Tyger, Tyger, Wanna Fight?

Dusk had fallen over Boreas. It fell dark and heavy but in the sky there was still a tinge of lavender on the horizon that was slowly sinking into a rich, deep indigo. Kali slinked along at his side, barely discernible against the shadows of the forest at night. The cats golden eyes shining and alert in the darkness. He wasn't sure where Griff had gone. The trio had agreed to do a bit of late night hunting but it was expected that they would split up, each picking off the evening snack they wanted. Kali's ears flicked and Aureus knew from the look in the panther's eyes that he'd heard something he wanted to pursue. With a quick nod the panther melted into the shadows and disappeared into the night leaving Aureus to continue his own hunt. He didn't think much about his vulnerability. In many ways he didn't think he had any. He'd won the fast majority of fights he'd been in. He believed he was a god. He was part of the most powerful family in Auster. What did he have to fear?

Smell alerted him to the presence of prey well before sight or sound. There was a little dik dik somewhere, now all he had to do was find the little creature. Tracking the scent, he travelled deeper into the forest. Aureus wasn't sure how much time had passed but he eventually did track down his target. He could see the little creature bedded down in the brush. Crouching down low he eyed the creature but just as he was about to spring something exploded out of the brush right next to him. Aureus ducked just avoiding a massive clawed paw. Crap, what was that?! Aureus scrambled to put space between him and the big cat. It was huge and a brilliant orange striped with black. Based on what he knew from Kali's ramblings he could guess that this was a tiger. Aureus backed up against a tree, defenses set as he faced off against the cat. What was with the big cats lately? They seemed to be everywhere lately and when he did find one it was often unfamiliar. Jaguars were one thing down here but since when had tigers started moving in?

The two predators faced off. Aureus tensed as the show down went down and he wondered for a moment if he had some how accidentally crossed into the cats territory but so what? This was part of Risen's hunting territory as far as he was concerned so the big cat could bloody well share. The tiger tensed and the sprang toward him. It looked like the beast was seeking to just barrel right towards him and its fangs dove for his shoulder, mighty paws raised and ready to pin him down. The weight of the beast alone was enough to do damage and Aureus had no intention of standing still and letting it just happen. Aureus quickly bounded to his left, pulling himself out of the line of collision, for the most part. He felt claws rake his shoulder and he bit back a yelp. For a moment he considered trying to outrun the cat but he doubted he'd be able to. Time to fight back. Aureus whipped his head around as he tried to bite the side of the tigers neck, lower towards the shoulder, seeking to keep his body behind the cats front limbs. He scored the hit and dug in deep. From his position he was difficult to get at. The tiger couldn't twist his head around far enough to get at him nor could it quite get its paws around.

Aureus successful bite was short lived however. The cat was pure muscle and he soon lost his grip as the cat pivoted around to attack once more. Its hind legs uncoiled as it sprang at him as one of it's mighty paws came swinging down toward his right shoulder while the tiger's monstrous fangs dove for his scruff. Aureus secretly hoped his companions would hear the ruckus and come to his aid. He wasn't sure what to do against the tiger. The creature was both terrifyingly strong and fast. Not to mention it had massive claws in addition to fangs. Part of him thought that just wasn't fair!

Aureus dug in his limbs and pivoted his hindquarters to bring them nearly head on as he stepped to the side, the creatures claws just missing him. The jaws, which he had hoped would snap harmlessly overhead dove down farther than he expected and seized his scruff. Shit! Aureus struggled as the cat started to lift him when he heard a shriek. Griff dove down at the tiger, talons slashing across its face. Startled, the tiger dropped him and stumbled back, its attention focused on the bird, at least until Kali came barreling through the underbrush. The jaguar collided and in a furious scramble of claws and yowls the tiger decided that it didn't like being outnumbered and that this was more trouble than it was worth. With a parting glare the cat disappeared into the jungle and Aureus sat down heavily, eyeing his bloody shoulder.