Balthier had been scouting farther for prey to hunt and bring back to his pack while The Long Night had them scarce in the stores. It was winter down in Auster, and traveling up to Boreas for resources was more ideal. Using one of the carts that belonged to the pack, he kept it nearby while he looked around for tracks in order to get his prey.

He walked carefully and quietly through the weeping woods, making sure not to make his presence known though it seemed he already had something different on his tracks. While he grew deeper into the woods, the sound of crackling came behind him and just as he heard it, the lion knew it's cover was blown and lashed out to attack him. It seemed to be hungry too. He turned around to face the lion, waiting to see if it was really about to continue it's attack.

"Balthier Destruction"

The weeping willows of this wood reminded Usagi much of home - their dangling tendrils flowed gently with a wafting summer breeze, lightly brushing the surfaces of the streams and water that flowed through here. The koi wolf padded through, admiring the view but not showing it on his features, always on the verge of a scowl. He always seemed angry about something, and he was. He was angry concerning the news of his father, the bastard that had drunk himself silly on Iga two years ago and leaving behind two children born to a mother that the man had never come back to recognize until recently. Even the mere thought of coming face to face with the male that had abandoned him and Kuroo made his lips curl as he treaded the woods, tones digging into the soggy earth with each step. He soon realized the crackling of a stick nearby. The pawsteps accompanying it, however, were much larger than a wolf. Quirking a brow, the male turned his head slowly towards the source of the noise. A breath hitched in his throat as he saw the massive feline creature, face to face with a familiar gold and black wolf. He wasn’t one for heroics, but it’d be stupid of him to stand there while this tawny beast attacked a wolf that had done nothing to provoke it. Slinking down, the male crouched and made his steps as smooth and silent as possible, and when he was a decent and closer distance away, he sprinted towards the lion, launching his body into the air on muscular hind legs. He’d snap his jaws close at the lion’s neck, but upon finding it covered in a thick mane, he’d take a chunk of the lion’s ear, its yowl piercing what used to be a silent wood. The lion whipped around and attempted to swat at Usagi with its sharp claws, and the male used his agility to duck the blow and instead hop into the air and jab out a hind leg, much like a swift bunny kick, to the angry animal’s nose. His motive was to make the beast think twice about making a few wolves its meal - they could fight back. Ooc; i’m assuming powerplay on the lion is okay but if not let me know and I can edit the thread. "Speech"

OOC: yup! full pp on the lion is completely fine ^^

It seemed help was on the way before he could even have a clear mind to decide what his next steps would be. A flash of black and red flew by his nose and tore the lion's ear in the wake.

Balthier looked towards Usagi who he had only met briefly, but regardless appreciated the help. Only an idiot would shoo away a capable wolf to fight such a predator on their own.

Balthier stepped forward, egging the lion on and waited for the swipe to come back at him so he could evade and counter. He jumped up and went to dive down behind the lion's mane and grab a bite into it's shoulder. It would either back down or they would have to kill it. It was only a matter of time before finding out.

"Balthier Destruction"

The mutual wolf, Balthier, seemed to appreciate his help. He couldn’t say he really felt anything towards the notion - he wasn’t the heroic type nor did he feel he was really attempting anything amazing. He was acting out of survival. It was kill or be killed. Especially with a predator of this caliber. Usagi spat out the remenants of the lion’s ear tip, the blood metallic on his tongue and soaking his chin. As the goldenrod-swirled wolf launched himself to bite at the tawny beast’s shoulder, the massive animal roared out in pain, almost whipping around to try and swat at the male who’d bitten it. He wouldn’t stand there and let the wolf fight it on its own, and a snarl bubbled in the kii wolf’s throat as he charged the lion head-on, leaping towards the crest of its neck. He maneuvered himself around so as his face was directly over the lion’s head, splaying his toes to remain standing on the animal’s coarse mane. It swung its neck around and almost reared on hind legs in an effort to get rid of the koi-splotched male, like a bronco trying to rid itself of its rider. Usagi held fast, muscles bulging and nub tail twitching angrily. God, this creature pissed him off. He reached down and sank his teeth into the lion’s face to blind it. A bone-piercing yowl rang out as his attack worked, to which then he let himself be flung off. Hitting the dirt, he called out to Balthier, "I’ll try and get his backside now!" The male shook himself off briefly from his impact, knowing he’d have a few nasty bruises to contend with after. He raced towards the angry beast’s hind legs and promptly sang his jaws into its right hind leg, wrenching at it with power from his neck. As the lion roared and attempted to shuffle towards the koi wolf, he made sure to give Balthier a wide enough field to attack the lion more, and hopefully finish it off. It was standing on its last legs, what with its heavily bleeding shoulder and eyes. "Speech"

The man seem tuned in the ways of fighting with the attacks he had thrown onto the lion. Balthier had rarely had to fight off predators and never had a serious fight against a wolf. He was probably well under skilled compared to the koi man, but he knew the ways of survival at least.

He gave Balthier his next objective, and Balthier again went forward to bite the cat's shoulder again as it went and turned toward his partner. It wallowed in pain and started to back up and retreat from the two wolves facing it now. Balthier released it quickly and backed up, he wasn't expecting to kill it while it backed down and was ready to run.

"Balthier Destruction"

The koi wolf allowed his jaws to pry free from the beasts’s leg as Balthier gave a final bite of its shoulder. The lion seemed to have finally gotten the message into its thick skull that these wolves were not fit prey. The animal brayed in pain, rumbling as it began to retreat. Usagi’s hackles raised as his pent-up rage ebbed and flowed, his lips peeled into an enraged snarl at the animal that had chosen to pick a fight with them. It took a few moments as the lion paused to glance and he and Balthier, and upon finding they weren’t worth a fight anymore, the creature miserably hobbled off, barely able to move its gashed shoulder and wounded leg. Usagi caught his breath, taking in a deep inhale and soft exhale as he closed his eyes for a few seconds. Back in his homeland, he was drilled to maintain a proper breathing pattern, regardless of how intense a fight got. It’d ensure he got enough oxygen into his body, thus increasing his stamina. After a few moments of standing and recovering, he glanced at his partner for the brawl. The man didn’t seem too worse for wear, despite them both facing off an animal many times larger than them. "You fight well," He said simply. He wasn’t one to praise heavily, or even give praise at all. He was a very restriced individual in that regard. But Balthier had helped immensly. As much as he hated to admit, he would’ve been dead meat if he faced such an animal alone. "Speech"