If the volcano hadn’t caused ash to coat the sky, the sun would just be cresting the horizon…however, the volcano had ruined everything in her life thus far and today would be no different. If that was not the worst of it, a storm was brewing. Far from an experienced navigator, the youth had spent her time looking up into the bleak ash filled clouds enough to see the difference between regular ash clouds and the swirling darker clouds of a impending storm. 
 
With her brother and mother gone, Orca was slowly developing a rebellious streak. It was common sense to stay close to home, and yet, the youth was at the edge of the Pine tree forest that was their land….far away from the safety of the ship. Long legs propelled her through the forest; black and white coat blending quite well with the surroundings, given that only some of the snow had melted…most of it still remained and was replenished frequently. Rumbling from above would cause ears to flick as her pace quickened, she needed to find shelter and fast! The pines broke and Orca came to a sudden stop. Ears came forward as her body ducked low, instinct encouraging her to stay hidden as the sight of a snow leopard came into view. Well… two snow leopards though one was a cub. Heart hammered in her chest as she tried to think of something to do. Could she scoot back into the safety of the forest without being seen? Even if she could the storm would be upon her soon and she would be left to the elements. However, the cave that the feline cub was lingering outside of was more than tempting for the dire wolf pup. If only she could scare them away….



1/3 Navigation - Weather observation

Things hadn't been quite that easy as of late. The eruption. The abandonment of his mate. One of his sons taken with her. The quietness of the pack. It was all growing so heavy on his mind and shoulders he wasn't quite sure how to handle it. He could feel things brewing in his mind. Dark things. Heavy things. Anger. Resentment. Disappointment. He gave them their all and they were hardly giving him anything in return. He didn't feel like the pack was United as they should be. As they promised to be. Very few were doing their part while the rest lied on their back sides doing nothing. He would hold a meeting soon to address the coming raids as well as the issues in the pack. He'd give them one last chance. An ultimatum perhaps. They either stood and helped each other or they could all leave.

He walked along the borders of the pines, ears listening to the rumblings of the sky overhead. A storm would pass over them soon, he could feel the tingling of his fur and the extra moisture in the air. He took in a deep breath as he thought about what to do next, and in his clear distraction he almost didn't notice the snow leopard until he heard a warning snarl from the she-beast. Of course, it was met with a snarl of his own as he stood his ground. This was his territory. This was his home. Crimson gaze stared the beast down though he did not see the cub as it darted into the safety of its presumed den. His lip lifted in a snarl as he stepped forward, the anger and the pain of everything he felt coming to the surface. He was ready to rip this creature to shreds. Out of anger, and to protect his children and everything that was his.

 speech Thought Quote

Frozen, considering what to do, it was her father who would break the stillness and emerge. Orca ducked even lower for a moment, watching as the feline snarled at her father and how her father did not even flinch, he answered it with an equally fierce snarl and stepped forward to meet the challenge. Orca watched in awe as a fight was ready to begin, but she did not do so from her crouched position. Orca stood up to her full height, head instinctively staying low as she approached from the other side causing the leopards attention to be diverted, dancing between the pair of dire wolves. A smarter child might have let their father kill the beast first, but it had something Orca wanted- the cub. She wanted to make sure that it stayed alive…and of course, she wanted to help her father kill the beast…. to prove her worth, so to speak.

The two dire wolves were as different as could be, her father large and looming, bulky in build. Orca was not yet grown, she was small in comparison to both leopard and wolf, but she was light of frame with lean developing muscles. She was fast, she could do this. Lips lifted in a snarl as ears fell back to her head, it didn’t even occur to her how ridiculous her snarl sounded compared to either the leopard or her father. Legs bent, prepared to move at a moments notice, she stepped closer, matching her fathers steps not perfectly but close. The imperfectness would cause her to be closer than her father was, but she couldn’t gauge that distance accurately. The snow leopard would shift its weight towards her and charge at her, a mock charge with a snarl, but it was enough to have the flighty pup darting to the side and forward, closer. A fleeting glance to her father would be given before she dove forward, attempting to bite at the flank of the snow leopard. The youth was confident that Acere would not let the feline hurt her, she was confident that he would take care of the dangerous part of the snow leopard- the mouth.

Both predators sought to stare each other down, though Ace was bigger and heavier than the smaller beast. Still, he knew better than to underestimate the snow leopard. With his full attention on her, he didn't realize his daughter was there until he heard snarling, realizing it didn't come from neither of the two adults. His own snarling ceased for a moment, heart pounding as he realized how much danger his daughter was potentially in. As Orca began to step forward, Ace's snarling resumed as he let loose a growling bark to try and pull the leopards attention fully towards him. Orca's obvious confidence told him she was determined to face down a larger-than-her predator, and who was he to deny her that? Granted she was foolish for trying at such a young age, but he was here at least. When he was her age, he had fought a bear on his own and barely came away from it.

He could protect her and at least keep her from serious harm. Maybe this was a lesson she needed.

His daughters inaccurate steps would cause the snow leopard to charge towards her. And since Acere was already practically standing on tense toes, he didn't waste a single second the moment he saw her going for his child, mock charge or not. As Orca dove in to try and bite the beasts flank, Acere moved in like a locomotive with the intention of barreling into the feline and reaching for her scruff. If he recieved claws to his own body, so be it. At least he could keep her teeth away from the both of them as he yanked her head back and away.

