Any other child may have been scared into staying home by an encounter with a wolf who tried to eat them, but Signy seemed unaffected. Once more she had escaped the den despite her promise to her Mama to stay near her. Near her was boring! She was always so worried about them that nothing interesting happened. If Cecily and Taddeo wanted to hang around and do nothing except play the same old games they'd played in the den that was up to them. She wanted another adventure! Her tiny legs carried her farther than she'd gone last time, getting stronger from the constant exercise though she was still just a puppy - and a tiny one at that. She was, though she didn't realize it, getting closer and closer to the border with every excursion. She was also getting better and better at finding her way back to places. Both because she was working to memorize what few landmarks there were on a grassland, and because she was learning to use her nose. Now though, her nose was scenting something funny. Not a wolf, unless it was a weird stinky wolf. No... there was definitely something weird about this. The bold pup put her nose right into the scent trail, bouncing along it with tail wagging. She bet it was something really, really fun. "Speech"

Hear my words that I might teach you

Take my arms that I might reach you

Licking the blood from his paws the great cat rose to his feet to begin the walk back home to the Rustling Thicket where he spent the majority of his time. It provided the perfect cover for him in the autumn and some excellent hunting. Even then however, he was a large beast with a voracious appetite and used to wandering vast swathes of territory.


At the moment Sk?lingr was skirting along the border of a large wolf pack. Not that he cared terribly. The scent markings were meant for other wolves and meant little to the tiger but as he had no great reason to venture in he made no effort to do so. Large wolf packs meant little prey and while the land was pretty it wasn't that unique or impressive. And so the beast would prowl the border before pausing at a stream. Ohhh?. a dip sounded nice. This autumn day was warm and probably one of the last before winter and before he began his trek north to widen his territory.


Throat rumbling in pleasure he laid across the stream, almost effectively blocking it's flow as it was only a few feet wide but he would not linger for too long.


"Speech"

But my words like silent raindrops fell

And echoed in the wells of silence

The scent was getting stronger and Signy pumped her little legs as fast as they could go getting closer. A sudden flash of orange brought her skidding to a halt, staring in awe at the giant creature laying in the stream. What. Was. THAT?! Well, Signy certainly didn't know, but she wanted to! She didn't run right up to him like she wanted to. Not because she'd learned any sort of lesson from her run-in with the hungry wolf rogue, but simply because she had thought of something far, far better. Mwahahahahaha. The tiny pup dropped into an instinctive hunting crouch, far from perfect but with the same general idea. Her tail was sticking straight up like a banner in excitement as she eased forward - the big thing would sooo never see her coming. Maybe if she got a good grip on it she'd drag it back to the den to show Cecily and Taddeo. Maybe it would scare Cecily! Heheheheh. A few more steps and she'd be able to jump on it... She crouched, eyeing it. This would be the best. prank. EVER. Three... two... one! She sprang forward, all four paws spread-eagle as she sought to land on the Big Thing's back to sink her itty-bitty teeth into it's scruff. She'd drag it just like Mama carried them when they were tired, and it would curl right up and everything. It would be SOOO easy to bring back. Wait til everyone saw THIS! "Speech"

Content in the coolness of the stream Sk?lingr paid little attention to the rustling of some small thing moving about in the brush. It did not move like a snake or any poisonous thing that might harm him and so he did not think to move til all of a sudden he caught the scent of wolf. Eyes opened lazily as he watched a little wolf cub attempt to stalk him. Oh now this was amusing. Wolves were not the keenest of stalkers in his opinion but his brow worried with concern, for where a pup was there was often also a mother and vicious as he was the tiger had no desire to take on an angry pack. Even so? the scent of other wolves close by was rather absent. Had the pup become separated? So lost was he in his musing that he missed it when the pup sprang landing right across his back, limbs on either side of his shoulder blades as puppy teeth latched into his thick and woolen scruff. Tail lashed and hit the water with a slap of annoyance that was only abated by the sheer hilarity of this pups moxie. His voice rumbled from his throat like distant thunder. "I think I am far to big to be your prey little one. You should be careful or I might make a snack of you instead." The great cat rose to his feet and gave a mighty shake in an attempt to dislodge his tiny attacker.

Signy's plan was working perfectly so far. She'd managed to sneak up on the Big Thing without it noticing, and then the leap and then BAM she'd caught the Big Thing right up in her teeth, with only a flailing tail to show that the Big Thing had even realized she was up there. But that's when she came up with a few problems. When she went to lift the Big Thing, she realized that it was simply... TOO big. She couldn't lift it up while she was standing on it's back, but her paws couldn't reach the ground to provide leverage either. She went still for a moment, her mind working over the issue, but that's where her second problem came in. It could talk. Really loudly, too. The rumbling voice seemed to travel up through her paws to ring in her ears, and the tiny pup's jaw inadvertently gaped open, loosing her grip on his scruff in awe. That's when the third problem began. The Big Thing stood up. And it was really, really tall. And then it shook. Signy tumbled off the striped back to land in the water with a squeak. "Hey!" she cried out indignantly. "I wasn't even trying to eat you. I was going to capture you and bring you back to show Cecily. I bet she never saw something like you." She stared at the Big Thing for a moment, then stood up to shake her dark coat out as she asked, "What are you anyway?" She showed no fear of the creature - she didn't understand yet the need for fear, so she feared nothing. "Speech"

The pup toppled to the ground and Sk?lingr rolled his shoulders forward and stretched to ease the mild soreness from the pups bite. Tail twitched and ears flicked as he slowly turned to peer down at the little creature. She had a lot of moxie, he'd give her that. Still no sign of a parent. Spirit above he hoped he hadn't found some hapless orphan. There were only two things he could do then, put it down or try and drop it off at a pack. A rumbling chuckle again slipped from his maw. "I am a bit large for you too drag back, surely you knew that?" Sk?lingr shook out his coat sending dropplets everywhere. "This Cecily? is she your mother? You shouldn't be out here alone. As for what I am I am a tiger, a siberian tiger."