With all the wolves trampling around the field, it was hard to imagine that there would be any troubles. Surely the mostly massive titans would scare predators away? You would think so, but that isn’t the case. A singular adolescent lynx stalked the outskirts of the tents, eyeing the delicious looking children that the wolves had brought with them. But this one also eyed the various food that Valhalla had brought with them. This wasn’t a pack’s land; it was a buffet. There were no scent lines to keep the lynx away, but it remained cautious all the same. But he didn’t seem to care about that. That person being Thaddeus. So, what if some random feline took a pup or two? It wasn’t like he had to be worried. He was almost an adult, a grown ass man. The amount of kids at this shin-ding was enough for him to gag anyway. Why couldn’t people keep their hormones in check? Granted, that’d all change once he hit an adult age. Then he’d be looking to screw too. aside from that factor, Thad didn’t care if the lynx crept closer. He would watch it out of the corner of his eye, secluded from the rest of the pure bloods as they talked and ate. He assumed he wouldn’t give a shit, but when the cat veered off toward an unsuspecting child… maybe it was instinct. Maybe he cared a bit. “Hey kid!” the mutt would yell over at the weird colored child sitting without adult supervision. The lynx sprang, but he had already been moving toward it. Thad felt claws scratch his still-healing body, a yowl split the air – half frustration and half anger – as the cat collided with him mid-jump. Something about the panic it’d cause the peaceful festival made him spring to action. Because if asked, he’d deny he gave a shit if the girl got eaten or not. As he managed to wrestle the cat to the ground, pinning it there with one dainty paw, he snarled into its face. It recoiled a bit, though there was still arrogance in its gaze. “You made a shitty mistake” Thad hissed at it, his floppy ears pinned against his skull. “guess ya gotta die now, huh?” at that crucial word – die – the lynx yowled and spat, waving its claws and cuffing him upside the head. “oof!” the mutt’s turn to recoil. He stupidly lifted his paw off the cat and it sprang to its feet, rushing at him. "419/1500 words"

"Oh! She screamed, taken by surprise. Without Incendio glued to her side, Dalia had been looking off vaguely into the distance without any clue what to do next. The festival had been overwhelming and she had been separated from her family quite quickly. At first she had stretched into the independence like a flower growing towards the sun, but it was scary now to be alone.

And a lynx had attacked! Of course, just her luck. Although she was briefly overcome with terror, a strange lanky black-and-white thing had collided with the cruel cat. The clash surprised her. With wide eyes, Idalia backed up quickly and tried to reassess the situation. "Grrr... rrr..." she tried, baring her teeth as they scuffled on the ground. The danger seemed less real now that the cat was pinned. As Thaddeus fumbled, the cat wriggled free. Idalia let out a real, fierce growl then and ran at the cat. She was a lonely girl and felt a strange, sudden sense of allegiance to her would-be rescuer.

Idalia ran at the cat, her paws scrambling beneath her body. Once she found purchase, the puppy launched herself at the cat's rear and sank her teeth into its backside. It kicked uselessly at the hanger-on with fluffy paws, but the angle was too difficult. None of its blows landed. Blood flooded into her mouth, hot and heady. It was her first taste of blood from a creature that she wasn't going to eat. They weren't going to eat it... right?

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Well, he hadn’t expected the pup to do that. Thaddeus yelped as claws scratched at his face, only to tear away as the lynx was assaulted. Somehow that hurt even more. He snapped as the cat backed away, uselessly tearing in the air between them as the focus shifted to the girl. Though it tried to kick her off, she clung on almost desperately. He spewed a few swears that were perhaps too delicate for the child’s ears before launching himself at the lynx before it could attack her again. “No!” he snapped, this time his jaws closing around the right ear of the lynx and forcefully pulling it away as it tried. The cat yowled again – he was damn sure someone would come from all this yelling – but it seemed to be just the two of them. The others didn’t seem to notice. Maybe they were too drunk from their Very Adult Drinks. Fuck, what sort of security did this festival have? Where were this kid’s parents? Where were her guardians? Nobody came and ran at the lynx. If he hadn’t decided to do this, she would be dead by now. Carried off while the rest of the festival participants went on their merry, self-involved way. And maybe that’s what made him care. He hadn’t had anyone but his sister care about him. he didn’t know the girl had her own twin though. Seeing the girl alone, without anyone to bother with her… it sparked an insane desire to protect her. Blood sprayed the ground as he gave a grunt, ripping the tip of the cat’s ear off. It shrieked. Loudly. Spitting it out to the side, he fluffed up his fur and charged. This time he collided with the lynx’s face, forcing it back toward the trees with his meager weight. “Off! Get off!” he snarled at the girl who clung still. If she wasn’t careful, he’d force her into the brush as well. "997/1500 words"

Idalia clung on even as the lynx backtracked into the brush. Thad was intent on driving it off. Even though blood and hair were flying, it felt good to be involved in something. They were working as a team to accomplish a goal. It was almost like she could pretend Incendio was here. She wouldn't be thrown that easily! Dalia wanted to support this stranger, maybe make him proud of her. Soon she would be half a year old and new feelings had begun to stir in her.

Winterfell was cloistered in the north. It was rare that they had the chance to interact with wolves outside of their pack. When they were done, she wanted to be sure that this fluffy stranger knew her name. It was a new feeling. Everyone knew her at home. This was a chance to prove herself to someone that wasn't family. The thought made her redouble her efforts. Idalia growled fiercely and sunk her teeth in deeper, her eyes dilating at the fresh taste of blood. Another low, fierce growl built in her throat. It was the noise an adult made transplanted in the body of a smaller being.

