Post by malak on Apr 2, 2009 21:11:33 GMT -5
Wooded Terrain
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Heading away from the lake means moving into the woods where trees stand in varying stages of growth. The older trees are taller and reach to the sky while the smaller and younger trees struggle upwards towards that same light. Along the ground are bits of broken tree limbs and different types of shrubs and other vegetation staking their claim on whatever sunlight they can find and keep. Leaves rustle and grasses wave in the breezes that occasionally come through this area, though most of the surrounding air is fairly mild compared to some areas. However, when winter or a large storm hits, this wooded area offers protection to all creatures who can make their way to safety. The flow of melted snow from the south continues down the gentle slope towards the north, emptying into the nearby lake.
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[Into] a Den [North] to the Lake
[South] to the Highlands [Southwest] to the Grove
[West] to the Stone Formations
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[IC] Naira
[IC] Cael
[IC] Malak
[IC] Azriel
Malak has not come to the south of the lake in a long time. He has had no reason to. Even now that he and Aylin have... Stopped being at each others throats when they meet, he has no reason to venture too close to the cougar tribe he knows is in the area. Until today. For whatever reason, he has not had very much luck hunting this week, and the scent of deer was too enticing to pass up, even when it led him past the scent markings of another male. malak is cautious, and he travels silently, but it was worth the risk if it means he can easily make a large catch and drag it back off to unclaimed territory, so he will not have to defend it against another male.
There is something to be said for a young boy listening to his father. Cael does this, occasionally, but at the moment with Kein out on patrol and Nayeli otherwise occupied with his siblings, the eldest boy's inner voice urges him in a slightly more disobedient direction. He's explored quite a bit and gone on many patrols with his father, and Amaranth's territory is more and more familiar to him. Cael remembers the encounter with the bug eating female from his supposed Aunty Aylin, and is intent on finding her. He doesn't pick up any smells, but he moves swiftly and much less silently than an older male would. Twigs break and leaves scatter, but despite the danger he's put himself in Cael feels alive... danger will do that. His blood is pumping, excited, wild, thrilled, scared. Kein will be mad, undoubtedly, but the adventure calling him is undeniable.
The sounds of twigs snapping cause Malak to stop moving, but they do not cause him any concern. Such sounds are not those of an angered male cougar coming to see why another male is trespassing in his territory. They are the sounds of the young and inexperienced. The sounds of food. Hunger causes Malak to move more quickly than he might otherwise. Had it not been days since his last large meal, he might have held back long enough for a breeze to tell him that the nearby, and approaching, creature is a fellow cougar, even if it's only a miniature one. Malak /is/ hungry, though, and so, as the sounds get closer, Malak leaps forward into a sprint before whatever is approaching him can caatch his scent and grow nervous. His large paws make more noise as they hit the ground, but there are no other sounds from the adult cougar as he closes in on what he thinks is a meal.
It takes him a minute, a minute to register something just a hair different from what the forest was like before. Before it was just the trees, and the startled rushing of birds and squirrels from his hunt, but now there's something bigger than that and it's getting louder. Cael's large ears swivel forward, narrowed eyes widening slightly at the hint, the edge of danger dancing around his senses. His pace faulters, stumbles and slows, and his face twists into a frightened, fearsome grimace. Cael growls, hisses, and his eyes dart through the trees, looking...
Only seconds before Malak actually catches sight of his intended target, he manages to hear the hissing and growling over the sounds of his own pawfalls and beating heart. The second of warning, before the small couagr is in sight, allows Malak to stop without tumbling or running into the smaller cougar, but when he stops, he is just inches from where Cael was when he began hissing. If the smaller cougar doesn't move, Malak could simply reach out, grab him, and have his meal, even if it would be one of his own kind. Though the short sprint was hardly enough to leave him winded, his quickened heart rate and hunger have him tempted to do just that, and he stares at the young cougar, teeth bared in a silent snarl as he tries to relax enough that he can continue to remind himself that eating a cub whose mother may very well be Aylin is a bad idea. Certainly, a worse idea than eating a stranger's cub, but even eating a stranger's cub would be none too wise.
The crash in front of him is echoed by the boy with a shakey frightened growl. Cael flinches from the larger male, a cougar that is definately not his father, and backpedals as quickly as he can without stumbling. Something is very strange about Malak. The scent that came with him is familiar, but he doesn't know why, and its confusing him, adding to that sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. There is a tightness in his chest that clenches down as he issues another defensive hiss, ears glued to the back of his head. He knows, he remembers, Kein had told him to find one of them if he met a stranger; but this stranger is bigger, and both his parents are far from the woods.
As Malak continues to stare at Cael, he asks himself whether this could, in fact, be one of Aylin's cubs. It seems the right age, and Malak thinks she may have had at least one boy, but... While this is not too far into Amaranth, not too far from where he last knew Aylin was staying, the cub does not have any of Aylin's scent on him, so... Probably not. Well. Keeping his ears perked to try to hear whether anyone is coming to save the frightened boy, Malak opens his mouth to speak. "Stop that noise." His voice is quiet, but there is the hint of a growl in it. He doesn't hear anyone approaching yet, but that could change if this young cougar makes enough noise.
The noise stops, almost instantly; Malak seems to have the same low and dangerous tone to his voice that Kein can sometimes have when he wants his children to do something. Cael is accustomed to this, but that does not mean he appreciates it. While he should be fleeing for his life, he only manages to slowly back away from the older male, lips still pulled back in silent and aggressive fear. His tail lashes through the air behind him, but he doesn't say anything. His body is being brazen enough and Cael doesn't need his mouth pitching in.
Malak does not want to have to fight the male that controls this territory, and anyone else who might come to defend this boy. It was risky enough, coming here to get himself a meal. His scent could have been followed out of Amaranth. Still, it's only food, and he doubts anyone would fight for it, after he was outside of Amaranth again. If he made off with this cub, though, he would almost definitely be pursued, as he might be just for having let this boy seen him. It's an uncomfortable position, and, in an attempt to not have to fight over something so stupid, Malak threatens. "You're alive only by my good will. Tell anyone you've seen me, and that will change." In other words, Cael should think twice before sending his mother or father after the big scary stranger.
