Just Bad Luck

Well...he was certainly in a boatload of shit. The alabaster male had come to these parts in another effort to scout out the lands in the western areas, but this time...he had taken the foxes with him. He regretted it almost immediately when they came here. With Spring came many things. New plants, no snow...and of course, new life. Finn had gotten overly curious when he had darted on ahead and going against Ace's orders to stay close, but of course, the unruly boy refused to listen. By the time Ace had caught up to him, he realized the boy was far too close to a young puma cub. The pair were playing, the cub too young to understand that he probably shouldn't be playing with strangers...Ace hung back for a little, watching and waiting as he figured out what to do. He remained as alert as he possibly could, not wanting to get close to the puma cub himself. Of course, Finn decided to ignore him the entire time Ace tried to call him back, and Lumi was too afraid to go and drag him back for fear the cub's mother would show up and eat her. He hissed at Finn again, trying desperately to get the boys attention.

Growing frustrated, Ace started to step out of his hiding place to just grab the fox and leave, but before he so much as even stepped paw beyond the safety of the bushes, all Hell broke loose. Finn had bitten the cub's ear a little too hard while they were playing, causing the young cub to cry out in pain. Ace's heart dropped, his blood running cold. He could feel his blood pounding in his ears, and it felt like time had stopped. Before he knew it, the scent of the cub's mother washed over him, causing his fur to stand on end as crimson gaze locked on Finn as the boy's head turned to look behind him. He suddenly felt small teeth tugging at his neck fur, and he glanced down to see Lumi frantically trying to get him to move. He didn't know what she was saying exactly, the gravity of the situation making every sound feel like nothing more than a dull echo in his ears. Even his own breathing sounded painfully slow, the pounding of his heart in his ears much too slow to be considered normal as well.

But when he heard the mother puma yowl, Ace snapped out of it. The slow pounding sound of his heart suddenly turned frantic as he stood and ran out of cover. His eyes were locked on Finn, not daring to take his eyes off of him for a second. He could get to him before the mother puma came. He needed to get to him before her. He could smell her, but he couldn't see her just yet. Ace's paws pounded the ground as he closed the distance between him and Finn, until finally, he reached him. He skidded to a screeching halt and scooped up the young fox in his jaws at the same time the mother puma landed just inches from where Finn had been no more than a split second ago. Ace turned his head away as his body continued to slide with the momentum from his mad race to get to his cub. Without further thought, he tossed Finn in the direction he had just come, the cub sailing in the air for a moment before landing heavily in the dirt and then making a mad dash towards cover where his sister waited.

Ace's body slammed into the adult puma, his eyes squeezing shut on impact. He could feel teeth and claws grasping for his right shoulder as the pair rolled to the ground. His heavier weight rolled over the big cat, both of them dazed as they rolled several feet. Ace scrambled to his paws, turning towards the puma just as she, too, rose to her own feet. Great...another fight with a god damn cat! He thought bitterly. Maybe he was just a magnet for this...or maybe just bad luck. Whatever the case, he squared off with her as the pair lashed their tails and stood with bared teeth. He really wasn't in the mood to fight, but right now, he figured he'd have to if he wanted to try and get away. Slowly and carefully, he started to circle the puma as she hissed and lashed out with a paw in a threatening gesture. He continued his circling until his back was facing in the foxes direction. He did not cease his defensive stance, and when the mother puma lunged, he backed up just enough to where her claws barely grazed his chest. But that's all he needed to continue backing up.

He didn't want to kill her or injure her. She was simply defending her cub, just like he was defending his own. Crimson gaze flashed down for a moment to find the young cub huddling a little ways behind its mother. His own growling would begin to cease as he continued to back off. And when he felt he was just far enough away, he turned and quickly dashed to where the pair of foxes were and herded them away. He kept his senses about him, just in case the mother puma decided she did want to come after them..