;; "that ain't my jewelry on our joint account"

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The best part about meeting another tiger wasn’t actually that Agrona had realized that she wasn’t alone, but more importantly, that she’d stolen a kiss from him and had been able to watch him walk around in the same fashion that a human male would have enjoyed watching someone with a nicely sized caboose saltz on by. 

After her paws had rested, the white tiger of the tundra had only one thing in mind. Hunting. It had been on her mind ever since Kuhn had been kind enough to offer her some tips. She’d always enjoyed deer and moose, but caribou? Mm, caribou was something new, and she just had to have it. And while it would have been nice to go hunting with Kuhn, he had been called away days ago, and she hadn’t seen him since, which meant she was left to hunt the fuzzy antler’d deer on her own. 

After stalking and slaying her kill, Agrona had dragged the fresh kill through the lands of Tsukiishi, leaving a lovely trail of blood in her wake, as she would finally come to a stop within a very lovely garden. Oh! What a lovely spot to have dinner. So she’d drag the caribou through the flowers and plop down in the middle of the garden to enjoy her meal as she looked over the horizon, by herself. ^^

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Seeing the trail of blood from Tsukiishi going out toward the gardens was enough to be concerning to the crimson girl. She had heard of a similar occurrence happening before she had joined the pack, and now it was happening all over again? While on the trail she had given a call for their current guardians @Tiberius and @Antares, to bring this to their attention as she would continue to follow the trail outward. 

She was being bold to follow the trail... but cautious all the while as well. She wanted to know who did this, without really confronting them if talking to them wouldn't work right away. With her nose on high alert, pointed ears tall and listening to every little sound - she'd follow the trail on quiet paws, avoiding the reddish hues of the snow so it didn't stain her paws.

“You... really shouldn't be hunting on our lands.” She'd call out to the pale, striped figure. She looked just like that other cat who wandered in through their borders with the troublesome female, but this one was white. As though all that brilliant colour the other guy was coated in was stripped away. Sachiko wouldn't approach this feline, but instead, call out to them from a comfortable distance. Confident that she could outrun this beast should it turn sour.

Shiroshika has had their fair share of trouble lately, they didn't need an intruder hunting on their lands unwelcome as well.

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When the call to alarm went up, Antares was returning from prowling abroad--a half-hunt, half-patrol. Considering the sheer volume of things wrong, he couldn't focus on just one task out there to wherever his feet would carry. Though most of all, he was really hoping he could redeem himself an ounce and find the vanishing prince. But, here nor there, that call kicked his heels and had him closing in across the garden. His nostrils flaring over the smell of blood and something strange quickly validated the choice.

He saw why soon, instantly spiking up his hackles and stiffening his neck. This was absolutely the last thing they needed now. Definitely the last thing he felt like he needed. Already tense, tired, and pent up from the last long while, he was not feeling very hospitable--and especially not to some cat on their garden. And, what a strange-looking one, of course. His teeth set tighter, naturally wondering where it plucked that caribou from, too. Seemingly from right under their noses. Probably close enough to make him annoyed, anyway. Now it didn't help that it was looking to get comfortable here after.

His tail was stiff and the stare he locked on the striped beast was poisonous to drive home the point. “Or loitering on them after,” he barked out to join her piece as he headed over towards Sachiko's side, hoping to face the tiger together from there.

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Big cats, especially cougars, and bears were something that, as a wolf, Agrona had been familiar with. She had come to know to avoid them, because they always seemed so hostile towards wolves. This being the second hostile encounter with a pack of mongrels, Agrona was slowly starting to see why all of the other larger predators had become so aggressive towards wolves. It was an odd feeling, truly, to come to this decision; this feeling of an almost self hate. She had harmed no wolf; had brought no threat to them, and yet..

… yet they were so anal about hunting on their land to the point that she could not linger after. All she’d wanted to do was have dinner with a nice view, and here they came, barkin’ their rules. She understood fear; she was larger than them and it would take many of them to subdue her, should she grow aggressive, and yet… this wasn’t fear.

