With a Corncob Pipe and a Button Nose

"Talk" Walk

It seemed eerily quiet, the only sound he could hear was that of their own muffled footsteps in the snow. He kept a wary eye out, not totally sure what they were looking for or what they were tracking. He made sure to remain on alert, even when Rhyme picked up the pace. Ignis followed easily, long strides practically keeping him in step behind the man. He glanced at the sky again, noticing that the snow was falling a little heavier now which made him frown. He knew more or less how to track things if he could actually see the tracks. But with all this snow coming down, he couldn't quite see any on the ground with all this snow around them. Not unless he pressed his face against it, and he didn't really feel like freezing his nose off. He tried his best though to see what he could. Mimicking Rhyme as best he could.

When Rhyme's companions cried out in alarm, however, Ignis nearly jumped out of his skin. The noise had been sudden, like a train whistle blaring in the dead of silence.  Eyes grew wide at the sudden noise, and before he knew it, Rhyme had turned and put himself in front of Ignis just when something came out and attacked them. Ignis scrambled back so fast that he had lost his footing and fell into the snow, but he quickly recovered as he stared wide-eyed at the beast. He didn't realize that the tiger was behind them, but then neither did Rhyme until it got too close. Had Rhyme's companions not seen it, he was sure that thing would have mauled him to the ground. His heart beat fast in his chest with a mixture of fear and surprise, but he knew he needed to help Rhyme. Now was his chance to show his alpha that he would be a great warrior!

When Rhyme skittered away from the angry cat, Ignis recovered from his surprise and followed suit. He made sure to stay well away from any raking claws as he checked to make sure Rhyme was alright. "Hey Rhyme, are you okay?! I've never seen something like this before!" He kept his eye on the beast as it growled at them. Ignis stared back, snarling at it as his hackles bristled in all directions. While the tiger was big, Ignis was nearly just as big. Lanky, yes. But he would soon be at his full height, and he'd be damned if this tiger got the best of him. "Waddaya wanna do, Rhyme? I say we teach it a lesson!" Of course, he wouldn't be opposed to trying to get that neat looking pelt off of it, either.