Considering the trouble he'd be in, or will be in when Kein finds him gone (again), Cael is unlikely to voice his opinion on the creepy dude he's just come across. He manages to untwist his face, though his body remains tense and low to the ground. Malak's harsh words cause the boy to wrinkle his face, but he bites his tongue and the remark on the tip of it. This one is mean. Cael pauses, considers his options, and manages a harsh, "/Fine/," and backpeddles again, wary.
Malak can't say he likes the boy's tone, and while it might be tempting to teach the young cougar a lesson in how to address his superiors more respectfully, Malak /is/ still trespassing in an unknown male's territory, and there is still the risk associated with that. Already, he won't be sticking around to find that meal he wanted, so it is best to wrap this up quickly. "Get out of here now, before I change my mind." Though Malak does not want the fight that would result from him being found here by any adult cougar, he scarcely has it in him to be apologetic, and he has no qualms about giving orders to anyone perceived as weaker than he is, even while in another male's territory.
Cael isn't appreciative of Malak at all, not in the slightest, but he has stopped his backwards momentum. The boy lifts his head, indignantly, bravely, stupidly against the bigger male, one that definately doesn't smell of Amaranth, not even a hint, and sets his jaw. His brazen youth just screams to tell him off, but his survival instinct is, thankfully, stronger. Cael's mission to this border outskirt has been sidetracked, but that doesn't mean he wants to flee home to Kein. Not yet. He wants to know what's going on. Maybe that mean girl cub from before is related? Maybe she knows. Pfeh. Malak is given a wary, narrowed gaze before Cael picks up his paws to try and circle around the other male, further away from the heart of his home.
For a moment, Malak is angered by the young male's attempts to skirt around him. Then his sadistic nature takes hold. So he won't teach the boy a lesson just here. If he should allow the boy to go in the direction he wants to go, though, instead of chasing the youth deeper into Amaranth for his stupidity... And should the boy cross the border that is not terribly far to the north... Malak doesn't try to hide his vicious grin. He gave his warning, let the boy know exactly what was expected of him, and now, with not another word, Malak turns to head back to the north. Unlike when he was stalking into the area, he travels, now, at a fast enough pace to make a little noise. Not much, but it is clear that he is leaving. That is, right up until he reaches that scent marker that told him he was trespassing, crosses it, and then stops, to listen and try to determine whether the boy finally wised up and disappeared back into his father's territory, or whether he continued on whatever path he had previously set.
While he moves at a shallow diagonal, Cael keeps his attention on Malak. That is, until the male turns and disappears to the north, and the boy shoots a triumphant, arrogant grin at the stranger's hindend. Ha! Having chased off a stranger from his father's territory, Cael belives his adventure is warrented to continue unhindered. Malak is forgotten, though that strangely familiar smell that accompanied him still wafts across his nose every so often, and the growing boy is content to search for that other cub from evil Aunty Aylin. His eyes scrutinize the trees, the ferns, but he slows his progress north, significantly, holding himself at the edge of Amaranth, Kein's scent strong. Mm. Crossroads.
Malak is not far from that border, likely only thirty or forty feet from where the young cougar is now, though not directly north of him, if Malak has judged correctly. The sounds of movement stopped, even though they are still wholly within the forest, and there is still plenty of cover on the ground that could cause a youthful animal to make unintended noise. Of course, Malak isn't certain that he expected the young cougar to leave Amaranth territory, but part of him was looking forward to addressing the young cougar without being concerned about being in hostile territory. While he may not normally be prone to bullying, the hunger and irritation at being thrown off his hunt by the encounter with the entirely too bold youth have him more that willing to take out his aggression on something much smaller than he is.
He'd remained around the outskirts of his sister and her children but had stayed mainly or at least mostly out of their lives. The male skirts the outskirts of his sons territory now, set on finding something to eat for the evening. His nose picks up the random scent of a male he was familiar with, a smell that peeked his curiosity and causes the neon eyed male to hesitate in his tracks. What was Malak doing wandering around the Amaranth.. Azriel glances ahead of himself before moving away from his path and heading silently in the direction of the other. As he nears, a different thought somehow familiar smell glides over his nose and Azriel pauses a safe distance away, ears tuned forwards to listen as he hunkers down in the brush.
For a while Cael doesn't do anything, simply letting his eyes scan across the dense foliage, squinting to the north where it grows a little less dense. His ears roll forward, to the side, then back around again as he searches for a clue to his mission. He pauses, considering Malak's position, figuring that he probably disappeared, and the lingering memory around him. Cael shakes his head, ridding himself of the thought, and chuffs away his confusion, beling his position. Slowly, he settles low to the ground and creeps as delicately as he can north, leaving the relative saftey of the border line, on a recon mission for the girl cub. Azriel's presence is unknown.
It is no wonder that Azriel's presence goes unnoticed by Cael. Even with Malak listening intently, he does not realize that another large male has arrived. What he does realize is that Cael is continuing to move, and his grin widens. Instead of rushing after the boy, he begins traveling slowly east, intending to place himself directly between Cael and Amaranth. Like earlier, when he was hunting, his steps are quiet, falling with almost no sound at all.
Azriel can hear as a smaller creature moves towards the north and only because he knows he's there can Azriel barely gasp Malak's move to the east. Ears twitch and the male realizes what the other is doing. Azriel remains crouched where he is however, ears rotating and a milding amused glint in his green eyes. Azriel was fine with taking some time off in the day to get a little entertainment from a different source then himself. He debates moving closer though for now, waits and listens.
Quite a stretch of time goes by where Cael is oblivious, meandering with his nose to the ground, ears lifted to the sky, searching for any hint of Aylin's daughter. Nothing, though. Certainly Malak and Azriel, hidden as they are, have had enough time to know what Cael is doing, or, not doing. His eyes are narrowed as he lifts his head and glances around, suddenly quite lost and unable to pick up Kein's last scent marker. He chuffs, this time annoyed at himself, and turns in a tight circle looking for something familiar. A low, irritated growl escapes the boy cub, the boy cub who has been increasingly growing in attitude today, and his tail lashes as he frantically looks for the right way /home/.
