Qanik wasn't entirely sure how she had found herself in this sun-forsaken forest, fighting her way through tangled underbrush. She'd left the red forest, intending to be gone only a short time on a combined scouting and hunting trip, and headed southward. Unfortunately when she'd turned back, she'd taken a path that led her directly into the heart of this forest. The fog made it difficult for her to tell direction, the moistness of the air dispersing her scent too quickly for her to follow it back to the path she'd mistakenly entered from. Something stroked along the top of her heavy head, causing her to instinctively flinch away, slip on the wet vegetation and fall right into a puddle left by the spring rain that had just recently passed. She flailed her way back to her feet before she could get stuck but the damage was done, her already-thin white pelt slicked down with muddy water and stuck with brambles and leaves. Qanik just sighed and continued fighting stoically through the brush, pausing only a moment in a futile attempt to brush the debris from her fur. What did it matter if she was a little dirty? It didn't effect her ability to move or defend herself, and she could hardly be vain looking the way she did even when clean. Besides, there was no one out here to see her anyway. She'd be a lot happier if she could find her way out of this mess and back to the comfort of her new pack, though. Speech,

He would continue to stalk the disoriented woman through the thick brush, never allowing her to wander from a detectable range. She seemed to be lost and in need of guidance, maybe he could assist this damsel in distress? He would come forth, easily maneuvering his way through the brush until he was in hearing range of her. He could overhear her paws contacting the mucky landscape as she took each step, and the closer he came, the louder it became. Soon he was only feet from her, his stealthy movements keeping his presence concealed, but his sweetened cologne plotting his demise. Surly she could already scent him at such close proximity. "Damsel in distress, or disoriented mutt?" He would inquire, smooth and masculine tones rolling forth effortlessly. He could not see her yet, but she seemed close enough to taste now. He would remain concealed behind a thin wall of brush as he silently kept up with her movements.

A strange scent reached the pale wolf, causing her pelt to bristle in alarm. It was nothing she'd scented before, but had very vague similarities to the scent left by the big cat who resided in Tortuga territory. Different, though, much as a fox smells differently than a wolf. She was no tracker, to be so sensitive as to know more than that. Qanik kept to her same pace despite the instinct to flee the unknown predator, neither stopping nor quickening her steps. There was no point in a panic, and she would gain nothing by flailing blindly into the trees. Her nose quivered, but that heavy fog made it seem that scent was all around her - she could not pinpoint where it came from. She went on the alert, though, thick ears rotating constantly to pick up any noise in the foggy underbrush surrounding her. No unusual sound reached her, so the sudden smooth voice rolling from the fog was even more startling. A male voice, with a strange quality to it she'd never heard in a wolf, though the unknown scent had already told her this was no wolf. "Neither," she retorted to the unseen male, "I am just passing through on my way home." Her low voice was smooth, betraying no nervousness. "I have friends waiting for me just outside the forest." A lie, or at least a truth stretched right to the limit since Tortuga was indeed somewhere on the other side of the forest, but one intended to make it seem she was not as alone as she truly was if this male, whatever he was, proved hostile. Experienced warrior she may be, but Qanik always preferred a more non-confrontational approach first, and she had no idea what manner of beast she was dealing with. Speech,

The concealed vixen would speak, and the ebony monarch would listen while devising a plan. Glacial eyes would relentlessly scan the low brush and fog for a blemish- a hole within the wall that he could slip between and wind up directly in front of the her. Finally it had come, a small opening a few yards ahead that he could easily squeeze through. After a few more minutes of silent movement he would promptly swing his frame toward his left, passing through the crack within seconds. The obsidian feline would halt directly in her path, muscles tensing as he straightened up to his full thirty eight inch height. He was expecting her to ram straight into his broad chest, so he would inhale deeply and puff it out, preparing himself for the impact. "'Tus amigos tendr?n que esperar'." (your friends will have to wait) Foreign speech would flow from cracked lips as he aimed to stop and cadge her here until he wished to leave. He needed some entertainment, so why not pick this ivory mutt to play with?

