Kione had spent some time amongst the willow tree’s but had grown weary of them.  The plains nearby seemed much more pleasant.  The African wild dog caught the scent of a wolf pack and so skirted the plains.  He was cutting it close but respecting the barrier as long as they weren’t too touchy about it.  He was slowly getting used to dealing with wolves and while they were certainly different they had enough similarities that some were enjoyable to spend time with.  Kione had heard how they could get rather touchy about other canids getting onto their turf.

Kione’s family had never worried about this with their own kind but they had also never run into their own kind.  It made him wonder sometimes now if his parents had just traveled to this land from somewhere much farther off.  The colorful dog had covered a good amount of land and seen only wolves when it came to anything even similar to him.  Once more he assured himself it would be fine and his family group wouldn’t have been the only one to exist.  If he searched long enough Kione would find a new family.

At least being so close to the plains and the lake there were far fewer trees to hide his view.  Kione always preferred a more open territory.  Too bad the wolves had chosen that as their home but, he couldn’t really blame them for that.  Kione’s slowed his stride as a smell caught his attention.  It was a smell he had learned to love finding.  That was a lion and there was nothing more satisfying than killing a lion.  They had killed two members of his family and for that, every lion could die as far as Kione was concerned.

Kione let out a soft huff realizing this time it might not work out.  He could trail it but it was either inside the wolves' boundaries or close enough it might run onto their land which would make an angry lion their problem.  Scowling Kione continued on but, at a slower pace.  Hopefully the lion would head away from the pack and become fair game.


"Speech"

Basilisk was exploring the plains. He had moved around the communal setting, stuck his nose in a few empty dens, and toasted his toes by the ever-lit fire pit. But really, what the young wolf wanted most was to explore and learn and show off. What young man didn’t?

He moved away from the obelisk and further towards the edge of the pack. Where the stream touched the outskirts of pack lands. He fell into a light trott, enjoying the wind in his coat, and occasionally glancing suspiciously up at the sun. For the majority of its life, it had not risen - and then suddenly it had appeared. Bright and round and imposing.

Bringing his attention back to what was in front of him, he realised that he was nearing the border now. He paused, hearing the burbling of the stream, and glanced curiously over at it. His eyes fell not upon the stream, but the golden and giant form of a predator. He gulped, and dug his claws into the earth. He was big compared to his siblings, but he was still very small compared to that. Foolish and youthful, he dug his claws in tighter, and growled at the lion, whos attention was already on the pup. It stepped its paws into the shallow end of the stream, and began to cross towards the Armada - and the pup.

"Speech"

Admittedly, Kione loved killing lions regardless and sure he’d been feeling a bit sulky about sniffing one out and not getting to fight it.  However, when he spotted the large cat and saw it was heading towards a pup the reason for fighting did change.  Kione wasn’t such a heartless ass so that he wouldn’t care for a pup’s safety.

Boundaries be damned and puppy saving and fun times were upon them!  Kione didn’t have a wolf’s bulk he was lithe and slim with legs that might as well be termed springboards.  He charged towards the lion as if he truly was the greater predator of the two.  The lion’s attention was clearly on the kid and it was getting close to the other side.  No need to get wet Kione had the gal to leap from shore, to lion’s back and to opposite end of shore with a smug grin on his face.

Always nice when showing off worked, it was quite embarrassing when it failed.  The lion had been so set on an easy meal of wolf pup that it had ignored the threat from behind, that was now staring it in the face.  Then again, the lion probably had never had any animal dare to hop on its back before.  Kione bared its fangs at the lion and got much larger fangs showed off in return.  "Hey kid," Kione offered in greeting, it was meant to be friendly but he was glaring at a lion and showing off his fangs so hopefully the pup understood.

Kione’s normal style of fighting something of this size was to tire it out and make things easier but running about might give the lion the idea it could try and hurt the pup.  Up close Kione noticed it was a pretty damn big pup but this wasn’t the time to wonder how large wolves got.  The lion sent out a half-interested testing wave of its paw.  Kione was certainly a size the lion might still consider trying to eat but it would rather just shoo Kione off and get at the pup.  Kione side-stepped the paw’s angle, sinking his teeth into the sensitive toes, at first the bite was deep but he quickly let up, grabbing just enough flesh in his teeth that when Kione shook his head a bit of the flesh separated from the lion.  Now, its attention was fully away from the pup.  Kione laughed as it charged and jumped a few strides away.  