Once Malak is directly south of Cael, he does not waste much more time, or try to hide his presence. Rather, he moves a little faster, and when Cael begins to trun around, Malak spots him between some trees. The waiting between when Cael first scraped Malak's nerves and now have lessened his desire to physically harm the cub, but he still appears plenty threatening. "You're a long way from home now." A long way for a cub, anyway. Unsheathing his claws, Malak scratches through the dirt easily in a bored gesture. Like the hiding, observing Azriel, part of this is entertainment, instead of being entirely retribution.
Cael's backpaws sound a quick retreat, three of four paces away from Malak and, subsequently, away from Amaranth. He'd thought he'd been told to leave, and leave he did. Malak didn't specify a direction, or manner in which to leave, and Cael figured /his/ way was good enough. His chest is tight as he sucks in a breath, and nervous deep blue eyes scan the forest. Assuming he is alive after this, Kein will kill him anyway. "So're you," the boy manages to throw back, not quite confident, not quite at volume, and as he spies Malak's claws he backpeddles again.
"Wrong." Malak advances the distance that Cael retreated, but no further. "I'm far from /your/ home, but not from /my/ home." The growl is a little stronger now than it was within Amaranth, and Malak adds, "Guess which of the two you're nearer to, now." It's not entirely a lie. Theoretically, all of the territory in the area that is not already claimed could be his home, even if, in reality, Malak rarely ventures this far south, this close to Amaranth.
The distance between them is still unnervingly close, and Cael doesn't like this at all. His eyes flit to the left, and right, trying to find something that'll give him an out. Malak is too big to take, too long legged to outrun, and too /old/ to outwit. The boy grimances, but does not direct any overt anger Malak's way. He doesn't know what the other's intentions are, but all this strikes a chord in the boy. Little does he remember it was this one's brother who took him from his parents when he was barely able to walk. Inadvertantly, his own claws slip from his pads and grip the soil, ready to flee but not fight.
Malak doesn't even know that his own brother once had an encounter with this boy. As Cael says nothing, Malak keeps his position. He can see the hints that Cael is getting ready to run, and with his current mood, this is simply too fun to have end quickly. "Speak up, boy. Surely, you know better than to ignore your superiors." If not, he'll learn.
Superiors? The word causes the boy's features to twist in distaste, eyes looking Malak up and down, spanning that distance that somehow seems to grow shorter even though neither of them has moved an inch. His father, sure, his mother, most definately, but this one? Cael's tail lashes behind him in irritation, in youthful arrogance, and he wrinkles his nose. "I ignore strangers," he manages to squeak up, trying to put some fire behind his voice but it still comes out a little squeakier than he had intended. Still, the boy draws himself up to his full height, somewhat impressive for his age, but he can't help feel dwarfed by Malak. "You're a stranger." Case in point. Ignored.
"And you are slow. Out here, away from your family, /you/ are the stranger. And I /don't/ ignore strangers." Malak remains between Cael and Amaranth, not wanting to lose his toy, this outlet for his aggression, just yet. Luckily for them both, though, possibly, Malak is content with verbal bullying for now, somehow satisfied by the squeaking in the boy's voice that just makes his attempt to look big and confident all the more hilarious.
"That's nice," Cael shoots back, ears folding back until they're barely visible behind his head. What he wouldn't /give/ for his father to come charging through the trees just now. Oh, wait, no, not so much. If he can get out of this without Kein knowing a drop of what happened, all the better. The boy takes in another deep breath and holds it until his lungs feel like bursting, trying to rid himself of that uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. It doesn't work, though, and the bigger Malak is given a narrowed gaze. "These aren't your lands," he suddenly protests brazenly, "Auntie Aylin lives here." Sure, throw that name out. That'll work. "She doesn't like strangers either." In truth, he has /no/ idea about his grandfather's sister... but figuring since Kein said she was kinda' mean, well, maybe it'll scare Malak? ._.'
Aunty Aylin?! Waaaaait a minute. Narrowing his eyes as he looks at the boy, Malak tries to figure out when, and how, Aylin became 'Aunty Aylin' to this cub. It doesn't take him long, though. Malak has not encountered Azriel in a long time but, finally. He realizes who 'Az' is. Moonseeker's tormentor, the father of the male who controls the lands to the south, and Aylin's brother. All the same cougar. Months ago, Malak might have taken this information and gone hunting for the male who he once said he would teach a lesson. Now, Malak stands his ground. He has not seen Moonseeker in an even longer time than it has been since he last saw Azriel. It no longer seems as worth it to defend who he no longer really thinks of as his female by attacking a cougar he now knows is Aylin's brother. Fighting, hard, to push this new information from his mind for the time being, he gives the boy a vicious smile. "Aylin likes anyone who brings her food or warms her fur." Just, please, don't let her overhear that. It was so hard for them to reach the cease fire they've obtained. "Since I'm not too keen on the latter, and since, as you pointed out, she might not like me being here, maybe I ought to do the former. I wonder if she would mind, terribly, if the food I brought her was her... 'nephew'." Even Malak would not stoop so low as to eat another cougar, but this boy does not have to know that.
Cael snorts at Malak, finding himself less and less afriad of this creepy male that's blocking his retreat home, to Amaranth. The bolder he gets, though, the more fear he should have for his life. While Malak is a little more than peeved at not having succeded in his hunt, Cael doesn't really know just how far this cougar will go for a meal. Still, the youth pinches his eyes and glances furtively around for Auntie Aylin, or, better yet, Kein, but eventually concedes he has to keep his eyes pinned on Malak. "She'd eat you, instead." Huffsnort.
