Torek

Torek led the way to the hole in the ground. He sniffed all around it.Down thereHe said.

Tayzeka liked the attention she got from the two males, even if she was mostly in love with star. However; she knew when she split off she would have to choose one of them if either chose to follow her.

Kurok kept at the bull dogs heals and he looked at the hole.

Starscream & Others

The trek up the mountain had been an arduous one, especially during the heat of summer, in the midday sun. Starscream was panting heavily by the time Torek led them to the old ruins, and wishing fervently for the cool winds of autumn to arrive. Once his eyes set on the strange formation of stones nestled between two high ridges though, any irritability over the temperature evaporated, and he cricked his tail to show a sudden unease. "Those rocks look strange... almost unnatural." Cautiously, he followed Torek until the male had stopped before one of the dark entryways that led into the complex; it was pitch black, and impossible to see very far into the stone building. Starscream turned his gaze from one entrance to another, finding the bizarre, rectangular holes unsettling. They didn't smell like human, but... it bothered him.

Having little fear of humans that his father did, and wanting to further boast his courage and confidence in front of Tayzeka, Keap padded forward brazenly, stepping just inside the main door. "Stinks like cat in here."

"Careful, Keap.." Crow warned, sharing his uncle's hesitation. It wasn't the strange vibe about the temple that was bothering the silver-coated male though. It was the cats, and the thick scent that hung in the area. They had definitely been here a while, and their odor was fresh. "We should go in together, and not let the cats catch us off guard."

The alpha's mind was churning now. He could smell Sakura somewhere beneath the musk of the felines, and it was quickly overriding his trepidations, but he was not so foolishly bold as his son, "Kurok, lets have our guest go in first."

Torek

Torek stared into the main coming and going of the cats as their scent was strongest here. Histail flicked as he listened.

Kurok stood and he nodded.YesHe said and nipped at Hutch.Get a move onHe said Following the male to the entrance

Tayzeka watched Keap.

Starscream & Others

After his brother attempted to make a meal out of his pawn, Sideskill had retreated further into the temple, and ushered Sakura into one of the barren rooms, to keep her safe from Sundown's vengeance. The quarters were dark and dusty, with remnants of pottery and a few badly corroded metal coins. Only a few rays of light pierced the darkness through a crack higher up in the wall. For a cat like Sideskill, the dimness was perfect, but for the bulldog who was just now entering the front of the complex, the lack of sunlight was terrifying...

---

After being assaulted by the bright rays of the sun during the last leg of their journey up the mountain, where there were few trees to offer any shade, Hutch found himself staring into the inky blackness of shadows as he was harried to the Temple's entrance. "I can't see anything." He protested meekly, coming to a stop halfway through the door, cowering where he stood in front of Kurok, with Keap towering at his side. "Th-the cats, they're as big as bears, and their claws-"

"Shut it!" Keap snapped at the dog's shoulder, drawing a small line of red where his fangs had grazed Hutch's skin through the short, white fur. "Stop your yammering and get in there!"

Crow edged forward now, stepping softly up the lichen-covered steps. "Sakura's scent seems fresh, if I'm not mistaken." He turned his green eyes fleetingly to Tayzeka, "...at the very least, that means she must have survived the abduction. She could still be in there."

With the pack crowding closer, Starscream edged in himself, not daring to step through the doors yet, but placing himself close enough to dive into the action if the situation required it. "Go on, get in there! Tay, if we find your niece, I want you to grab her and get her outside this cave. If there's going to be a fight on our hands, I don't want her getting lost in the scuffle. Tore-"

A low, rumbling hiss suddenly echoed in the darkness, cutting Starscream off, and scaring Hutch so badly that he scrambled backwards, right into Kurok.

Kurok

Kurok nipped at Hutch and growled at the hissing.cat, we know your there, you best just give us what we came forHe snarled licking his lips as if daring the big cat that he couldn't see.

Sakura had gone unaware of her family. Her ears were back as she thought of them her mother, that earthquake, did they survive the disaster?

Torke looked to him till he heard the hiss and he growled stepping closer to his brother and hutch.Cur your a coward, you got her into this situation and you'll help get her outHe growled at Hutch.

Tayzeka watched them all and stepped forward and nodded to him.