He had the lion’s attention but he had no idea what the pup would do and wasn’t sure how far he could romp around on this pack’s land to avoid the kitty and the water was a dangerous place for the game.  Oh well, he’d figure something out.  Maybe the kid would call his parents to fight.  Maybe he already had?  


"Speech"

Basilisk dug his claws in deeper, lowering his body into a crouch and growling menacingly at the lion - and oh boy, as it got closer, Bas could see that it was big. The boy didn’t know when to give up, however. With his hackles raised, he watched the lion approach. The big cat was smug, lips parted with an expression like a smile on its maw. No doubt it was savouring the thought of an easy meal.

Bas’s eyes however got bigger - and not just because of the lion stomping through the stream. The streamlined streak of yellow that shot out behind the lion had his attention - as it leaped from land to the back of the lion and the other side. Placing this new threat before Bas in record time.

The creature, wolf-like in shape, didn’t turn to the pup, however. Instead, it focused on the lion. Almost as if placing itself between him and the dangerous lion. The young boy squinted confused at this turn of events. He didn’t raise himself from his crouch, but he did jump a little as the creature - guy? Spoke to him. The large-eared wolf like creature faced off with the lion. The cat waved a paw and big-ears attacked the toe.

It seemed like the battle had begun. Not one to miss out, Bas shot forward, heading around the back while the stranger kept it occupied at the front. He leaped, and sunk his teeth into its hind leg, his cat-like claws already outstretched. Digging in. He snarled and growled as his claws sank in.


"Speech"

So much for the lad calling for help, it was going to fight instead?  Well, good for it then!  Now Kione just had to make sure they both lived so the boy could share the glorious tell with friends and family.  Mmm, and hope the family didn’t take it poorly Kione was playing with his favored prey on their land.

The lion turned its head when its food attacked his leg, claws stretched out as he tried to grab the boy.  Kione lunged the front of his body in closer, teeth clamping down on one side of its muzzle, shaking his head, and ripping off a bit more flesh.  The lion’s attention was diverted and Kione laughed as teeth and claws came towards him.  If possible it was less than a hair’s difference with where Kione had been and the lion’s paws swiping the air.

Kione licked the blood from his muzzle snarling as he paid attention to where the boy was.  Not that the kid had done bad with his attack but Kione would have higher expectations of a companion watching out for themselves as an adult than the child should.  For this battle, it was Kione’s responsibility.  Hopefully, it was a kid worth keeping alive.  Then again, Kione did love pissing off and killing lions anyway.


"Speech"

Basilisk had never been in a proper life and death battle before. He knew the basics of fighting, and he knew how to take damage. He hyper fixated on where his attacks were landing. Digging his claws into lion flesh, and not paying enough attention on where it was aiming its teeth. Luckily, the wolf-like creature that had trespassed was paying far better attention than he was. He felt the other creature on his side brush up against him as he intercepted the muzzle, grabbing the side of it in his jaws and shaking the lion. Basilisk let go, leaning back in shock and surprise - realising just how close he had been to becoming a lion's meal.

He frowned, shaking his head, determined to do better. He watched the lion swipe at the stranger and growled softly under his breath. He ran forward, this time racing under the lion, and digging his elongated fangs along its underbelly, trying to dig in as deep as he was able to.

"Speech"

Kione could give Bas points for bravery even as he imagined the lion just falling on top of him or just quickly twisting around to bite the boy.  It was Kione’s task to not let that happen.  If the boy could spill open the lion’s contents then it could be a win anyhow.  At this point the lion assumed Kione was the greater danger anyway, it just made sense of adult versus pup.

The lion lunged forward with both paw and fangs coming towards Kione.  The lunge in helped Bas as his teeth would just slash through that much more lion belly with the fool cat moving.  Kione had leaped out of the way sideways.  The lion spasmed in a way that had Kione expect it had just realized the danger it was in from the kid.

The lion turned its head away from Kione and started to spin to try and get the boy under him.  Kione aimed for the head once again.  This time his front paws landed on the giant cat's muzzle, head to the side Kione bit into its left eye, crunching down.  The lion was gutted, the lion’s one eye was destroyed and now it was a raging ball of crazy that was on its death bed.  

backed up quickly several strides, “Alright kid, you did it.  Get away from him.” Death throws were unpredictable and dangerous in that version itself.  How long it took for the lion to die depending on how much blood it would lose.  As far as Kione was concerned it could be a long slow and painful death.