Malak laughs, a particularly unpleasant sound coming from the large male. "You have a lot to learn, boy." He'll get to learn it, though. Malak never intended to kill the young male, since he really does not want this one's parents coming after him. "Let's see if we can't find 'Aunty Aylin' and she can't help me teach it to you." Malak punctuates that by finally taking a few steps closer to Cael, fully expecting the boy to run as he does, and prepared for it.
While dear aunt Aylin isn't around her growing daughter is. Naira peers out from the bushes she had been sleeping in, ears perking forward as she catches the voices with her bright gaze. With her tail slowly twitching she stays put, choosing to see what ever she can get out of the conversation. She's being all sneaky just like her mother would want!
Malak's laugh causes Cael's throat to ripple in a low growl, but it's not much in comparrison. His jaw sets in a mixture of aggression and fear, and the fur at the base of his tail pops until it stands on end. Cael's claws, while small, splay as far as they can from his pads as his paws move him further and further back with wary, uneasy steps. He tries to keep the gap between he and Malak the same, but the bigger male's steps make it difficult. He doesn't know where to go, so he continues to move backward without knowing what he's going to run into. He doesn't bolt, as Malak expects. Maybe, though smaller, he can out mauever him, somehow?
The nearby female cub is being plenty sneaky. Malak hasn't noticed her presence, probably because he is so focused on the male ahead of him. He doesn't allow Cael to regain the distance that Malak took, though. Indeed, it is only a few steps before Malak rushes the boy. Whether he actually intends to make contact with Cael... Well, even he hasn't decided that, yet. He'd prefer to avoid what he is sure sharp claws and teeth, even though there's no doubt that he could, ultimately, beat this young cougar. He does keep it in his mind that he cannot harm Cael, at least too badly, and if Malak winds up bleeding, he'll be awfully tempted to do just that.
Naira blinks at the sudden sight of Cael moving backwards and the larger cougar moving forward. She is very unsure what to do at the moment and wiggles about on her paws, her tail lashing once. Her forepaws shift, claws gripping at the ground a moment before she lets out a sudden rowl into the air to try and show that there /is/ someone else around, but she tries not to show herself. The youngester shifts then and creeps away from the place she was suddenly hidding to move to a new spot, though what she doesn't know is that she is moving toward the spot that Cael just happens to back up towards.
Backupbackupbackupbackup... CHAAAARGE! Cael's pace quickens with Malak's, but then the other male rushes forward and, for some reason, Cael mimics him. He doesn't know that Malak doesn't really intend to harm him, so without the bravado and stupidity that a young boy can muster, he dashes straight toward the long legs and larges paws that could surely do some /major/ damage. He aims for the middle, hoping upon all hope he'll surprise Malak just enough to squeak by unscatched and escape into the underbrush. His heart skips a beat when he hears yet /another/ cougar voice their opinion in the matter, but he doesn't have time to look around for who it might be. The big claws looming larger at his face are foremost on his mind.
Malak catches the sound of the other young cougar, but he does not take his eyes off of the boy. And, as Cael foolishly charges toward him, Malak swipes viciously out ahead of him, with a mind toward knocking the boy off course rather than laying him open, though Malak's claws /are/ unsheathed. That's all he has time to do, though, and should Cael manage to keep his feet under him and continue running, Malak will allow him. This has taken up enough of his time already, and now there is another young cougar about. He doesn't know whether it's one of this boy's siblings or one of Aylin's, though he entertains both possibilities.
Naira eyes widen as she watches what happens before her.. Oh dear.. This is /not/ good. She wiggles about on her paws seemingly unsure about what to do at the moment. The young feline soon shifts to poke her head out and watch both adult and boy cougar to see what else maye happen.
He's not fast enough. Cael feels the heavy paw connect with his side, claw tips punctuating the hit with a little extra bite. It's certainly not fatal, but he's going to be bruised for a while. Kein is probably going to notice little tufts of cubby fur missing, too. The boy is sent spiraling to the side, tumbling head over paws into the bushes smack straight into the circus observer. At first he doesn't notice Naira, but as he uncurls from his head and blinks bleary eyes, the girl-cub's face he's nose to nose with becomes clear. Blink. Hey! He'd say something, really, but he's a little confused. He's lost track of Malak, but the bigger cougar will surely find the two of them shortly. Bleh.
Malak spins to face the boy in time to see him tumbling, and the sight pleases Malak. He begins moving again, not directly toward Cael, but rather to the north of Cael, where he stops again. Yes, as far as Malak is concerned, this is over, and should the boy work up the nerve to try to face Malak again instead of turning tail and running back to home, and safety, Malak will give a go as chasing the boy off. If that doesn't work, though, or if the boy isn't so stupid as to try to face Malak again, the adult male will head back off toward his home, and hopefully find some prey along the way. At least this encounter has soothed him enough that he actually will be able to keep his mind on watching out for prey again.
Naira maw twitches while she takes in a breath and just eyes her cousin faintly a few moments before she glances towards the adult male once more. She seems rather relaxed as the other starts to leave at least.. Well things are looking up! Right?..
Gurgle. Wobbly, Cael rolls to his stomach and tries to orient himself, blue eyes trailing to catch Malak's backend before he disappears behind some of the deeper parts of the woods. He doesn't know if he's gone for good, but Cael doesn't feel like taking any chances. He'll hunker down here, in the bushes, before venturing out anywhere near Malak. Who knows? The big bully might chase him all the way home. As it is, Cael doesn't feel up to running just yet. His nose flares as he looks again at the girlcub. Well, he found her now! But he's not interested in the retribution for his previously stolen bug. Right now, passing out feels like a very good idea o.o.
No. Malak may be bold, but he is not so foolish as to approach Amaranth again for some time. The boy can find his way on his own, or else his parents can come out here and find him. It makes no difference to Malak, as long as it keeps them occupied long enough for him to make his calculated retreat and be left alone. Before long, he is out of hearing range of the boy and whoever the hiding cougar was.
Naira drops back down to her haunches within the bushes and eyes Cael a few moments, her ears flicking forward and back slightly. As to the bug? She can't even recall it at the moment. Mostly because she /really/ didn't eat it mind you. With the adult cougar gone she doesn't seem to worried about anything at the moment.
