TP: Missing Pup - Pt. 8 "Meetings At The Falls"

[tanniyn]

Characters:
Larkspur - juvenile female wolf (Lazuli)
Maulisho - adolescent female cougar (Amaranth)
Kasim - adolescent male cougar

Waterfall Ledge
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Moving forward onto the ledge affords a beautiful view of the landscape: grasses stretching for miles, the mountains seeming to encase certain areas, and river from the lake to the south leading into a waterfall that plummets off the edge of the cliff. A watery mist hangs in the air, and sounds are drowned out by the thundering voice of the waterfall itself. The mists coat the rocks with a slickness that seems to threaten a traveler's step, and the slick moss on the rocks doesn't help. If one can avoid falling, then this place can be considered a good spot for observation or other things that require solitude.
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At the bottom of the waterfall ledge, Lark lies on her belly a little ways away from the sleeping forms of Grit and Misery. Every few minutes she glances at them, but also busies herself with surveying the area. Of course, the adults had told her to sleep near to them- but she isn't sleeping. She's not tired at all. Her body feels charged with anxious energy, wanting to get home as quickly as possible. Sure, she tried to sleep, but gave up quickly. The girl has made a game of staying awake, though. Smell the breeze, sit still for as long as possible and listen for possible danger. The she-wolf's ears are perked up and rotating, enjoying the challenge of trying to identify the sounds of other creatures as they amble through the night. The waterfall's sounds are comforting, and she finds her mind drifting to the last time she found herself near it.

Last time she was here, Maulisho was in a high state of alert, having the safety of a younger companion in mind. This time, her new companion is older and quite a bit more experienced, but the cougaress is still as on-edge and wary as before. "We're almost there," she whispers to Kasim, padding as quietly as possible toward the waterfall. "We should be running into Viridian members anytime now."

Contrary to the cougar walking alongside him, Kasim is totally relaxed and calm. As usual, he's talking in the nature around him. He can only notice now great everything looks. He can even hear in the distance what sounds like a waterfall. Waterfalls were Kasim's second favorite thing to look at and relax by, the first being the night sky. He's brought back to reality when Maul whispers to him. He gives her a nod then raises his head and sniffs the air. "I think I can even smell some of them. It's faint but it's there." Horray for being downwind!! With that, Kasim also goes into stealth mode and puts all of his sences to work. He's not going to let anything happen to his friend as long as he's by her side.

Sniffsniff. Listen. Wait. Lark repeats the process again and again, starting slightly every time a twig snaps. Any sudden noise makes her jump to her paws, looking quickly, almost desperately to the sleeping bodies of her companions. After an agonizing moment of silence, of waiting and holding her breath, she gingerly lays back down. Unsure if the noise maker will spring from the shadows to gobble her up. The quiet that follows seems to make her more uneasy, her imagination supplying chilling pictures to match the sounds.

She can smell them too; several lupineish scents from up ahead. Her muscles tense; if the two cougars are discovered and rushed at, Maul will be ready to flee at a second's notice. But.. wait.. sniffsniff. That's..! Her amber eyes widen in surprise. Waving a forepaw at Kasim to try and shush and halt him, she creeps forward with a whispered "Wait here" -- and peeking through the last barrier of vegetation, she sees two things that take her breath away: most immediate, the spectacular display of water, cascading down with a thunderous roar. But it's the smaller of the lupines--is that third even a wolf? what IS that?--that causes a joyful smile to creep onto the cougaress' muzzle. It's LARK! And.. she doesn't even seem to notice Maul yet. Hmm. This could be the perfect opportunity for a little fun...

Kasim continues to tiptoe foward, being as quiet as he posibly can. He's even going that extra mile to make sure he doesn't step on any twigs but, alas, being in the woods makes that difficult. When he's told to stop he does but when he's told to wait where he is, he reluctently does so. If anyone is lurking around, they usually go for the ones that are farther in front or behind. Still, he obeys. However, when Maul sticks her head out of the bushes and stops for a bit, Kasim walks up next to her and sticks his head out as well. He sees what looks like a larger wolf, a cyote (sp sorry) and a younger wolf. He figures that the younger one is Lark as Kasim can see almost an evil glint in Maul's eyes. Then suddenly he gets an idea. He whispers to Maul "Let's have some fun with her." Then tiptoes around her. Before she can say anything, Kasim says "Don't worry, it's all for fun" and with that continues to silently walk foward. Once he's on the other side of the woods from Lark, or close enough, he starts to make some noice on purpose. He starts off slow, then turns it to louder. Hopefully, Lark will look this way, giving Maul the chance to sneak up on her. This could be very fun indeed!!

There's a rustling. Lark is on her paws in a flash, eyes fixed on the spot with ears pricked forward. Her body quivers a little, unsure what is making the noise. She tries to explain it away as a rabbit, or a little rodent or something, but her mind can't help running away with her. Soon she is convinced there is a bear lurking in the darkness, with glowing red eyes and fangs dripping with ropes of saliva. The girl chances a look to her companions, wondering if she should wake them. Will she be in trouble for not sleeping? Can she even make it back to wake them up in time- or will the bear snatch her as she races by? Trembling more violently now, she looks for her quickest escape route, her eyes darting everywhere.

