Oracle & Rufflan

Oracle moved with great care through the rugged terrain, keeping her route within the tangled clusters of oak trees and wild sage brush. In the quiet hours before dawn, just as the birds were waking and beginning their usual chorus of songs, the ligeress had moved from the prairie to its northern flanks, where she knew her old pack kept their proverbial fridge stalked with fresh meat.

The maltese feline stopped as she neared one of the known holes in the fence of the old deer farm. With her assortment of deep rosettes and scattered striping, Oracle eased down onto her belly, letting her coat blend with the the leaves and branches she'd kept herself concealed within. Moving slow, she turned her head to the side and whispered, "I don't know who is on patrol tonight, but it should be just one. Let me make the first move once I know what we're up against."

Behind Oracle, Rufflan dipped his head in understanding. He was eager and ready for this hunt, even though he worried what kind of retribution it might bring. Almost furtively, he glanced behind himself, to see if the others had caught up.

Autumn Sun & Spotlight

Just as stealthy as her paler counterpart, Autumn Sun picked her way along the dense shrubbery as she followed after Oracle and Rufflan. And like the lynx ahead of her, Autumn did have some reservations about their current mission, if only because she did not want to cause trouble between her pride and her mother's.

The golden ligress came to a standstill a few feet behind Rufflan and eased down onto her belly after watching Oracle. In the darkness, her eyes danced from tree to tree, and then to intertwined loops of rusted metal that made up the old fencing of the deer farm. She was utterly silent, giving only a shallow nod to show that she'd heard Oracle.

Further behind the females, the bulky Spotlight had stopped yards away and held his maned head held down, and a cold look burned into his eyes. He had been the one to talk Tuini into this particular ambush, after a chat with an equally vengeful Oracle had revealed a weakness in the Haunters. But his goal was not simply to provide meat for his pride and a heavily pregnant Autumn. He was here to kill as many Haunters as he could, in punishment for his brother's death.

Nightshade & Lupanare

Lupanare lay at the gated entrance of the old farm, not far from the barn where most of the deer sheltered at night. Normally Saulk would have been with her, but her son was with Tersek tonight, training with his grandfather in preparation of someday taking his spot. The wolfess stretched her forelimbs before her and unfurled her tongue in a lazy yawn. The night was quiet, and the deer so far hadn't been a problem for her. Had she been Leomar, she might have closed her eyes for a quick snooze, but Lupa was a little more dedicated to her role, and thus she kept her head up and senses alert for danger.

Replacing Saulk on this shift was Nightshade, and he did not sit idly. The aging buck was patrolling the perimeter of the farm when he came across a scent that made him freeze. He stretched his neck out and flashed a tongue over his nose, nares flared and wide eyes blinking into the darkness around him. Cat! And it wasn't a familiar one... or was it? He felt the urge to flag his tail and utter an alarm bark, but the whitetail held back. Instead, Night began to move forward again, only this time taking each step with delicate care, trying not to make a sound as he advanced on source of the scent.

Oracle & Rufflan

The big cat waited where she hid. At one point an ear twitched back, as she swore she heard the soft crunch of a leaf somewhere behind them, but she could neither see nor scent anyone there. After a few minutes, she rose and began to move again, convinced there were no Haunters at this particular opening.

Eventually, Oracle neared the gate, and that's when the scent hit her, right before her eyes fell upon the cream and caramel form of Lupanare. Again she froze, watching the wolfess and waiting to see if Leomar, Tyrant, or Zanarah perhaps were nearby. A lack of scent already suggested they weren't, and once she was sure the wolf was alone, she nodded back to the others. It was time to hunt.

Like lightning Oracle struck, rushing across the ground at breakneck speed to take the wolf off guard. Hoping to hit her before she even got up, Oracle pounced, trying to land on Lupa and grab her by the back of the neck.

Rufflan eagerly sprinted forward, little tail twitching excitedly. Instead of having a go a Lupanare though, the lynx kept an eye out for any other Haunters that might be lurking in the shadows.

Autumn Sun & Spotlight

There was no hesitation on Spotlight's part. The slow death of Hades was still fresh on his mind, and the thought of an alliance with the Haunters felt like salt in those open wounds. With vengeance screaming through his mind, the massive, rosette-spotted hybrid thundered across the spare few yards that stood between him and his enemy, and went straight for her back. Massive jaws sprung open like a trap now closed for the spine, as he claws grasped for her sides. All six-hundred and ten pounds of fury and muscle would be used to tear this wolf to pieces.

