Well...he was certainly in a boatload of shit. The alabaster male had come to these parts in another effort to scout out the lands in the western areas, but this time...he had taken the foxes with him. He regretted it almost immediately when they came here. With Spring came many things. New plants, no snow...and of course, new life. Finn had gotten overly curious when he had darted on ahead and going against Ace's orders to stay close, but of course, the unruly boy refused to listen. By the time Ace had caught up to him, he realized the boy was far too close to a young puma cub. The pair were playing, the cub too young to understand that he probably shouldn't be playing with strangers...Ace hung back for a little, watching and waiting as he figured out what to do. He remained as alert as he possibly could, not wanting to get close to the puma cub himself. Of course, Finn decided to ignore him the entire time Ace tried to call him back, and Lumi was too afraid to go and drag him back for fear the cub's mother would show up and eat her. He hissed at Finn again, trying desperately to get the boys attention.

Growing frustrated, Ace started to step out of his hiding place to just grab the fox and leave, but before he so much as even stepped paw beyond the safety of the bushes, all Hell broke loose. Finn had bitten the cub's ear a little too hard while they were playing, causing the young cub to cry out in pain. Ace's heart dropped, his blood running cold. He could feel his blood pounding in his ears, and it felt like time had stopped. Before he knew it, the scent of the cub's mother washed over him, causing his fur to stand on end as crimson gaze locked on Finn as the boy's head turned to look behind him. He suddenly felt small teeth tugging at his neck fur, and he glanced down to see Lumi frantically trying to get him to move. He didn't know what she was saying exactly, the gravity of the situation making every sound feel like nothing more than a dull echo in his ears. Even his own breathing sounded painfully slow, the pounding of his heart in his ears much too slow to be considered normal as well.

But when he heard the mother puma yowl, Ace snapped out of it. The slow pounding sound of his heart suddenly turned frantic as he stood and ran out of cover. His eyes were locked on Finn, not daring to take his eyes off of him for a second. He could get to him before the mother puma came. He needed to get to him before her. He could smell her, but he couldn't see her just yet. Ace's paws pounded the ground as he closed the distance between him and Finn, until finally, he reached him. He skidded to a screeching halt and scooped up the young fox in his jaws at the same time the mother puma landed just inches from where Finn had been no more than a split second ago. Ace turned his head away as his body continued to slide with the momentum from his mad race to get to his cub. Without further thought, he tossed Finn in the direction he had just come, the cub sailing in the air for a moment before landing heavily in the dirt and then making a mad dash towards cover where his sister waited.

Ace's body slammed into the adult puma, his eyes squeezing shut on impact. He could feel teeth and claws grasping for his right shoulder as the pair rolled to the ground. His heavier weight rolled over the big cat, both of them dazed as they rolled several feet. Ace scrambled to his paws, turning towards the puma just as she, too, rose to her own feet. Great...another fight with a god damn cat! He thought bitterly. Maybe he was just a magnet for this...or maybe just bad luck. Whatever the case, he squared off with her as the pair lashed their tails and stood with bared teeth. He really wasn't in the mood to fight, but right now, he figured he'd have to if he wanted to try and get away. Slowly and carefully, he started to circle the puma as she hissed and lashed out with a paw in a threatening gesture. He continued his circling until his back was facing in the foxes direction. He did not cease his defensive stance, and when the mother puma lunged, he backed up just enough to where her claws barely grazed his chest. But that's all he needed to continue backing up.

He didn't want to kill her or injure her. She was simply defending her cub, just like he was defending his own. Crimson gaze flashed down for a moment to find the young cub huddling a little ways behind its mother. His own growling would begin to cease as he continued to back off. And when he felt he was just far enough away, he turned and quickly dashed to where the pair of foxes were and herded them away. He kept his senses about him, just in case the mother puma decided she did want to come after them..

The yellow ball of fire changed to hues of orange, and then almost tangerine. It merged with the sky, like juice-mix dissolving in a glass of water. The clouds were cotton-candy, as though they blushed at the warm touch of the sun. Silhouettes of birds flew home across a sky that was now magenta; and the sun was half into the water, but its reflection in the sea made it look complete. The mauve of the dusky sky intensified, and in just a while, the biggest star had set, giving way to a thousand others. Mile-long limbs carried the bronze mistress across the western lands, teacup paws strategically placed one in front of her other as one could swear she was floating above the ground instead. Confidence radiated through her pores as she wondered further within the WSester territories than she had been before and the Gods above only know why the fuck did she even thought this was a good idea. Perhaps she need time to think and what better place than a land that reminded you of your Homelands, of home, of safety and warmth. But was it really? Did Egypt hold such sentiments for her? No. It did not. It was filled with heartbreak , torture and hatred and for a reason beyond her understanding the thought of it still ofered her comfort due to the familiarity of it. After all, she did spend half of her life within it. It was not long before the the sky above started to get darker and she knew that she will be forced to find a place to rest her bones and hide from the below freezing temperatures of the desert. Yet, once again, the Gods had other plans for her. Auditory system rotated towards the source of strange sounds, a mix of animals that were not mendling their business, not too far ahead. It was not long before fiery jewels rest upon the muscular form of a male and she immetiately recognized him. Acere. sultry, hypnotic tones greeted and she dipped her regalia in a small courtesy, lesseing her graceful pace before she came to a halt three tails away from him and his energetic companions. hear ye' , hear ye'

They ran for a time until he was sure they were safe. He didn't have to worry so much about the puma, but he was more worried for the safety of his companions than anything else. Once they were a safe distance, he eased into a smooth, quiet walk while the foxes bounded ahead with all the energy they had...and like they hadn't just been in danger. Kids... He thought with amusement. Turning his attention back to the world around him, he knew it would take some time for them to return home. They certainly wouldn't make it by nightfall, and that was evident by the way the sky started to change colors. Soon, they'd have to seek out shelter and bed down for the night... Day gave way to night, darkness blanketing the sky quicker than he anticipated. While he had not yet found shelter, he had found something else of interest. Or rather...someone had found him. "Acere," The behemoth's head turned upon hearing his name, spotting the exotic woman he had met some time ago. The very same one that had taught him some of her foreign language. "Nephthys, it's been a while." He greeted the babe with a dip of his head. He was blissfully unaware of the strains going on in her pack, and even if he were aware, he probably wouldn't be sure how to feel about it. On one hand, Ty was an enemy. On the other, he was still his nephew...either way, he decided to stop and beckon his companions to him. "What brings you this way?" speech action