A pink nose quivered, scenting the air and the various flavors wafting about upon it. Rabbits, pheasants, deer, elk. There were predator scents scattered about as well, but those didn't matter to Taiga. The cat was hungry. She'd parted ways temporarily with the strange little herd that she'd promised not to eat. Couldn't let herbivores watch her murder and consume another herbivore, now could she? It was natural for a cat, but she'd given her word to them to keep them safe, and she imagined that this meant mentally as well as physically.

The massive feline padded through grassy landscape, her wide, snowshoe paws making her steps relatively quiet. As she moved she continued to scent the air. Round ears swiveled, catching the far off sounds of a herd. She was getting closer. Soon it would be time to choose a target and make her kill.

Coming to a small, clear stream, the grey and white lioness crouched at its edge to wet her tongue. She wouldn't drink too much as she had a chase ahead of her, but the day was too warm and the stream too inviting to not take at least a little sip.

Given the assortment of creatures she'd run into lately, maybe it shouldn't be such a surprise that a feline was wandering these parts. The north was no place for weak-willed creatures, after all, and the wolves she'd run into lately were scarce at best, even with the arrival of summer. The long winter had affected everything considerably though and she suspected it'd take awhile for things to fully go back to normal. Until then she would keep on persevering, as she always did, tending to her herd as best as she could - or at least keeping an eye on them if nothing else.

The scent of water reached her nose before the feline's smell did. Stopping for a drink sounded like a good idea. She'd been wandering through this pine forest for quite some time now and her own belly was beginning to rumble with the familiar signs of hunger. Perhaps with a cat around she ought to be more careful though. Once the creature - and the stream - came into view she decided to test her luck. She knew the northern landscape well enough she'd bargain she could flee if she needed to, and already she was poised on the pads of her paws like she might bolt without a second thought. Instead of bolting, though, she let out a bark of greeting. Kiela had little experience with felines but she wondered if she'd be open to conversing, if nothing else. As far as she was concerned all creatures lived in relative harmony and she had little interest in upsetting that balance unless she found a need to otherwise.

As Taiga drank, across the stream from her appeared a wolf. Smaller than the ones she was used to, but a wolf all the same. Rounded ears shifted as the canine gave a sound of... greeting? The cat wasn't too familiar with wolves, but the look on its face was friendly enough.

Lifting her head, droplets of water that clung to her pale chin were swept away with one flick of a pink tongue. She fixed the wolf with ruby colored orbs and gave her blocky head a nod. "Good day," she spoke aloud, her tones low, but mellifluous and obviously feminine. Pushing with wide forepaws, Taiga raised herself to a seated position. Again the scent of hoofed animals drifted on the wind and her attention was pulled off and into the trees. The feline's stomach growled.

Ah idea formed in her mind and she looked back to the wolf once more. "You have long legs. Fancy a hunt? We can split the kill." The giant cat looked hopeful. Though she was capable of bringing down large prey on her own, her paw was still rather sore after being trapped in an avalanche recently. If the wolf didn't want free food, then Taiga would do it all on her own.

Kiela was pleased when Taiga didn't try to flee nor threaten her. Even from a distance she could tell the feline was twice or even three times her weight and could easily overpower her if she managed to catch up to Kiela. She made a mental note to keep the stranger at a safe distance, certain she could make an escape if she needed to. "A hunt sounds good," she agreed easily. Imagining hunting with a creature her size was strange but she figured it'd be a nice change of pace. She didn't doubt Taiga was a fine hunter indeed. "I'm Kiela," she added offhandedly as she dared to stride a few steps closer. "What are you hungry for?" She lifted her head and sniffed at the air, noting the various scents that lingered there. She'd only arrived in this forest recently and hadn't quite yet scoped out the potential prey, though she hoped Taiga had.

To her delight, the canine agreed to a hunt, giving her name as Kiela. "Taiga," she replied in kind. The wolf then asked what was on the menu and the lioness turned her head, looking off into the distance. "There's a somewhat large group of caribou nearby, but I had my sights on an injured deer that passed this way recently." She'd seen the buck limping on a swollen hock and really should have taken the opportunity to kill it when it moved past the stream, but she'd been thirsty. Now that her thirst had been dealt with, it was time to deal with her hunger. Rising from her place, the lioness stepped into the stream, then leaped the rest of the way across, landing on the opposite bank where Kiela was. Motioning with her head, she pointed in the direction that the buck had gone. Its trail was obvious on the ground and even the most novice of trackers would see the staggered gait in the tracks. "Speech"

Caribou was the first thing Taiga mentioned, and Kiela felt herself instinctively stiffen. The nearby herd was off-limits to her, unless there was an old or injured cow she had somehow missed in the bunch. They had suffered too hard this past year for her to feed from them, not yet. Next she mentioned an injured deer and that earned a nod, a little more enthusiastic than normal for her. "Let's go then, Taiga." Though she was hardly a social wolf there was always something instinctively thrilling about hunting alongside another predator, whether wolf or cat or something else entirely. She caught scent of the deer easily, following Taiga a little less gracefully across the stream - pausing to shake out her wet limbs before continuing on. On the other side of the stream the tracks were obvious and easy to follow. "I can take a wide path around the deer. Try to cut it off?" Kiela suggested, titling her head as she looked to Taiga for confirmation. If she seemed to agree Kiela would set off, hoping to take a wide path around toward the other side of the deer without alerting it to her presence.

The giant cat agreed to the plan of Kiela cutting the deer off. If they could trap it between them, then it would be easy for a beast as large as Taiga to bring it down. So, as the wolf quietly crept off to get ahead of the injured buck, the charcoal and snow feline followed its trail. The tracks were distinctive, three heavy hooves and a drag as the ungulate pulled its swollen limb along. The wound would eventually kill the buck. At least this way, it wouldn't suffer.

Pink nose quivered as Taiga kept the scent of the deer, following the tracks as the buck seemed to be making its way down a natural game trail. In time, she caught sight of the deer up ahead, the tips of its antlers bobbing over the pine branches as it limped heavily. She wondered if Kiela was in place yet.

"Taiga"

Taiga agreed and she wouldn't hesitate to set their plan into action. Kiela was glad to work on cutting off the injured ungulate, its tracks easy to spot and even easier to avoid. She made a wide arc around the beast and avoiding its slow descent down the slope, finding it again once she was on the side opposite Taiga. The deer was visible up ahead, but just barely, mostly concealed by low-hanging pine branches. Kiela assessed the situation for a long moment before she acted. The buck was definitely injured and unlikely to recover. It would be a mercy filling, a thing that settled well with her. Today she would not only be sleeping on a full stomach but she'd be feeling pretty damn good about how she'd accomplished it.

The she sprung forward, moving swiftly through the pine forest and straight toward the buck. She caught him off guard and he stumbled, though managed to keep himself upright as he swiveled around and began to jog away, as best as he could with his limp. Staying close to his heels, nipping occasionally at his flanks and hoping to drive it straight toward Taiga's location.