Perfect. Now Lark is looking over at Kasim's hiding place--Maulisho /should/ be mad at him for not listening to her; what if he had woken up the other two by mistake?--it's time for action! Utilizing everything she's ever learned about stealth, Maul creeps forward, her feline form quickly covering the distance between her and the young wolf. Almost there... almost.. NOW! With a silent leap, she's lunging through the air, forepaws already reaching to try and both cover the girl's eyes and clamp down on her muzzle--the /last/ thing Maul wants is to have Lark raise the alarm before she realizes who exactly is here.

Although the last thing he wants to do is scare the girl, he knows it'll come out that way. Hopefully she can forgive him once she sees Maul again. He continues to make the noise and sees that Maul caught onto his idea. He continues to make the noices, if not somewhat louder than before. As Maul leaps he stops suddenly, just for dramanticity. He tries to peer through the bushes as best as he can. Hopefully she wont wake her escorts, because that would be a /really/ difficult job of explaining the situation to them. Plus, it would ruin the fun. XD

Larkspur's breath catches in her throat as the noises stop. Is it gone? What happens now? Just as she decides to wake up Misery and tell her what just happened, an overpowering smell assualts her nose. Smells like a cougar. A cougar!--Maul?! Her jaws parts, about to confirm that it is her friend, when she feels a massive paw on her head. All she manages is a muffled yelp before flopping onto the dirt from the momentum. Immediately, she playbites the paw- not hard enough to /hurt/, but enough to let that puma know that she'd like her face back, please. The she-wolf thrashes, giggling and tailwagging. Her nose assures her that she is safe- it's Maul, after all!- and the traces of fear have evaporated.

Success! Lark's been pounced, and no loud sounds were made that might have given them away. As soon as she can tell that Lark knows that it's her, Maul releases the shewolf's muzzle, and instead rubs up against her friend--like an overgrown and fearsome house cat--with as loud a purr as she dares, given the close proximity of the other two older lupines. "Lark!" she whispers exuberantly. "I've /missed/ you terribly!" She looks up in Kasim's direction and flashes him a beaming smile. They've found her, and she's safe! For the moment, all is right in Maul's world.

Perfect!! That's all Kasim can think about when Maul lands on top of Lark without waking the escorts. All according to plan. As the two take some time to get re-aquanted, Kasim comes out of his hiding hole, making more noise than he would have liked to, but it's ok. He catches Maul's smile and he gives her one of his own. He hasn't seen her this happy in a while. Lark seemed to be the perfect cure for her. He walks up behind Lark but says to Maul first, "That went perfectly!!" as loud as he dares. Then he lowers his head to Lark's back and says in a friendly tone, "Sorry if I scared you there Lark, hope you can forgive me."

Larkspur's tail is complete blur of joy. It causes her entire body to shake and sway. The girl can't wipe the grin from her face and she eagerly returns the nuzzle. Placing a few friendly licks on her friend, she replies, "I missed you so much, Maul!" She can't bring herself to say 'I thought I'd never see you again', but hopes the happy tears pooling her eyes get the message across. The Lazuli wolf is about to spring a hundred questions on the mountain lion, when she hears a voice behind her. A male voice. Yipping and jumping with fright, she spins to see her attacker. "AAH!" she shrieks. There is a very large, very unknown cougar /right/ /THERE/. In her face! Backpeddling, she keeps her eyes trained on the new feline while seeking the safety of Maulisho. "H-how didja know my name?"

Tears are also evident in the cougaress' eyes; as she nuzzles the girl and licks at her headfur, Maul is vividly remembering the last time she saw Lark.. right as they met Haze. She'll have to make sure and ask about him later on, but for now she's content just to enjoy this reuniting with her friend. But the sudden fearful reaction from the young wolf causes Maul to jerk back as well, glaring at Kasim and hissing, "/Sssshhhh!/ You'll wake the other two!" She spreads her forepaws apart--an invitation for Lark to find shelter should she so desire to use Maul as a cougaress fortress. When the only response is a twitch of the ears by the male wolf, Maul allows herself to relax... but just a little. That was too close.

What is it about him that makes all the little girls scared of him when they first see him. First it was Tria, (well, maybe not as much) and now Lark. And all because he was a male. Kasim felt for a second that he was back in the Amaranth lands. When the young wolf screams at him, his first reaction is to look over at the escorts, hoping they didn't wake up. Once that was settled, he turned his attention back to Lark. Kasim didn't see the glare from Maul, as he was too busy worrying about Lark. He turns his attention to Maul and says in a dead serious tone, "We need to take her some place quiet. That way you can talk to her all you want." And maybe explain to the youngling that he's no threat. But right now, they need to leave here. Kasim doesn't want a confrontation with Lark's two escorts.