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Heading away from the lake means moving into the woods where trees stand in varying stages of growth. The older trees are taller and reach to the sky while the smaller and younger trees struggle upwards towards that same light. Along the ground are bits of broken tree limbs and different types of shrubs and other vegetation staking their claim on whatever sunlight they can find and keep. Leaves rustle and grasses wave in the breezes that occasionally come through this area, though most of the surrounding air is fairly mild compared to some areas. However, when winter or a large storm hits, this wooded area offers protection to all creatures who can make their way to safety. The flow of melted snow from the south continues down the gentle slope towards the north, emptying into the nearby lake.
=================================== Exits ===================================
[Into] a Den [North] to the Lake
[South] to the Highlands [Southwest] to the Grove
[West] to the Stone Formations
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[IC] Naira
[IC] Cael
[IC] Malak
[IC] Azriel
Malak has not come to the south of the lake in a long time. He has had no reason to. Even now that he and Aylin have... Stopped being at each others throats when they meet, he has no reason to venture too close to the cougar tribe he knows is in the area. Until today. For whatever reason, he has not had very much luck hunting this week, and the scent of deer was too enticing to pass up, even when it led him past the scent markings of another male. malak is cautious, and he travels silently, but it was worth the risk if it means he can easily make a large catch and drag it back off to unclaimed territory, so he will not have to defend it against another male.
There is something to be said for a young boy listening to his father. Cael does this, occasionally, but at the moment with Kein out on patrol and Nayeli otherwise occupied with his siblings, the eldest boy's inner voice urges him in a slightly more disobedient direction. He's explored quite a bit and gone on many patrols with his father, and Amaranth's territory is more and more familiar to him. Cael remembers the encounter with the bug eating female from his supposed Aunty Aylin, and is intent on finding her. He doesn't pick up any smells, but he moves swiftly and much less silently than an older male would. Twigs break and leaves scatter, but despite the danger he's put himself in Cael feels alive... danger will do that. His blood is pumping, excited, wild, thrilled, scared. Kein will be mad, undoubtedly, but the adventure calling him is undeniable.
The sounds of twigs snapping cause Malak to stop moving, but they do not cause him any concern. Such sounds are not those of an angered male cougar coming to see why another male is trespassing in his territory. They are the sounds of the young and inexperienced. The sounds of food. Hunger causes Malak to move more quickly than he might otherwise. Had it not been days since his last large meal, he might have held back long enough for a breeze to tell him that the nearby, and approaching, creature is a fellow cougar, even if it's only a miniature one. Malak /is/ hungry, though, and so, as the sounds get closer, Malak leaps forward into a sprint before whatever is approaching him can caatch his scent and grow nervous. His large paws make more noise as they hit the ground, but there are no other sounds from the adult cougar as he closes in on what he thinks is a meal.
It takes him a minute, a minute to register something just a hair different from what the forest was like before. Before it was just the trees, and the startled rushing of birds and squirrels from his hunt, but now there's something bigger than that and it's getting louder. Cael's large ears swivel forward, narrowed eyes widening slightly at the hint, the edge of danger dancing around his senses. His pace faulters, stumbles and slows, and his face twists into a frightened, fearsome grimace. Cael growls, hisses, and his eyes dart through the trees, looking...
Only seconds before Malak actually catches sight of his intended target, he manages to hear the hissing and growling over the sounds of his own pawfalls and beating heart. The second of warning, before the small couagr is in sight, allows Malak to stop without tumbling or running into the smaller cougar, but when he stops, he is just inches from where Cael was when he began hissing. If the smaller cougar doesn't move, Malak could simply reach out, grab him, and have his meal, even if it would be one of his own kind. Though the short sprint was hardly enough to leave him winded, his quickened heart rate and hunger have him tempted to do just that, and he stares at the young cougar, teeth bared in a silent snarl as he tries to relax enough that he can continue to remind himself that eating a cub whose mother may very well be Aylin is a bad idea. Certainly, a worse idea than eating a stranger's cub, but even eating a stranger's cub would be none too wise.
The crash in front of him is echoed by the boy with a shakey frightened growl. Cael flinches from the larger male, a cougar that is definately not his father, and backpedals as quickly as he can without stumbling. Something is very strange about Malak. The scent that came with him is familiar, but he doesn't know why, and its confusing him, adding to that sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. There is a tightness in his chest that clenches down as he issues another defensive hiss, ears glued to the back of his head. He knows, he remembers, Kein had told him to find one of them if he met a stranger; but this stranger is bigger, and both his parents are far from the woods.
As Malak continues to stare at Cael, he asks himself whether this could, in fact, be one of Aylin's cubs. It seems the right age, and Malak thinks she may have had at least one boy, but... While this is not too far into Amaranth, not too far from where he last knew Aylin was staying, the cub does not have any of Aylin's scent on him, so... Probably not. Well. Keeping his ears perked to try to hear whether anyone is coming to save the frightened boy, Malak opens his mouth to speak. "Stop that noise." His voice is quiet, but there is the hint of a growl in it. He doesn't hear anyone approaching yet, but that could change if this young cougar makes enough noise.
The noise stops, almost instantly; Malak seems to have the same low and dangerous tone to his voice that Kein can sometimes have when he wants his children to do something. Cael is accustomed to this, but that does not mean he appreciates it. While he should be fleeing for his life, he only manages to slowly back away from the older male, lips still pulled back in silent and aggressive fear. His tail lashes through the air behind him, but he doesn't say anything. His body is being brazen enough and Cael doesn't need his mouth pitching in.
Malak does not want to have to fight the male that controls this territory, and anyone else who might come to defend this boy. It was risky enough, coming here to get himself a meal. His scent could have been followed out of Amaranth. Still, it's only food, and he doubts anyone would fight for it, after he was outside of Amaranth again. If he made off with this cub, though, he would almost definitely be pursued, as he might be just for having let this boy seen him. It's an uncomfortable position, and, in an attempt to not have to fight over something so stupid, Malak threatens. "You're alive only by my good will. Tell anyone you've seen me, and that will change." In other words, Cael should think twice before sending his mother or father after the big scary stranger.
