She had a lot to think about after her talk with her father, but for now she wanted to ignore it all and continue with her daytrip alongside Romlulus. They were switching up their usual walk and heading south today for a little change of scenery. The snow was lovely and beautiful, and their coats were becoming well suited to the cold. But Lillith was sure she had seen a star fall close by and she didn’t want anything besides an adventure with Roman to try and find it.

Lil knew they wouldn’t likely find anything, but it was the thrill of the chase, enjoying a common goal with the boy she was falling head over heels for. Lillith waited for Roman to meet her on the packs’ borders. She wasn’t sure where exactly they were going, but already her garnet gaze lingered on the horizon, eager to find that fallen star. Little did she know, not far away, there was a predator out there already stalking her.


"Speech"

Lillith had been the one to get him up today, bright and early, which was unusual for her. Usually Romulus was the one waking up the sleeping beauty in her bedroom, more often than not with little kisses and bright smiles. For Lil to wake up before him, that meant she must have had something planned for their day. Lately their trips had been to the north, into the much colder climates to adjust their coats for their eventual hike up to the far north. It had taken him a few minutes to get up and get ready, so Lillith had already headed off for the border, clearly too anxious about whatever it was she wanted to go see to wait up for his lazy ass. After a quick bite to eat, he headed out of the castle due south, following Lillith's scent trail across the plains and to the borders of the pack's territories.

He spotted the gorgeous silvery and snow fae he was wild about waiting for him where the plains rolled up into cresting hills, gazing off at the horizon as if she were looking for something in particular. Roman smiled as he approached her, also unaware of the danger that lurked just below the ridge of the hills. "Good morning," he remarked, although with the sun only just cresting the horizon to create dawn, calling this "morning" seemed like a generous offer. "So what's got you so hyped up today?" He raised a brow over curious steel eyes while he came up alongside her, intentionally brushing his side along hers as he did.

"Speech"

She couldn’t remember if he was with her when she witnessed the star falling or if that had just been her imagination. He was with her almost every moment of the day so to think he hadn’t witnessed it was something altogether unexpected from her. She had seen it though, the star had fallen from the sky and landed past the fossil ridge.

Today was Lil’s day to wake Roman with kisses and bright smiles as she forced him to greet the day nice and early. He took his time, but she didn’t blame him. Not when she was keeping her plans from him. Who wouldn’t be excited to find a fallen star? Like a kid at Christmas she only barely withheld her excited energies when she finally heard Roman’s paws following up beside her. Bright garnet gaze lifted to his features as he greeted her softly, obviously spurious about her plans as he leaned into her side.

Lillith leaned against him in return, the warmth of him not near as needed now as it was in the frozen north they usually wandered up to. "Good morning, Handsome.” She returned in kind, reaching up to offer a sweet peck on his cheek. "We’re going to go find a fallen star.” She told him determinedly, with a flick of her tail and the flash of a toothy grin.

She strode only a few paces from him in the direction she believed the star to be, her gaze on the horizon more than the dry grasses. Which was honestly her mistake and she would pay for it. Very suddenly as a jaguar leapt from its hiding place where it had been creeping up on them and it went straight for the silver marked girl.

"Speech"

Romulus couldn't keep the light touch of a flush from his cheeks when Lillith greeted him as "Handsome", then placed a delicate little kiss on his cheek, having to lean down a little to intercept her lips with their size difference. He smiled, then blinked a couple of times while he tried to comprehend what she'd said their agenda was today. They were... going to go find a star...? That sounded highly impossible, but he wasn't about to start questioning where Lil had gotten this determination for such a daunting task. She looked so happy, so ready to go, and they were already at the border, so...

"Well, guess we'd better get to it then!" he said with a determined grin. They didn't make it more than a few paces beyond pack territory before the sound of a low growl caught Roman's ears. Before he could reach, a blur of golden spotted fur lunged from the grasses at Lillith. The cat was so fast that he had no time to react before it was upon her, but he was able to spring into action before the jaguar could land a fatal bite to the smaller girl's skull. Roman threw himself into the large cat on top of Lillith, tackling it across the plains as it yowled with predatory rage. They ended up tumbling down the hill further into the ridge lands, winding up at the bottom of a dip.