Larkspur gratefully snuggles into Maul's foreleg, peering up at the big scary male. At Kasim's suggestion, she shakeshakes her head and bumps the her friend's leg slightly. "Maul," she starts, tipping her muzzle up slightly to make herself heard, "I don't wanna go too far- if they wake up in the middle of the night and I'm not there...they'll freak out." She pauses tossing an angry look to the fear-inducing puma and continues, "'sides. I won't be hollering anymore, so long as no one else goes sneaking up on me." Glare. "Who /is/ he, anyway?" The girl scrunches up her nose and asks with distaste, "He's not your /boyfriend/ is he?"

Not her too! First Tria was asking about Kasim, and now Lark! Maulish feels like banging her head against a pine tree. Well, maybe she can use the seemingly innocent question as a means to get back at Kasim for being so loud and upsetting the girl! "He's a friend of mine, yes, and he's a male. But he hasn't said anything about mating or fathering cubs, so I don't know if you could call him a boyfriend or not." Hehe.. awkward moment for him! Score! Doing her best not to burst out laughing, she instead leans down to nose at the young wolf. "I think they'll freak out when they wake up, regardless of whether we're here or somewhere else. I do have an idea though..." Whisperwhisper.. GRIN.. whisperwhisper.

Not this again!! Talk about awkward. First it was Tria and now Lark. This is starting to get annoying but no matter how many times it's said, it's all the same awkward. As Kasim listens in for Maul's answer, he wished he hadn't. The moment Maul was done, Kasim immediatly pulled his ears to his head, stuck his tail inbetween his legs, shrunk backwards a bit and started to blush furiously. If he thought before was awkward, this makes then look like childs play. To help put this feeling of total humiliation into words, here it is: If Maul was thinking that hitting her head against a tree was enough to stop this question from coming up, Kasim was starting to find that waterfall over there /mighty/ comforting right about now. Whatever that response was for, you can be sure Kasim will /NEVER/ do it again. And now all of a sudden she's whispering to her. Thoughts of Tria being thrown at him come flowing through his head. He doesn't say anything on a count of still trying to recover from that total burn from Maul.

[tanniyn]

[slight passing of time]

Characters:
Maulisho - adolescent female cougar (Amaranth)
Larkspur - juvenile female wolf (Lazuli)
Felstride - adult male wolf (Lazuli)
Misery - adult female coyote
Kasim - adolescent male cougar
Grit - adult male wolf (Viridian)


Waterfall Ledge
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Moving forward onto the ledge affords a beautiful view of the landscape: grasses stretching for miles, the mountains seeming to encase certain areas, and river from the lake to the south leading into a waterfall that plummets off the edge of the cliff. A watery mist hangs in the air, and sounds are drowned out by the thundering voice of the waterfall itself. The mists coat the rocks with a slickness that seems to threaten a traveler's step, and the slick moss on the rocks doesn't help. If one can avoid falling, then this place can be considered a good spot for observation or other things that require solitude.
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"Thanks, Kasim," is her whispered response as Maulisho passes by her friend, Lark close behind. She knows that he's eager to really meet Lark, but for now, it's time for some conversation just between the two of them. This is the moment that she had been hoping for ever since their farewell those weeks ago, and the moment she feared would never come. But now they're reunited, and the cougaress can't seem to stop smiling. As she pads along the mossy rocks, she has plenty of questions for the girl: how has she been, how is Haze, is she excited about going back home... all whispered, of course. Kasim will alert them if either the wolf or coyote approaches, but she'd like that to be as far off as possible. Amber eyes continually move back and forth between the terrain in front of her and back to her wolf friend. She really has grown in these past weeks... wow.

After a moment of hesitation, the girl is right behind her friend, tail wagging. She even chances flashing Kasim a smile as she passes. Lark answers Maul just as quietly. Fine, fine, definitely! The wolf looks over her shoulder nervously. What will Grit and Misery say if they realize she's gone? The Lazuli girl is full of questions as well. "How did you meet Kasim? Do you /like/ him?" Her brows raise as she emphasises /like/. Sure Maul said that he wasn't her boyfriend- maybe she meant not /yet/. "Are you going to stick together for a while, or did you pick him out of a river, too?" A wide grin splits her maw.

After skulking and mulling and planing and generally making a depressing sight in his territory, Felstride has finally headed south toward the mountains and a brisk pace somewhere in between a trot and a full on run. But is progress south is slowed when the familiar scent of the Lazuli fades and the subtle shift into Viridian territory is noticed. Felstride slows then, his pace deliberate, his deep amber eyes searching through the thinning forest and flickering up the rocky slopes ahead. The back of his neck prickles and he finds his hackles raising; he doesn't like being out of his element, especially not in another wolf's territory. Wolves that might have his daughter. The thought spurs the Alpha on again, though, and Felstride lifts his muzzle to the sky and issues a long, loud howl; it is a howl indicative of searching and notification, and there is no malice behind it. He is not here for blood, he is here on business. He pauses afterward, ears pricked to the front, eyes narrowed... waiting.

Perhaps it was imagined, the sound of voices...the scent of cat, cloying in her nostrils...but it's enough to snap her out of bunny-chasing-filled dreams. The smudge of a coyote wakes up abruptly, lifting her head and wriggling her nose. Her nostrils flare...No, that's definitely cougarstink. And if that hadn't done it, the howl certainly does. She leaps to her feet and immediately starts after that scent of cat mingled with wolf pup. The pup she's supposed to be helping guard. Oh moon above, let the cougars not have taken her...But wasn't there mention of friendly cougars? Bah, she cant' remember. So she hurries after them, following her nose as only a canid can.