The snow leopards limbs flailed. Kicking up snow as she sought to twist towards him. Her claws raked down his right shoulder, the alabaster kings grip tightening as his jaws were practically tangled in the folds of skin and causing his jaw to hurt with the awkward angle of them both. She couldn't reach anything with her other forepaw, but at least he had her. And as much as he wanted to let her go, he was unable to properly open his jaws enough to do so.

Adrenaline rushed through her veins as she charged the snow leopard, excitement had the girl absolutely giddy, trembling from the excitement and adrenaline. The dire wolf pup realized quickly that her father was there and had her back, as her still small canines bit into the snow leopards flank he yanked from the front, jarring the snow leopard and her. The pups grip was ripped free, and for a moment, she was startled, staring at her fierce father as his jaws became tangled in the fur, as the leopards claws raked down his shoulder. For a moment she felt guilty but it quickly turned to determination as she yelled “don’t hurt my dad!”

The girl launched herself forward, this time aiming for the paw that was grabbing her dad’s shoulder. Jaws stretched wide and then clamped down as hard as she could when fur and flesh became wedged inbetween. The snow leopard roared in pain, a snarling yowl echoing across the lands, followed by her own snarls as she tugged and shook her head, trying desperately to get the paw as far from her father as she could. No one hurt her dad…especially when it was her fault.

The alabaster titan sought to untangle his jaws from the cats fur and flesh though the constant twisting of her body in an effort to reach him made it difficult. His jaws began to ache, the pressure on his tongue adding more pain to it all. He could taste blood from them both as his teeth punctured deeper into her skin and her claws finally gripping into one spot. Neither of the two wanted to back down, so it seemed they would both be in this awkward impasse. As the cat was practically standing on her hind legs, he heard Orca yell at the feline and then her paw being painfully dragged off and away from him. The snow leopards attention diverted as she sought to reach for his child, and the moment the pair were put into a different position and as her head turned away from him, he was finally able to unclamp his jaws and offer a powerful shoulder drive to throw her away from his daughter.

He stood protectively in front of her, hackles raised along his spine and his teeth bared while his jaws hung open slightly from the soreness. The feline slowly backed up, and as Acere prepared to charge at her and get her to run away (or die), he saw a pair of eyes peeking through the darkness of the small den behind the leopard. His eyes narrowed before he realized what it might be, and the fact that the she-cat didn't move any further proved his suspicion. His growling ceased to a low rumble, but he didn't move from his defensive position just in case she decided to continue the attack. Both of them were bloodied from the fight, their alabaster fur stained red. But neither would back down from protecting their children.

The distraction of yanking the paw away from her father had worked. The feline stopped trying to fight her dad and…ooops…started to try to get to her. Eyes widened, but daddy was there and he saved her yet again. This time he thrust his shoulder into the feline and having learned her lesson, Orca let go as he connected, keeping her from getting hurt by being yanked by her mouth…again. Acere immediately stood protectively in front of her, but Orca would huff and move to the side, standing next to him with her legs splayed wide and her ears back, lips pulled up in a silent snarl.

Orca, however, was not sure what they were waiting on. Neither adult moved. It was a stalemate it seemed, neither were interested in necessarily continuing the fight, but neither left. Orca shifted, glancing at her father in confusion. What did they do now? It was then that she heard the sound to the side and turned, seeing the eyes flicker in the shadows. Hesitantly, Orca took a few steps, glancing at her father and not the feline mother, before she continued closer to the den. A small growl rumbled from inside, the youth answered it with a growl of her own, maw stained with the blood of its mother. Tongue rolled nervously over her lips and as she did a white form launched itself at her. Startled, Orca offered a soft yelp as she went tumbling with the creature of similar size to her. The two tumbled, its claws pulling at her fur just as her jaws snapped at its own fur. Eventually they both came to a stop, her jaws shut tightly on its upper shoulder, its jaws clasped just as tightly to her own shoulder. Both pup and cub kicked furiously at each other, trying to get the other to let go.

Despite his efforts to protect his daughter, she was determined to stand alongside him to face the danger. Frustrated but also proud of her determination to fight, he let it slide as long as the adult snow leopard didn't try to harm her. Unsurprisingly, however, Orca caught sight of the pair of eyes that he had. And instead of being careful, she walked right towards it. The mother leopard uttered a growl of warning at Orca, but Ace offered his own in return. "Don't you move." As long as she remained where she was, he would remain where he was. Both carefully watched the pup before suddenly, the cub burst from the shadows and attacked his child. He steeled himself against moving, deciding perhaps this was a learning moment for the pup. His gaze flickered between the leopard and the children, and likewise...she did the same. Neither moved and eventually, they watched the kids tussle. Neither really felt like their kids would seriously harm each other, and they both appeared to be of similar age. "Your child is brave. As is mine. You are both strong wolves," His gaze returned to focus on the mother leopard as she shook the blood from her fur, staining the snow red. "And you're strong for your species. Though I understand the urge to protect your child from harm." He admitted. Still, he remained standing as did she until the two kids were done wrestling it out.