buck

-shrugs at whatever this post is-
all welcome for velaris!

---

He had come to a near upsetting (if he could ever use such a word for himself) realization over the last few days.

The bulk of creatures gathered here seemed...young. Which meant he was oldest, if he guessed rightly so. Now they did not seem to be yearlings pretending to be rulers, but still they clung to youth in their fresh adulthood.

Prvak shrouded himself deeper among the mountain slopes.

Was it embarrassment that had rooted within his gut? Uncertainty of his status?

No, he had seemed...wanted. Not a burden, not looked upon as an old man — which he was not, but how could he not feel it?

Perhaps that was why he threw himself further into work among the drizzly peaks of the Roost. A patrol in a prowling pattern where he figured none would wish to bother the 'oldest' member.

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Cuchumaquic is not supposed to be here; fully expecting him to be swiftly kicked the f out

---

The jaguar had become the large equivalent of a cat stuck in a tree.

The spotted predator had slipped from his forested grounds within the Moving Garden into the mountains. He had done it while following the scent of another animal. It had been something he thought was feline, but as he cleared the mountain pass, he found himself almost overwhelmed with the distinct flavour of canine.

And it was when one rounded the corner of a pathway he had just been on when he hid. There was no tree to climb, so Cuchumaquic slipped off the path downward and under a set of large rocks.

His smell was obvious. But he was silent. His nose and ears were set to high alert, listening for footsteps, hoping that the stranger would merely pass him by.

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Something sharp and warm against his sense, misplaced among the markers and the swell of mountainous scents.

Feline, but with marks of a kind unlike any he had ever encountered. The largest problem he encountered in this was the fact that it could not immediately be spotted among the slopes.

Prvak was smart enough to know that if the feline already saw him first, he was as good as dead. Some part of him braced to be swept down the mountain in an ugly tumble. A cougar, a bobcat, whatever it may be.

He prowled with thick heavy steps driven by purpose now once more. He did not know that he was about to walk right over where the beast had hid itself away. He only followed the thickest parts of the scent he could find...

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A smarter cat would have simply stayed hidden. A smarter cat would not have gotten himself stuck here at all. Yet there he was, an animal meant for prowling the wet forests below that sat at the borders of a wolf pack.

He was too delighted by his concealment, too ready to measure the distance between wolf and cat by way of sound. The jaguar listened, and the canine drew tantalizingly close. It was impossible to tell from such sounds whether the creature was small or large, but the paw pads were thick and heavy. The cat's eyes grew large, letting in the light, both fearful and curious as was his nature.

The cat, despite his years, made a mistake. Like a game he lifted his head with flattened ears over the ridge of rock. Had he been in his homeland, he might have been almost invisible. But among these stark and jagged edges, the top of his head and his round, yellow eyes stood out immediately as he gauged whether or not the wolf was a meal.

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It was a sharp smack of color among stones. Perhaps had the area here in the roost had more foliage, it would have taken him a moment longer.

Instead he stared into those feline eyes. Bright with a deadly radiance. All felines were deadly, in his mind. Their claws were meant for more shredding than his own. Another weapon to be used against him that he could not wield. It caused his gut to squirm within him.

His voice raised in a primal way, a sharp sound of piercing warning against the feline. Out was the message. His body flared to life with a slow raising tail and hackles raised. He did not want to shed blood if the creature could simply be startled off.

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Can end here or give chase - I'll leave it for you!

---

The cat was startled, but only enough to rise from the rocks. Immediately he placed his body sideways and arched part of his back, turning his powerful head. The hunter eyed the wolf, regarding it carefully as he momentarily stood his ground to get as much information as possible. His nose flared, taking in as many scents as he could, trying to understand how many of the creatures there might be hidden nearby.

Too many.

Jaguars, as a rule, are silent animals. So while the wolf sounded his warning, the jaguar stood looking large and flicking the end of his tail. His eyes did not blink. They stared, round and intentional, furious with hunger and the fear that he might not be able to find his way back down the mountain. Slowly Cuchumaquic opened his mouth, one of the most powerful in the animal kingdom, and licked his lips and whiskers.

Without the element of surprise, there was no point in staying. Though he had killed animals heavier and more deadly than this wolf, he was a sorry match on unfamiliar ground.

So it was with great speed that he sought an exit, tearing that deadly stare from his would-be prey and searching the rocks. He slunk down through jagged rocks, but his descent was slow. It was a maze. Should they come for him, he might have been stuck somewhere at the base of a dead end.

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