A slight blush steals across her muzzle; "No, no.. I met Kasim several weeks ago. He's just a friend, nothing more." Ahem. /ANY/way... Looking down at the water's surface several dozen feet below them from their vantage point on the rocky path, Maulisho chuffs with amusement. "So, did you ever teach Haze how to swim?" Hmmm... can Kasim swim? Might be something to keep in mind.. "Y'know, it might be--" A spine-tingling howl cuts through the air, stopping the cougaress in midsentence. Oh great. Company. Her voice swiftly switching from gentle to firm, she directs the girl to follow her: "Until we know for sure who that was, let's not assume anything; you'll be safer at the water's edge. Come on!" And, displaying her natural agility, she begins carefully stepping down the rocks leading to the lake. "Careful.. they're a bit slippery." The roar of the waterfall makes it rather difficult to hear anyone that might be coming; Maul would have really preferred the silence.

"Anytime." is Kasim's responce to Maul. Sure he wanted to get to know Lark but that time will come. Right now, Maul and Lark need to get caught up again. Kasim's sure Maul has a million questiones for Lark and vise-versa. Kasim can almost see Maul as Lark's second mom as Lark seemed to take such a liking to her. So Kasim stays put, a little ways away from the two sleeping animals, and lets the two females go ahead. It isn't long till one of the escorts wakes up and starts to head off in Maul's direction. Kasim quickly catches up with the cyote and stops in front of her. He quickly says, so not to worry her, "Hello there, stanger. I expect you are looking Larkspur, correct?" The noise of the howl gets Kasim's attention but it doesn't worry him too much. It didn't sound threatening but it still stays on his mind. He simply waits for the cyote to respond, hoping she's friendly.

Lark is about to answer Maul when she hears howling. Her ears rotate toward the sound and she stares alertly in the direction it came from. Without looking at the cougar, she nods and watches the distance for a moment more. Finally, she pulls away and works down the rocks. The girl moves slower than her friend, brows knitted together with worry. That howl... the wolf feels an urge to reply with a howl of her own, but surpresses it. The howler might not be friendly. And yet, the Lazuli girl doesn't think it sounded threatening. "Maul, hold on. It sounded more like they were lookin' for something. Not like, mean or anything."

Misery nearly jumps out of her skin when a cougar appears in front of her seemingly out of nowherhe. Hackles up, stiff-legged, she stares wide-eyed for a moment, then calms slightly, eyeing Kasim warily and trying to sidle around him. "Yus...s'posed t' be lookin' after the pup...now...I suspect that's someone lookin' for her.." She tosses her head toward the sound of the howl coming up from the plateau. "And if is..." she trails off, not bothering to finish. Lark's still just a pup, and cougars are big, and not necessarily always friendly with wolves. A pup would be an easy treat for a full-grown cougar.

Having heard nothing, the Lazuli Alpha frowns, part in distaste and past in worry that, perhaps, his plan isn't really a good idea. Felstride begins his move forward again, as fast as he can manage up the plateau and avoiding the massive waterfall that is the source of the river. Distant movement catches his attention, though, and Felstride freezes in midstep, alert eyes trailing up the mountains at four figures meandering their way around. Amber eyes narrow, searching, but he's too far away. He lifts his muzzle to issue the howl again, as loud as he can, though the roar of the waterfall does its best to muffle him again.

The cougaress' knowledge of the finer points of wolf howls is obviously rather limited, and even though she'll take Lark's word for it, she still moves insistently forward toward the water. "If they're searching for a good reason, then they'll find us anyway; I'd rather be prepared, just in case." Her ears perk as again she catches the howl--unless she's mistaken, that almost sounded closer!--and her tail gives an impatient twitch. Please let it only be one wolf! If Lark's original two escorts--the wolf and other lupinish-looking creature--wake up, and assuming Kasim can come to her aid, they'll still be outnumbered, and even worse if there's an actual group of wolves coming. Not the best situation to be in. But if Lark's right, then maybe this newcomer (or newcomers?) is friendly... maybe even knows the way to Lazuli lands!

Being the master of others emotions that he is, Kasim can tell the coyote is nervous and maybe even a little scared. Kasim walks a bit closer to the female but keeps his respectfull distance and says, "Don't worry. Lark is safe and sound with me friend. She's the one who rescued Lark in the first place and they just wanted some time to talk to each other again." His voice is calm and comforting, seeing that the female is on-edge. It's at this time that the second howl reaches Kasim's ears. He still doesn't feel the need to worry but he can't ignore the fact. He looks upon the coyote in front of him and says, "Follow me. I'll take you to her." then pads off in Maul's and Lark's direction. Even though the howl didn't sound all that freightning, Kasim just wants to make sure they're all ok. Plus, the escort behind him must be worried sick about her.

