Xuvan

The Haunter females had been allowed their time at breeding, and the young lion was just itching to find himself some females. The unfortunate thing for him was, not only was he related to a good majority of the felines at the Temple, but they had been given explicit instructions not to mate with any of them at this time.

With his bulky head held at shoulder-level, the African Lion made his way south along the exapnse of the Croal Mountains, venturing from the safety of his Coalition and the Ruins. He knew exactly where he was heading, and if he had been a little older, common sense would have told him to stop and turn around before he took another step in the direction of the Ancient Gaurdians. But it was ignorant pride and a healthy and un-challenged ego that kept him trucking along the rugged terrain in search for the female felines.

Mocha

Of her siblings, Mocha was the smallest and shortest, but not by any great deal. Her coat was a gorgeous shade of auburn, with chocolatey-brown rosettes to highlight her haunches, tail, and legs. Mocha colored eyes and a sleek build added to her warm and appealing features, although there was no one in the Temple that she could flaunt her good looks to. She was related in some fasion or another to all the male felines in the group, and her parents forbade her to roam far from the santuary in these dangerous times.

Luckly for the cougar-leopard hybrid, she needn't escape the bounds of the Croal Mountains to find a potential suiter. Standing on a well-worn trail, the feline watched the lion approach with a curious glint in her eyes. "A lion?" She chuffed out, letting herself be known without making any moves towards the stranger, "I haven't seen your kind around these parts." She pointed out without any depth of concern over the matter - the statement was only given to draw his eyes her way.

Xuvan

The words worked, drawing the young male's sights towards the female. "Is that so?" Sensing it wasn't an invitation into the subject so much as it was an attention-getter, Xuvan didn't elaborate on it. Instead, raising his head a bit, he began to saunter her way. "If I might say... I don't think I've ever seen such a beautiful creature as yourself." He was new at this flirting thing, and was ready to dish out all the compliments that came to mind in order to woo her.

Mocha, Sundown, Sideskill

She, too, was new at this game, and was more than happy to recieve the compliment. A coy smile decorated her blunt, silky muzzle as she eased back on her haunces, tip-tip flicking idly from side to side, "You don't looke half-bad yourself. Do you have a name, Stranger?"

"A damned-dirty Haunter!" Sundown's voice growled out as the young lion hybrid stalked down the trail. Sideskill was at his brother's side, glaring spitefully at Xuvan with his crimson-orange eyes. The two had followed their cousin with the intent of playing some random prank on her, but the fun subsided when they spotted the enemy eyeing her up.

"Fuckin' scum, you're not getting out of here alive." A darker voice, tainted with malice, came from the rouge-tinted male as he pulled forward, tail lashing violently. "And don't you dare look at Mocha like that!" Sideskill began to circle around Xuvan as he spat out his venemous words, while Sundown came around the other side.

Mocha stood up, eyes widened as her ears flattened back against her skull, "Sunny, Sides! Please, we were just talking!" She exclaimed, looking at the two in a mixture of fear and exasperation. But the twins were fully focused on Xuvan now, ready to tear him to peices.

Xuvan

"Xuvan. And, how about yourself?" He was responded, drawing closer to the female with a mirrored smile on his broad muzzle, only his was highlighted with certain smug quality. Unfortunately, his advancements were brought to a dead stop when a pair of hybrids came tearing down the trail towards him. Xuvan instantly tensed up, head dropping to shoulder level as he bared his keen, white fangs, "I'd like to see you try and take me down!" He challenged back, looking from one brother to the next, his own tail whipping and lashing about behind him in expression of his fury, "And I'll look at her however I want."

Mocha, Sundown, Sideskill

Sundown was grinning wickedly as he circled about the defensive male, "You'll more than see it, buddy." He taunted as he took a light, quick swipe at Xuvan's haunch.

When Sunny took his hit, Sideskill launched in for his own assault. Instead of the swift clawing however, he plunged straight for the's side, all four claws seeking to find a hold in the flesh while his fangs went for the neck.

Mocha took a faltering step back, knowing better than to interfere with the two wild brothers and their fight.