Hades' death was just as fresh on Autumn's mind, but it didn't blind her to the reality of their situation and how quickly this could spiral out of control if they weren't careful. Knowing they had to be as quick and discreet as possible, the golden liger was quick to join in the fray, sprinting behind Oracle and Spotlight as she tried to grab a hold of hind limb between her jaws, so that she might pin the wolf down and help hurry the fight along...

Lupanare & Nightshade

The sudden, violent rustle of grass cued Lupa into the attack. The caramel and cream vixen was launching to her paws before she'd even caught sight of the assailants and pivoting in the direction of the noise. A moment later, and before Lupanare had time to utter a word of surprise, Oracle was baring down on her and sinking her fangs into flesh. Lupa twisted away with a snarl and offered a vicious bite to the side of the liger's face and neck.

The rustling continued, letting Lupa know there was more than just her old pridemate here. While still recovering from the shock of being attacked by her own family members, the sharp reflexes of the old wolf had her diving to the side, shooting past Oracle to avoid the claws and fangs of the other two cats. It's there that she found her breath and whirled around, fur bristled high and face twisted into a defiant snarl, "Oracle! What are you doing here, and attacking me no less? I am not and never was your enemy."

By this point, Nightshade had stopped stalking the felines. He waited in the concealment of darkness, using his ears to track their location as they moved towards the gate where he knew Lupa lay. The melanistic buck remained by the first hole in the fence, calculating his actions and debating his next moves. It was only when he heard the harsh words of Lupa that he decided to move... but not in her direction. Nightshade slipped into the farm, carefully lowering his head to preserve his velvetine antlers...

Oracle & Rufflan

The density of the shrubbery around them and the sheer size of the big cats did make things a bit tricky when trying to attack a single, relatively small target. In the confusion of rushing bodies and close quarters, Oracle had to pull her hits a little to avoid striking Spotlight and Autumn, but was at least rewarded with the taste of blood before the wolf squirmed out of reach. Oracle turned and kept her eyes on the vixen, unphased by her words. "I hold no allegiance to any wolf."

Those cold words were all that the liger uttered before striking again. Forward she sprang, propelled by muscular hind limbs towards her intended prey. Lupa's muzzle was the target of her fangs, while her claws sprung for the shoulders.

An excitable Rufflan paced about the edge of the fight. His tail twitched and his whiskers pressed eagerly forward as he waited for the right opportunity to leap in. With three big cats though, the lynx bided his time, preferring to wait until Lupa was properly pinned down before he'd dash in to help.

Autumn Sun & Spotlight

"You're not getting away that easily!" Roared Spotlight as he plunged after Lupanare. He bore down on her like a screaming freight train, swiping a claw-extended paw at her hindquarters with terrific force before going in to grab her hindquarters - or whatever he could reach - with his craving fangs.

Autumn wasn't quiet so loud as she scowled at her companion, "Spotlight, hush!" She warned, but said no more. In his throws of rage, she doubted she could talk him down into reason right now, so they just had to get this finished and get out of here as soon as they could. The ligeress waited for Spotlight to rush back in before she half-circled around the wolf and struck in at the side, going for Lupa's back with a powerful bite, and working her claws against canine's foreleg.

Lupanare

It became evident all too quickly that words were not going to stall these big cats, nor sway Oracle's murderous intentions. Lupanare stared her down defiantly all the same, fur bristled like the quills of an angry porcupine, and fangs bared for all to see, "You will die for this, Oracle. You and all in that pathetic pride of yours. The Haunters will never forget your betrayal."

The big cat was already upon her, hardly giving Lupa the chance to spit out her words before jaws clamped about her muzzle, nearly trapping it before the wolfess could pull her snout free. Pain seared her shoulders and hindquarters, where claws had embedded themselves. She struggled and lashed out with her fangs again, snapping them wildly at Oracle's face. She knew she had no chance against these big cats, but she sure as hell was going to leave a mark.

Oracle & Rufflan

"When I'm done-" Oracle snapped back, her tongue curling briefly about her crimson stained mug, "-there will be no Haunters left for vengeance." Canine fangs hit her face just then, gouging a deep wound across the bridge of her nose. Oracle yowled something fierce and wasted no time snapping right back at the wolf's face, ready to crush the other's skull between her powerful jaws, and tear flesh from bone with her claws...

Rufflan could wait no longer. He darted in between the scuffling paws and flying tails, daring to squeeze in beside Oracle. When she went for Lupa's face, the lynx darted up for the throat...