Kione would leave the lion once he was sure Bas also left it without getting hurt.  The lion was thrashing and looked like it would try and flee if it could manage it.  Kione doubt he’d make it through the water.

"Kione"

Blood and gore started to fall onto the young pup, and he grimaced in distaste, but didn’t flinch or stop his grisely work. One thing about Azure being his father and mentor - he stuck with what he had to do, even if he was uncomfortable or weary about what was going on. He was however rather distracted again. Multitasking wasn’t a skill he had come even close to mastering yet, and it took the creature's words to call his attention to what was going on. He scampered out from under the lion, shaking ichor from his coat as he moved away from where the thrashing lion could reach him.

“Phew!” he said with some relief. “Wow. How did you leap on him like that? I can barely walk straight, let alone pull off a move like that!” a touch of hero worship in his tone as he looked at the spotted canine. “I’m Basilisk, by the way”

"Speech"

The boy was with him so Kione was able to walk them a short distance farther from the lion.  It did mean another two minutes more into the pack land so Kione was paying attention for any sound of angry running in his direction but he was expecting if anyone did notice him they’d be reasonable knowing he just saved their kid.  Kione was fast, if he had to flee no one was going to catch him, at least in his mind.

How had he done it? Hmm, Kione had never bothered figuring out ‘how’ to do it.  “I just did it,” Kione offered after trying to find a better answer. “It’s the same as how I walk, I trust my body to know what to do.” The canid shrugged “experience and repetition I imagine.  You did real good though.  You got the real killing blow in after all.  I bet your family will be proud of you when you say you killed that lion.” Kione glanced back, “even if it managed to cross the water, which I doubt, it won’t get far.  You’ll have your proof.”

Looking back to Bas, grinning at the boy, “if you want to learn to jump like that just find some spot to jump from and mark where you want to land.  Do it a lot till you keep getting it right.  Then try to do it without having to focus on it so much, then make your landing spot smaller and smaller and farther out.  You’re just young, your brave so you’ll get there eventually.” Kione assumed he'd never see the boy again, no harm in offering a few quick pointers out.  The boy would either live and grow wiser and stronger or get careless and die but Kione had offered some advice to up the kids odds even if only a tiny bit.


"Kione"

Marshal came screeching through the sky, his piercing cry a warning that sent the Warlord sprinting. Dropping everything he was holding in a forgotten clatter where his feet had once been. Tearing through the grass, he arrived as the pair were stepping back from the Lion. he overheard the last piece of advice offered to the pup, and then he was at the thrashing, dying lion.

He grabbed the lion's head in his mighty jaws, ignoring its thrashing entirely as he crushed its skull beneath his oversized fangs, feeling the crack of bone in his maw as he released the limp cat, and it fell bodily to the floor in front of him. Panting from the adrenaline and his mad dash, he turned to Kione and Basilisk. The blood of the lion turning his saliva pink in his panting maw. He looked first to Basilisk, who cringed away from the Warlord, and then to Kione. “You.” he said looking wearily at the spotted dog. “Saved him?”

"Sirius Fatalis"

As Kione was giving the pup that bit of advice a new threat appeared.  It went past them and straight to the suffering lion.  Kione’s eyes were off the pup now, watching the massive wolf with serious observation.  He thought of choosing that moment to leave but then decided to stay.  This wolf had the right in one sense to attack Kione with his being on their packs land.  How reasonable he was determined if it was acceptable to him since Kione had saved the pup.  Reasonable or not the odds were better while near the kid he had just saved.

If Kione had to fight the wolf it certainly wouldn’t be the first nor last dangerous predator he fought so really it would just be another day.  A pity the fanged wolf chose to kill the lion it was nice knowing it was suffering but so long as it died that was well enough.  

When it was done with the lion the giant showed there was a chance of a more reasonable fellow in him.  Kione nodded to the question, “Yup,” a simple enough answer followed by a crooked grin, “very few things more fun than killing a lion.  Kid needs to grow a bit more before he tries to go after one alone.” Kione looked to the boy who wasn’t speaking up for himself so decided to do Bas a favor, “good lad.  He’s the one who got to the lions stomach.  The real killing blow came from him.”

Ah, and one last thing, Kione dipped his head respectively though the crooked grin stayed in place, “Kione, wandering rogue and timely hero of the day.  Pleasure to meet ya friend.”

"Kione"