Maladroit Love [Taken]

[Imaginary Imbecile]

The cat gave small grin to the other, sincerely hoping the other would stay. After all, Nazihm had been attracted to canines most of his life due to the warm, friendly scent they gave off, and Halcyon was no different."I must tell you, Halcyon, I would take spending time with you any day over staying with a tribe of my own kind. Jaguars have a distinct scent, one that is meant to ward off other jaguars, thus why it is so strong, but your scent is warm and inviting. I do not think I would give up such a luxury to stay with fellow jaguars." With that said, the jaguar started off once more, scenting the area as he sped down the path towards his own kind, though keeping a slow enough pace so that Halcyon would be able to keep up well enough. Nazihm had made few friends on his journey to find a tribe of jaguars, but the ones he did, he never wanted to forget.

Halcyonic Wolf

 

[Halcyon III]

Halcyon watched Nazihm, "Y-you... you really would? But I thought you wanted to be in a tribe over anything?" he asked, as he followed him. His mind was clouded with thoughts of what he just said, Does that mean he... no. No, he must just mean I'm a good friend. But would he really give up staying with his own kind just for me? he shook his head, and he asked, "How far is the camp?" he asked, trying to focus his mind on other things, rather than Nazihm.

 

[Imaginary Imbecile]

"Of course, my friend! While I wanted live with them at first, after spending so much time with others creatures, I doubt I could assimilate into waking to the smell of jaguar musk every day. I would rather miss your aroma." Nazihm thought a moment about the next question, taking a long, deep inhale of the jaguar scent. It was a bit stale, but not too much so. The cat's tail twitched at the sour smell of a scent marking as he sped past it."From the smell of things, we should be able to rest decently tonight and reach them late tomorrow night if we keep up this pace." Suddenly, Nazihm heard a low growl, but before he could react, a large figure dropped down on his back, sending both him and his assailant tumbling on the ground. As his attacker wrestled with him, the cat snarled and screeched in fury. Soon, Nazihm managed to flip the other off his back and pulled his blade from its sheath as he faced the creature. With surprise, Nazihm found himself greeted with another jaguar, though this one was dressed in more tribal clothing and had a less muscular build than himself. The other cat simply looked over the pair with dark brown eyes, seeming to analyze the situation before suddenly taking off into the brush. As soon as he had, Nazihm followed at full speed. He was still on edge from the attack and wanted an explanation for such a thing. If the other cat had none, then Nazihm would return the favor. Jaguar or not, Nazihm would not tolerate being treated in such a way.

Halcyonic Wolf

 

[Halcyon III]

Halcyon was slow to recover, still stunned and dazed by the sudden, unprovoked attack. He sat up, and rubbed his head, a large knot was starting to form. Must've hit it on an exposed root. he looked around, "Nazihm?" he finally realized that he was alone. "Oh..." he stood up, and he tried to figure out which scent was Nazihm's. His was a skilled hunter, but his tracking skills were a bit rusty. He started off in the direction of one trail, unaware that he was, in fact, heading towards the camp.

Imaginary Imbecile

 

[Imaginary Imbecile]

Nazihm continued to pursue the male, pushing with all his might to stay behind the other. Just as he thought he was close enough to pounce on the other, the mysterious feline scurried down onto all fours and sped up incredibly. Not missing a beat, Nazihm dropped to all fours as well and easily caught up with the other. He was locked on now, no longer able to hear or see anything around him other than the jaguar he was chasing. He didn't even notice as soon sped into a clearing. All at once, Nazihm finally pounced atop the back of the other male, snagging a death grip with his claws into the other's fur. The other let out a yowl of pain before scrambling to remove Nazihm from his back. Without warning, hands began to pull Nazihm from his attacker, pinning him to the ground as he spat and snarled angrily. As he was held to the ground, another cat came to stand before Nazihm, looking at him icily. He was clad in a dark red sash and various bracelets and necklaces. Upon his head sat two large, colorful feathers, both tucked right behind his left ear. Nazihm almost cringed at the males sour scent, knowing just from it alone that this male was the bull he had smelled earlier. The cat kneeled down and inspected Nazihm closely, his brown eyes seeming to burn through Nazihm."You, why have you been following us? While you are a jaguar, you are not one of our brothers. You are of a different tribe... Tell me, who are you and what do you want?" Nazihm was still held down, but he no longer struggled, instead he caught his breath and bided his time to make an escape."My name is Nazihm. I come from a jaguar tribe that no longer exists. My tribe was slaughtered when I was a cub, and I have been searching for a jaguar tribe for a long time. A friend travels with me. He and I wish to join your tribe, if it is acceptable." The bull said nothing, only stood and continued to peer down at Nazihm with a look of interest that gave him chills. Nazihm could clearly see that he was being sized up, and not in a fighting manner. Seeing as he was a bull, this male most likely had various mates, the best in this tribe, and he was probably searching for more.

