Gryphon glided along the border, paws making little sound despite the hint of mud beneath the grasses. It was, as usual this autumn, windy and dreary, though at least there was no rain today. Thunder still grumbled in constant counterpoint to his heart, though, and the mist around him was lit in flashes of distant lightning. It was in it's own way rather pretty actually, and it matched the grim mood he'd been in for some time. Not today though - the gold-brown male was on the hunt, and he was always happiest on the hunt. It gave him a focus for his overprotective instincts and restless energy, and every time he slipped into that slinking hunter's stance to search out prey he found his whole soul relaxing.

He didn't find prey today as he moved through the mist, though. No, today a strange, rank scent suddenly filled his nose, causing him to sneeze in alarm and disgust. What on earth was that? It smelled almost like... well, almost like a jaguar, but there was some weird quality about it that immediately put the hunter's hackles on end. Even if there hadn't been something weird about it, he couldn't tolerate a jaguar wandering the pack territories. Dragon's friendship with his cat companion notwithstanding, the big cats were dangerous neighbors. Most wouldn't hesitate to take a wolf if they could find one young or weak on it's own. There were no pups in the pack, not yet, but many of the pack members were still recovering from major wounds taken in the raid earlier in the year. That extra, strange addition to the scent though... that made it even more urgent he track this creature and get rid of it.

Alternatively dropping his nose to the ground, or lifting it to scent the air, he followed the traces left by the strange not-jaguar as it penetrated deeper and deeper into the plains. Suddenly he froze, alerted as much by the sound of rustling grass as by the hot scent of the trail that he was very close. Settling his body even lower, practically slinking on his belly as he placed each paw with greatly exaggerated care to be even more silent. Luckily he was downwind of the creature, so his scent wouldn't alert it.

Eyes narrowed to reduce the shine, he carefully slipped his face through the grass cover enough to see his quarry. What he saw was enough to freeze him, blinking, in place.

It was... or had started out as... a jaguar, but something had caused it to grow to a massive size, easily ten paws tall at the shoulder making it a little larger even than Dragon. It's eye teeth were extremely elongated, hanging down past its lower jaw, and the rest of its teeth were unnaturally sharp and pointed as though filed to a point. It couldn't even close its mouth properly with that sharks-mouth full of teeth, and the gaping jaws dripped drool constantly. A fetid stench came from the opened maw, like some unholy combination of snake venom and rotted meat. Its green eyes seemed to glow, the mist around its head reflecting the glow weirdly so that it appeared wreathed in eerie green smoke.

Gryphon carefully - so very carefully! - withdrew until he was a safe distance away and sat down to think. Well, he couldn't possibly take care of this menace on his own, that was for certain. But he didn't want to alert the creature either, so he loped even further away before he threw back his head and called the pack to him. Technically as an omega he didn't have the authority to order ANYONE around, but he hadn't at any point in the last few seasons really ACTED like an omega anyway so the note of command in his voice wouldn't likely come as any surprise to anyone who knew him.

OOC: Remember that if we complete this we can get an extra 5 points for fighting skills on top of whatever "fighting off predator attack" ends up being for skills, so let's try to get four rounds!

He had taken Greed out to the boneyard for a spar, the young knight had done pretty well and Dragon knew now why he had done so well during their raid. He had taken him to assess his skills, and he was quite impressed. Now though, he and his companions along with Greed were returning to Talis, but on the way Kimahri had detected something most foul in the air. Curious, Dragon had decided to track it, and his fur began to bristle as the trail led them closer to pack lands, and finally straight into the territory. He could detect the underlying familiar scent of Jaguar, but dominating that was the stench of something intensely foul. His nose wrinkled and he wanted to hold his breath, likewise Greed had opted to do just that and the group stifled their gags. What the hell was going on? Signaling the others to stay low, they headed towards the heart of the plains, and along the way he heard Gryphon's howl pierce the air, and knew right away that his brother had no doubt seen whatever beast it was. Quickly, the group headed towards Gryphon's location, and it wasn't long before he spotted his brother in the darkness. Green eyes flashed, fur bristling along his spine as he straightened out, coming to stop near his sibling. "You smell it too. What's going on?" He spoke in a low tone, just in case the creature was nearby. Had it gone to the castle already? That was where half the pack slept, and he was worried that those who slept in the plains might come across it...whatever it was, he wasn't sure if one wolf would be able to handle it alone... "Speech"

He followed his alpha, tail curled over his back and his stature tall and proud. He had done well during their training spar, though he was sore, it didn't bother him in the slightest. Dragon had praised him and Greed knew his skills were improving each day. He had bested two wolves in the raid held at the beginning of the year, and knew he was growing stronger. Was he stronger than his own sire? Yes. He told himself. After all, his sire couldn't even take down the alpha that he had challenged. But Greed had managed to take down two wolves in a row, and that he thought, was more than his father could have ever done. Absorbed in his thoughts, he nearly collided with the trio in front of him, but halted just in time to hear one of Dragon's companions growl. Confused for a moment, he slowly glanced around until he noticed a stench in the air. His nose wrinkled, ears falling back. What the hell had just died!? Looking to Dragon, he followed the earthen male well into the plains where eventually, they would hear a call from one of their pack mates. Though Greed wasn't too familiar with everyone in the pack despite having been born within it, he simply didn't care to make friends. He followed his alpha until they met up with his brother, and his eyes narrowed slightly, cold eyes glittering in the night. He remained quiet, one ear cocked towards the pair as he kept an eye out. "Talk"