Drunk as a Cat

Ash had taken Sparrow to one of his favorite places. Not that she had to know why it was his favorite place yet or anything about alcohol, but still. He led her along the trees and she took it all in with wide eyes until... "Shh- Sparrow, under me," Ash commanded. Sparrow listened and ducked under her father. There was a cat scent on the breeze and it wasn't long before Ash saw it. It was a mountain lion. Did they even live here? Wait- something was wrong with it. It was swaying and stumbling around. Was it sick? As the wind shifted, the smell finally hit Ashmedai and he had to try hard not to snicker. The cat was shitfaced. Well, it could still be dangerous, right? Especially when it sobered up.

"Hey Sparrow, wanna get some fight practice in?" Ash whispered. She nodded and Ash smiled. "Okay, I'll keep its attention, you watch for openings and only strike when I say so."

When he finished instructing his daughter, he sprung off to draw attention to himself. A few sharp barks brought the cat's attention sluggishly to Ash. He wanted to test how bad off it was. He ran in a few circles, giving a few growls in its direction. It didn't seem to really want him nearby, but it seemed like it couldn't be bothered to really face him. To test it further, Ash landed a test bite. The cat growled and swiped at him, but missed the mark as well as its balance. It fell over onto its side and struggled to get up for a while. Its paws flailed at the air and Ash used it as an opportunity to land a few more serious hits. Maybe they could chase it away. It was kind of lame to kill it when it was like this, but he couldn't have it prowling around sober when Sparrow and Talon were in the pack and were still so young. It was good experience for Sparrow anyway.

Just when it was about to roll itself over, Ashmedai launched at it to roll it back over, using his weight to pin its paws. The cat snapped at him and he snapped back at it, keeping its face and front paws busy. The pack paws were still a threat if Sparrow got too close, however.

"Go for the shoulder, Sparrow!" He'd instruct her and keep the cat busy for as long as he could. When he felt his grip slipping, he told Sparrow to back off. "Alright, that's good, now fall back!"

Ash waited for her to get to safety then sprung back himself. The cat finally hauled itself around and made a hazy attempt to charge at Ashmedai. Ash dodged with little difficulty then ran around to lure it further. The cat followed, seemingly unaware of Sparrow.

Ash baited it further with a flurry of quick bites as he ran by it. He was able to get a good grip on it and force it to the ground. "Sparrow, now!" He'd give time for Sparrow to unleash her own slew of attacks. The cat growled and rumbled beneath him in the meantime. It's tail flicked wildly from side to side. It seemed the cat was getting rather tired of their antics. Good, if they pushed it hard now, they might be able to chase it off.

"Sparrow, do your worst then get back!"

Ash shoved the cat down as hard as he could and seized its scruff roughly in his maw while he let Sparrow go berserk on the poor thing. It was his sole job to make sure the cat wouldn't get up while she did her work. He wanted her to get a few good blood-drawing bites in while he held it down. Once she backed off, he gave the cat's scruff a tough shake. He jumped back and gave the cat a stern snarl, full teeth bared and big warning mode. He wanted one thing to be clear in this cat's blurry, hangover memories: they let him go out of their own good will. They could have ended him, but they didn't.

After that, he let out a sharp bark and lashed out at the cat's face, dragging his teeth down its nose enough to leave a visible scar. A little reminder for the road. The cat yowled and threw a few more sloppy slashes in Ash's direction before skittering off, only turning back to hiss once before it disappeared beyond the trees, hitting a few of them on its way out.

Ash spat out the cat bits that remained in his mouth before turning to look at his daughter. He offered her a wide, loose grin and trotted over to her side. "Would you look at that? You helped me chase a cat from the pack borders." Sparrow beamed up at him proudly and Ash offered her a pat on the head. "Should we continue our tour?"