OOC: Mal's fighting a large predator (jaguar)! No more than 3 participants! There will be a two week reply window for each participant each round to ensure the thread keeps moving. After two weeks with no reply it's the next participant's turn and so on until we're done!

Malleus raked a distasteful eye across the mangled tapir corpse at his paws. The body lay on the border between the garden and cedar falls, and was riddled with claw marks. By the drag marks and blood trail behind him Malleus could tell it had been killed on Risen land. It seemed he'd stopped a thief in his tracks. The godling lifted his wary gaze to the trees. The jaguar was close; although he couldn't see it, he could feel it. Malleus retreated into Risen's territory before lifting his head and howling for any of those who had volunteered to help with their predator problem. The call wasn't mandatory and he didn't expect all of the volunteers to drop what they were doing to come help him, just whoever was close and willing.

All You Have Is Your Fire...

Pyralis was getting restless again and she was grateful for it. Settling down for a bit to enjoy her reunion with her children and her new grandchild had been a nice pause but she was never meant to grow old and settle down. It just wasn't in her nature. Sooner or later the tides of life would sweep her off again. This time it would be to the north. She'd rather enjoyed the harshness of the winter terrain last time she was there and once more she wished to test herself.

She was on her way to seek Malleus' council when she heard his call. Grinning to herself she immediately sought to answer the call. She'd see what this was about and then speak with him afterwards. Alkali soared above her, the wind moving silently over those beautiful wings. Pyralis walked lazily up to Malleus. "You rang? If you have a moment after this I'd like to speak with you."

Pyrrhic was frowning intently down at the checker board when his father's howl rang out. He was losing - badly - to Benkos and he knew it. The howl was an out. As soon as he realized that, the boy perked up. He was equally quick to quash the relieved expression and turn it into a disappointed scowl. "It sounds like my dad needs me...you understand, right, Benkos?" The stoic mandrill, sitting with his forearms stretched out across his knees, nodded and said nothing. He knew why the boy wanted to leave, but that was a lesson for another day.

That's all Pyrrhic needed. He was off like a shot in an instant.

Soon he was at the border and trailing behind Pyralis. His gaze quickly settled on the tapir corpse and he took in the many claw marks with a frown. "Thieves, huh?"

"Talk"

TIED TO WHAT IS LATE, AIN'T YOU NOW

Aureus bit down and wrinkled his nose for a moment before shrugging. The frog was a bit too chewy and gooey but the taste wasn't terrible. Slightly fishy but not overpowering. He chewed the frog a little more then swallowed, content that breakfast was now taken care of. He was still working on his hunting skills but he hoped to be ready to join his elders on a grander hunt in the future. When he heard his father's call he immediately turned and headed toward the source. He could explore more of the territories south of the garden later.

Aureus loped smoothly along the ground though ever so often he would slip. He was growing swiftly into a leaner frame but some days it was difficult to keep up with. When he arrived he saw that Pyralis was there and so was his twin. He eyed the kill and his first thought was Malleus calling them together for breakfast but the strange feline scent spoke of a different story. "Dad?"

Pyralis was the first to arrive. He expected nothing less from the veteran fighter. "I did and I do." First thing's first though. The jaguar needed to be dealt with. His sons Pyrrhic and Aureus followed Pyralis in. Malleus was pleased with their initiative. While his children were young they would soon reach the turn of their first year. It was time they took on more responsibility. "Thief," he corrected Pyrrhic. "A jaguar. This is the third kill I've found in our territory. It's time this cat learns its place." He didn't begrudge the cat its need to eat. He did, however, take issue with it killing in their territory. To all three, he said, "I'm not keen on killing it, but I want it to know that it is not welcome here." He glanced at the shrubs on Risen's side of the border. "I think it went back into our territory, but I don't know where it's gone. Pyralis, you take Pyrrhic left and I'll take Aureus right. Howl if you find it but try not to engage until we're all together again."

All You Have Is Your Fire...

Pyralis' ears flicked forward at the mention of a jaguar hunting pretty actively in their territory. It wasn't uncommon for the territories of different predators to interact but the empire was almost at capacity. With the dry season underway they couldn't afford to let a rival predator pilfer what little prey there was. Pyralis nodded. They'd work to chase it off but if the battle turned especially violent and the opportunity for a kill was presented the option was still on the table. She turned to Pyrrhic. Pyr and Pyrr, this was going to be fun.

"Sounds like fun. C'mon kiddo, let's find us a wee spotted beastie." Pyralis dipped her head to the ground and began searching for scent. She caught threads of scent, buried beneath the musky smell of blood but it was difficult to follow and so she headed to the left, zigging and swerving whenever she caught another whiff of the cat. She crossed a patch that was particularly notable and turned to Pyrr. "Smell that?" She grinned. They were getting close.

Pyralis peered through the brush. The foilage was getting more dense the closer she got to the Cedar Falls and then she stopped. A flicker of movement up in the trees caught her attention. She saw the telltale shape of a tail and quickly locked eyes with the jaguar. Oh boy… he was a big one. "Pyrrhic, sound the call." She didn't want to risk looking away from the jaguar. She knew it knew that it had been caught and a fight could break out at any second if the cat felt cornered enough.

Pyrrhic lit up at getting paired with Pyralis. She was one cool lady. Kinda scary too. He found her free spirit and fearlessness both alarming and enviable, and he fully expected her to climb a tree and drag the jaguar out by the nose if they were the ones to find it.

