The land was nearly flat, covered with snow she waded through. The young woman glanced downward, feeling the effects of her long travels at last. The euphoria wore off, causing her to grow weary as time went on. She didn't allow herself the chance to rest. Maybe that was a mistake because something had been stalking her without Wren knowing.

It seemed mountain lions were in supply this winter. Wren had her head down, stopping briefly. That's when it struck, seeing the woman as easy prey. She let out a sharp gasp as she felt claws graze her flank. Not too long ago, another lion had decided to pin her to the earth after a hunt up north. Her gasp turned to a growl as she turned to face the feline.

This one looked hungry. The ribs stuck out, and wolf meat was on the table.

"Speech"
1/3 - fight large predator

You couldn't kill me if you tried She had opted to go scouting beyond Valhalla's lands today, though she let Ardyn know before she ventured out beyond the wall. Her feathered cloak ruffled gently in the cold breeze as she made her way towards the northwest. She hadn't been out this way in some time, but along the way, she noted the landscape was steadily getting colder, and the ground covered with more snow the further north she went. Valhalla wasn't entirely enveloped in snow just yet, but it was getting there. Hopefully, this winter would stay mild. Especially considering how last winter had turned out...she hoped that sort of thing never happened again, but who knew what phenomena fate would throw into the world these days? Within a couple of short hours, she had made it. The young girl had paused to catch her breath before continuing her trek into the territory. It still lay unclaimed, which she supposed was of no surprise. There were plenty of other lands to choose from, and while she wasn't aware of all of the packs that littered Boreas and Auster, she knew one once stood around these parts. She wasn't sure how far she wanted to go. Perhaps a little more northward before carving a path out towards the east, but before she could decide, she suddenly heard the familiar sound of a cougar followed by the sound of a growling wolf caught her attention. She perked up, listening for the source for a moment. Once she pinpointed it, she hurried in their direction to investigate. Body low to the ground as she carved a path through the snow, it didn't take her long to find the pair. Indeed, a skinny feline was attacking what appeared to be a traveler. Storm gray eyes locked onto the pair, and without sound or warning, she barreled towards the creature and aimed herself at its hindquarters. She was much larger than the feline, though she wasn't fat nor bulky. Still, she aimed head-on with the intention of throwing her weight at it, using her shoulder to slam the muscles that attached its shoulder to the rest of its body, and hopefully, cause its leg to seize. simultaneously, her teeth and claws reached forward. Teeth aimed to land a bite on the side of its neck, while her right foreclaws swiped at its legs. She had just fought a tiger only days before, the healing wound on her muzzle still evident. But she wasn't afraid of fighting a cougar. They were smaller, and this one was especially skinny and malnourished. Still...a hungry animal was still a dangerous one. "Speak"

There was no chance, no way, to stop and thank the wolf that joined her. First Basilisk and now this colorful one? Was the realm that friendly and assisting? She had to think no, that she was just lucky. One day, she'd get over this bullshit of needing help. But the cougar was a problem and she didn't want it to hurt anyone else. She'd swallow her pride.

Wren dove closer as the other woman battled it head-on almost. She struck out with her paws, knowing they didn't have claws attached like a feline. But the insult of a smack was still there. She whacked the cougar across where she could reach, which was near the face. Fear colored the feline's eyes briefly before desperation covered reason.

It lashed out, whether at the woman or Wren, she wasn't sure. Wren dove in just as the feline's paw lashed out, grabbing it by another leg and shaking her head back and forth. She wasn't playing around. If they failed here, it could mean serious injury. It could mean death.

"Speech"
2/3 - fight large predator

You couldn't kill me if you tried Ferocity colored Tel's usually gentle features. After her fight with the tiger, something in her had clicked. Creatures could be beautiful, but they were also their competition. She had never killed another predator before, but she was sure now she wouldn't hesitate if it came down to it. Although Ardyn had dealt the killing blow to the tiger, she half-hoped she wouldn't have to do that in this case. The creature she was tangled with was hungry, and she hoped it would see the sense that it was best to flee as opposed to dying...unless it was that desperate, of course. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the other woman dive in and attack. Meanwhile, Tel kept the cougar's attention occupied by battling with it tooth and claw, keeping it from reaching her face by holding one foreleg against its chest - her own feline-like claws pressed into it - and whacking the side of its head with her other paw in an effort to daze it and knock it to the ground. Frustrated and in pain, the cougar lashed out in desperation, one paw missing her as it started to unbalance, but its other paw it gripped her foreleg and dug its claws in to stabilize himself. Tel snarled with pain, though already she could feel the warmth of silver blood from her wound. "Speak"

The other woman did her job well. Wren had to give her that. She snarled and snapped best she could to drive the cougar off, and eventually it thought better. Between the large wolves, they made it re-think attacking their species. At least today. With a final bite from Wren, the cat turned tail and ran. Adrenaline pumped through her veins as she chased it a short distance. Huffing, she returned to the other.

"Thanks" she began, giving a nod to the stranger as she caught her breath "glad you decided to walk by when you did." Wren tried to joke, grinning. Her wounds stung but she wasn't bleeding heavily. Just a few scratches, that's all. The woman looked less worse. As if nothing had really touched her at all. Good, cause she didn't know how to heal shit.

"Speech"
3/3 - fight large predator

You couldn't kill me if you tried She wrestled with the cougar for a few moments, both trying to gain the upper hand, but Tel definitely had it more than the smaller feline. Finally, the cougar disengaged from her after receiving another bite from the earthen female. It turned tail and ran, with the other she-wolf hot on its tail for a short distance before turning back around to join her. Licking the cuts she had on her foreleg, she straightened up when the woman spoke. "Anytime," She joked, "I live in a pack not too far from here, figured I'd do some scouting and heard the commotion." Her brows furrowed for a moment, "Must be a tough season for cats this year...just the other day, my alpha and I fought a tiger. He killed that one though, no idea why it decided to attack us in the first place but," She shrugged it off and looked the other woman over to see if she had any serious injuries, but it appeared as if she only had a few scratches. "Name's Tel' Teukiira! Tel for short!" "Speak"

All these wolves, all in different packs. Now that the purple woman mentioned it, Wren could smell the same scent as that one fishing guy. What was the pack called again? She couldn't remember exactly. "I'm fine" she added when she realized Tel was looking her over for injury "name's Wren. Short for Wren." She smirked lightly, chuckling at her bad joke. Tel's name was too damn long; Tel it was.

"A tiger?" she sounded baffled though at the information, lifting a brow "the actual fuck? Where, in Boreas or down south?" Wren would need to know where to avoid them, but she had an idea about why "maybe we're hunting all their food. A shame, but we can't help it. We need to eat too. So I guess they see us all as competition? Or maybe they have a taste for wolf meat?" She didn't know for sure.

"Speech"