Strix is back at it, running the path that has become his patrol route. The evening is warm as the sun sinks toward the horizon, twilight racing after the rays of light. Mismatched eyes search for any signs of predators, hoping to scratch a restless itch that is still plaguing him. His need to prove himself has driven him here and, soon enough, the scent of a predator reaches the pup. A smile plays on his lips as he moves to intercept the creature, ready to chase it off. From a patch of bushes a tiger lazily stalks out, tail swishing slowly.

Before getting any closer, Strix lifts his head and releases a short howl calling for help. With that done, the pup rushes for the tiger while barking and snarling. The large feline looks to the pup and hisses, a huge paw swinging back as it readies to attack the charging pup.


"Strix Klien"

Kione was likewise conveniently out patrolling, a thing some wolves called work.  Kione called it fun, all the more so if he spotted something good to go kill.  The painted wolf felt frisky, prancing at points before pausing to carefully check out an area before moving along again.  His giant radar ears heard the boy’s call and what would have been a small step forward became a huge leap.

The kid’s proving themselves was great but preferably with help close by.  The painted dog wasted no time in making his way to where the young were facing off with the cat.  “Hullo lad,” the call came in mid-stride as the reckless wild dog slammed his being into the tiger’s shoulder.  He had hoped to bite onto the tiger also but the damn thing had spun about planning to cut and bite into Kione all at once.

Kione continued his spring, hopping away from the claws and mouth but with little damage done other than to upset the beast and a quick distraction. “Alright, let's make you a new pelt,” Kione hollered back cheerfully to the boy. “You go for the back little bro, and I’ll get the end with the teeth.”


"Kione"

The pup rushes toward the tiger excitement zipping along his nerves as the large feline tries to swipe at the blur of clouded grays and black. While the feline does not land a hit on the fast pup, Strix is also unable to get a strike on the tiger. Backing off a few steps, a low growl rumbles out when a voice catches the boy off guard. Wide, mismatched eyes turn to the wild dog that rushes in to slam into the tiger’s shoulder. Strix blinks, unable to comprehend what Kione is doing. Shock and indecision root the pup in place and he watches as the dog and cat fight until the crazy painted dog calls out to him. A smile appears as he realizes that Kione isn’t crazy, he just likes to have fun!

Strix circles around to the cat’s backend as Kione directed, a wide smile on his lips and tail wagging happily as he rushes in to bite the feline’s back leg. Success! Blood fills his mouth and a hiss hits the air which causes the pup to let go and retreat back a few steps. He doesn’t stop moving instead jogging a wide circle around the tiger so he can yell at the painted dog, “Hey Kione! Don’t ruin my new pelt okay?” A wink is thrown at the painted dog before he returns to the backend to do more damage.


"Strix Klien"

The tiger looked at the long-legged lean painted dog it was likely a shock to the tiger just how vicious Kione could be. He hadn’t been joking about taking the head. There was a smug grin on his face and a glare into the cat’s eyes as they stood face to face. When the boy attacked and the tiger tried to spin Kione charged in, biting at the cat’s cheek, snarling, and letting go just as the tiger is looking at him again.

The boy wanted to kill a tiger? He wanted practice? Yeah, Kione could give him that. Kione wasn’t trying to keep his bites on for any length of time. He’d bite, draw blood, then throw out some mocking cackling high-pitched barks at the tiger when it was trying to focus. A game of bite and release, the cheek, the paw, snapping at empty air. The more the tiger tried to ignore him the worse the damage done.

Kione was determined to let the boy bite whatever body part of the tiger he wanted. Strix could get the killing blows but so long as Kione took on the head the tiger would never be able to get its teeth into the kid. Admittedly, fighting in this crazy fashion he couldn't respond to the boy. As much as he loved talking it was a tad dangerous staying this close to the kitty's fangs. The adrenaline rushing through him was exhilarating.

"Kione"

Kione keeps the tiger’s attention on himself and the air is filled with happy laughter from Strix and mocking, chirpy barks from the painted dog. The pup bites and tears at the back legs of the doomed tiger, crimson blood splashing out to coat the boy’s face and chest. Eyes keep darting to make sure the wild dog is still okay before he lunges in to put a new hole in the feline. The coppery taste of blood fills his mouth and the metallic scent feels his nostrils and, in the very back of his mind, the pup feels something stir. But he has no time to pay attention to it as Strix is more focused on wanting to hurt this tiger for trespassing; and the two Fenmyre’s are making it pay in flesh. A huge paw suddenly obscures his vision and sends the clouded gray and black pup tumbling head over heels until he comes to a stop on his back a few feet away.

For a moment, he looks up at the sky with dazed confusion, wondering what happened, before his mind starts to piece together what happened. The tiger, getting desperate had batted the painful pup away before attempting to make a break for it. Slowly, he rolls over onto his stomach before pushing up to stand and then Strix searches for the object of his wrath. Luckily, the tiger didn’t make it far, its blood sprays out into the sand from multiple wounds to the tiger’s face and neck while the painted dog has the cat’s muzzle in his mouth. The feline’s strength is flagging as blood continues to leak from various wounds but it isn’t dead… yet. Time to remedy that situation.

The angry pup launches forward, agile paws pulling him up to where the two predators are locked in a deadly battle. Silently, death arrives on swift paws as Strix suddenly appears and leaps up to latch his stronger jaws around the tiger’s throat. With a loud growl, the pup thrashes his head until the feline’s throat leaves its body. Hot body sprays the pup and dog, each beat of the tiger’s heart forcing the life-giving blood out of the gaping wound. The creature gurgles as its eyes glaze, death slowly settling in its body. With a mighty thud the predator is felled and Strix spits the dead cat’s throat to the side in contempt. Turning to Kione, he offers him a huge smile that, while painted in red, makes the pup look mad. Still his voice is cool and calm as he says, “That was awesome Kione! We should do this more often!” A dark glint rests in the corner of his mismatched eyes.


"Strix Klien"

Kione had already been skirting life and death by dancing in and out of the tiger's range to bite.  When the boy is suddenly kicked away the game is over and Kione’s blood boils into a rage.  The high-pitched shriek might not sound as impressive as the snarl of a wolf but Kione’s next attack certainly left its mark.  Kione lunged in, shoving his body up against its muzzle, and even as it opened up its muzzle to bite Kione sunk his teeth into its eye, crunching down so the eye was gone and a huge chunk of flesh gone to portray something monstrous upfront.

Kione stepped back so his chest wasn’t right next to the cat's teeth, snarling but relieved to see the child get up.  Kione expected the boy to finish in the back but he was running up for the throat.  It was perfectly brave and the boy certainly wasn’t a small thing but still, Kione was protective of youth.  Kione lunged in again, his fangs sinking into the cat’s sensitive nose, getting the head thrashing but the throat safely open for Strix.  The tiger couldn’t get the kid so long as Kione clung to the muzzle.

Eventually, the tiger slumped down dead. Kione let go of that nose, panting in heavy breaths to soak in the air that he couldn’t get in as well when focused on chomping down on the beats nose. Kione licked some of the blood from his muzzle, deciding his body was still in one piece.  A grin spread across his face as he thought about the fight and how he’d actually made it out in one piece.  The painted dog chuckled and looked at the boy, “Right ya are little brother!  You alright there? No injuries, right?” Once he was sure the boy was fine, “Well, if you really want the pelt let's start skinning this thing, yeah?”

"Fenmyre"