Kindle had already given more than her fair share of effort toward the hunt, aiming to mar its underside while she gave him the opposite angle to work from. The smell of blood and fear from their prey filled the air, though as soon as he realized just what they were facing off with, his adrenaline soared to an entirely new level - especially when he realized Kindle had taken a blow from the startled prey as it rotated. His instinct was to protect her; he'd always been protective to a fault, but he'd never faced a stranger being in immediate danger. What would his father do? His mother? Was it worth leaving Abaven without their Blackthorn, if he became gravely injured trying to protect this stranger, or ensure she got away okay?
The stranger didn't seem intent on backing down so easily from the threat, so Corvus followed suit, lowering his center of gravity and letting a low, threatening growl bubble up from deep within his chest. He felt his stomach tighten when he saw the cat lash out at her, realizing suddenly that he'd leapt forward himself, fully prepared to square off with the cougar if Kindle decided to hold her ground. Caught between leaping in front of her and trying something less dangerous to draw attention off her, he was nearly relieved when she shouted at him to run.
Running from anything wasn't very brave, was it? But neither was risking his safety over a meal he could find again later. Sleeping on a hungry stomach would be better than crawling back to Abaven with serious wounds. Clenching his jaw, he backed off, slowly at first but then rapidly breaking into a full run. He hoped he might somehow keep up with the smaller female, but wasn't sure it was even possible to follow her trailer properly given how hard he was panting and how rapidly his heart was beating. He clambered over vegetation, running blindly into the night, hoping desperately that the cougar was more interested in the meal they'd nearly gotten than it was in the two of them.
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