Misery may not be a wolf, and she may never have heard Fel's howl before, but she's hung around wolves enough, hey...they're her 'cousins', right? She can hear the searching note in the howl as it calls out again. She can tell the wolf calling out is male. All things that are carried in a canid's howl, as certain as things can be detected in a wolf's scent mark. She looks a little more nervous at this new knowledge, despite Kasim trying to reassure her. She tips her head toward the howl, ears perked, testing the air, her black nose twitching. She suspects he's after Lark, suspects she recognizes the scent from her time scouting around down in Lazuli. "Yes...yes quicklike, I should make sure she's all right before I return the howl."

There it is again. The howl. Lark pauses on her decent, ears pricked toward the sound. "Maul...that almost sounds like my..." Dad. But no. It can't be, not really. She knows full well that she isn't in Lazuli. Her father wouldn't know she's here. The girl writes it off as lonliness. Yes, that's it. She's been away from home too long, that's all. And yet... The girl takes a gulp of air and howls as loud as she can. True, her voice doesn't carry as strongly over the sound of the water, but if the one howling /isn't/ Felstride, then maybe he won't hear her at all. The call doesn't last very long, as the young wolf isn't used to the effort. Still, it's a reply. After a pause, she glances sheepishly at Maul. Will her friend be mad? With a snort, she decides that she doesn't care if the cougar is upset. She's pretty convinced now that she recognizes that voice. Tail swaying slightly, she waits anxiously for a response.

It's faint. Very, very faint, but the wolf manages to catch a fleeting sound before it's swallowed up by the waterfall, and as he watches the distant figures one of them stops, lifts its muzzle, and issues that ghost-like noise. Felstride doesn't hesitate. He knows she's here, and he'll be damned if that wasn't her. She's not dead, though the rumors about being kidnapped by hostile cougars and wolves is still in the back of his mind, and those other creatures there could be very dangerous. The Alpha begins to scramble up the rock face as quickly as his paws will allow, for he's not used to the rolling terrain and is out of his element when out of the forest. Against the dull plateau he is visible as a grey-black streak, with rocks ocassionally tumbling down behind him after being disturbed. As he climbs, Felstride reaches a steady lip and tossses his eyes up toward the small gathering, lips curled away from his teeth as he takes an large breath and lets it go, "LARKSPUR!"

The unexpected howl from immediately behind her causes Maulisho to quickly turn her head around--what is the girl /doing/? Whoa.. wait a minute. That's.. Kasim! .. and one of the escorts, following him. What is /he/ doing, bringing one of them here? Where's the other? And to make matters more complicated, the sound of a fast-approaching creature causes her to turn around again, this time noting yet another wolf--the one responsible for the earlier two howls, perhaps?--... only that this one is now at full speed heading directly for them, and the look on his face does not give Maulisho any comfort at all. Without a word, the cougaress whirls, throwing herself at the girl to try and knock her into the lake--she can swim to safety while Maul deals with this threat. It's only when the newcomer yells out Lark's name that Maulisho pauses, still keeping herself between the two wolves... but she waits. This wolf knows Lark? Either way, if he doesn't stop within another few feet, she's going to follow her original plan anyway. No sense taking chances.

Kasim says nothing to the female behind him at her responce. He would rather not alert anyone to their presence with Lark around. But still, Kasim says nothing as he's not entierly sure it the howl was ment to be just alerting or something else. He walks to where Maul and Lark were supposed to be but finds them not there. He walks to the edge and sees them at the bottom of the slope. He wonders what they could possibly be doing there until he hears Lark howl out. Kasim wonders what Lark could possibly be doing until he sees Maul try and shove her into the lake. Kasim is slightly confused at the sight until the decending figure of a wolf catches his eye. Thinking in a second, Kasim yells over his shoulder, "They're down here." before he starts to decend the slope himself. Having a bit more experience in these matters, Kasim makes it down quickly then walks next to Maul. "What's going on here?" he asks, still a little confused at the events unfolding.

Misery follows Kasim, pausing as she hears Lark howl back...and then she hears Felstride call Lark's name. Okay, that's almost certainly at least a pack member of Lark's, if not her father himself. She comes into sight of them just in time to see...the cougar apparently trying to shove Lark into the lake?! Oh that's not good, not good not good. She's supposed to be protecting the pup, and now some cougar is trying to DROWN her?! She yelps in surprise and concern and takes off like a little black bolt down the slope toward the pair, giving out a high-pitched yotish howl.

[tanniyn]

Grit awakens with a start to find himself .... alone! He sniffs the spot nearby himself where Larkspur had fallen asleep. Even as he was still waking up, he works himself into a frenzy, especially as he catches scent of cougar! He growls out loud, frantically following the scent trails. For Luna's sake, how could he have slept when the one thing he had vowed to protect was being dragged off by COUGARS!? The grizzled wolf makes his presence and frustrated rage known, howling aggressive threats as he gives chase to the scent trail. As he rounds a boulder and finally catches glimpse of Larkspur, he does not hesitate, throwing a burn into every muscle in his body to gallop full speed toward her, quickly choosing Maulisho as a target. The wolf may not measure up to a fully grown cougar, but bristling with vicious fangs snarling as he runs as fast as he can, he looks as tough and ready to kill as they come.

