Part of him was hoping he would encounter his family around here, if he just wandered enough. But they'd been fragmenting more and more with each day, even before the Long Night had sickened them. And here he was, running back to the one place had always felt safe, and praying that his mother would understand. That Faith and Modesty would understand. He had to return, didn't he? The wanderers life hadn't suited him, much as he'd tried. He'd holed up in that cave by the coast, learned the brew mead and wine, and wallowed in misery. He didn't care that he would never be Abraxas by name again, he simply wanted to regain the connection he felt he'd lost. When he was nestled up at the Shrine, the soft lapping of the waves in the blessed pool were a balm for his nerves, even if the empty echoing of hallowed halls awoke a fervent need for slumbering bodies all around him. Three of them, to be precise. He would need to try and convince his cousins to take up a residence outside the palace, to help him feel less alone in the home he'd grown up in.

Long legs carried him with ethereal grace as he moved ever deeper into the woods, until a low, rumbling growl seemed to shake his very bones. Two toned gaze drifted across the undergrowth as he paused, stilled to a statue. There. A flash of gold eyes reflecting amidst the foliage. Hackles bristled, and the young male brandished his sabre fangs alongside a snarl of his own. He took a few cautious steps back, putting more distance between himself and the tiger that was beginning to push its bulk from the undergrowth. He wanted more space to manouvre if it came barreling forwards. And charge it did, as soon as his paw struck the third stride backwards, it lunged at him. The godling scented the soft aroma of milk under the musk of feline rage, and knew the female must be nursing kits nearby. He'd been too preoccupied to notice, and now he was well and truly in danger.

Sidestepping the initial lunge, he felt the sting of sharp claws raking his right flank, though without the searing heat of shorn muscle or exposed bone alongside it. He'd been lucky, there. Slender jaws caught a chunk of flesh near the top of her massive thigh as she slipped past him, and he whirled to face her again. He set his delicate skull low between his shoulders, and waited for her to make her next move.

"Pontifex" || "Hallux" || "others"

Grimshaw found himself spending a lot of time in the forest nearby the Armada. He'd seen Malachai here numerous times and he would be lying if he said he didn't wish to find him here sometimes still. Perhaps the reason he found himself here today was to hopefully find the man, but he would be saddened to discover that any scent of his crush friend was stale. Oh well, but that wouldn't stop him from wandering. If he didn't wander, he'd have to think about things. At least wandering gave him something else to think about.

When a massive roar caught his attention, he couldn't help but wonder if it was the lion he'd met up north and hunted with. He certainly hoped not, but hurried towards the sound just in case. He was relieved to see that it was a tiger instead of the grey lion, but it seemed to be in a brawl with another wolf and not one he recognized. The scent lingering on their coat was similar to Malachai's, so he wondered if he was a new addition to Ashen. As part of the Armada, Grimshaw figured it best he step in.

Approaching from behind, Grimshaw kept himself silent as he stalked only to jump and lunge for the tigers back. His claws were no sharper than that of the average wolf, but held on as tightly as he could anyway. With sharpened and extra teeth, Grimshaw reached for the shoulder blades of the animal, making contact with the flesh and shaking his head to rid it from the animals body.

"Speech."

From seemingly nowhere, a massive dark wolf emerged to grapple with the tiger. He landed heavily on her back, and sunk his teeth into the back of her neck. The snarls that seemed to bounce relentlessly from the surrounding trees threatened to overwhelm the mind, but the godling simply took the opportunity he'd been offered. While the large cat was distracted by the more recent aggressor, the godling rushed along her right flank and sought out the wound he'd already left behind. That leg would be far weaker now, and so when he grabbed hold of the back of her knee, he was able to pull the limb out from under her. The tiger didn't crumple at the loss of one hind leg, instead continuing to thrash against the assault of the larger wolf on her back.

The wraith adjusted his grip on the thick hind limb, and managed to sink the spear-like points of his fangs into the muscle just above the ankle. The tiger screamed and kicked violently, desperation bleeding into her cries. Would it be better to stand down, and let her return to her kits? Sunset eyes caught a glimpse of the heavy sag of her belly, and the strong scent of milk that he was catching even over the stench of blood that filled the air. They must be only recently born, and that was why she was so eager to defend her territory. Yet, they were so close to Ashen's borders. An aggressive tiger wouldn't be wise to leave unchecked so close to the Empire's lands.

Digging his claws into the damp earth, the yearling struggled to backpedal with the thrashing limb still clenched tightly between his teeth. If he kept pulling, she'd lose her balance, and they would be able to finish her off more quickly if she were prone.

"Pontifex" || "Hallux" || "others"

Atop the tigers back, Grimshaw held on to the cat as tightly as he could while attempting to remove the flesh from its shoulder blades. His claws dug into the animal but only with enough strength to bruise and lightly scratch at the animals skin. However, with the other wolf attacking the cat also, Grim wasn't allowed an easy ride. Akin to riding a bull, Grimshaw was thrown and tossed around until he simply couldn't hold on anymore. Rolling from the animals back and onto the ground, the wind was knocked from his lungs but he quickly rose and charged back for the tiger anyway as he tried to catch his breath.

With the tiger distracted by the other wolf's attacks, Grimshaw reached out and aimed his sharpened teeth for the animals hip, sinking his teeth into the muscle and tugging backwards as he tried to separate the muscle from the bone. The tiger wouldn't have much longer at this rate, though there was always the risk of swatting paws until the last moment.

"Speech."