Chade was getting to patrol with Manea!  There was still a voice in him that warned Chade not to get too comfortable and that they could be ditched at any point.  It reminded him that they weren’t even the pack’s real kids.  That voice got quieter as time was going on and he got to spend more time with Manea and Alastor.  Maybe, just maybe things would be ok.  Sometimes when Chade looked at Alastor it was like seeing his dad with the friendly nature he remembered his father having.  It was a bitter-sweet thing but he liked it.

Manea was totally different.  She was the polar opposite of what their mom had been like.  She seemed to really love her daughter, one of her children he’d seen so far.  In addition to that, she had helped save his life from a bear and even given him lessons on how to fight.  On top of all that today she was taking Chade with her for this patrol.  It was so incredibly important he not mess this up.  It felt nice being near her.  Chade wouldn’t admit to it but he was kind of jealous of her real kids.  Did they know what a great deal they had?

“Thanks for letting me come with you,” Chade humbly spoke softly to Manea.  “You’re really nice,” it wasn’t a casual compliment but sincerely felt observation.  He was about to say more when the young man’s ears pricked up, head swinging about, “I hear… it.”  He couldn’t see the ‘it’ but he could hear the trespasser.  

All the brush here made an excellent spot for many things to hide. The tiger was moving in closer, aiming to stay hidden.

"Speech"

Even though they didn't have any official claim over the berry bush filled grove, it still gave her a peace of mind to do occasional patrols just to know what was going in and out of the area. Her children being here were reason enough to be cautious, but now that Chade and Ricin were here the ratio of adults to pups had skewed a bit and it made her even more on alert for dangers. All three of the four pups were doing well when it came to their training and learning how to protect themselves, but there was still sweet Ricin to be concerned for and Saracyn was still too headstrong and reckless for her liking. These patrols also gave her a chance to spend some time with one of the pups or band members since she usually took one of them along. In this case Chade was the one that ended up accompanying her this time and she was happy to have him. He was a quick learner with a good heart and she only respected him more after hearing Ricin's story.

She looked down to the dark blue pup beside her when he spoke, smiling softly as he thanked her for bringing him along and surprising her with a complement of how nice she was. She wondered to herself if that option would have changed if he knew everything she had done in her life and the practices of her family, but she didn't feel like shattering that view he had just yet. She was far from a nice individual, but he had the advantage of only seeing how she treated pups which was very nice indeed. Before she could respond or he could elaborate the sound of something rustling through the bushes caught their attention and her aqua gaze popped up to their surroundings with a frown. Her ears twitched as she followed the sound, nodding quietly to Chade's statement. Finally she caught a glimpse of the stripes of the feline predator through the brush and she shifted to face it, instinctually positioning herself ahead of Chade. "There," she said softly, nodding in its direction. "Be careful and if it gets out of hand run back to camp, understood?" she directed him, her tone making it clear it was not a suggestion but an order.

Manea | Temno | Ciemny

Chade’s attention shifted to where Manea was looking as she spotted it, a second later catching the movements that didn’t fit with the rest of the scenery. Orange and black stripes moved through brush, the boy's ears flicked back, muscles twitching and heart pumping. He would show well to guarantee their spot in this band. Those thoughts were shaken up some when Manea told him to run back to the camp if it got worse. For a second his attention diverted from tiger to Manea but then rushed his eyes back to the tiger.

Later he’d be pondering on the idea of wolves ready to truly risk themselves and desire him to be safe. It was still hard to accept that others might take away some of the responsibility for himself and Ricin that he tried to carry on his shoulders.

The tiger rushed out of the bushes, taking away time for him to consider it more. Most likely the tiger would have preferred going for Chade first. It was only natural since he was surely the easier target. Manea was in its path though and so it was going towards her!

This wolf was ready to protect him and Chade wouldn’t let her down. Chade ran away!! Well, sort of. He rushed away from the tiger’s path but only to circle around wide. Chade tried to get a bite to a rear leg but the large cat dodged the attack, spinning around to lunge towards Chade who scrambled back. How fast can a heartbeat in one's chest? His heart was trying for a world record with all the adrenaline pumping through him.

"Speech"

Manea didn't look to see if Chade agreed to her demand or not. She simply trusted that he would follow her direction and keep himself safe. She remembered a time when she would run head first into a fight without a second thought and would revel in the adrenaline and the challenge that it would bring, but these days she had a lot to live for and so many depending on her. She was more cautious than she had once been and infinitely more protective as well.

The tiger charged at them with a roar, but she knew the big cats well enough that she knew they wouldn't grapple with her on the first pass. She braced herself just in case, but as she suspected it tried to fake her out and scare her off with a loud roar and a swipe of its large paw. She dodged back to avoid the swing with a smirk. Unfortunately she couldn't just leave it alone and get out of its territory since this was where they had at least temporarily made their home and she didn't want it to be a problem for them later. Chade did his part and circled around, which she saw him do from the corner of her eye, but she kept the cat's attention with her own growls and snarls until he was able to get around to its back leg.

Unfortunately the tiger dodged him and tried to spin to attack the boy, but Manea stepped in before it could do anything. As Chade scrambled back she lunged forward, grabbing its front leg in her jaws and crunching down hard around the bone, shaking her head and tearing the flesh as quickly as possible while she still had a hold on the limb. The tiger roared again, this time in pain, and right before it could swing its head around to try and bite at her she let go and jumped back again. When the tiger spun to face her she noticed the obvious limp when it tried to put weight on its leg and mostly failed, stumbling a bit as it squared off with her again.

Manea | Temno | Ciemny

Chade scrambled back only to find Manea had stopped the cat before it could have reached him anyway.  The blue boy heard the sound of bone crack shocked at how easily Manea made it seem.  When the cat’s leg was free of her teeth the blood quickly coating about the wound was obvious as was the limp it had picked up.  That would slow it down!

Chade lunged forward, this time grabbing a back leg, shifting his weight backward, squeezing his eyes as he mustered out all the force he could to the leg.  Rapt eyes watched as if in slow motion the tiger spun towards him once more.  Chade let go to jump away again.  It wasn’t as hard to dodge this time though, the cat now had two injured legs while Manea in Chade were both in fine shape for lunging and dodging.  Confidence building Chade snarled at the cat, daring the thing to come at him.  

Stupid cat.  It didn’t have a chance.  Manea was gonna ill it and Chade was getting to do his part also!  The tiger tried to lunge for him but its front leg threw its balance off.  Chade’s eyes lit up as the realization of just how big the advantage grew.  Chade started forward but hesitated when the tiger swiped at him with the injured paw as more of a threat than an attack.

"Speech"

Manea was proud of the way Chade landed a solid blow on the tiger, crippling the big cat further so that killing it wouldn't be a problem in the slightest. She decided this fight had gone on long enough and so once it rounded on Chade again in an attempt to get to the blue pup that had a hold on its leg she jumped in to finish it. She hooked her tiger-like claws into the back of its neck, ripping deep into skin and muscle around the tops of its shoulders, and she pulled it down to the ground, sending the big cat toppling. It flailed and struggled, but she made sure she was positioned behind it so that the swinging paws armed with dangerous claws couldn't reach her. She caught the cat's throat between her jaws and bit down hard, crushing its windpipe while her paws shifted to hold it down by its shoulder and the top of its neck. It didn't take long for the struggling to weaken while blood pooled around her muzzle and eventually the cat stopped moving altogether. She let go with a satisfied sigh, her tongue swiping across her lips as she looked to Chade with a grin.

Manea | Temno | Ciemny