safety over his own, as that was his duty.

The chaos unfolded and Ibis was too frightened to see much of it, having squished herself as small as she could against the ground. By the time a calm had settled it was an uncertain one. She wept against the stone beneath her paws, and gradually lifted her head so that she could look around. It was then she saw her mother; Seabreeze was blurry behind the endless tears clouding her vision — and there was a peculiarly bright color atop her head — which unsettled Ibis further. She got up and bolted for her mom, but when she saw this red streak she stopped and sniffled, looking around as if she was lost in the crowd of adults despite her mother being right there.

I had given permission just after Bernard's last post for this thread to be faded, but I think with everything that happened between then and now that it kind of got lost.  I'm going to go ahead and tack on an ending to this especially since half of the thread participants are either on PPC or inactive.  Please unarchive if you wish to continue!

Everything happened so fast.  She cast a look down at Ibis, and then back at Bernard.  She did not want to leave her baby, but she exchanged a look with @Hyacinth as she felt the blood trickle down her muzzle.  Okay, she finally supplied, kissing her daughter before reluctantly being pulled away to get patched up.