Ambushed

Zephyr had become fiercely protective of the Hallows' skies ever since the harpy eagle had dared to try and pick up a child just outside their protective borders. He enlarged his defensive circling to cover not only the castle grounds, but the grounds of the God's Garden where the statue of the wolf and her pups had miraculously appeared. Many wolves had come to visit Boreas to give offerings to the God the altar apparently was built to worship, and while none had requested protection from the Hallows or it's Knights, Zephyr felt duty bound to ensure that no harm would come to the wolves that skirted past his pack's territory borders. Especially not while new puppies were roaming about the grounds.

He kept these patrols during the night when the children inevitably slept, preferring to spend his days playing with them and bonding with his new canine siblings. It left him slightly sleep deprived, but so long as he found a few hours of shut eye between dawn and dusk he was still in a healthy state to fly and to fight, if need be. The battle claws gifted to him by his parents for his first birthday nearly always adorned his talons while he was outdoors, the avian raptor finding comfort in the tightness around his toes and the sound of metal on metal when the claws would slide past each other. His confidence was growing the more he practiced and trained, and on his off-hours he made sure to dedicate time to learning with his purchased pair of bladed steel twin short swords as well. Soon he would request a rank of his own, and while he was leaning toward aiming for a more exploration based title, Zephyr knew the importance of self defense and being capable of doing his part in defending the wolves who entrusted their safety to the castle and it's Aegis, too.

Patrolling without a keen nose for scent was hard, but Zephyr was as keen of sight as the most eagle eyed of wolves. Unfortunately for him, this unique far-sightedness lacked when the moon was high. It was for that that the avian had acquired his companions, and it was during night time hours that he relied most upon his cottonmouth snake. The creature - Wraith, he was called - had a mutation like many wolves of this world did. It allowed his heat-sensing organ to see at a further distance, allowing Zephyr to do fly-bys near to the ground with the snake's head extended downward and preventing pesky predators from hiding beneath rocks or in shallow dens. The pair had been practicing this skill since they'd become partners, hoping that one day they could take their combined talents and use them in a form of search and rescue. Something to make his noble mother and father proud.

Wraith squeezed his albino form tight around Zephyr's leg, a signal that something had been found. Zephyr halted his flight, beating his wings hard to backpedal to where the heat signature had been found. Squinting into the darkness he peered down, trying to determine what it was the snake had detected... though the creature could see better at night then Zephyr could, and found the bird first.

The jaguar exploded from the tree with a fierce snarl, throwing itself off the branch where it had been sleeping and directly into Zeph's massive form. Only his practiced reaction speed saved him from the tooth and claw, his talons shooting up to catch the weight of the creature before it could sink fang into his tender breast. The weight and surprise of the attack brought him down hard and fast, landing on his back with an oof but his bladed talons still holding the cat up and away. Zephyr shoved it hard, grunting at the effort and throwing the cat a distance enough away that he could right himself. Grounded now (and with the trees surrounding him, unable to fly back up and gain a height advantage) Zeph was forced to fight. He spread his massive wings wide to make himself look larger and fiercer, his vulture like neck craning down level with his breast to shout toward the cat a loud and threatening screech. From his messenger bags his binturong and honey badger scurried free and down, clambering to untangle their limbs and assume battle positions at the bird's large side.

Zephyr struck out with his beak first, initiating the fight before the jaguar could smell his brewing fear. Thor and Frigg threw forward too, circling either side of the cat and each taking a rear leg to harry and harass. The jaguar threw it's paw forward in a feint, but Zephyr's talon was just as swift. He lifted and threw down his leg, catching the cat's wrist and forcing it back to the ground, pinning it. One bladed toe must have sunk through the flesh of the paw at the movement, as the cat howled in pain.

Readjusting his grip upon the limb he pulled it sharply toward him, off-balancing the cat with his superior size and strength as he took to hover. Partially in flight, his other talon was free to continue the attack. It came up as he pulled the jaguar forward, and in one swift movement Zephyr sunk it hard and fast down into the cat's face. The talon was large enough to almost wrap around the head entirely, the metal toes finding purchase beside the spine and beneath the cat's chin. He squeezed hard and threw his weight down, shoving the beast into the earth in an easy movement. Once it's head was controlled, the cat was as good as dead.

Killing was not an act he quite enjoyed, but it was a necessary evil in the face of danger so close to his home. He cut the cat's throat with his talon and ensured it's death was swift, holding it's face tight until he was sure there was no life left in it. With the cat killed he could release it, readjusting his grasp to hold it upon the spine with both limbs. The jaguar was heavy and he could not fly high with it, but Zeph was strong enough to drag it. And drag it he would, all the way through the woods and the garden and into the courtyard, for the Hallows' wolves to dismember how they wished to procure from it meat or hide.


Word Count: 1076