One had come, and oh, she called for her friends. How nice. It wasn’t nice, it was downright annoying, and Agrona wondered for a moment how Kuhn managed to deal with any of them without slaughtering them on sight. The tip of her tail flickered in mild annoyance, pondering just to ignore them to enjoy her meal, not that she could annoy it with them pestering her, but surely, they were wise enough not to attack for no reason.

Agrona decided that ignoring them would not be wise, however, as she didn’t know how large this pack was, and she would hate to be outnumbered over the smallest of misunderstandings. She would, however, take a bite out of her meal and come to slowly pat at the spot beside her. She supposed it was her turn to speak, unless even more showed up to interrupt her. She almost counted on it. “Would you care to join me for dinner?”

Agrona paused, and nosed the dinner that she’d brought, as if to offer it to them. You know, so that they knew she was suggesting that they dine with her and not… that she would eat them. “Please?” She’d offer, gently, unsure how she could gain their trust, if not through their bellies.^^

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The silver rose girl naturally gravitated toward Antares as he too approached not long after she had called for assistance. Thankful for his presence, she'd glance over at him briefly but not wanting to take her eyes off of the feline for very long and returned her attention to the striped woman once more.

Both the Shiroshikans were on edge. Antares more outwardly so than the swan girl. Where he was guarded, she was a little more frightened. Again she was face to face with such a huge creature, and once again she didn't want to fight them. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest as she struggled to keep calm... to take one breath at a time and steady her nerves.

Already she found herself missing the vale. The safety of the mountains surrounding them - the lack of large felines lurking, hunting on their grounds so willfully.

She shook her head at the cat's offer. “No thank you.” She breathed, still trying to remain somewhat friendly but stern. They had borders to keep safe, and even if the feline's beckoning stare that she didn't mean any harm, the fact was still; this feline was much larger, skilled, and even with two of them here now... she was beyond their abilities. “There are so many lands with plenty of prey miss tiger. Why do you hunt on ours?”

And clearly know not to remain as she dragged the carcass away from the hunting spot to their gardens. If she didn't mean any harm nor to cause concern... why would she act this way? 

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He generally didn't trust cats of all shapes and sizes, at least not until proven otherwise. As such, Antares didn't particularly care to make a habit of spending time with the feline sorts to let them convince him into that otherwise. Sight of them made him suspicious at best, and unnerved him at worse. He couldn't tell where he should fall for this one, but with tiredness egging him on, patience probably too short, and all of Shiroshika just a mere stone's throw away, it just made him prickly.

But at least it was not a bear, he thought distantly. He could stand to attempt to reason with anything short of a bear and he did feel better closer to Sachiko--and at a better point to run some type of interference should this cat try anything suspect, not that he was looking for that outcome of Antares vs. strange white tiger. Best to be prepared, in case though.

Still, the striped beast did not appear all that bothered by their presence, which sparked irritation beneath his skin. They didn't need this. Not at all. He breathed a brittle sigh, watching the cat take a pleasant bite. That, and the invitation was strange to him. “No thanks,” he grated, and let his packmate be the voice for the next piece--for he agreed wholly. He backed it up with a firm scowl and ugly stare. “Yeah, and wouldn't you much rather have your dinner without wolves watching?” the warrior added, trying to angle it for that route all while silently willing the foreign carnivore to just pack it up and go soon. Maybe if they were bothersome enough, she might.

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^^It did not and would not come as a shock to find that both canines rejected her peaceful offer of sharing a meal. She’d come to pout at each one of them with a long and deep sigh, though she knew trust was something to be earned and therefore, she wouldn’t let the rejection bother her, even if that handsome one was giving her the meanest of stares. At least the woman was polite though, and thus, Agrona smiled in her direction. “It would take many wolves to take down a caribou, whereas it takes only one of me. I thought I’d come introduce myself to the wolf pack that has a tiger within their kingdom. I also thought you would be more… acceptable to my species, given that there is another here, but I can see I was mistaken.”

