crafting supplies

All Romulus had seen in the initial flurry and panic of the jaguar's attack was that Lillith hadn't been bitten, so he knew whatever the cat had done hadn't been too bad. He would check on her and worry about her once the large predatory cat was dead, but for now, the large silver brute squared off against the feline, ignoring the stinging on his face or blood dripping from his chin. Lips curled back in a snarl to reveal rows of sharp teeth. He held the jaguar's attention long enough for Lillith to rush in and throw her full weight against its side while it was distracted. The jaguar yowled in anger as it tumbled and Roman was on top of it in an instant, leaping in a graceful arc to bring his full body down on his foe. Large paws slammed its chest to the ground as teeth and jaws snapped at the cat's face and neck, ripping through fur and flesh with lethal intent.

The jaguar roared in defiance and began clawing at Roman's back and chest, its powerful hind legs coming up to catch the brute in his stomach and kick him off. Romulus hit the ground with a thud, his silvery fur stained red from the thin razor-like cuts the jaguar's claws left behind. Both fighters rose, and once more they were at it. The jaguar was ferocious, refusing to back down against the two wolves. It had clearly staked this place as its turf and would not give it up easily. It was clear to Romulus that he and the jaguar were too evenly matched, but if the cat kept using its claws to bleed him out, he wouldn't stand a chance. He had to do something to shift the balance of the fight and protect Lillith.

The next several things happened in slow motion for the Armada wolf. He saw the jaguar lunge for him. He saw its trajectory. And he saw the jagged edge of bone from the slew of fossils sticking up from the arid ground. Roman's mind worked in hyper speed, and he took his one shot to end the fight. He ran to intercept the jaguar, timing his pacing so he lunged and caught the cat midair, twisting as they came down to slam the jaguar down onto the ground—right on top of the piece of bone protruding up like a spear. The jaguar's eyes went wide and it gave a pained yowl, it's body going still a beat later. The bone fragment had pierced through the back of the jaguar's skull, an ironic end for a predator that hunted with the same means.

Roman watched its eyes glass over and dim as it died, then slumped off of its body with a heavy sigh and a fast panting. His brain still didn't register the pain or the cuts he'd received, only vaguely aware of the sticky wetness on his body. It didn't matter though; all that mattered was that he'd protected Lillith.

"Speech"