Relm was returning from a hunt outside of Elysuim lands, a deer dragging behind her on a hide as she pulled back into the pack. She was dressed in her cloak as usual but nothing else. She wasn't aware of the predator nearby that had been scouting around the edges of the pack boarders. Just as she crossed over into Elysian lands, she sensed that trouble was here. A lioness sprinted from between the rocks and ready to fight for Relm's kill. Relm immediately dropped the makeshift tarp before facing off strong against the lioness. She had to defend the pack from predators before, this time would be no different. She wouldn't run or cower, or call for help either. Instead willing to stand her ground. Keeping herself head on with the lioness, she leapt forward with a curve to throw the large cat off her tracks while she bit it on the shoulder and tried to topple it down with her weight.

"Relm"

Big, black paws touched earth as Merrick ran a patrol of the rock garden. He didn't mind doing this. Running helped him keep his well muscled physique. Plus it got him out of the cave and away from Keelin for a while. She was a good woman, but he couldn't stand being around any woman for too long. For the most part, they were lesser beings. Merrick only held Manea in high regard because they knew one another and he knew that their views were similar in some things. She was strong and capable. Most women weren't.

The sounds of a scuffle up ahead brought silvered ears perking. Merrick threw weight into his paws and flew over the rocky landscape, his talons clicking with each stride. Into view came a cloaked woman struggling with a lioness. In the background, he could see a fresh kill upon a hide and assumed that the cloaked one had been bringing the kill back when she was ambushed. He didn't care much for that part, but if he could get in on a kill...

Launching himself through the air, the giant dire's big body slammed into that of the unsuspecting feline. The lioness crashed to the ground and Merrick's teeth ripped into one tawny shoulder. The cat screamed and the purple and obsidian brute pushed back, narrowly avoiding one swiping paw.

"Merrick Mendacium"

With one paw over the shoulder of the lioness, Relm spotted just at the right moment a flash of purple with just enough time to let go before the brute smashed into the lion. At first she thought it was Manea, she after all didn't know many... any of the Elysian wolves. She was quick to notice it was in fact not Manea, but she wasn't lingering around to find out and make introductions. She wasn't good at that stuff anyway.

With the brute diving down on the cat's shoulder, Relm moved around and jumped up onto the hind quarters of the cat, throwing her weight on top of it and making it struggle to get anywhere. It still was able to throw out a swat at the purple brute here at her aide, and with that she went to move further up it's body to put her weight down on it's mid back. The cat though spun around, putting Relm on her back also under the cat's back where she hugged around it's shoulders and waited for the brute to take the next course of action.

"Relm"

The cat rolled, squishing the woman beneath it and Merrick almost chuckled. She held on though and he was slightly impressed. Slightly. Doing something that might not be expected, the dire bastard leaped in head first, wide jaws wrapping around the throat of the cat. The lion wrapped its powerful forelegs around the thickly furred brute, its claws digging into his shoulders. In turn, Merrick's own sharp talons dug into the flesh of the cat.

As the trio struggled, Merrick's hind paws dug into the earth, pulling the cat with him inch by inch so that the woman had room to get up. His head thrashed back and forth, tearing flesh with every movement. The feline released its hold and fought to get free. Merrick let it, a bloody grin on his face as his coat bristled and he stalked forward stiff legged.

"Merrick Mendacium"

The marble brute jumped forward onto the cat, Relm thought nothing of it. They were fighting for their lives, regardless of how much they had the upper hand. They'd both walk away with their lives, but they could still get hurt. That wasn't a big deal at least, she didn't think so.

Relm went to hold the cat's legs down as it wrapped a hug around the brute, but realizing that it's claws were stuck in his shoulder she released her grip to hold back from any more damage on him. Soon enough he pulled the cat off her, and Relm stood on her paws steadily approaching the cat while it seemed the purple man could handle it from here. She still kept herself in line with it and ready to pounce if needed. It seemed hungry enough to want to lose it's life over a tiny deer. She wouldn't back down as long as it was still here and fighting.

"Relm"

With the woman free from the cats weight, she stood back, allowing him to do what he needed to do, apparently. Did he need to kill it? No. Did he want to kill it? Yes. So he would.

The cat was already bleeding from the wounds in its neck, so it just needed a few more for the job to be done, right? As the feline turned to run, Merrick rushed it, throwing his bulk on the cats back while his teeth sank home in the side of the feline's neck. His weight brought the cat crashing to the ground and the brute jerked his head hard from side to side, tearing great rends in the feline's skin and severing a very vital artery. Blood began spewing forth with every beat of the cat's heart and soon it lay dead beneath the giant man.

Releasing his hold, Merrick stayed straddling the corpse, tongue lolling out as he caught his breath. The man's face, chest and forelegs were covered in blood, making his front half more red than purple. Tail curled high above his spine and Merrick seemed to be very pleased with himself.

"Merrick Mendacium"

Relm wouldn't scold him for wanting to kill the suddenly fleeing predator, she simply didn't care. She probably would have let it run off herself but that kind of stuff didn't bother her. If he wanted to kill it than so be it.

He was covered in blood it that didn't bother her either. It was obvious. Relm waited to say something for a moment or so. Not disturbed by the blood or his lack of mercy, she stood nearby him before thanking, "Thanks for the save uh..." was this where they would introduce themselves? Felt weird. Oh well. "If you want to help me put it on the tarp with the deer, I can skin it when I get back." It was certainly not an invitation. Though she wouldn't have minded if the brute wanted to come along with her or take the cat skin himself. She wouldn't have minded skinning it for his den either though she didn't go much into those details. She wasn't very good at socializing.

"Relm"

The woman thanked him and waited for his name, which he gave in deep, gritty tones. "Merrick Mendacium." He waited for her name in turn, but only for a moment. His attention went back to the dead cat and he lapped at his chops, tasting its blood again. The woman offered to skin the lion and Merrick huffed lightly in amusement. "You're free to have it if you'd like. I prefer softer things," Yeah, there was a little innuendo in his words, but Merrick wasn't anything if he wasn't a bastard. Without another word, he moved to the dead cat and grabbed it in his jaws, pulling it over to lay it on the dead deer.

Taking up one edge of the hide, he waited for Relm to take the other edge. Together they could pull their kills back to Elysium proper more quickly. She had offered to skin and process the cat, so he'd leave her to it once they got there. Having taken the responsibility on herself, it was no longer his problem. Out of the goodness of his own heart was he even helping her to take the dead things back. He could have just gone on his merry way. Here he was though, being a gentleman.

"Merrick Mendacium"

Merrick had said he didn't want the lioness hide for himself which was fine, Relm didn't want it either. She would just skin it and put it in the stores for visitors or new residents. She wouldn't say so though. Felt kind of rude she guessed, but either way it would be skinned and put somewhere.

She grabbed the other side of the cat and helped Merrick put it on her tarp as she had suggested. And once the two were ready to move on and it seemed he would be joining her she responded late and a little quietly, "I'm Relm by the way." And they would go back to the main areas of Elysium before he would go back on his patrol or whatever he was doing. Relm wasn't one for chit chat after all, so she didn't see harm or feel hurt in him doing so. At least she thought she could get out there a little more. If only her name, and even only one time. She'd still go back to her den once she was done with her duties, that wouldn't change.

"Relm"