The boy found himself trailing a step or two behind his great aunt. He tried to copy her movements sneakily; wanting to experience everything the same way she did without drawing attention to himself. "Smell that?" Pyrrhic stepped closer and greedily inhaled the scent before grinning up at Pyralis and nodding.

They followed the trail a little further and then Pyralis stopped. Pyrrhic followed her gaze and felt his heart skip a beat as the jaguar's eyes briefly met his. That was a big cat. He did as instructed and howled for the others, and the sound was no sooner out of his lips than the cat was moving. Perhaps it thought its odds were better with two wolves than a group, but for whatever reason, the cat slowly climbed to the trunk of the tree and then leaped down with a growl.

"Talk"

TIED TO WHAT IS LATE, AIN'T YOU NOW

A jaguar? Now that sounded like fun. Aureus was excited to learn the best way to deal with these big cats. He had to admit he was envious of their claws. He wished he had claws. Soon they were divided into two groups and Aureus was thrilled to be paired up with his dad. He bounded after the older man as they set off to find the cat who had been making itself at home in their territory.

He set his nose to the ground and tried to see if he could pick up the scent but he wasn't quite sure what the cat smelt like. He'd definitely gotten a distinct scent at the kill site so he opted to try following that instead. Even so, he wasn't making much headway. Then he heard his brother's howl and his head whipped around. "Alright, they found it!" Aureus quickly raced to the scene where he saw his brother and great aunt facing off against the jaguar. Wow! That was a big cat. A ripple of fear went through him but he pushed past it. With his dad and Pyralis here Aureus was sure they'd be safe. He glanced at his dad, his expression clear, what next?

With a speed the belied his size Malleus answered his son's call. When he came onto the scene and saw the cat slinking towards the boys he didn't hesitate to blow past them and engage the cat. His intense stare and demeanor quickly brought the cat's attention around so that by the time he was within a few yards of it the cat had turned to face him. It slipped into a crouch, perhaps preparing to spring or swipe at him when he got within range, so he quickly veered off. The plan hadn't been to go head to head with the cat anyway - his jaws were no match for the cat's teeth and claws - he'd run at it for the sole purpose of capturing its attention. "Boys, I want you stay out of reach. Make noise and menace, but don't get too close. Follow my lead and Pyralis'."

All You Have Is Your Fire...

Pyralis rolled her shoulders forward and back again before setting her defenses as she eyed the jaguar. She never took her eyes from the cat, even as Pyrrhic sounded the call to the other wolves. Party of her hoped the cat would just leave when it realized it was outnumbered and reinforcements were on the way. However, another part was anxious for a good and proper fight. Malleus and Aureus arrived swiftly. She glanced at the alpha. Pyralis let out a growl and took a short leap forward, her hackles on end as she let out a growl. The jaguar hissed and took several steps back, a low growl slipping from its throat. "C'mon, beat it ya bastard!"

Dutifully Pyrrhic did as instructed; first watching the adults work the animal before joining in. He was a bit disappointed that he couldn’t bite the cat, but he would rather menace it than do nothing and it was that fact that mollified him. Someday he'd be in the thick of it and tangling with pesky intruders.

The boy made a show of trying to get behind the cat - barking and growling loudly to draw its attention - and in doing so hopefully would give the adults an opening to sneak in for an attack. He leaped away as it spun to face him and a gleeful yelp escaped his lips before he could swallow it. Boy that was close!

TIED TO WHAT IS LATE, AIN'T YOU NOW

Aureus remained frizzed up. He'd never been this close to a jaguar before and though he'd had a run in with a mountain lion that cat wasn't nearly as intimidating. This jaguar looked like it was solid muscle and could snap his back in half with one swipe of its paw. He listened to his father's instructions and nodded. He took a short leap forward, slamming his front paws on the ground as he yelled. "Beat it ya mangy bastard!" He hoped that with their larger numbers that the cat would quickly realize how outnumbered it was and retreat.

Malleus looped around and came back quietly so as not to become the sole focus of the cat's attention again. The boys were doing what they were supposed to; distracting the cat so that he and Pyralis could get in some sneak attacks. To his surprise though, Pyralis had yet to make a move against the cougar. She'd always struck him as a bit too eager so it was strange to him that she hadn't seized the opportunity to do damage yet. Perhaps she was holding back for the boys' sake, or perhaps she too was wary of the clawed menace. At any rate, if the cat was to learn to avoid the Empire it needed to walk away with some wounds to remember them by and Malleus was determined to give it a good one. He steeled his nerves as the other three wolves worked to intimidate the cat...and then he slipped forward and seized its right heel. Malleus had just enough time to feel the heel's sinew part beneath his teeth before the cat began to turn with an outstretch paw. He recoiled as the clawed paw sailed over his head; backpedaling as quickly as he could to avoid another swing. Any second now the cat would be facing him fully and looking to retaliate.

All You Have Is Your Fire...

The wolves snarled and savaged the jaguar. It swiped violently at Pyralis but she quickly shifted out of the way as its attention went from wolf to wolf. When she saw a good opening she lunged forward snagging the back fo the cats left wrist. From where she was it made it difficult for the cat to swipe back though it tried valiantly. She resisted the urge to laugh as she pulled the cat violently forward but in a moment it had pulled its paw out her grip and dove for her. Pyralis rolled swiftly to the left as the claws sliced light lacerations into her left forearm. Welp, that was close.

The cat was ready to go in again when it suddenly yowled as it twisted around to get at Malleus. He let go and the cat hissed. It eyed the wolves for a moment before quickly realizing it was hopeless. The creature swiftly turned tail and ran. Pyralis got to her feet and shoot out her coat. "Well, that was a good morning workout."