Considering the trouble he'd be in, or will be in when Kein finds him gone (again), Cael is unlikely to voice his opinion on the creepy dude he's just come across. He manages to untwist his face, though his body remains tense and low to the ground. Malak's harsh words cause the boy to wrinkle his face, but he bites his tongue and the remark on the tip of it. This one is mean. Cael pauses, considers his options, and manages a harsh, "/Fine/," and backpeddles again, wary.
Malak can't say he likes the boy's tone, and while it might be tempting to teach the young cougar a lesson in how to address his superiors more respectfully, Malak /is/ still trespassing in an unknown male's territory, and there is still the risk associated with that. Already, he won't be sticking around to find that meal he wanted, so it is best to wrap this up quickly. "Get out of here now, before I change my mind." Though Malak does not want the fight that would result from him being found here by any adult cougar, he scarcely has it in him to be apologetic, and he has no qualms about giving orders to anyone perceived as weaker than he is, even while in another male's territory.
Cael isn't appreciative of Malak at all, not in the slightest, but he has stopped his backwards momentum. The boy lifts his head, indignantly, bravely, stupidly against the bigger male, one that definately doesn't smell of Amaranth, not even a hint, and sets his jaw. His brazen youth just screams to tell him off, but his survival instinct is, thankfully, stronger. Cael's mission to this border outskirt has been sidetracked, but that doesn't mean he wants to flee home to Kein. Not yet. He wants to know what's going on. Maybe that mean girl cub from before is related? Maybe she knows. Pfeh. Malak is given a wary, narrowed gaze before Cael picks up his paws to try and circle around the other male, further away from the heart of his home.
For a moment, Malak is angered by the young male's attempts to skirt around him. Then his sadistic nature takes hold. So he won't teach the boy a lesson just here. If he should allow the boy to go in the direction he wants to go, though, instead of chasing the youth deeper into Amaranth for his stupidity... And should the boy cross the border that is not terribly far to the north... Malak doesn't try to hide his vicious grin. He gave his warning, let the boy know exactly what was expected of him, and now, with not another word, Malak turns to head back to the north. Unlike when he was stalking into the area, he travels, now, at a fast enough pace to make a little noise. Not much, but it is clear that he is leaving. That is, right up until he reaches that scent marker that told him he was trespassing, crosses it, and then stops, to listen and try to determine whether the boy finally wised up and disappeared back into his father's territory, or whether he continued on whatever path he had previously set.
While he moves at a shallow diagonal, Cael keeps his attention on Malak. That is, until the male turns and disappears to the north, and the boy shoots a triumphant, arrogant grin at the stranger's hindend. Ha! Having chased off a stranger from his father's territory, Cael belives his adventure is warrented to continue unhindered. Malak is forgotten, though that strangely familiar smell that accompanied him still wafts across his nose every so often, and the growing boy is content to search for that other cub from evil Aunty Aylin. His eyes scrutinize the trees, the ferns, but he slows his progress north, significantly, holding himself at the edge of Amaranth, Kein's scent strong. Mm. Crossroads.
Malak is not far from that border, likely only thirty or forty feet from where the young cougar is now, though not directly north of him, if Malak has judged correctly. The sounds of movement stopped, even though they are still wholly within the forest, and there is still plenty of cover on the ground that could cause a youthful animal to make unintended noise. Of course, Malak isn't certain that he expected the young cougar to leave Amaranth territory, but part of him was looking forward to addressing the young cougar without being concerned about being in hostile territory. While he may not normally be prone to bullying, the hunger and irritation at being thrown off his hunt by the encounter with the entirely too bold youth have him more that willing to take out his aggression on something much smaller than he is.
He'd remained around the outskirts of his sister and her children but had stayed mainly or at least mostly out of their lives. The male skirts the outskirts of his sons territory now, set on finding something to eat for the evening. His nose picks up the random scent of a male he was familiar with, a smell that peeked his curiosity and causes the neon eyed male to hesitate in his tracks. What was Malak doing wandering around the Amaranth.. Azriel glances ahead of himself before moving away from his path and heading silently in the direction of the other. As he nears, a different thought somehow familiar smell glides over his nose and Azriel pauses a safe distance away, ears tuned forwards to listen as he hunkers down in the brush.
For a while Cael doesn't do anything, simply letting his eyes scan across the dense foliage, squinting to the north where it grows a little less dense. His ears roll forward, to the side, then back around again as he searches for a clue to his mission. He pauses, considering Malak's position, figuring that he probably disappeared, and the lingering memory around him. Cael shakes his head, ridding himself of the thought, and chuffs away his confusion, beling his position. Slowly, he settles low to the ground and creeps as delicately as he can north, leaving the relative saftey of the border line, on a recon mission for the girl cub. Azriel's presence is unknown.
It is no wonder that Azriel's presence goes unnoticed by Cael. Even with Malak listening intently, he does not realize that another large male has arrived. What he does realize is that Cael is continuing to move, and his grin widens. Instead of rushing after the boy, he begins traveling slowly east, intending to place himself directly between Cael and Amaranth. Like earlier, when he was hunting, his steps are quiet, falling with almost no sound at all.
Azriel can hear as a smaller creature moves towards the north and only because he knows he's there can Azriel barely gasp Malak's move to the east. Ears twitch and the male realizes what the other is doing. Azriel remains crouched where he is however, ears rotating and a milding amused glint in his green eyes. Azriel was fine with taking some time off in the day to get a little entertainment from a different source then himself. He debates moving closer though for now, waits and listens.
Quite a stretch of time goes by where Cael is oblivious, meandering with his nose to the ground, ears lifted to the sky, searching for any hint of Aylin's daughter. Nothing, though. Certainly Malak and Azriel, hidden as they are, have had enough time to know what Cael is doing, or, not doing. His eyes are narrowed as he lifts his head and glances around, suddenly quite lost and unable to pick up Kein's last scent marker. He chuffs, this time annoyed at himself, and turns in a tight circle looking for something familiar. A low, irritated growl escapes the boy cub, the boy cub who has been increasingly growing in attitude today, and his tail lashes as he frantically looks for the right way /home/.