Romulus recovered to his paws and snarled at the jaguar, the big cat also on its feet and baring deadly fangs while they circled one another. He hadn't been able to see if Lillith had been injured by the feline or not he was in such a rush to get it off of her. The jaguar sprinted at Roman like lightning, trying to get around behind him to get one solid bite on the young wolf's neck for an instantaneous kill. Romulus didn't give it an easy fight, however, and snapped his jaws around the jaguar's foreleg, biting down as hard as he could til he tasted blood. The cat yowled and swiped at Roman, leaving several deep lacerations across his cheek and forcing the wolf to release him with a yelp.

"Speech"

She couldn’t really see the flush on Roman’s features throughout his slate blue fur, and it might have been her imagination seeing his ears go pink. Lil would have to tell him how handsome he was more often. What really caught his attention was what Lillith decided to do with their day. A falling star? Who had ever thought to go after a fallen star? It didn’t matter though, even impossible, Roman was ready and willing to follow her. She grinned brightly up at him, he really would follow her to the ends of the earth if she asked him to. Falling stars, the edge of the earth. it didn’t matter and that was one reason she loved him so dearly.

Lillith nodded determinedly and led the way, but even the swift Adravendi couldn’t outpace the sneak attack by the well camouflaged jaguar. She was stunned for just a moment before her body reacted and fell into her defenses. She had no hope against the cat alone, but even without thinking she knew she had the Armada boy to back her up. She was just able to react as it leapt at her, claws out and jaws clasping for her head. Its claws dug deep into her shoulders but she was able to parry its teeth with her own before Roman was shoving it off of her.

Lil recovered in time to watch the boy she loved and the massive cat collide with snarls and cries of pain from both. She knew she needed to provide back up so despite the spots of blood that stained her pale pelt she leapt to Roman’s aid. She wasn’t meant for full bodied attacks, but that’s exactly what she did. Silently approaching the cat and running at it. There was enough force to send it sprawling onto the grasses before them.

"Speech"

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"

Lillith's attempt was enough to hit the massive jaguar and send it flying to the ground, just enough time to let Roman return to its side and throw his own weight into it. Lil had to back up, her shoulder was aching where she hit the beast and her own wounds from its surprise attack were flowing more freely than was good for her. Garnet gaze was trained on Roman as she struggled with her breathing, she wouldn’t be much use for the rest of the fight. Her heart leapt in her chest and she tempted down the panic as her adrenaline raced through her veins.

When he had the jaguar on its back and the creature began to kick out at him Lillith only just barely withheld a cry of worry. She couldn’t distract Roman now, not when he was right in the thick of battle. She was frozen with worry, afraid she was about to watch the boy she loved die because she couldn’t find the strength to help him. Lil held her breath, but in the very next moment everything went still.

Had Lillith blinked she would have missed all of it. Faster than she could even realize what happened Roman slammed the jaguar into the ground and then it was gone. It was done. They had both survived and destroyed the predator that threatened them. "Roman,” She finally said breathlessly, overwhelmed by what they had just gone through. Finally as the adrenaline left her she sat back onto her rump. Both of them were wounded and bleeding and she knew it was time to see to each other. Lil was still reeling at the near death experience.

"Speech"

Romulus was still lost in the fog of battle long after the jaguar had expired. He just kept staring down at its dead eyes, breathing hard, waiting to see if it would move again. His body was tensed, ready to lunge for the cat's throat if it so much as twitched. The big cat didn't move again, however; it was well and truly dead. Roman could feel his heartbeat in his head, a steady thrumming of blood in his ears. Killing wasn't new to him. He'd slain predators before, but this was the first time he'd ever felt... frightened. When he saw the jaguar leap at Lillith, his world had stopped spinning. That horrific moment flashed behind his eyes over and over again, his brain trying to wrap around the fact at how close he'd been to losing her. Too close... he thought to himself on repeat like a mantra. Too close...