Starscream & Others

Keap was the first to see something move in the darkness, a vague shape that slowly edged through the shadows. It certainly wasn't as big as a bear, but it was easily twice Namir's size, and far bulkier than the cougar. Some of the brute's courage faltered, but with Tay to impress, he refused to back down. He bristled his fur instead and met the cat's hiss with a rolling growl. Starscream stepped up beside his son, squeezing into the entrance and giving Hutch another snap, "Are you deaf, cur?! You- Hey!" Before Starscream could stop him, Hutch had wheeled around entirely, taking the abuse from the alpha's fangs and those of Kurok's. Far more afraid of Sideskill than the wolves, the bulldog plunged past the beta and began to run out of the temple, and down the old stone steps. Starscream watched him go, but did not follow, "Rat! Nevermind him, we can track him down later. We've got a cat to deal with."

"What brings a wolf pack all the way up here? You don't look like any of the Guardians..." Sideskill continued to move forward, placing one giant paw ahead of the other until his ruddy, striped face hit a band of light and could finally be seen.

Kurok

Kurok snarled and snapped at Hutch.Your dead curHe growled keeping his eyes on the shadow and soon he saw the cat and he snorted.You have one of ours now spit her outHe said.GIve her to us and we'll leave in peaceHe growled.

Tayzeka stepped closer to her brother and bared her teeth.Stealing pups is very low, haunter lowShe growled.Perhaps these cats are with the hauntersSHe growled.

Starscream & Others

The dark chamber the pack had edged into echoed with their chorus of growls, nearly overwhelming the sharper hiss of the big cat. Starscream's signature voice was a mere octave below Sideskill's now, and rapidly increasing in volume as his blood rose and the scent of Sakura became stronger and more defined. He felt a rush of hope that he had long since abandoned, and in his urgency to locate the youngster, Scream sent forth a sharp bark that rang harshly against the stone walls of the fortress. "Sakura!" The alpha took a bold step forward the, his tail stiff behind him, "You have till the count of three to hand over our pup before I tear your miserably throat out."

Very quickly, it became apparent to the hybrid just why the pack was here. The pawn he had taken apparently did have a family. "Haunters? Pssh, please, that pack life is hardly for me. I was a Guardian, before the sickness came." Fiery-orange eyes glinted in the dim, dust-speckled light, and when Starscream stepped forward and demanded immediate turnover of the pup, Sideskill drew his lips back and rumbled threateningly, "You really want your pup back?" An ear flicked forward, swiveling towards Starscream as he counted from three to two. "Get out of my den, and I'll go get her. I'm not turning my back on a bunch of-"

"..one!" The alpha had reached the end of his countdown before Sideskill could finish his bargain. Overcome by rage, he launched headlong at the feline, signaling the rest of the pack to attack. Keap threw himself forward with a snarl, and Crow came scrambling in just behind the two, having been unable to squeeze into the doorway before now...

Kurok

Kurok was bigger then his two siblings and he too lunged forward.as if we'd trust you to actually bring her! He snarled lunging forward.

Torek also lunged forward.

Tayzeka wanted to sneak off to find sakura but she was sure that there was another cat. So she lunged forward to attack.

Sakura heard them and she whimpered but didn't dare to race for them or try. She glanced at the captor with her. She wanted her family they were here for her.

Starscream & Others

A yowl hit the air when fangs snagged Sidekill's thick coat and punctured the skin below. The big cat scrambled back as he delivered a flurry of vicious swipes, turning his wickedly sharp, curved claws against the faces of the wolves. He snapped briefly at Starscream, and then at Torek, trying to force them back.

In the low light, it was difficult to see the big cat's movements, especially as the feline backed further into the darkness. A paw much larger than Starscream's own muzzle struck him soundly against the head, knocking him back and leaving three hefty slices to his scalp, and a nicked ear. Dazed, the alpha backed off for a moment or two, and was able to avoid the snapping fangs of his enemy. He sprung right back into the fray afterwards though, lending a pitched snarl to the medley of growls, hisses, and scuffling paws. By the time he came forward, Keap was issuing a yelp for the claws that raked his face, one coming dangerous close to his eye, and another snagging the tip of his nose. The big wolf fell back momentarily as his father did, stunned by the force of the strike and the stinging pain.