Once Malak is directly south of Cael, he does not waste much more time, or try to hide his presence. Rather, he moves a little faster, and when Cael begins to trun around, Malak spots him between some trees. The waiting between when Cael first scraped Malak's nerves and now have lessened his desire to physically harm the cub, but he still appears plenty threatening. "You're a long way from home now." A long way for a cub, anyway. Unsheathing his claws, Malak scratches through the dirt easily in a bored gesture. Like the hiding, observing Azriel, part of this is entertainment, instead of being entirely retribution.
Cael's backpaws sound a quick retreat, three of four paces away from Malak and, subsequently, away from Amaranth. He'd thought he'd been told to leave, and leave he did. Malak didn't specify a direction, or manner in which to leave, and Cael figured /his/ way was good enough. His chest is tight as he sucks in a breath, and nervous deep blue eyes scan the forest. Assuming he is alive after this, Kein will kill him anyway. "So're you," the boy manages to throw back, not quite confident, not quite at volume, and as he spies Malak's claws he backpeddles again.
"Wrong." Malak advances the distance that Cael retreated, but no further. "I'm far from /your/ home, but not from /my/ home." The growl is a little stronger now than it was within Amaranth, and Malak adds, "Guess which of the two you're nearer to, now." It's not entirely a lie. Theoretically, all of the territory in the area that is not already claimed could be his home, even if, in reality, Malak rarely ventures this far south, this close to Amaranth.
The distance between them is still unnervingly close, and Cael doesn't like this at all. His eyes flit to the left, and right, trying to find something that'll give him an out. Malak is too big to take, too long legged to outrun, and too /old/ to outwit. The boy grimances, but does not direct any overt anger Malak's way. He doesn't know what the other's intentions are, but all this strikes a chord in the boy. Little does he remember it was this one's brother who took him from his parents when he was barely able to walk. Inadvertantly, his own claws slip from his pads and grip the soil, ready to flee but not fight.
Malak doesn't even know that his own brother once had an encounter with this boy. As Cael says nothing, Malak keeps his position. He can see the hints that Cael is getting ready to run, and with his current mood, this is simply too fun to have end quickly. "Speak up, boy. Surely, you know better than to ignore your superiors." If not, he'll learn.
Superiors? The word causes the boy's features to twist in distaste, eyes looking Malak up and down, spanning that distance that somehow seems to grow shorter even though neither of them has moved an inch. His father, sure, his mother, most definately, but this one? Cael's tail lashes behind him in irritation, in youthful arrogance, and he wrinkles his nose. "I ignore strangers," he manages to squeak up, trying to put some fire behind his voice but it still comes out a little squeakier than he had intended. Still, the boy draws himself up to his full height, somewhat impressive for his age, but he can't help feel dwarfed by Malak. "You're a stranger." Case in point. Ignored.
"And you are slow. Out here, away from your family, /you/ are the stranger. And I /don't/ ignore strangers." Malak remains between Cael and Amaranth, not wanting to lose his toy, this outlet for his aggression, just yet. Luckily for them both, though, possibly, Malak is content with verbal bullying for now, somehow satisfied by the squeaking in the boy's voice that just makes his attempt to look big and confident all the more hilarious.
"That's nice," Cael shoots back, ears folding back until they're barely visible behind his head. What he wouldn't /give/ for his father to come charging through the trees just now. Oh, wait, no, not so much. If he can get out of this without Kein knowing a drop of what happened, all the better. The boy takes in another deep breath and holds it until his lungs feel like bursting, trying to rid himself of that uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. It doesn't work, though, and the bigger Malak is given a narrowed gaze. "These aren't your lands," he suddenly protests brazenly, "Auntie Aylin lives here." Sure, throw that name out. That'll work. "She doesn't like strangers either." In truth, he has /no/ idea about his grandfather's sister... but figuring since Kein said she was kinda' mean, well, maybe it'll scare Malak? ._.'
Aunty Aylin?! Waaaaait a minute. Narrowing his eyes as he looks at the boy, Malak tries to figure out when, and how, Aylin became 'Aunty Aylin' to this cub. It doesn't take him long, though. Malak has not encountered Azriel in a long time but, finally. He realizes who 'Az' is. Moonseeker's tormentor, the father of the male who controls the lands to the south, and Aylin's brother. All the same cougar. Months ago, Malak might have taken this information and gone hunting for the male who he once said he would teach a lesson. Now, Malak stands his ground. He has not seen Moonseeker in an even longer time than it has been since he last saw Azriel. It no longer seems as worth it to defend who he no longer really thinks of as his female by attacking a cougar he now knows is Aylin's brother. Fighting, hard, to push this new information from his mind for the time being, he gives the boy a vicious smile. "Aylin likes anyone who brings her food or warms her fur." Just, please, don't let her overhear that. It was so hard for them to reach the cease fire they've obtained. "Since I'm not too keen on the latter, and since, as you pointed out, she might not like me being here, maybe I ought to do the former. I wonder if she would mind, terribly, if the food I brought her was her... 'nephew'." Even Malak would not stoop so low as to eat another cougar, but this boy does not have to know that.
Cael snorts at Malak, finding himself less and less afriad of this creepy male that's blocking his retreat home, to Amaranth. The bolder he gets, though, the more fear he should have for his life. While Malak is a little more than peeved at not having succeded in his hunt, Cael doesn't really know just how far this cougar will go for a meal. Still, the youth pinches his eyes and glances furtively around for Auntie Aylin, or, better yet, Kein, but eventually concedes he has to keep his eyes pinned on Malak. "She'd eat you, instead." Huffsnort.
Malak laughs, a particularly unpleasant sound coming from the large male. "You have a lot to learn, boy." He'll get to learn it, though. Malak never intended to kill the young male, since he really does not want this one's parents coming after him. "Let's see if we can't find 'Aunty Aylin' and she can't help me teach it to you." Malak punctuates that by finally taking a few steps closer to Cael, fully expecting the boy to run as he does, and prepared for it.