Lillith's voice calling his name was what finally pulled him out of his daze. His head snapped up until silver eyes locked with laser focus on the smaller lady, looking her over with concern furrowing his brow. She was bleeding from her shoulders and was gasping for breath. Ignoring his own injuries, Roman climbed off of the jaguar's corpse and rushed over to her, not stopping until he was his paws around her to help her sit up while piercing steel eyes roamed over her cuts. "Stay still," he instructed her, his voice firm yet caring. "Breathe with me. Slow and even." Romulus took slow, steady breaths for Lil to focus on and mimic, looking to distract her brain so she might be able to get her body back under control, despite the fact that his own heart was still racing with the adrenaline.

While she did that, Romulus took a closer look at the cuts on her shoulders. They weren't slashes, more like where the cat's claws had pricked her, and were only dribbling little rivulets of blood. It looked worse on her pristine white fur than it actually was. He, on the other hand, looked a mess, not that he noticed or cared. Bringing his muzzle to each of her wounds, he carefully ran his tongue across them in turn to clean them, getting a better look at them. She'd need some bandages or lamb's ear to help them close up, but she'd be fine. Bringing his eyes back up to hers, he lifted a paw to gingerly stroke her cheek. "Are you okay? Did it get you anywhere else?" he asked once her breathing started to show signs of settling.

"Speech"

She felt similar to the boy who still stood over the heavy beast, dazed and uncertain of her life. They made it through the encounter alive but not without some damage. The jaguar had pierced her flesh, but her shoulders weren’t near as bad as Roman. After she said his name, needing his attention, he seemed to return to reality and his silvery gaze returned to him. She had plenty of wherewithal to realize his own wounds were probably far worse than her own. Maybe he didn’t realize it, but his soft command to sit still did keep her from jumping up and working to clean his wounds in turn.

Lillith followed his lead, breathing as he did, slow inhale, hold, and eased exhale.Her mind focused on the sound of the air rushing from his nose and the steady rhythm of his bloodied chest. He licked the blood from her stained pelt before garnet met his silver eyes. He brought one dark paw to her cheek in gentle affection before asking after her. The concern in his features couldn’t be hidden, and as the adrenaline faded she realized how close to death she had come. Again she beat the odds against her.

"Maybe a little bruise when I shoved it.” She commented quietly, unable to keep her eyes from shifting to the wounds that littered his body. "I’m perfectly fine compared to you.” The same concern fell over her features as she looked from one blood stain to the next. "We should go back,” she brought a first aid kit, but they were so close to home they were better off using the more varied supplies stocked there. Disappointment did not once cross her mind or expression. She was solely concerned with getting Roman seen to.

"Speech"

Romulus listened to Lillith's breathing with sharply attentive cobalt-tipped ears, counting each stutter in her breath to ensure she was calming down and able to get control over her breathing once more. As the silver and snow girl began to settle, the young man's nerves also began to unwind. She didn't seem hurt too badly, mostly just shaken up by the whole ordeal, and once she had her breathing back to a normal rate she would be fine. Roman breathed a sigh of relief and went to gingerly rest his forehead against Lil's, beyond happy that she was okay. She'd defied death once again; his beautiful little undying angel. He whispered a silent prayer of thanks to whatever gods were looking over her for keeping her with him.

Lillith's sweet voice was so full of concern when she spoke, and it was only once she pulled attention to his own injuries did he begin to take stock of himself. Stinging pain started to rise on his body where the jaguar's claws had caught him. Lifting a tentative steel-blue paw to his cheek, Roman noticed the amount of deep red blood left behind on his pads and realized it was actually still dripping down his muzzle to stain the earth beneath them. "I'm fine," he replied far too quickly to be convincing. Even he didn't know the extent of what his injuries looked like, but judging by the worried grimace on her pretty face, he must've been a hell of a sight. He sighed and his shoulders slumped, realizing he'd messed up their plans for the day by getting hurt like an idiot.

"I'm sorry I ruined our trip," he apologized, steel and navy ears folding back to his head and an apologetic look on his countenance. Lillith had been so excited to go out and look for her star and now they couldn't because of him. He turned his gaze back toward the jaguar carcass. "Do you want to take the jaguar back? Maybe keep its pelt for a blanket, or a cloak?" It could be a good memento of another time Lillith had proven she was nigh immortal, deftly dodging another brush with death like they were strangers passing in a corridor.

