Kore stands on the bank of the huge river, eyes scanning over the water. Ao and Kal are playing with the rest of their siblings some distance off, Kalyke undoubtedly finding all sorts of trouble. The pup shakes his head, a smile tugging the corners of his lips up. Turning away from the water, the galaxy hued boy starts to trot back toward all his siblings, realizing as he moves that he has traveled further away then he thought. Small legs move faster the need to be close to the group driving him forward faster. Then, a scent catches his nose and the awareness that there are predators nearby, heading in the direction of his family hits him.

He runs, no longer moving toward the group but moving to engage the threat. Fear does not enter the pup’s mind as he races to take on the threat, never slowing even when two huge cats come into view. To the growing Kore, they seem gigantic, towering over his smaller frame but that does not stop him. Racing into their path, the pup slides to stop and raises his hackles, barking and growling as fiercely as a pup can. The big cats are startled, stopping to cast each other an incredulous look before hissing and advancing on the pup. Kore stands his ground, fear never factoring into thinking.

"Kore Regni"

Ricin and Chade had traveled together alone across these lands prior to joining with the band, now pack.  It had been nerve rattling at the time with lots of thought put into each action.  Chade remembered the landscape all too well but, the worry that had been a knot in his gut wasn’t with him this time as they roamed.  Once Chade made sure Ricin seemed to be away from any mischief Chade roamed a bit from the group, trodding down memory lane.

He had hunted these lands, set up traps to alert Ry and himself if anything large was getting close.  It was like remembering a piece of his childhood from what felt like long ago.  Realistically it hadn’t been too long if measured in time but by changes taken on it was forever ago.

As he made his way closer to the water Chade paused, scenting the air.  He smelled a cat, glancing back he saw a cat, Swift.  Shaking his head Chade looked forward again, scenting more carefully.  It wasn’t Swift’s scent he was picking up but some other type of cat, and wolf but not one whose scent he recognized.

“C’mon Swift,” Chade urged as he ran towards the scent and soon caught sight of the pup and two cougars.  They were smaller than tigers but there were two of them!  He had never actually had a full-out race with Swift before and was in awe at how the spotted cat got ahead so fast then pulled back to run even with him.

Chade was coming up from behind the cats and was happy to use that to his advantage.  By the time one of the cats thought to look back Chade was already in range to barrell himself into the large cat, biting at its spine, midway up the back.  He didn’t strike true enough to get the spine in his teeth but he still got a solid bite in which had the cougar quickly turned to swipe at him.  Chade leaped back, warily watching as the other cougar suddenly had his attention as well.

Swift ran in, ran past the cats and towards Kore.  The cheetah didn’t try to touch Kore, nor did it actually attack the cats.  It had simply stirred them into a bit of confusion, allowing Chade a moment to get in a better defensive stance and now the cheetah was in a good spot to protect the pup.


"Chade & Ricin"

Kore growls at the cougars, tail held high as he lunges and retreats at the advancing cats. The bigger of the two predators’ steps forward, raising a deadly paw to swipe at the small pup. Suddenly, a blur of blue slams into the attacking cougar and a wolf is biting into the cat’s spine. The cougars attentions shifts to this new wolf and the galaxy hued pup sees an opening, racing in toward the turning cats, Kore sinks his small, sharp teeth into the biggest cat’s back left ankle. He is reward with the sharp, coppery taste of blood and the cat swiftly turns to swipe a large paw at where the annoying pain radiates from.

However, Kore has already released the cougar’s ankle, retreating back toward the cheetah and the safety the friendly big cat offers. Quickly, the pup moves between the cheetah’s legs and turns to face the irritated cougars growling from his safe place under the cheetah’s hulking form.

"Kore Regni"

The cheetah is still growing and hardly built for battle but it's still larger than the wolf pup.  It looks down at the boy then up at the cougars warily.  Really, the smartest thing for Swift would be to run if the cougars came at him but he bristles up and shows off his teeth, letting the cougars know there would at least be a fight if they went at him.

Chade had used the distraction well, to get so that the cougar's backsides were both to him.  Best to finish off the one he decided.  He slammed into it, bit into the back leg, and jerked, tearing open the leg and ripping into an artery so the blood was flowing out fast.  The cougar was trying to run away but it wasn’t getting anywhere fast.  

Chade spun his attention onto the last cougar who had paused to eye his injured friend retreating.  Cougar and Chade snarled at each other, a staredown.

"Chade & Ricin"

The pup stands between the cheetah’s front legs, growling up a storm at the big, mean cats. Kore sees the dark blue wolf rush in and tear open one of the cougar’s back legs. The artery sprays bright red blood and the cat yowls in fear as it attempts to limp away. It quickly collapses and bleeds to death. The last remaining cougar faces off with the blue wolf and Kore sees another opening. Darting in toward the cat, the galaxy hued boy aims for its back-right paw, using the same attack as he did for the other one. Small sharp teeth latch onto its furry ankle eliciting an annoyed hiss from the cat as it glances back to where the pain radiates from. Kore is no longer there, having released its ankle as quickly as he had attacked to retreat back to the safe spot underneath the friendly cat. Tail high, Kore barks at the cat, trying to give the blue wolf some kind of opening.

"Kore Regni"

The moment the cougar looked away to spy the pup Chade ran forward. The cougar’s head spun back to him just in time to find Chade slamming into it.  He wasn’t a small weak pup anymore! Slamming into the cougar had it back up with a yowl of anger and surprise.  

Chade’s teeth found the cat’s neck, crunching down, with an evil glare.  The cougar was going to bite back, hesitated then changed its mind to try and get away.  Chade let go and the cat got two strides away before Chade was beside it, biting into its back leg and crunching so he heard the bone snap.  It wasn’t but a moment longer till the cougar staggered forward.  Chade stepped in, bit the neck again, and jerked his head ripping it open so the blood pooled out faster and the cougar’s eyes were soon glazing over.

Chade looked back to swift and the barking Kore.  Licking a bit of blood from his muzzle he walked back towards the pair, “you two ok?”

"Chade & Ricin"