The felines that have taken up residence in the cathedral have been posing quite a problem to Ethne. Today, Haydée has pulled her brother Alex along with her to hunt a lion that has been increasingly encroaching onto pack lands. Leading the way into the deep, twisting labyrinth of the woods, the young Leader keeps her ears perked and nose working to find the errant predator’s scent, the gnarled branches and swirling mist attempting to obscure the inhabits that live here.

It isn’t difficult to track the lion, the musk and markings that it leaves behind aiding the wolves in their effort. They move silently through the land, their intent written into every line of their frame as they go. This predator would not leave the woods alive because its continued pressure and refusal to uphold pack markers has spelled its death out in blood. The tan form finally appears, its lithe feline body slipping around a thick root without a break in its stride.

Darting a glance to Alexander, Hay allows their eyes to meet before dipping her head in acknowledgement. They had already talked through what to do, her smaller form perfect for distracting the beast while Alex will be forced to do all the real damage. Sucking in a deep breath, she holds it for the count of four as she slowly coils her muscles, form lowering to the ground as she readies to attack.

Her lungs are beginning to burn as she slowly releases the breath and with it, all the coiled energy in her body. Rocketing forward, Hay races up to and around the huge feline, placing herself in front of it and blocking its forward route. Growling loudly, the predator only spares her a glance and the grumbled, annoyed sound as it lifts a fat paw, fully intent on smacking her out of the way.

Haydée is as fluid as water, muscles moving with easy as she dodges the clawed appendage and darts in toward the feline, leaping up to deliver a sharp bite to its cheek. It grunts, trying and failing to hit her as the small wolf lands and swiftly races away. The lion issues a throaty growl that fills the air, signaling danger for all those that dare attack it.


"Haydée Kedieo"

Their plan in motion, Alexander readily agrees to follow his sister into the supposedly cursed woods. Mist and fog swirled around their paws, slightly obscuring the village of the darker wolf… just as his flowing bangs over his right eye tended to do. But Alexander had lived with the partial vision for so long he had adjusted himself to working with it. As far as he was concerned, a predator can be prey the same as the herbivores. The method of attack, for securing the kill, was pretty much the same in the end. As a hunter and fighter of Ethne, he would ensure his sister was kept safe and the lion they were tracking dead by the end of their adventure.

The stink of the feline’s musk invaded his nose as Alexander kept behind Hay. It was getting strong now… and the shift of things ahead, the glance of tan fur, Alex moved away as his sister got into position. She was the distraction… and he and his badger, Song, were the damage. The smaller critter sought to come between the two wolves at an angle that would hopefully place her below the feline in a place where she could get to its legs.

A grunt giving, it swings at Haydée as Alex gets into position. Fur along his spine stands on end as he parts his fangs. His sibling rushes in, and the maned male charges at the lion’s rear. He lunges, sabers and fangs crunching down ruthlessly upon a rear limb. The cat yowls, the swings toward Hay missing, and it tries to spin as the wolf side steps and dancing along with it, jaws locked down as he seeks to continue to apply pressure to not only severe tenders, but damage bone. This beast wasn’t getting away.

"Speech," 'Thought.'

As Haydée harasses the lion’s face, Alex appears from behind the feline and tears into one of the cat’s back legs. It yowls in pain and rage, turning to try and strike at the wolf that is causing all its pain but Hay is there, darting back in to jump at its face once more. Teeth sink into the side of its face, clamping down on the area around one of eyes.

Gravity works with her, pulling the small wolf back down to the earth and she does not release her hold, instead allowing her teeth to rip through flesh and shred the delicate orb in its path. The lion roars, its pain and anger reverberating in the small wolf’s chest as it forgets about Alex and turns toward her, fully intent on making Haydée pay for half blinding it.

A clawed paw swings at her and Haydée dances out of the way, drawing the large feline’s attention and upper body away from her brother so that he can continue to work. Blood and ocular fluid run down the lion’s cheek, marring the once stunning pelt with gore.


"Haydée Kedieo"

The big cat is angry, yowling and fierce as it attempts to lash out at the wolves that dared try to bring it down. Blood fills Alexander’s maw as he moves with the big cat at first, and then, once it focuses a moment too long on his sister Alexander digs his paws into the earth and drags the limb back with a yank. A forepaw swings for Haydee and as she dances it out of the way the lion stumbles. Blood is spilled as his sabers slice through flesh and the beast collapses onto the earth temporarily, the motion doing the work he needed it to. The lion had been crippled… and with Hay blinding it in one eye the time it had left to live was ticking away.

Alexander doesn’t stop there. As the lion struggles to try and get back up the wolf leaps onto his back end. Fangs clamp down onto the spine above his hips and he crunches down as hard as he can. The lion wavers and under the adult wolf goes back down, flailing its forelegs as it tries to twist its body and get to the male but, just like before, he swings his body out and away from the feline, trusting his sister to move and keep the limbs from ever managing to reach the front half of his body.

"Speech," 'Thought.'

The feline is crippled as her brother expertly takes out a back leg before rushing in to break its back. Haydée is there, rushing in to strike away the fat paws that attempt to hit Alex and growls fill the air around her as she dodges, bats, and bites at the dying animal, knowing long before it does that the beast will not leave here today.

Yet, the concept of its impending doom only makes the predator fight all the harder because, deep down, that instinct to survive and live overrides the fact that it cannot move its back legs. Emerald eyes dart back to where Alexander is, their green gazes meeting as she silently lets him know that the time has come.

The thrashing of the injured lion is slowing and its grunts of pains are increasing so Haydée moves forward, using her body weight to pin down the flailing front limps and allow Alex the opening he needs to go for its throat. For a heart-stopping moment, she is within range of its jaws but the young Leader has absolute confidence that her sibling will be there to clamp down on its throat before it can get a chance to hurt her.


"Haydée Kedieo"

The lion struggles against them, even after its leg has been crippled and Alexander is upon it. He fights hard, desperate to live despite the odds stacked against it. The beast thrashes, attempting to dislodge the wolf upon its back. But Alex refuses to be tossed so easily. He is determined to spill the blood of this beast and end its life and the terror that its kind has been causing his family. Alexander growls and catches sight of Haydee moving in to restrain the lion’s limbs. The realization that the killing blow needs to be made and Alexander moves, landing past his sister before he pivots back to the other predator.

Fangs snap downward, seeking purchase in the soft flesh of the beast's neck. Blood wells up from the wound, and the lion shifts beneath his sister as panic and pain, as well as the end drawing near, make the creature give its last struggles. The metallic taste of blood runs over Alexander’s tongue, ears pinned flat to his skull as he feels the lion’s resistance waning. The beast knows it is dying, the fear in its remaining eye a reflection of that. Alexander does not yield, keeping his hold firm as he waits for the struggles to stop completely. Then he releases the lion’s throat, licking the blood from his lips.

“That’s one cat down.” He tells his sister, his gaze flickering up to Haydée. “A job well done, sis.” A smile touches his features. They had worked well as a team, and Alexander is sure this will not be the last time that they do so.

"Speech," 'Thought.'