Just as the lynx stumbled into the brush, Idalia coughed and loosened her grip. She let go of the cat's rump, narrowly missing a well-aimed kick. Blood was streaming down her chest and covered her little paws. It was a macabre picture, but she was grinning madly. "We did it! We did it!" she shouted, much louder than she ever would have spoken with another stranger. "We've got him! He's gone!" She pranced around in a circle, her tail lifted high and happy. "Did you see how I got him? How I held on and never, ever let go?" Idalia turned, her eyes shining brightly. The young girl's front was drenched with cat-blood, but her grin was enormous.

1311/1500

As he forced the lynx back, he aimed a few blows to the creature’s front with his skinny little paws. Though never they would be the size of a wolf’s, it was still enough to make the feline think twice about returning here. He was panting heavily through the pain it had caused him. Fresh scratches were deep in his cheeks, but he hardly felt that. In fact, he hardly felt anything. Subconsciously the adrenaline surged and made him forget the pain, but once the lynx turned tail and ran, he felt his conscious mind come back. And the pain it caused. Stinging and bloody, he reclined on the earth shakily as the girl whooped. She had blood on her front like a bib, but otherwise she remained unscathed. Part of him was thankful for that. The other part was too self-conscious. “Yeah” he blurted out as she continued. “ya got him, girlie” Thaddeus felt breathless, his surge of energy leaving him quickly. He wasn’t in a bad shape though; just a few scratches that were deep. His face felt like it was on fire. He’d only ever been clawed by a wolf; a cat was a whole new experience for him. the girl, however, seemed to want (or need) praise from him. the mutt didn’t know what to make of that, honestly. Nobody ever wanted kind words from him. when he tried, it always was awkward and forced. But he wasn’t the girl’s parent. He couldn’t start screaming at her to watch out, to hinder her excitement. He barked breathlessly. “ya have a habit of beatin’ up cats, eh?” he asked her, bending his long neck forward to peer at her. She didn’t look experienced, but then again neither was he. "1500/1500 words"

Her tail wagged a mile a minute. His approval was like a fast-acting anti-anxiety medication. It bloomed in her stomach, a warmth that was strange and new. She was eager to earn more praise. "Yeah, I got him!" Adrenaline still buzzed through her veins, like her blood was carbonated. Idalia laughed and pranced around him in a circle. The stranger was tall and weird. His legs were longer than any wolf she'd ever met, and his ears were floppy and hung down instead of up straight. His whip-like tail was also foreign.

She paused and tilted her head to the side. "No... I guess not. That's my first cat I ever beat up, but I bet I could beat up more!" If she hunted and killed a cat all on her own, would he be more proud? "Where'd you come from, anyway? You don't look like anyone I know." With his thin coat, she doubted he would survive for very long in the north. His paws were dainty and not as densely furred either - his toes would freeze together!

"he won't be comin' round any more pups, that's fer sure" Thaddeus replied with a smirk. the girl had been thought to be easy prey. separated from the main group, wandering around on her own... imagine that stupid cat's face when she pounced on him! well, he could since he had almost been face to face with the lynx. his grin widened into a cruel smirk but the pup probably couldn't notice that. he liked the violence so far in this world. he liked being able to kick and scratch, but less so about being beaten up in return. weaker little opponents like the lynx were ideal. he knew he was outclassed with some of these wolves. the girl's words made him return to sanity though. she'd look up at him, all bright eyed and shining with eagerness. "yeah? could've fooled me the way ya hung onto it. ya got instinct" Thad was a bit impressed by it. he hadn't encountered females so far that were... so eager to throw down. his experiences were men and more men during the brief sparring he had gotten, with one albino woman as the exception. the rest chose to be healers and hunters. he wasn't a sexist jerk though. he knew women could do more than that. the girl also asked where he was from, causing the smirk to be wiped from his face. he still hadn't come to terms with what happened to him yet. "dunno. I just ran n' ran until I ended up here" he stated, a bit truthfully as he frowned at the girl "I... I had a sister" Thaddeus started, feeling his throat grown tight at his words. there was a subtle weakness in his tone. "she looked like me. the only one who did." "SPEECH"

"Who's she?" Idalia asked, ever the curious pup. Now that her walls had been broken down by the lynx and ensuing adrenaline rush, she found herself still warming quickly to Thaddeus instead of retreating inwardly. In fact, she didn't even want to bite the fur off of her legs! The way he said instinct made her puff up her chest proudly. "You must have run pretty far..." she considered. This was the furthest she had ever traveled. Winterfell was cloistered far in the north, removed from most of the other packs.

While she liked it there, it was lonely sometimes. Maybe, if he didn't freeze his toes off, this fellow could come visit! "My name is Idalia and I'm from the north," she added, suddenly very shy. It wasn't often that she had occasion to introduce herself, and when the time came, it was usually Incendio that did the talking.

"my, uh, twin sister" Thaddeus admitted softly, having been so caught up in his own safety he hadn't mourned Theodora. at all. maybe he deserved what he had gotten if that's how he treated his own family. the only family he had. and she was gone now, never to see the world. never to grow up with him. never have kids. never continue the bloodline. he was all that was left. Poem had told him everyone had parents, but nobody had come to claim him. as far as he was concerned, his sister had been the only one he had. the girl seemed a bit shy after introducing herself though. maybe all that rush was dying back down? pretty soon, she'd leave too. he shouldn't get so attached to her. she was a cute little thing though, now that he could look at her without the lynx in the way. for some reason, he was reminded of a flower as he stared at her coat. "name's Thaddeus" but seeing as she introduced herself... might as well too. "er, ya in a pack or somethin'?" he wanted to know if she had any guardians around but... Idalia looked to be around a yearling age; she didn't need him to remind her she 'should be with her parents'. heck, he was a yearling and had no parents. who was he to talk? "SPEECH"