That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

Now that he was settled in Dómari decided to do a bit of exploring in the west. He'd been focusing on his fighting abilities but eventually he'd need to assist with the hunting and it would be a good idea to get a grasp of the terrain. Most of it was arid and dry but there were a few patches that offered grazing options for prey animals.

He worked his way through the sweetgrass basin. There was still a lovely scent in the air and the grasses around him were turning lovely golden shades. He was so caught up in what he was doing that he almost missed the lioness that was stalking him. Just in time the wind brought her scent to his nose and he bolted forward as she leapt. Her claws raked across his hind end eliciting a yelp. He whirled around with a snarl defenses set. The lioness stared him down and sprang again. This time his jaws caught hold of her right hind leg.

The male headed west for a few days in a last attempt to try and find Acapella. He worried about her every day, wondering if she was safe and unhurt or...or maybe the unthinkable had happened. He shook his head as he tried not to think about that, but it was hard not too. They'd become separated since the Volcano had erupted, and he hadn't seen her since nor had he been able to find any trace of her. He had wondered if maybe she tried to return to her birth pack, and decided he needed to find out before accepting he might never see her again. Of all the wolves in Boreas (excluding Avalon and her family), Acapella had come to be one of the very few wolves in his life that he truly cared about. And perhaps his feelings for her went even deeper than just care...at some point, he acknowledged that he really did love her. Or at least, he was getting to feel that way before all of this.

Frustrated and unhappy, he trekked across the basin as he made his way towards the western pack his would-have-been mate called home before he smelled something strange on the wind. Flattening his ears, he lowered himself closer to the ground and carefully stalked forward, though he didn't go very far before he heard the sounds of commotion several yards ahead. Icy gaze narrowed as he approached, catching a glimpse of tawny fur and the movement of what he knew to be a wolf. Gaze widened when he realized it was a lioness, and he watched as the pair fought. The wolf had her leg in his mouth, and as the cat turned to bat him off, Greed made his move.

Already feeling pent up anger and frustration, he had no qualms in tangling himself up in this. With a ferocious snarl, he threw himself at the lioness with everything he had, jutting his shoulder out to ram into her own while also distracting her from attacking the other male. His jaws snapped open, seeking to bite into the crook of her neck, and succeeded. As the lioness yowled in pain, she swiped a heavy paw towards his shoulder, her claws scoring a trio of lacerations into the shoulder he had provided for her.

Perhaps he wasn't thinking clearly because of his worry for Acapella, the anger and the frustration...he didn't feel the pain, nor was he really thinking about how he could come away from this seriously injured, or worse...

That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

Dómari's fangs latched around the lion's right hind leg just below her knee but he couldn't hold on long as he felt her body curling in toward his flank. He let go and swiftly stumbled to the side, her jaws just missing his own hind leg. His thighs were sore and bloody from her claws and he felt his heart hammering in his chest. How did he manage to get himself into this situation? It was at that moment another male appeared and Dómari had a fleeting feeling that he'd seen the man before but at the moment he couldn't place him and his thoughts were preoccupied. He needed to find a way to not get eaten.

Dómari seized the opportunity the man provided to latch onto the lionesses' left knee. He thrashed his head violently as the lion yowled and flailed.

Her attention was diverted away as she cried out in pain, allowing Greed to unlatch his jaws and stumble away from her for a moment to recuperate. His shoulder throbbed with pain, the warmth of blood seeping down his leg and onto the ground but he didn't care. He'd likely have to see a healer, but he wasn't sure how much strength he'd have left after this to make it back home. Gaze found the other male momentarily, watching as the man thrashed his head with the lioness' knee in his jaws. Greed was generally the all or nothing type, but it didn't seem like a bad idea to take out her limbs. After all, what use was a cat if it couldn't use its greatest weapons?

Smirking for a moment, he charged back in at her. Aiming this time to knock the beast off her feet with all the force he could muster with his own heavy body, and reached for her scruff before she could react. While he nearly went tripping over her in the process, he managed to make her fall and his teeth gripped the side of her cheek instead of his intended target. There he clamped his jaws as he practically straddled her body, hoping to wear her out enough to where they'd get an upper hand on the damned cat.

That Sea is just a Gambler at Heart

Dómari struggled to work out how best to fight a creature with both fangs and claws as the lioness' fangs found purchase on his thigh. Pain rocketed through him but it only made him clench his jaw tighter as he worked to keep his grip. A force struck the lion, ripping her off of him as the other man got ahold of her, pinning her down. Dómari took a deep breath, reset his defenses, and dove back into the fray. He was limping slightly but he didn't have far to go as he dove down and latched his fangs onto the lions left ear, his jaws cutting clean through it. The lioness yowled and flailed and it was clear she had had enough. These wolves were too much trouble!