You don't belong here (seasonal)

It was well into the night and it wouldn’t be too long before he’d see the first signs of the sun.  It was still chilly at this hour but he knew it would warm up soon enough.  It was time to hunt, not just to become better at it but to help provide for the pack.  The days of rabbits were over and now he was hunting for bigger game.  Away from pack land the scent of wolves would be less out here and the water would draw in all manner of prey.  The young wolf found a spot next to some rock that did well to provide cover in the dark of night and lay down silent and waiting.  

Rudy had seen Tapir out had scented Tapir out here before and it was that which he had come to hunt.  What he found was completely different.  A large form silently moved through the night intent on the water as its target also.  A cat, a very very large cat had come for a drink.  This was far too close to the pack land to allow it to stay.  

Rudy was out of sight and downwind to avoid prey spotting him and now it was in his favor with the giant cat as well.  What were his odds against it?  The boy glanced up into the tree’s where a hawk sat on a branch and off a bit further where his devil was roaming, too small to scare off what he was hunting for.  Rudy didn’t need to kill the cat, just chase it away as he had once helped mom do with the bear.  The memory was both pleasant and painful but this wasn’t the time to dwell.

The odds of killing it were pretty low but if he beat it up enough to then chase it off to the south, that should work. Rudy looked up at his hawk again and tilted his head towards the cat.  The bird bobbed its his head and flew up high.  Rudy waited and then his agile bird dove from up high straight towards a very surprised cat.  Talons raked at its face, slashing into its flesh and taking back off before the cat had a chance to grab it.  At the same second the bird distracted the cat with its attack Rudy ran in to bite the cat on a rear leg.  He only had a moment till he had to leap back but he tasted blood and knew he’d scored a hit.  Well, he had done thing well; the cat looked pissed.

The saber tooth and Rudy stared each other done, ears flat and teeth shown.  Admittedly the saber-tooth looked far more intimidating in set of teeth.  Rudy held its gaze for a moment before the beast lunged at him and Rudy ran backwards a step, the cat followed and rudy grinned realizing step one of his task.  Rudy circled the cat and ran south with the cat following him.  Unfortunately it didn’t go far, it wasn’t done with its water.  Rudy let out a sigh and came closer again snarling and grabbing the cats attention.  It earned him a glare but again the cat tried to drink.

Rudy charged in and as he got close to a leg the cat spun, a clawed paw reaching out to try and slash at his face but Rudy backed up in time.  Reddy, his hawk, had again been circling up high and once more it dove with incredible speed.  The cat looked up and hopped up planning to try and swat it down.  Rudy once more charged in, lunging up to grab the top of the cats neck and lunge back to tear at flesh.  He felt claws slash through his back end but this wasn’t the time to check on that.  It wasn’t in a spot that would hinder the battle and didn’t feel deep enough to fear blood loss issues.

Now the fanged menace was looking between Rudy and again lunged towards him with Rudy running south again.  This time the cat was following him and a new problem emerged.  Was this thing faster than him?  Rudy lept away from claws that again slashed towards him, spinning around to face the cat.  This wouldn’t work.  Rudy would have to chase it away instead of being chased by it.  It was another stare down for a few moments before Rudy attacked this time, trying to circle about to get at the legs again.  There was no way he wanted to face those large teeth and claws without backup if it wasn’t absolutely necessary.  The big cat was fast and swatted and Rudy managed to push his weight to his back legs, leaning away before the claws could hit Rudy snapped into the leg that had tried to cut into him, giving it a good shake.

The cats face was right there about to bite into Rudy before he could move but Reddy called out as it dived and one set of talons dug deeply into the cats muzzle while the other set of talons dug into one eye.  The cat was in a rage with his eye suddenly pierced swiping at Reddy even as Rudy turned to defend the bird, his own teeth biting into the cats muzzle.  
Bird and wolf both fled a distance from the cat.  Rudy felt another slash get his front shoulder this time but Reddy was safe and the cat was now critically injured.  Rudy imagined Reddy had to be the best hawk there ever was!  Rudy snarled and stepped in towards the giant saber toothed kitty, it looked as if it would fight but then changed its mind and ran.  

Rudy chased it, he chased it for a good long ways till he was sure it wouldn’t go back to close to the pack land.  With a sigh he looked up where Reddy was proudly pluming itself.

“Thanks,” Rudy called out to the bold bird.

“Hunting done?” The bird asked in reply.

Rudy considered the bird then glanced to his injuries.  He wasn’t going to bleed to death but the shoulder injury would slow him down.  Rudy let out a sigh, “Yah.  Guess I really just wanted a good fight.  C’mon, we better go warn the pack of the giant cat just to be safe.”  Rudy let Savage, his devil onto his back, “Mind the shoulder.” Then they were on their way back home.

Rudyard Carpathius