Halcyonic Wolf

 

[Halcyon III]

Halcyon followed the scent for hours, to no avail, "Nazihm!" he shouted, trying to find his friend, "Where'd you go!?" He looked around, "Bah! What good am I doing? He's nowhere near here. Which trail did I follow?" he continue to travel along the path of the scent, hoping that someone would know where his feline friend had gone. "Hello? I need help!" he called out to whomever could hear him. He was getting tired, hungry, and hopeless. He started to think aloud about where Nazihm might have gone. "Maybe he was captured by someone? No, he's a fighter. They wouldn't take him so easily. What if he found the camp already? Wouldn't he have returned to me? Hm... he is rather determined to be part of a tribe again. Maybe I was just a means to an end." he stopped, and then shook his head, "No. He's my friend, he wouldn't use me like that." he growled at himself for even thinking the thought. He pressed onward, hoping he'd run into someone soon.

After a few hours of following the trail, he saw a light in the distance. Orange, pulsating. Fire! That must be the camp! Yes! I hope they're friendly... he thought as he approached.

Imaginary Imbecile

 

[Imaginary Imbecile]

Just as Nazihm was about to struggle once more, Halcyon burst forth into the camp. He looked confused and a bit disoriented, but the cat was glad to see no harm had come to his friend. The jaguar bull had noticed as well and slowly approached the wolf before stopping in front of him,"So, this is the friend you spoke of, Nazihm? Hmm, while I knew it wouldn't be another jaguar, I'm surprised to find that he is a wolf... No matter. For now, rest, the both of you. Tonight I will decide whether or not you may stay in my tribe." With that, the bull walked off towards a large tent. As Nazihm was released, he quickly made his way over to his canine companion,"Halcyon, my friend, are you alright? It took you quite a while to catch up, so I became worried. Come, we must leave quickly." Nazihm gently grabbed his friend's arm and began to lead him toward the edge of the camp, though stopped as he heard a growl. It had already grown dark and beasts were wondering the forest.

Halcyonic Wolf

 

[Halcyon III]

Halcyon watched the bull leave, and he was confused, "I'm... fine, Nazihm. Just exhausted. I was trying to find you." he gave a small smile, and then he frowned when Nazihm spoke of leaving, "What? Why? We found the tribe! I thought this is what we wanted." he looked at the forest, I don't think we'd settle too well out there... he thought to himeself, and watched Nazihm, "Are you alright?" he asked and his ears flattened with worry. "That Jaguar didn't threaten you or hurt you, did he?"

Imaginary Imbecile

 

[Imaginary Imbecile]

With a distressed growl, Nazihm turned away from the forest and sat where he was, trying to think clearly of a way to leave this tribe before the bull came back. "My friend, I am afraid I've lead us somewhere dangerous. Do you remember what I told you about the clan I was raised by? How if you didn't have a mate, then you were fair game to all? This tribe is much worse. That bull, I fear he intends to take either one of both of us. While he is about my size, I fear he may be too much for you to fend off if he makes an advance at you, Halcyon. For us big cats, if one desires mating rights with someone, they must prove their dominance in battle with the one they intend to take. If that bull fights with you and wins, he will take you against your will." Nazihm looked down, defeated and out of ideas. He felt mortified at the idea of Halcyon even going into battle with such a large male, much less being claimed as his mate. The mere thought made Nazihm bristle with protectiveness. While he wasn't quite sure of his feelings concerning his wolven companion, the jaguar refused to simply hand him over to another buck. Suddenly, the bull returned from his tent and nodded towards the pair, motioning for them to come over.

Halcyonic Wolf

 

[Halcyon III]

The wolf sat down next to Nazihm, sensing his feline friend in distress. "Nazihm, this isn't your fault. You had no idea this would happen and I don't blame you for this." he told him, putting an arm around his shoulder to comfort him. "I'll do whatever I can to make sure we get through this, together. I'm not going to abandon you, and I never will. That's a promise." he gave Nazihm a smile, and he pat his back. He looked down and sighed. "Nazihm, I have something to tell you... I think I'm--" He stopped, interrupted by the bull's return. "Oh... looks like we better see what he wants." he grunted as he stood up and helping Nazihm up before hesitantly walking over.