While dear aunt Aylin isn't around her growing daughter is. Naira peers out from the bushes she had been sleeping in, ears perking forward as she catches the voices with her bright gaze. With her tail slowly twitching she stays put, choosing to see what ever she can get out of the conversation. She's being all sneaky just like her mother would want!
Malak's laugh causes Cael's throat to ripple in a low growl, but it's not much in comparrison. His jaw sets in a mixture of aggression and fear, and the fur at the base of his tail pops until it stands on end. Cael's claws, while small, splay as far as they can from his pads as his paws move him further and further back with wary, uneasy steps. He tries to keep the gap between he and Malak the same, but the bigger male's steps make it difficult. He doesn't know where to go, so he continues to move backward without knowing what he's going to run into. He doesn't bolt, as Malak expects. Maybe, though smaller, he can out mauever him, somehow?
The nearby female cub is being plenty sneaky. Malak hasn't noticed her presence, probably because he is so focused on the male ahead of him. He doesn't allow Cael to regain the distance that Malak took, though. Indeed, it is only a few steps before Malak rushes the boy. Whether he actually intends to make contact with Cael... Well, even he hasn't decided that, yet. He'd prefer to avoid what he is sure sharp claws and teeth, even though there's no doubt that he could, ultimately, beat this young cougar. He does keep it in his mind that he cannot harm Cael, at least too badly, and if Malak winds up bleeding, he'll be awfully tempted to do just that.
Naira blinks at the sudden sight of Cael moving backwards and the larger cougar moving forward. She is very unsure what to do at the moment and wiggles about on her paws, her tail lashing once. Her forepaws shift, claws gripping at the ground a moment before she lets out a sudden rowl into the air to try and show that there /is/ someone else around, but she tries not to show herself. The youngester shifts then and creeps away from the place she was suddenly hidding to move to a new spot, though what she doesn't know is that she is moving toward the spot that Cael just happens to back up towards.
Backupbackupbackupbackup... CHAAAARGE! Cael's pace quickens with Malak's, but then the other male rushes forward and, for some reason, Cael mimics him. He doesn't know that Malak doesn't really intend to harm him, so without the bravado and stupidity that a young boy can muster, he dashes straight toward the long legs and larges paws that could surely do some /major/ damage. He aims for the middle, hoping upon all hope he'll surprise Malak just enough to squeak by unscatched and escape into the underbrush. His heart skips a beat when he hears yet /another/ cougar voice their opinion in the matter, but he doesn't have time to look around for who it might be. The big claws looming larger at his face are foremost on his mind.
Malak catches the sound of the other young cougar, but he does not take his eyes off of the boy. And, as Cael foolishly charges toward him, Malak swipes viciously out ahead of him, with a mind toward knocking the boy off course rather than laying him open, though Malak's claws /are/ unsheathed. That's all he has time to do, though, and should Cael manage to keep his feet under him and continue running, Malak will allow him. This has taken up enough of his time already, and now there is another young cougar about. He doesn't know whether it's one of this boy's siblings or one of Aylin's, though he entertains both possibilities.
Naira eyes widen as she watches what happens before her.. Oh dear.. This is /not/ good. She wiggles about on her paws seemingly unsure about what to do at the moment. The young feline soon shifts to poke her head out and watch both adult and boy cougar to see what else maye happen.
He's not fast enough. Cael feels the heavy paw connect with his side, claw tips punctuating the hit with a little extra bite. It's certainly not fatal, but he's going to be bruised for a while. Kein is probably going to notice little tufts of cubby fur missing, too. The boy is sent spiraling to the side, tumbling head over paws into the bushes smack straight into the circus observer. At first he doesn't notice Naira, but as he uncurls from his head and blinks bleary eyes, the girl-cub's face he's nose to nose with becomes clear. Blink. Hey! He'd say something, really, but he's a little confused. He's lost track of Malak, but the bigger cougar will surely find the two of them shortly. Bleh.
Malak spins to face the boy in time to see him tumbling, and the sight pleases Malak. He begins moving again, not directly toward Cael, but rather to the north of Cael, where he stops again. Yes, as far as Malak is concerned, this is over, and should the boy work up the nerve to try to face Malak again instead of turning tail and running back to home, and safety, Malak will give a go as chasing the boy off. If that doesn't work, though, or if the boy isn't so stupid as to try to face Malak again, the adult male will head back off toward his home, and hopefully find some prey along the way. At least this encounter has soothed him enough that he actually will be able to keep his mind on watching out for prey again.
Naira maw twitches while she takes in a breath and just eyes her cousin faintly a few moments before she glances towards the adult male once more. She seems rather relaxed as the other starts to leave at least.. Well things are looking up! Right?..
Gurgle. Wobbly, Cael rolls to his stomach and tries to orient himself, blue eyes trailing to catch Malak's backend before he disappears behind some of the deeper parts of the woods. He doesn't know if he's gone for good, but Cael doesn't feel like taking any chances. He'll hunker down here, in the bushes, before venturing out anywhere near Malak. Who knows? The big bully might chase him all the way home. As it is, Cael doesn't feel up to running just yet. His nose flares as he looks again at the girlcub. Well, he found her now! But he's not interested in the retribution for his previously stolen bug. Right now, passing out feels like a very good idea o.o.
No. Malak may be bold, but he is not so foolish as to approach Amaranth again for some time. The boy can find his way on his own, or else his parents can come out here and find him. It makes no difference to Malak, as long as it keeps them occupied long enough for him to make his calculated retreat and be left alone. Before long, he is out of hearing range of the boy and whoever the hiding cougar was.
Naira drops back down to her haunches within the bushes and eyes Cael a few moments, her ears flicking forward and back slightly. As to the bug? She can't even recall it at the moment. Mostly because she /really/ didn't eat it mind you. With the adult cougar gone she doesn't seem to worried about anything at the moment.