Xuvan

Xuvan struck back with ferocity at Sundown's strike, swinging his sharp claws for the other's face. But this left him open for Sideskill to strike him blindside. Xuvan was bowled over as dozens of points of pain littered over his muscled frame. With a wild hiss, he rolled onto his side, kicking his hind paws into Sides' gut, while slashing at his face. He could feel teeth sinking into his neck, but pushed the pain to the back of his mind.

Mocha, Sundown, Sideskill

Sundown sprung back, with the tips of the claws catching the side of his muzzle. "Oh, you're SO gonna pay for that!" He roared, leaping forward in the same instant and driving his fangs for the back of his foe's neck. Keeping his hind legs under him, the yellow-tinged brute swiped his front claws at Xuvan's shoulder, pressing down hard and dragging them across his flesh.

At first, Sideskill countered the kicks with his own hind paws, and got some good sized gashes for the effort. His jaws strained hard, pressing with every ounce of strength he had to drive his ivories deep into Xuvan's neck.

Xuvan

He had fought plenty of times before, but the way these two brothers worked together left Xuvan in a very rough spot. He himself was use to fighting with his Coalition, and having them at his back if he should need it. Alone, he was having a hard time keeping tabs on the duo, and their sheer intensity of violence overwhelmed him. No matter how hard and furiously he kicked at Sideskill, the other male met him paw for paw, claw for claw. Just as he was attempting to drag himself up and pull loose from the deadly hold, Sunny had him by the back of the neck, and he was down before he scarecly had the chance to stand. "You don't know who you're messing with!" The young male cried out, pitting his fangs and claws mostly against Side's at this point.

Even as he fought and struggled, he felt the sticky warmth of his own blood melding into his fur from countless points, while the white-hot pain drove him into a frenzy. "The Haunters will slaughter you all!" He raged out, as teeth sank deeper and deeper into his vunerable throat. A sudden surge of crimson flowed from between Side's mouth as one fang nicked an artery. Shortly after that, a stunning numbness shot down the right side of his body as a large, vital nerve was severed by Sunny. While half of his body went limp, his chances of survival were shot. "You..." His words died away on his declining breath as his eyes rolled back. A death rattle shivered from his lungs before he lay still and unmoving.

Mocha, Sundown, Sideskill

Sideskill retained his hold on the lion's throat, doggedly refusing to let go even as the other's movements had ceased. Sunny stood up shortly after Xuvan passed, licking his chops briefly before puffing out his chest and speaking out in a merry voice, "That was way too easy, Sides. Hell, if the rest of the Haunters are this pathetic, we can take them on single-pawed!" He boasted, "Hey, did you see my pounce? I totally owned him!"

Sideskill finally relinquished his hold, rising up and wincing at the still-bleeding cuts he had collected, "Yeah, you were awsome Bro." The darker of the two brothers studied Xuvan's prone form for a moment before he looked up to Sunny with a bit of a grin, "That was a pretty cool leap. Good job at keeping him down."

"I know! I've been practicing that one. And what about my bite? That did him in for sure." The tawnier brother continued, eagerly pointing out his preformance in the battle while Sides patiently agreed with it all.

From higher up on the trail, Mocha's look of shock had devolved into plain anger and disbelief, "You two are complete assholes, you know that?" Rumbling darkly under her breath, the leopard hybrid stalked away down the trail, heading back for the main temple.

The brothers were left to look confusidly at eachother, before shrugging off their cousin's comment. While Sundown kept up a lively and increasinly exaggerated report of his fighting moves, the two also headed for the main Temple.

Dakota; Austin; Klondike

Dakota had been just making her way up the mountain when she saw the fight. Xuvan, whom she knew to be an ally, was being killed by others whom she considered allies. She figured they were only allies because they didn't want to see Dakota kill Adulthi.

She was captivated by the battle, sitting down and watching them. then it went too far. "Step away from the Haunter!" She roared out as she leapt from the shadows. She stepped up behind the dead cat, growling at the Ancient Guardians.

Austin, who had basically become Dakota's adviser, stood beside her. He was there if things got out of hand. Klondike, who had grown quite large by now, stood at his mother's other side.