The stalking beast had fallen silent for the moment, but Qanik was under no illusions that she was alone. That scent still permeated the fog around her. Coming from seemingly every direction at once, that scent made it clear that whatever it was was still there, quietly stalking her, and the thought caused her pelt to prickle uncomfortably. Then between one step and the next, he was simply there, a sleek black shape in the fog. Too close to stop in time, the white wolf still tried, setting her paws in the muddy ground and jerking backward. But inertia is a powerful thing to reverse, and she barely had time to turn her head up and to the side to protect it from the blow when she bounced off a sleek black chest. She was immediately back on her guard, thick ears back warningly as her blue eyes studied the creature before her. Some form of large feline, black with light blue eyes, but even through the muted gray of the fog she could see his black hide was spotted. Her pack had been too far north to have had contact with the spotted jungle cats, so she had no experience with which to identify his species, and she likewise had no recognition of the words he spoke. She knew enough of large cats in general, however, to have a healthy amount of respect for the large male. "I'm sorry," she said politely, for it pays to be polite to a large unknown predator with lethal claws and teeth, "I'm afraid I don't understand what you're saying." Speech,

His attempt had succeed, and the small woman had bounced off his chest, and now stared up into his gaze. She would speak, and her words would bring a wicked smirk to the mans lips. Of course she could not understand him, that had been intentional. "You are not going anywhere." He would state, lips curling slightly to flash his fangs to her, a silent threat that did not need to be expressed. The monarch would bore his gaze into her own, his eyes drifting as they hungrily examined her frame. She was desirable to say the least, which gave the man the incentive to keep her here. "Where were you going, little ivory?" The man would inquire, smooth and masculine tones revealing a foreign accent. He would continue to converse with her, as he did not want her to leave just yet.

Qanik

in defense of the innocent

Qanik didn't flinch in the face of the big cat's threatening fangs and demanding words, though her eyes narrowed. Her hackles did rise uncomfortably at the way he perused her form however. His question caused her to give a low laugh, shaking her head.

"Truly, I am on my way home to my pack. I was simply scouting the area. Tortuga, we are called." Risky business, telling him her pack. If he didn't know of it, no harm done. But if he knew it, he'd likely also know it was far, far away in the north. Out of curiosity and the hope of distracting him, she added, "What are you? I have never seen your kind before."



speech.

cowardice is the only sin

Audits would flick forward as the woman spoke, revealing her status as a pack wolf. Tortuga eh? He had yet to hear that name among the mutts. Curiosity would gleam within the big cats eyes, and he would cock his head slightly, gaze still set upon the woman. "Tortuga... Where is it located, madam?" He would inquire, a devilish smirk playing cross his lips. Before he could continue to question her she would speak again, and the man would raise a brow. It was not surprising that she had never seen a jungle cat before, as his species seemed to be rare in these parts. "I am a Jaguar- and you, miss ivory? Surly you are no inbred." He would chuckle after speaking, lyrics deep and heavily accented. He was a charmer beneath the surface, and a tycoon at heart, so of course he would captivate this lovely female. Lengthy tail would sway from left to right behind the big cat as he waited for her to respond.

Qanik

in defense of the innocent

The flick of an ear was the only outward sign of Qanik's internal wince when he asked where Tortuga was situated. He may not have heard of the pack, then, but the cat was apparently no mindless beast to take what she said at face value. "Tortuga lies to the north of this forest," she told him without a pause, a mostly-truth that would have perhaps been more beneficial had she not - unbeknownst to her - been travelling in a southeasterly direction when the big cat had stopped her.

He claimed himself as a jaguar, a species she'd never heard named before - not surprising, considering that both her family's pack and her newly adopted pack were northern. He practically oozed charm as he spoke, but Qanik just shook her head with a wry smile. "I am simply a wolf, sir jaguar, nothing more special than that. I come from a long bloodline of perfectly ordinary wolves doing perfectly ordinary wolf deeds."

Though to tell the truth, she could not help but be entertained by the jaguar's words and mannerisms. He was quite an unexpected cat, his charisma obvious in spite of - or maybe aided by - the very dangerous appearance. It was in her nature to be suspicious of the way he treated her, however - perhaps this charm was simply a way of lulling his prey into a sense of security, a hypnotic way of making a meal that much easier for him.

"I am called Qanik," she offered, in the hopes of learning his own moniker. Suspicious she would remain, not letting her guard down, but she could not help that her curiosity was piqued by the cat.



speech.

cowardice is the only sin