She had also wanted to learn more of her species, but she wasn’t about to give such personal information to them, especially when it wasn’t their business, and when Sir Hot Stuff was trying to look his cutest meanest. She would turn her head to him with a delightful hum, as if she were an elderly old lady, looking at a piece of candy she shouldn’t be having. “Yes, I guess, but… I’ve always enjoyed a lovely view.” She’d wink at him, and then glance around. Plus, they had bothered her, after all, but she wasn’t going to point out the obvious.

“I can see that I’m not welcomed here.” Or anywhere; especially not as a tiger, and it seemed that she’d never make friends with such prejudice creatures. She pushed the caribou towards them as she’d found that her appreciate was no more.

She stood, slowly as she glanced around. “It’s a lovely home you have here.” Agrona smiled sadly and nodded, and boldly approached them - or rather, walked right by them, assuming they wouldn’t attack her. And if they had let her pass, she’d pause to look over her shoulder at them.

“The name’s Red. Maybe we’ll see each other again some day.”

Exit unless stopped.

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Well things were turning out pretty well Sachiko had to admit. It was scary, very scary as it only two took seconds and one wrong move to be left in the snow just like that caribou was - but so far the tiger didn't seem to be aggressive, or at least hiding it very well... Honestly, as much as the girl wanted to trust the feline, things lately were far too rough for them to blindly trust just about everyone and everything that talked nice to them for a little while after being caught literally red-handed. 

“I suggest that the next time you come and introduce yourself first by calling out to us. It would put us far less on edge than to follow a trail of blood.” What might seem obvious to them as it was their custom as a species to be more respectful of borders and be more... social? Vocal? Whatever separated felines and canines... it was apparently harder for her type as well as the other man's to know how to act around the more social creatures.

The two wolves complimented each other. Just as their coats were relatively opposites of one another, so were their tones. Sachiko was apprehensive but friendly, light and respectful in tone while making her point across; while Antares was stern. Focussed, and not willing to take any shit slung his way. Honestly, Sachiko couldn't have asked for a better partner than him in a time like this. 

She wouldn't stop the feline, now named Red, from leaving. Dejected maybe, but things worked out in a far more positive way for them all than Red might realize. “Hopefully next time it will be on more pleasant terms.” The girl would call out, hopeful that the tiger didn't feel too insulted or hated by their caution. “We will leave a part of the caribou here for you as well Red!” In a way accepting her offer to share the prey, just without eating it side by side like pack-mates would.

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He liked to think he contained it moderately well beneath the veneer of his ugly scowl, but he was very tense and painfully aware of his heartbeat. This good of a long look at the cat, the way muscles rippled with the smallest of motion, and the sheer size... yeah, it made rangy-shaped Antares feel particularly small all while outwardly projecting something else. He hoped he was managing that, anyway, and he listened.

On the whole, this was not escalating, somehow--thankfully. The wolves were being unwelcoming and the tiger did not push it, everything toeing a line of almost conversational, but he stayed coiled tight and tense. She revealed she had come here on peaceful terms, which was peculiar to him but maybe Reiko had some deal going on with the local felines...

He didn't want to have to tell the big cat that their empress was in limbo right now though.. so, more or less: “Yeah, now just really isn't a good time for us anyway.” he groused, less on edge about this blowing up at this point but clearly times were tense for Shiroshikans; the cat was looking to be on her way. But not without leaving her share, and keeping open a chance for a future. “Maybe.” he offered when all he could do was consider giving his name too, but opting to keep it for now. “Safe travels,” he tacked on, watching the striped predator move on past them; he'd never been so close and couldn't help but flare his nostrils, half anxious and all curious. He let her go on several lengths before he turned and flung Sachiko with an owlish what was that?? expression, absolutely ready to carry on past this.

It was too soon for him to be entirely relieved, but it was a start on the next heavy exhale of a sigh. He gave a small shake of his coat, trying to settle, but he still couldn't help glancing the tiger's way a few more times. Just being sure..

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