It was so sunny and warm! Giggles of delight left Gavroche’s lips as he pranced on ahead of Dusk. She had promised to show him another part of the Hallows today, and she said there were tasty treats waiting for them! Gav could hardly wait to try the berries, but more than that, he was just happy spending time with the older she-wolf. She was epic, and the fact that she was spending so much time caring for him had the boy positively glowing with delight. At least until there was a strange scent in the air. Gav stopped and the fur on the back of his neck rose. “Dusk, I smell blood!” A predator had come to the grove, and it had killed a fawn that it was currently feeding on. Gavroche didn’t know the scent, but Dusk likely would recognize the stench of a puma.

"Speech"

Every day was an adventure with Gav. Dusk didn't even spend this much time with her own siblings. She'd come to love the little boy as though he was her own brother. His kind demeanor and wonder at the world was refreshing and infectious. Dusk couldn't remember ever having smiled so much in her life.

As they made their way towards the grove to fill themselves on berries, Gav called out from up ahead. Blood. As soon as he spoke the word, she smelled it too. The fae thundered towards the pup just in time to see the bloodied form of a big cat rising from a copse of pushes. Whatever it had been eating was good enough to defend against, so it snarled and leaped towards the boy. No good. Dusk rushed faster, slamming her head into the cats side like a battering ram. Both wolf and feline went flying. Who would be on their paws first?

"Dusk Carpathius"

Great, a big cat! Gavroche’s ears pinned as it lifted its head and became defensive of the kill. What was the problem with all these things lunging for him?! He was tough too! Gavroche growled, bracing himself to take the attack, but Dusk lunged head on to prevent the cat from reaching him. Gav green eyes narrowed into slits. This cat was a bully, just like the bear! But he had picked up on something. Both times Dusk had prevented the predators from reaching him. Well… that made sense. They were bigger. Stronger. And his teeth had only worked against the bear when he got a vulnerable spot. But… hmm. A smirk crossed onto the boy’s face as he spread his wings and ran in the direction of the cat’s visions. “Can’t catch me, big dummy!” Seeing the pup so close the cat swung before getting to its paws. But the boy planned for that. He jumped to the side and went rolling out of harm's way. “Get it Dusk!”

"Speech"

The cat was on its paws first. Gav spread his wings and acted as a target, keeping its attention while Dusk rose. The feline had the audacity to swing at the boy and the obsidian wolf saw red. Instead of using her weapon, Dusks first instinct was to sink her teeth into the cat. With a few bounds, the girl's powerful jaws wrapped around the side of the cat's neck. Her head lashed back and fort hand blood filled her mouth. No one touched her Gav. No one.

The feline thrashed and tried to pull away but Dusk refused to let go. She held on, clamping harder and harder until she could feel her teeth meet through the loose flesh of the cats neck. She was at risk of losing her grip simply by ripping through the flesh, so Dusk chose to release the feline. It backed up, fear in its eyes. Dusk gave no quarter, stalking stiff legged towards it, a snarl on her bloodied maw.


"Dusk"

Gavroche had no clue at just how bad of a spot he put the cat in by acting as a target. Dusk went for it, and rather than be afraid of the blood and ferocity his friend was showing, the winged boy held back, barking at the feline that had dared come into the Hallows land. He wasn’t very intimidating, but Gavroche had the heart of a wolf trying to defend the home of his friend. “Bad kibbi!” He growled, hopping forward as he flailed his wings out. That was when Dusk released the cat, and in fear it back off, gaze flicking between the black wolf and the calico pup.

Gavroche’s green eyes still had the pupils narrowed as he hoped next to dusk again, spreading his wings in an attempt to be more intimidating. “Go away! This is Dusk’s home!” The yearling was definitely more of a threat, but seeing how pissed she had gotten over the pup the cat decided the kid wasn’t worth dying over. It turned tail and gave a yowl as it fled. Gavroche huffed, fur puffed up as he watched it leave. “Don’t come back!” He called after it before drawing closer to Dusk. His eyes would return to normal then, his expression becoming sad as he looked up at her and saw the blood.

“That’s all the cat’s right? It didn’t hurt you, did it?”

"Speech"

The cat turned to run and Dusk followed, making sure that it was good and gone. Sometimes they came back and ambushed again. This cat decided that it had been outmatched. Good.

Dusks's fiery gaze rested on the half eaten fawn as she returned to Gav's side. He questioned her well being and Dusk shook her head. "Not hurt. I'm fine." With a paw, she turned the boy and pushed him back towards the castle. "We should go back for today. We'll try again tomorrow, okay?" Though she hadn't been injured, she was a little sore from headbutting the cat. "Something else might come to eat the rest of the cats dinner."

"Dusk"

As Dusk reassured him she wasn’t hurt he breathed a sigh of relief, his tail wagging back and forth. “Good.” Dusk’s paw turned him and he pushed in the direction of the castle. This caused Gavroche to frown, but he didn’t protest about still wanting to have some berries. He nodded, hopping forward back in the direction of Hearthstone as he looked over his shoulder at Dusk. “You need a baff anyway.” The boy told her, as if that was a better reason than the potential threat of another predator. He let his wings settled back to his sides and let out a yawn. That was too much excitement! He would slow, but only so he could walk next to Dusk on the way back. “First baff, then we nap, okay?” A smile appeared on his lips. As long as he was with Dusk anything could be fun, and the sads never lasted long. "Speech"