"Daddy!" is all she has time to yell before being swept into the water. What is Maul /doing/?! Lark hits the water and sputters, paws churning immediately to keep her head up. The soaked girl doesn't get a chance to notice Kasim or Misery as she struggles to get to the lip of the pool and pull herself out. She yelps, "Daddy!" again and strains to see what's going on. The wolf paddles to the edge and hauls her dripping body out. Her fur is wet all the way through, making it feel heavier. Grunting a little, she cranes to look up again, trying to see what's happening. Is anyone hurt? The waterfall thunders, overwhelming most other sounds. Suddenly, Grit blazes by. "Grit, no!" she shrieks.

There's so much going on all at once and so many figures moving about that Felstride can hardly keep track of them all, let alone his own daughter being blocked by a much larger cougar. Damn it. The Lazuli Alpha bounds up the last haul of his climb, meeting the odd gathering on their own turf with a less than pleased snarl across his muzzle. While he's normally a calm, demuer wolf, where his daughter is concerned Felstride is hardly a pushover and has, indeed, lost his temper. His hackles are raised, making him look that much bigger, and as his bright amber eyes flit from cougar, to cougar, to coyote, and finally to his now soaked daughter, the wolf issues a warning above the noise of the waterfall. "I believe you have my daughter." Eyetwitch. For all he knows, this strange entourage came and stole Larkspur from his lands. But his monologue is cut short by the sudden appearance of a second wolf, all teeth, and Felstride can only react. He surges forward, not for Grit or Maulisho, but for his daughter in an attempt to get her away from the brawl and preferably down the plateau with no broken bones.

When it was just the lynx, Maulisho had a clear target and was able to defend Larkspur as best as she knew how. But this situation.. not only is she outnumbered and not even sure whether this wolf--not to mention the other escort charging at her!--is a friend or not, but apparently Larkspur overreacted and fell into the water anyway, and now Maul has quickly lost control of the events. And if she doesn't do something quickly, she's probably going to end up very much injured. It's the single, joyful word uttered from Lark that makes up the cougaress' mind: if this wolf is her father, then he can be trusted. A split-second decision is made. With a powerful lunge, she leaps a good distance to the side, out of the immediate path of both the oncoming escort and the oncoming father. Assuming they're not here to harm Lark, then she should at least be safe. Landing in a crouch, Maulisho gives them a cool glance, silent and waiting.

It's amazing how a simple talk can go so wrong. All Maul and Lark wanted was to talk again and now there's two wolves coming at them. It's the single word that Lark says that calms Kasim for a second. If it is her dad, then they don't need to worry about him...yet. Kasim follows right after Maul with a lunge to the side, avoiding both wolves. Quickly he yells so that everyone can hear him, "Everyone calm down, we're all on the same side here!!!" The escort was only doing his job and Lark's maybe dad was just protecting her. Simple misunderstanding. Still, things can always take a turn for the worst, so Kasim stays alert just incase no one got the message.

Misery curses her shorter legs, putting on a burst of speed to arrive on the scene at approximately the same time as Grit and Fel. She knows that if something isn't done, this is going to turn into a bloody misunderstanding..emphasis on the 'bloody'. She lets out a yabbering, high-pitched howl as only a coyote can, barking out "Wolves! NO!" She can't hope to physically overpower any of them, but if there's one thing coyotes are, it's loud, so she counts on that to distract them just long enough to listen to reason.

Grit digs his legs into the dirt, sending up jets of grit (!) and dirt to keep himself from charging through empty air, over the edge and into the water himself, skidding to a halt. His instinct is to chase the cougar, but there is too much going on and he needs to protect Larkspur. He saw Felstride move in quickly, so fast that -- combined with his own fast stride toward the cougar -- Grit had not recognized him from his time in Lazuli turf searching for Viridian's lost pups, but now that he's taken a very brief fraction of a moment to stop, he recognizes the Lazuli alpha. Maulisho has dodged away, but -- to Grit, who doesn't know either of the cougars -- remains a serious threat. His hackles remain raised and his fangs bared, but he faces his weapons solely at the cougars for now, staying near Larkspur on the shore. He quietly prays to Luna that Felstride recognizes him or at least that he's trying to help protect the pup, as things are too tense at the moment to render a proper, formal greeting and salutation. Despite Kasim's words, the Viridian Second does not let his guard down and gives both cougars absolutely no doubt he will strike either with all his might if they get near Larkspur again.

Water drip dropping from her fur, Lark watches helplessly. "Grit, don't! She's my friend!" she calls out desperately. The girl can't bear the thought of Maul getting hurt- though she realizes that the wolf might take a lion's share of damage. She wants to run to her father, but there is now a crowd between them. A crowd full of snarling teeth and claws. The Lazuli she-wolf knows the running through it probably isn't her best idea. So she opts to stand away from the conflict and try to resolve it from a distance. It's just a case of mistaken identity.