Crow did not engage Sideskill directly as his friends did, and instead circled wide around the cat, to deliver a few snaps at the cat's flank. He'd have kept up this tactic, trying to divert the feline's attention, but a faint whimper made him stop. "Sakura!" Crow blinked into the darkness, his eyes still adjusting to the gloom and unable to see much of anything, much less the pup that was tucked away in a nearby room. Turning his muzzle to the ground, and letting his whiskers guide him, the silver-pelted wolf slunk deeper into the darkness, trying to hone in on the pup's voice. "Hang on Sakura, I'm coming!"

Torek

Torek wasn't able to avoid the teeth entirely. He managed to turn his whole body taking the bite to his left hind thigh. Blood formed but he continued on.

Tayzeka took claws to her face narrowly missing her right eye but she continued snapping at the paws.

Kurok took claws down his side from his left shoulder blade all the way to the left side of his tail not deep but enough to draw blood He lunged for the cats eyes.

Sakura raised her little mouth to the cavern cieling and howled. The skinny starved pup hoping for help. Tears running down her face.

Starscream & Others

Teeth snagged against one of the fresh wounds along Sideskill's shoulder, and he whirled to slash at the offending wolf. Starscream dodged aside before the big cat could tag him though, his claws clacking against the stone floor as he scrambled away. Pain sank into the side of one paw before he could make another go at the alpha, and another set of teeth had caught him along the cheek. Another wolf had snapped at his flank, and still another was darting around to catch his other shoulder.

The situation was quickly becoming overwhelming, even for a cat of Sideskill's impressive size and strength. Realizing he would be mauled to death before killing the entire pack, the feline struck out with both paws again, trying to smack down or drive back the wolves. He then wheeled around and attempted a hasty retreat, rushing deeper into the dark temple...

"Sakura!" Meanwhile, Crow continued his search for the pup, stumbling through the dark until he heard her howl. There! The wolf adjusted his course, traveling down a narrow, dank corridor until he found the room there the half-starved youngster was being kept. "Sakura! There you are... here, come here." The sliver of light that filtered into the room gave Crow just enough to see what shape the pup was in, and the sight of her skinny body struck him harshly. "Are you hurt?" Crow's first act, after sniffing carefully over Hulia's daughter, was to lick her face and muzzle, to try and console her.

Torek

Torek snarled as he bit down and bit down hard only letting go when the cat began to retreat and he and kurok both followed.

Tayzeka on the other hand began following the howling sound of her niece.

Sakura stopped howling and ran and stumbled toward Crow letting him sniff her over.No...She said weakly her little tail wagging in excitement.

Starscream & Others

Starscream pursued the big cat initially, snarling and snapping at the beast's flanks and tail. Keap was just as eager to bring their foe down, even though both had heard Sakura's howling by now and knew she was alive. Father and son were stopped in their endeavor though when Sideskill, infuriated by the continued assault, whirled around and offered them both a sweeping strike of his paw. He lashed out at Torek and his brother as well, slicing those deadly claws for the wolves' faces in a bid to drive them away. Keap caught one strike across his muzzle, with one claw rending a bound-deep laceration just an inch above his nose.

"Stop!" The alpha had scrambled back from the lashing claws, avoiding the hit only because Keap had been in the way and had taken it for him. "Let him go... we have Sakura." It was so dark at this juncture in the temple that it was becoming difficult to see Sideskill or dodge his wildly failing claws, and Starscream knew it would only get worse if they followed the big cat deeper into the complex. Their enemy would have the advantage then, and he was unwilling to risk further injury or death. "If we catch him again, anywhere near our lands, he'll be dead."

Back in the room where Sakura had been imprisoned, Crow was lavishing the pup with nuzzles and tender licks, overjoyed at finding her alive. "Stick close to me, alright? We'll get you out of here, and back home to your mom." He nudged her against his front leg, and began to walk slowly out the door, ears perked for the sounds of fighting. Above all else, he wanted to avoid the big cat that his pack was chasing off, and lead Sakura back to the entrance of the temple.

Torek

Torek barely dodged the claws seeing one right in front of his left eye and he pulled back at Stars words.

Kurok however took it. Right across his cheek and the claw nearly getting his eye and he snarled as he pulled back.

Tayzeka watched the big cat but took off down the other tunnel to meet up with Crow and Sakura.

Sakura nodded staying right in between his legs.