"Speech"

This encounter was not so terrible to recover from, she breathed along with the rhythm that Roman took in breath and she was calmed from the sudden rush of adrenaline as they fought for their lives. Lilith was fine in a few moments, the scratches down her silvery shoulder stung but it was nothing compared to what could have happened. Roman tipped forward and pressed his forehead ot hers and she could feel the tension leave him. He’d been frightened for her. Her cheeks grew rosey as Lil pressed against him in return. He promised her that he was fine, but she wasn’t sure she could believe him.

Lil grinned, but she was still uncertain and worried about the bleeding wounds all over him. Lil couldn’t help herself as he pulled away from her she found a bit of clean cloth to help ease the weeping wounds. She lifted a dainty paw to press against the still bleeding claw marks. "Don’t be sorry,” she insisted, glimpsing from wound to his bright eyes. "You saved me.” She assured him and leaned in to kiss his cheek like he was her hero.

She couldn’t tell if he was just trying to keep his mind off their situation when his attention returned to the dead jaguar. Lil had already put it from her mind, but he had a good point. Since they had a carcass why not make use of it. "We should,” She didn’t have an idea now but it would come to her by the time they got back. Lil could focus on that instead of their failed search for a fallen star. "Are you sure you're fine?" She didn't want to worry about it if he was too injured.


"Speech"

Romulus put up no fight when Lillith produced a clean cloth from her first aid kit and began to clean away some of the blood that was dripping down his face. He winced as the wounds stung from the pressure, but he didn't pull back, resisting to allow Lil to do her work on his injuries. He was trying to be tough and manly in front of the girl he had fallen for, not wanting her to see him as weak or unable to fend for himself. The Armada wolves were a very proud bunch if nothing else. Wounding their pride was almost as painful as wounding their bodies. His ears remained folded to his head, giving her a small smirk when she smiled and told him that he had nothing to be sorry for because he saved her. He had certainly tried his best, even if she hadn't gotten away from it unscathed.

When Lillith confirmed that they should take the jaguar with them, Roman nodded and immediately when to go gather up the corpse. He hoisted the dead cat up over his back, hefting its weight across his body to carry back to the castle. Turning back to her, Lillith stopped him and asked if he was sure he was fine. The slashes and cuts stung something fierce, and he couldn't tell how deep they were without a mirror or something to see his reflection in. Romulus didn't say anything right away, caught between wanting to keep up that indestructible appearance that she had fallen in love with and not wanting to lie to her. He glanced down at Lillith with steel eyes strained from how much he was trying to hide the pain.

"Maybe it would be a good idea to let Gwynevere have a look," he conceded, motioning with his head back up the ridge. "C'mon, let's get back home." The last thing he wanted now was to hang around this boneyard and see if the jaguar had any friends lurking nearby.

"Speech"

Lilith carefully wiped away the blood on his muzzle, aware of both how close she was to possibly losing him. As the adrenaline wore off that reality stuck in her head, but she tried not to internalize it. Their skill and talent used in tandem had defeated their foe together. Together they had defeated the beast that had tried to kill them. Their efforts combined saved them from doom, and Lillith was silently convinced further that she was meant to be with Romulus. They had faced this foe together and made it out on the other side as one entity, the girl needed little more proof than this. Despite her worry and the severity of the encounter Lil hadn’t ever felt so close to Roman before.

The last thing she saw Roman as was weak, he had stepped up without hesitation to go after the jaguar and his actions had saved her from major injury or death. Lil wasn’t a bad fighter, but the sneak attack could have spelled the end for her. If the young man hadn’t been beside her…

The girl gave the affirmative about their loot, but she couldn’t hide the expression on her features as Roman pulled away so he could carry the carcass back. She voiced her concern and as garnet gaze met his steel eyes she knew how much strain he was putting himself under. They weren’t terribly far from the castle thankfully. Romulus didn’t let his facade down, but he did concede that they should go and seek out Gwynevere.

Almost comically Lil went to help the boy by taking the weight of the cat’s tail for herself. With little more prompting Lil gestured for them to start moving while she had the dead cat’s tail in her mouth. Her eyes still glittering with admiration as she looked up to him.

"Speech"