The action by the waterfall is quick and loud, and the waterfall itself isn't helping with all the noise, but Felstride's attention is mainly focused on his daughter, managing to run around or through the confusion to place her behind him, and the rest of the strange company is eyed with a dangerous glint. Hackles still raised, it's the cougars who gain most of the Alpha's attention and the flash of his teeth. Larkspur's pleading behind him causes the male to flick his ears, Misery's howling, and Kasim's shouting all jumble up together. The larger wolf gently pushes back against his daughter, inching back away from the tumult... wait, FRIEND?!?! Ohdear. Felstride issues a rumble deep within his chest, a warning for those nearby to cease everything and listen up, "I am Felstrde of the Lazuli, and I demand to know which of you took my daughter from me? Rwarscaryface.

Her own fangs are bared and her claws most definitely extended. Maulisho isn't looking for a fight, but she's not going to be intimidated by any mere wolf. As those nearby all converge on the area by the river, the cougaress doesn't relax at all, despite the yelling and scrambling... until things take a momentary pause as the commandeering wolf immediately in front of her--Lark's father, apparently--tries to take control of the situation. Allowing her expression to slide back into cool and neutral, Maulisho moves her gaze from the very much hostile escort to Lark's father, listening attentively as he speaks. Ahh. It /is/ Lark's father! In a calm--yet somewhat chilled--voice, she answers his demand. "I found Larkspur and took her into my possession, if that is what you are asking."

Two younger cougars against two older wolves. That's what runs through Kasim's head during all the comotion. Though he would rather not fight, if one of the wolves makes a move, then he'll defend himself; simple as that. Kasim calms himself down a bit after Fel starts to speak. As Maul starts to reply, he keeps all his sences alert and keep the hostle wolf escort in his sights, but he has most of his attention turned towards Lark and company. He says nothing for the moment and lets Maul talk it out with Lark's dad. Hopefully, this won't end badly.

Misery skids to a halt before she would run headlong into the mess of mammals ahead of her. She waits, panting, pale eyes flicking between the gathered parties, waiting. When Fel asks who 'took' his pup, she blinks, opening her mouth to respond, but decides against it for now. She leaves it to those bigger and more involved than herself to defend the truth. She flops down on her haunches, waiting to see what unfolds. Lark herself knows the truth, and would be best to put it forth, and toward this end, the coyote fixes the pup with a poignant look, a brow quirked and an ear askew.

Grit's ears flick and swivel. Friend? He remains standing where he is, on the shore, but lowers his hackles and relaxes his snarl to turn back toward Larkspur and Felstride. The alpha demands the most serious adress, and casting another suspicious glance at the cougars, despite Larkspur's assurance, he turns to face Felstride. "I am Grit, Second of Viridian. Your daughter was found by our pack within our territory, the precise circumstances of which I am not fully certain, though from what I understand cougars did bring her to our territory in the hope we were her whelp-pack or could locate them for her. We recognized her immediately as a daughter of Lazuli, and protected and looked after her as best we could, as well as our own sons and daughters, and did our best to prepare an entourage to your pack lands to return your daughter to you ... unfortunately due to difficult circumstances internal to our pack, I alone could be spared and for that reason, because of how important safely returning your daughter to you was to our pack, we decided against sending a messenger informing you of her disposition for fear of ill-intent beings between our pack lands taking advantage of a vulnerable situation. For not having sent a message, I do apologize; each of us felt strongly it would have been right to do so to relieve your worries we had no doubt you were experiencing, but tactically unsound and rendering the entourage vulnerable ... getting your daughter home to you safely is and was paramount to us." He motions a moment to the coyote. "Misery is a trusted friend of our pack, and it was a pleasant surprise to encounter her not long after we set out; she graciously offered to help escort Larkspur home ... knowing these no-wolf's-lands as she does between our territories, I knew her help would be valuable."

"Maul saved me, Daddy," Lark adds after the female puma speaks. She's about to go into more detail, when she hears Grit reply. After a pause, she gives up trying to process the big words. "Yeah, that too, Daddy," she continues, not sounding very sure. Pausing to try to puzzle out the Second's response, a look of intense concentration crosses her face. Hmm. Well, Grit wouldn't lie, so best to just agree with him. Nodnod. Yep.

At first, Felstride's attention drifts slowly to Maulisho, his ears flicking in mild curiousity... O-- kay. He drops his maw as if to speak, but he's distracted by the other wolf's monologue, blinking in stoic silence as he listens. Right. Eventually, the Alpha's hackles slowly melt back down, and Felstride takes a slow, deep breath, standing his full height and eyeing cougar, coyote, and wolf alike with a slightly calmer, level stare. Again, he's about to speak, but the voice from behind him causes his head to swivel behind him and eye his daughter with that same, level look. Her nuzzle is returned warmly, though he doesn't want to take his attention off the gathering for long. "Very well," the wolf booms, self-assured and in control of his emotions, "Then I thank you for finding my daughter," he offers to the cougar with a nod, "and for taking care of her," offered to Grit with a second nod. "The Lazuli has its daughter back, and Larkspur and I will be on our way. I doubt that my Alphess would agree with such a gathering in her territory." No. Storm would have a fit, and have a second fit at HIM for leaving in the first place. "Many thanks." Pause. "Friends." That said, the wolf noses his daughter to start walking. They'll have their talk /later/.

