Gyrfalcon's Keep Kindle my heart

Setting: Gyrfalcon's Keep.

When Pied reached the summit of the range's shortest peak, she found her way to a small ledge which overlooked the sprawling valley to the southeast. Angling herself on this rock shelf, the yearling actually found herself peering across at the plateau she'd called home for just a few short weeks. Directly beneath it wound the river and immediately below her perch, Pied gazed down upon a thick copse of bare tree limbs.

A flash of movement caught her eye and she glanced upward at two birds of prey circling in the whitewashed sky. Another silhouette drifted a bit further away and, even from here, Pied recognized the shape of Mag. As ever, the sight of her spectral companion made her feel somehow grounded and safe. She wondered if Mag would venture any nearer or if she was content wheeling about in the wide open space of the skies.

An abrupt noise behind her elicited an immediate reaction from the sightseeing she-wolf; her small body pressed flat to the cold shale and her ears slicked back against her head. She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes brimming with fear at the sight of a mountain lion skulking nearer, repeating its territorial shriek a second and third time. Its cream belly swayed between thick, muscular legs as the large cat prowled toward her, cutting off Pied's only route of escape.

Viinturuth had been a part of Neverwinter Forest only a few days, yet he felt stronger than he had in weeks. With his duties on the borders complete for one day, he took the opportunity to better explore the nearby unclaimed territories. He'd traveled the Teekon Wilds on his arrival but his only interest then was to find a suitable place to live, and thus had not bothered to take in the scenery.

A quick howl to his comrades announced his departure with the promise of return later in the evening and he set off North, skirting around the Silvertip Mountain and entering the woodland on the opposite side. Viinturuth then veered right, making his way onto higher ground.

He took his time, sauntering and checking out what the area had to offer. Everything here was so different to the rugged deserts of his birthplace, and although Viin found that he missed the heat of the South, he was slowly beginning to appreciate the Northern climate. Pausing at a nearby stream to quench his thirst, the silver-tipped Frostfur drank deeply and prepared to settle for a short rest.

His haunches did not even reach the ground before a familiar shriek had him standing on edge. Puma had been a common issue back in Susa, where they would trespass regularly when prey was scarce, and try to steal from Samarkand territory. Viinturuth, as a guard, had been one of the best when it came to sending those vile creatures packing... but never on his own.

Viin did not know why it sounded so enraged, but the last thing he needed was for it to pick up his scent and follow him back to Neverwinter Forest. Boldly, with his tail arched and hackles prickling, he hurried higher up the Keep and found the golden cat as it stalked closer to its intended victim, which just so happened to be a cornered young wolf. Immediately, without stopping to think, the raven Frostfur barked loudly in attempt to attract the angry feline's attention away from the cowering wolfess and onto him to give her a better opportunity to escape.

Feel free to play the cougar!

The mountain lion paused, its champagne eyes apparently sizing up its prey. Pied pressed herself even closer to the ground, feeling the horrible weight of the feline's gaze as well as the requisite terror of the situation. There was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide, unless she wanted to take her chances leaping down the cliff side. Which was worse, breaking her legs, back or neck or dying at the tooth and claw of this savage beast four times her size?

The mountain lion's lips peeled back and it hissed loudly, its whiskers quivering. It took a step closer, its broad paws silent on the rocky ground. It began to lower its head, presumably to spring at her, yet it jerked up and shot a startled glance over its shoulder at the sound of a booming bark. It hissed again and the trembling Pied saw its fangs in profile and she felt her bowels loosening.

In the next instant, however, she acted quickly, seizing this narrow opportunity. With a wild grunt of terror, she pushed to her feet and bounded past the cat, all the while expecting a death blow to rain down on her head or back. When it didn't come, she kept running, not even daring to look back to find the source of the bark. She sipped in panicked breaths of air as her legs pumped, carrying her partway around the keep's circumference and to a lower vantage point.

