Predator or Prey

With ease he struck his target, sending it stumbling forward and--inadvertently--into the forceful shoulders of the other male. In the process, there occurred between them a brief moment of eye contact that Mikko could've sworn lasted an eternity. The stranger studied him almost uneasily before acknowledging his presence with a nod, but the marred brute, with fresh blood now replacing the saliva that had repelled from his maw, reciprocated only with an unwavering stare as a panting tongue lashed out over a wrinkled nose. It wasn't that he didn't see the motion, but his mind had a way of filtering out everything that had the potential to distract or sway him from his true goal. Which...in this case, clearly or not, was absolutely not the tiger, even with its fangs and claws many times larger than his own.

The tiger was merely a nuisance, an obstacle keeping him from cornering this male and finding an answer behind the stench of Kyros on his pelt...and why it mingled with his sister's. And the sooner it was dead, the more patience he'd have reserved for its other attacker.

The wolf in question pushed against the tiger again, giving Mikko an opportunity to slice into it again while it was distracted. Tightening his hind limbs, Mikko launched himself forward, this time with the intention of grabbing it by the foreleg. His grip was merciless, his strategy far from clean as he aimed for its elbow and swung his body to align with its own--away from claw and tooth.

""