Cat Versus Canine

Slough Creek, which was only a few miles away, was for once the last thing on Citron's mind. His nose frantically sniffed the ground in search of prey. However, the only scent Citron smelled was the sharp stench of a cougar. He released the horrible scent from his nose with an utterly disgusted snort. After nearly two hours of searching, drowsiness started to cloud his mind. Citron's shaky paws brushed the ground as he focused on the currently difficult task of continuing to put one paw in front of the other.

Suddenly, two brown-furred creatures darted past him. Recognition flashed through his mind as he realized that those high hopping creatures with exceedingly large ears were hares. Drool flooded from his mouth and his tail wagged with glee. Citron lunged out at the second hare who was lagging behind. However, the tiny creature zipped past him seemingly with minimal effort. Any feelings of rage were overwhelmed by the unbearable, stabbing pain of hunger. Desperately, he veered left to follow the cougar's scent. Sadly, Citron's survival relied on the slim chance that the cougar would be hunting. With any luck, the cougar's scent trail would lead him to a left over carcass from the predator's hunt which he planned to steal. With his wet nose swiftly scanning the ground, Citron carried on.

Soon, even the air surrounding Citron began to reek of cougar. Unfortunately, the distinct odor of the massive feline masked any additional scent of a carcass that could possibly be located around the surrounding area. The cougar's sandy-colored coat, rippling muscles, dark narrowed eyes, and scrunched up snarling expression entered Citron's mind. Cougars, which were aggressive and powerful predators, were not something that a lone wolf would dare to anger. Irritation triggered the hackles along his back to rise as let out a frustrated growl. Carelessly, Citron decided to pursue the scent even further.

Suddenly, the unsettling screeching sound of the cougar along with the furious snarl of a wolf pierced his ears. Citron instantly dropped down into a prey stalking position and slowly inched further ahead. Glancing up, he spotted the cougar in an open plain towering over an elk carcass with blood splattered all across his face. Citron's tail wagged with pleasure as he realized that meant the cougar had eaten recently.

However, much to Citron's surprise, a slender female wolf with a shiny silver coat and unique black markings faced directly in front of the infuriated cougar. Her unsaturated yellow eyes were full of determination as she leapt forward and clamped her strong jaws onto her enemy's neck. Once getting shoved off, the she wolf daringly darted to the cougar's side and nipped his underbelly viciously. the male cougar immediately spun around and swiftly swiped at her head.

Caught off guard, she failed to dodge the fierce blow and was knocked to the ground. Citron cringed at the painfully loud thud that echoed throughout the suddenly silent plain. Satisfaction glimmered in the dark beady eyes of the cougar as he confidently sunk his into the delicate front part of her neck. All of the sudden, the cougar released her immediately and then staggered backwards in surprise.

Citron suddenly realized what had caused such a dramatic reaction from the frightening feline. As the beast sunk his teeth down, they hadn't met the soft and easily tearable flesh that he'd expected. Instead, he had bitten down on a hard, bulky tracking collar that was strapped securely around her neck. Determination fueled the female wolf as she sprang to her paws and grabbed onto the back leg of the big cat. He instantly let out another cry of distress. The unsettling sound startled his attacker causing her to slacken her once secure grip. The merciless cougar took advantage of her split second of shock and jerked free. Next, he whirled around and then proceeded to stalk towards her. Although she refused to cower in fear, her eyes flickered full of defeat.

Before the cougar could strike, Citron rushed forward and latched onto the beast's already wounded hind leg. The pale coat of the female wolf was a barely visible blur as she zipped around the cougar while strategically nipping him in multiple areas of weakness. The shocked beast carried on with his his high-pitched screeching as he desperately tried to squirm free.

Eventually, the two worn out wolves released the massive feline and watched in pleasure as he hastily hurried away. The courageous she wolf glanced over at Citron with a friendly grin and howled with pleasure. Citron responded with a deep, thunderous howl. The two wolves' triumphant howls carried all across the plain.

As their howls came to an end, Citron was once again left with the unpleasant pain of hunger. Citron gazed over at the other wolf as she enjoyed feasting upon the remains of her prey. Citron let out a barely audible whimper as he turned to leave to continue his search for food. A cheerful yip caught his attention and he immediately halted. Turning around, he saw the female loner politely sitting a short distance away from her elk carcass. Citron understood and eagerly accepted as he trotted over to devour the leftover elk.

With a satisfied stomach, Citron left the carcass along with the other lone wolf and climbed up of a nearby rock. He comfortably curled up on top of its smooth surface and drifted off to sleep.