A respectful dip of her head is given to the Lazuli alpha. Maulisho definitely feels relieved at how the situation seems to finally be losing some of its previously volatile state. Not that she would have worried too much about fighting against weaker opponents, but with Lark here in the middle of things, her safety would definitely be at risk. As Maul's gaze passes from Felstride over to Grit, she can't help but give an amused snort at the almost pompous-sounding speech by the "Second"--whatever /that/ is. Yeah yeah... all /he/ did was babysit Lark, who most likely was unseparable from Haze anyway. Tough job, that. Amber eyes flick over to Kasim, making sure he's okay. And then to the other canid--what /is/ she, anyway?--and finally back to Larkspur, as father and daughter start out toward Lazuli lands. Well, she came back here to Viridian lands with one goal in mind, and just because Felstride has taken over the official escort doesn't mean that Maul's intent changes in the slightest. She will see Lark safely home, and that's that.

Also glad that the violent rating has dropped in the area, Kasim relaxes more and calms himself down. He looks over to Grit as he starts to ramble on about something. He can't help but mentaly laugh as that seemed to not be needed at the moment; he's probably just trying to strengthen the relationship between the packs. He looks over at Maul to make sure she's alright and sees her staring at Lark and her father. Noticing what she is thinking, he smiles at her and nods at the departing wolves and says, "C'mon. I'm sure Lark will want to talk to you more as well." and heads off towards them.

Misery just sort of stares at Grit as he begins to speak at length, her eyes taking on a glazed look. She shakes herself abruptly, getting to her feet. Politics...She looks up at Lark and offers a smile and a wag of her dark tail. She likes the kid, but is pretty sure she'll never see her again, down there in a territory where she's gotten the distinct impression her kind...or any non-wolf kind for that matter...aren't very well-tolerated. She's just glad things have calmed down, and no blood was shed over such a simple misunderstanding. She casts a glance to Fel', tongue lolling happily at being called friend. Maybe they don't hate coyotes afterall? She gets to her feet and backs up a bit...cougars still make her nervous.

Grit feels a bit disappointed, actually, but Larkspur is now the responsibility of her alpha. "I would like to mention, alpha Felstride, that Larkspur has developed a friendship with Haze, one of our sons. While neither Larkspur nor Haze are yet old enough to safely traverse this land between our packs alone, my Ones, Silver and Silvan, do wish to permit Larkspur on our territory when she is strong enough to safely come on her own." He bows respectfully to the alpha, though they aren't within either's territory.

Starting forward abruptly, Lark's tail starts to sway happily. She flashes a grin and says, "Thanks! For everything." to everyone present. Her gaze lingers on Maul, and her muzzle splits into a even wider smile and her tail picks up speed. The girl doesn't risk staying to say good bye- she's smart enough to get the hint from her father that it's time to go /now/. However, as the Second mentions Haze, the she-wolf can't help but cringe. Daddy does /not/ like Haze. In fact, she has a feeling the boy's name might be mentioned in her next lecture, which can't be far off. Glancing nervously at Felstride, she decides to pick up her pace. Maybe the alpha won't notice?

Felstride doesn't throw around arbitrary hate, but ever since the bear attack on his family, and the hostile wolf pack that tried to take over his lands, he has earned a measure of caution over the past few seasons. He makes to turn, but Grit's words cause his paw to freeze in midstep and an ear flick. "I am aware of Haze," he states, rather simply, tail twitching in mild irritation. Yes, they are going to have that talk when they get back. "Perhaps, when they are older. My Alphess and I will take your offer into consideration." The bow is met with a lifted head and a nod, and Misery's silent smile is returned with a gentlmenly flick of his ear. It's then he turns to follow his daughter back down the plateau he raced up not too long ago, aware of her hasty retreat but saying nothing, but the cougar presence at his back causes his neck to prickle. "Though you may be my daughter's friend, I ask that you respect the boundaries of our territory until things have quited down." The last thing he wants are cougars at his den site, and he'd get an earful from Storm if that happened. The wolf duo heads north, then, trotting briskly back home. The Alpha is happy, but, he does have an image to uphold (and a lot to think about).

The cougaress cringes inwardly as Kasim rushes forward. Once again, his enthusiasm comes at the wrong time. And sure enough, just as she had expected, Felstride reacted in a negative way. Well, too bad. She'll respect their borders, but they have a journey in front of them first to actually get TO the border. Immediately breaking into a trot of her own, she speeds forward to catch up to the male cougar, whisper something in his ear, and then divert to the side. She won't follow immediately behind the group, but she'll be close enough that if anything does happen, she can be there within a few dozen seconds. Giving one last glance toward the lupine pair, she disappears into the trees.

Darn. And here he was hoping to come along. Ah well, Fel does have a point. It's at this time that Maul comes up besides him and whispers in his hear. He just nods with a smile on his face and whispers something back, before turning his attention back to the retreating alpha. "Of course." is all he says on the subject. He then turns back around and heads back towards Amaranth. Ah well, there'll be another time, hopefully.