Imaginary Imbecile

 

[Imaginary Imbecile]

The cat looked up when Halcyon spoke of the male beckoning them and stood with the other's aid. Though he was curious as to what the wolf had wanted to say, Nazihm put it at the back of his mind for now and simply strode up to the bull, making sure to keep Halcyon behind him and away from the male's prying eyes. The bull gave a friendly grin as he noticed the dark look in Nazihm's eyes and gave a hearty laugh,"Well, Nazihm, it appears that you already know what it is that's about to take place. I take it that you've filled in your companion as well? If so, remove your gear quickly so that we may begin. A battle between males must always be a fair fight." Nazihm almost snarled at the word 'fair', but did as he was told and stripped until all he had on him was his beautifully patterned coat, his lethal fangs, and his knife-like claws. Nazihm hoped that Halcyon would be alright watching such a thing, for fights such as these usually ended in both sides losing something precious. Soon, a crowd gathered and made a makeshift ring around the two combatants, pulling Halcyon back with them. Both Nazihm and the bull dropped to all fours and honed in on one another, forgetting the world around them. Without warning, both cats sprung at each other with quick ferocity. Claws dug deep into fur while jaws grapples to get a grip on anything they could. Nazihm's male instinct had taken over, surging adrenaline through him and making him forget everything, even Halcyon, as he fought fiercely.

Halcyonic Wolf

 

[Halcyon III]

Halcyon watched the males fight nervously, feeling helpless knowing that he can't help Nazihm in any way. He quietly murmured in favor of Nazihm, "You can do it... I know you can. Please..." he closed his eyes, unable to watch this fight any further, and he sat down. His best friend and secret love interest was on the line, and he could do nothing about it except hope and pray that Nazihm could best this jaguar. It was almost too stressful to bear.

Imaginary Imbecile

 

[Imaginary Imbecile]

As the fight continued, both jaguars soon found themselves panting as they circled one another, snarling threats to one another in the jaguar tongue. Nazihm has a big nick cut out of his right ear as well as a big gash that cut right over his left eye, though luckily the eye itself wasn't damaged, just the lid and flesh both above and below it. Both cats were covered in scratches and were missing considerable amounts of fur from both their necks and bellies. Suddenly, the bull charged, earning a mirroring attack from Nazihm. Unfortunately, with his smaller size, Nazihm was knocked onto his side and his throat was immediately gripped between a pair of powerful jaws that squeezed harder and harder. Even so, Nazihm refused to go limp, to surrender to this bull. Breathing soon became very difficult and Nazihm could feel the circulation to his brain being cut off. In a last attempt to free himself, Nazihm feverishly raked his hind claws across the male's exposed belly, not holding anything back. Just like that, the bull released Nazihm with a pain filled yowl accompanied by a snarl. As the other tried to recover from the sudden attack, Nazihm pounced on the male and shred his hind claws along the bull's back. With that, the bull fell limp to the ground panting and growling at Nazihm as he stood back on his hind legs and lamely walked over to Halcyon."Heh heh, not bad... For..... A Stray like me, eh?" Nazihm then fell to his knees, deeply in need of rest now that he had won his freedom. The bull narrowed his eyes at the pair and gave a snarl,"Tomorrow the wolf will fight for his own freedom. Should he loose, I will have him, Nazihm."

Halcyonic Wolf

 

[Halcyon III]

Halcyon ran to Nazihm, getting on his knees and hugging the exhausted feline, "Oh... Nazihm, thank god..." he said, his embrace getting tighter, he rested his head on the jaguar's chest, all the tension he once had seemed to flood out of him, and he wagged his tail, "Let's find you somewhere to rest... you look like... well, nevermind that. You did great." he hoisted Nazihm to his feet, and, attempting to do most of the work, walked him to a suitable position for him to rest. He mostly ignored what the bull said, he was focused on Nazihm, and getting him back to full health.

Of course, after a short while of tending to the injured feline, he started to worry again, Tomorrow is my turn... I hope I can best him. he prayed silently, he watched Nazihm, a sorrowful look in his eyes.

Imaginary Imbecile

 

[Imaginary Imbecile]

Nazihm had given a snarl at the bull before Halcyon helped him off and began tending to him. While the wolf took care of him, Nazihm drifted in and out a couple of times, not so much from the beating he'd received, but from the exhaustion and pain he felt. As he awoke once more to see that sad look on Halcyon's face, Nazihm gave a grin,"Now what's with that face? You do know that I won't let him take you, right? Have faith in me, my friend. I give you my word as a jaguar." Again, Nazihm began to fade out and finally fell into a deep slumber, too tired to stay awake any longer.

Halcyonic Wolf