Finally, she stopped, quivering from head to toe. She looked up and could see the mountain lion's back and its long, quivering tail. It was now facing whatever individual had provided the distraction. A jolt of fear struck Pied and, unthinkingly, she barked this time. Now that she wasn't cornered herself and had the advantage of distance, perhaps she could lead the mountain lion away from her unseen savior and lead it on a chase away from the stunted mountain peak.

When the cougar swung its head in his direction to fix him with a fierce glower, Viinturuth hunched his powerful shoulders and readied himself what he anticipated would soon follow. As the little she-wolf scurried away, he could barely spare her a glance - taking his eyes off of the mountain lion could have dangerous consequences for him. And so he waited, bristled, unwilling to make the first move, and together wolf and cat continued their staring contest.

But then there was a snarl, and the sandy feline twisted itself with a grace Viin didn't think it to be capable of. Its approach felt drawn-out for him, almost slow motion, as it picked up the pace and padded heavily toward him. The dark brute parted his jaws in a terrifying snarl, lips peeled back to reveal his impressive set of fangs, and as he did so did the big cat stop in its tracks once more. At first he thought proudly that his own display had made the cougar hesitate, but he realised with the turn of its crown that he had not been the cause. Something else had sought its attention.

It was as though, all of a sudden, he did not exist. The mountain lion made to slink away, and Viinturuth rumbled as he began his pursuit. As he neared the cliff edge he spotted the dappled form of the female he'd tried to lure the cat away from and there she stood, stupidly inviting it back to her. Furrowing his brow, Viin used the opportunity to take a running start and, as swiftly and silently as he could, made his leap at the predator's flank as it contemplated a safe passage to its previous victim's level, sending them both rolling down the rocky slope in a snarling ball of black and gold.

Edit on 02/10: I'm going to narrate a conclusion, since Viinturuth's been removed.

Her bark drew its fearsome eyes back to her and the mountain lion seemed to deliberate a moment before pivoting and slinking along the ledge above her. As it sought the best route down to reach her, Pied felt her entire body quiver. She wanted to run for it, yet she feared that fleeing would result in the big cat turning on the other canine. She felt stuck between a rock and a hard place, the intensity of her fear making her feel as if she might fly to pieces at any moment.

Suddenly, something—presumably the other wolf—struck the feline from the rear, sending both of them tumbling over the ledge, rolling down the rocky slope in one spitting, snarling heap. Pied sprang clear even as the two animals made impact on the lower pathway where she stood. Her heart now in her throat, she froze, torn again by her warring impulses.

Before she could make the fight-or-flight decision, the mountain lion sprang to its feet with an indignant screech that made Pied's ears lie flat. Its eyes locked on her simultaneously and before she could even think of whirling and running away, it sprang at her with its gleaming teeth and wicked claws both unsheathed.

It was impossible to avoid the cat's attack entirely, yet Pied threw herself down the remaining slope at breakneck speed, literally chancing breaking her neck. She lost her footing, her legs buckling so that she slid to the keep's base. When she struck flat ground, she tried to stand, only for her left foreleg to crumple beneath her. With a whine, she glanced down to see bleeding gashes in her shoulder and long crimson streaks running down her foreleg.

Limping heavily, she began to run along the base of the small peak, glancing upward to ascertain the mountain lion's position, as well as that of her canine comrade and savior... only she didn't see the latter. She saw the cougar, fresh from the tussle, leaping along the ledge, its indignant shriek causing her ears to lie flat. It glanced at her and hissed, only to bound up the mountain instead of down. Clearly waving the white flag, it disappeared into the crags.

Slowing to a stop, a panting, bleeding Pied shouted, "Hello? Hello?" in the hopes that her rescuer would show himself. Fearing the worst, she painstakingly scaled the cliff again in search of him. Yet, though she looked high and low for the black wolf, she never found him and was left to assume that he'd run off to save his hide.

Nonetheless grateful, the yearling eventually turned and, wincing, limped home.