Lion Head Mesa Black and orange stray cat sittin' on a fence

@Stryx

Clouds rolled by silently, harmlessly overhead draping shadows across his shoulders, giving him relief in the intermittent respite from the sun's warm rays, though inevitably, the light would break forth every now and again and brighten the mesa's slope with such sudden intentisy that it would make the cat squint. He'd spent his first few days on the Mesa simply creating a belt of scent-markings around the mesa's incline to ward other predators away from the tabletop landscape, where he preferred to keep all the potential hunting to himself. His own personal cupboard, so to speak, which he hoped to maintain at least until the autumn came. But curiosity lured him down from his perch toward the small lake that formed at the mesa's southeast slope- though of course, he considered it to be a part of his claim as well. The larger lake beyond...Well, that could wait. 

The water was clear, cool and innocent, with water lilies dappling the edges in the shallower waters. A sufficient water supply, he thought, though he wondered if it would freeze in the winter...Yet another reason he hoped to find a more permanent, majestic home before the next Spring. Still- for the moment, it would do- so he crouched at the water's edge and calmly began to lap up the water, creating small, elegant ripples in the surface that rippled across the lake's surface.

Not much would survive in a canyon such as this, especially as summer came in to its own, but there weren't many options for Stryx or her little companion @Conquest, not immediately anyway. They headed away from the meadow and followed the arch of the sun, clinging to the shade whenever possible, and soon enough climbing through the mesa as the days progressed. The main issue was water - Stryx did not like the idea of this dry desert-like place with all of its sunlight and scrubland, and the main priority was to find a source of water to keep them hydrated and healthy.

Then there was the threat of cougars. Stryx had only ever heard tales of them, she was not exactly experienced in combat with her own kind let alone this mythological predator, and did not notice the strong scent that lingered on the slopes as she hiked; she only knew it smelled warm and dusty with a sort-of lingering, stronger piss smell. She only hoped to find somewhere safe for the night so that her little companion could rest, then they could continue trying to survive somewhere more suitable later.

When the smell in the air grew heavier Stryx wondered if she'd made a bad decision; but she looked back at the tumbling red child and knew she had to remain focused on one course of action, which was to put the child first and keep them safe. Gradually the warm smell in the air of stale dust and dry grass gave way to something sharper, almost metallic, and Stryx knew she'd found something good - over the next rise, a distant lake came in to view. She waited for the child to catch up to where she lingered, then began the descent towards the lake, oblivious to the dangers.

Though the strange woman didn't feel like home either, it felt more comfortable than the group of strangers of the wolves by the riverside. Plodding around the woman, sometimes in front sniffing around with all the new smells, sometimes behind being distracted by, also, new smells, she simply was blissfully unaware of the dangers that might be around them as if the adult around was enough to keep her safe. It didn't stop her from growling at random things or preparing to lunge at random moving objects, but she was at least more relaxed than she was upon their first meeting.

Simply, full of what seemed to be natural aggression and energy that seemed almost limitless now that her legs were getting stronger and body bigger and bigger almost every day. Though her paws were still comically large, she found her footing a little easier in time as well, now that most of her days were filled with walking around, she was becoming more aware of their size and tripped less and less (still from time to time). 

After getting her fill of a thing she was sniffing, unsure of what it was, she trotted awkwardly up to the female's side and looked up at her with brilliant rubies. Though still innocent in a child's nature, they were somehow stern, lacking that same playfulness or wonder that most her age would have. Thirsty.

He stopped lapping up water when he heard footfalls over the hushed stillness of the water, and looked up to see first a creature of slate and ash, an adult female with a mildness about her lips and features which told him she wasn't here to track him down. She likely had no idea he was even crouched amidst the reeds at the water's edge. And the glance she gave over her shoulder- was nothing more than to assure that her ward- a fiery-furred child- was with her. He remained quiet for a moment; that pup was likely about the same age as Veritas. 

He remained where he was, ears flicking forward, and his concern- as always, nowadays- was to make sure that these two did not proceed up the Mesa toward where his own ward was hidden. He would like in wait, then, crouched at the water's edge, watching them above the gentrly rippling surface as they approached.

The look in the child's eyes made her uncomfortable. It wasn't like Stryx ran around collecting children or anything, and she was never destined for true motherhood, so she had no idea what was normal and what wasn't during a child's development. That look chilled her, though. The command that fell from the Connie's lips eased some of the feeling away though, and Stryx huffed.

Then drink, I'm not stopping you. Look, there's— she motioned towards the oasis with her nose as she spoke but then froze, her gaze landing on a wedge of sandstone that looked sentient to some degree. No, it was the eyes. The cat wasn't far from them and she should have noticed it before. A line of fluid dribbled off of its chin as it stared back.

Stryx bristled faintly. Her short coat accentuated her thin body and no amount of posturing or puffing could compensate for that. Drink, but be quick about it. Stryx commented over Connie's head, and nudged them towards the water, all the while staring at the cat.

The woman's voice wasn't all too inviting but Conquest couldn't really complain about it, it seemed rather normal to her despite it not drawing a smile to her face now that she was given a little time to drink. She was just about to do, dip her tongue into the water, maybe even splash around a bit if given enough time until - well, she saw that look in Stryx's eyes.

Connie's own rubies scanned where her guardian's were looking at, she couldn't see whatever was upsetting her, but Connie's fur bristled in response regardless of not being able to spot the trouble. Being pushed forward, she was cautious but quick to shove her face into the water and drink up as much as possible, bobbing up and down every now and then to try and keep an eye on whatever it was Stryx was looking at, but thirsty enough to let her attention be split in half.

The hurried actions were enough for her to nearly choke on the water, the final gasp for air forcing a few uncontrolled coughs as she tried to clear her lungs from the liquid that shouldn't be there, shaking her head while awkwardly backing away from the water to go back to her guardian's side.

Like a statue, he remained motionless against the water's edge, his fawn coat blending in seamlessly with the boulders that surrounded by him, but any with a keen enough eye would be able to pick out the white patches of his cheeks and chin, and the little dark spots above his eyes which remained locked on to the pair of wolves. He caught the range of the female's gaze over the mesa behind him, as though there was something she didn't quite trust about it...And her instinct was correct. He felt the moment her eyes locked onto his facial features after having passed over him once or twice. She nudged the young one forward to drink, and she was obeyed. 

He kept her gaze calmly, remaining motionless while the young one drank though she snapped at the water in such an ungainly manner that Virtute was not surprised when she withdrew, coughing. One of Virtute's ears flicked, and he sniffed. The pup was back by what he assumed was her mother's side and given the space between them...Virtute felt no impulse to terrify them further. He sat up, now that he felt there would be less chance of frightening the daylights out of the young one, and kept his even, honeyed gaze on the adult. "The mesa is my territory," He said. "You'll do well to mind my markings," He said calmly. The words came as a gentle warning- not that they were near trespassing...But the pool of water did lay at the very edge of his borders, and had they come around the edge at all, they would very likely have noticed the proximity to his claimed territory.