Intruders!
The appearance of this pair was a direct violation of Jas's territory. He didn't care if they were her family—in the Ice Age wilderness, a strange male on your turf was a threat to your Pride, food and your life. He didn't yield an inch, giving a jagged, warning roar that shook the pine needles above.
The white female, however, reacted differently. She gave a high-pitched trill and ran toward the pair, nuzzling the larger white female with a desperate, cub-like affection.
Jas watched the interaction, noting the mother's coat—the sa brilliant white with dark charcoal stripes. It seed Snowball wasn't a one-off mutation; she ca from a bloodline of different coloured mountain sabertoothed tigers.
"Great. The parents are here to demand child support for the days I kept her in a hole," Jas thought, his muscles coiled , Ready for whatever comming.
The mother began to lick the daughter's face, letting out low, inquiring rumbles. The daughter tried to explain the last few days, but without a concept for pitfall traps, she could only signal that she had been staying here, in this territory.
The mother's gaze shifted to Jas. She slled the scent of a male on her daughter, and she saw the abundance of at nearby. In the brutal logic of the wild, a young female staying in a male's territory ant only one thing: a union. Her gaze changed from protective fury to a cold, calculating assessnt.
In the world of the Sabertooth, beauty and rare skins colour didn't an a thing. Survival was the only Important thing. A good mate wasn't one with pretty fur; it was one with the power to repel lions and the skill to bring down a ton of at.
Jas remained on high alert. He assud they were here to take revenge on him for the trap.
"ROAR!!"
The mother stepped forward. She wanted to see if this golden-brown tiger was actually worth her daughter's love. The father tried to join in, but the mother gave him a sharp, "stay back" growl. He imdiately retreated, looking like a chastened housecat.
"Maximum 'Fear the Wife' energy," Jas noted.
'Her being larger than the male because she ca from the the North is a nod to Bergmann's Rule. This biological principle states that populations of a species living in colder climates tend to be larger in size than those in warr regions. A northern Smilodon would naturally be bulkier to conserve heat.' Jas thought watching her size.
Jas knew a fight was coming. He wasn't afraid; he had been waiting to test his new hardware.
"First Strike."
Jas didn't wait to be attacked. He lunged, rising on his hind legs and throwing a lightning-fast left hook. His paw was a blur that the mother couldn't track in ti.
SLASH!
His reinforced 10cm claws—hard as industrial steel—caught the mother across the muzzle. It wasn't a superficial scratch; it was a deep, clean slice that sent a spray of crimson across her white fur.
"ROAR!!"
The mother was stunned. She hadn't expected such speed or such lethal weaponry from a yearling. Fury replaced her curiosity. She lunged at him, and the two beca a whirlwind of fur and claws, tearing up the forest floor and sending the beaver scurrying into its lodge for cover.
As they grappled, the mother realized sothing terrifying: her claws weren't sinking in. Jas's hide was like cured leather over stone. Her most powerful strikes only left shallow nicks. anwhile, every ti his claws touched her, they left deep, debilitating gashes.
After a few brutal exchanges, the mother leapt back, her chest heaving and blood dripping from several wounds. She looked at Jas with a new, profound respect—and a hint of wariness.
Jas prepared for the father to tag in, but it didn't happen. The mother took one last, long look at Jas, then turned and began to walk away.
The test was over. She was satisfied. Her daughter had found a male who was essentially a Monster with no weakness. In her mind, the daughter's future was secured.
The father followed her, trying to lick her wounds, only to be huffed at.
the daughter—tried to follow them, but her mother turned and gave a sharp, final roar.
"Stay. You have a ho now."
The parents vanished into the timber, leaving their daughter behind. In the wild, once a female finds a strong provider, the family bond is severed to make room for the new pride.
"They just... left her?"
Jas watched the tree line, a bit confused by the sudden exit. The crisis was over, but he had inherited a permanent roommate. Snowy stood in the clearing, looking like a abandoned puppy . Even after independence, losing that link to the parents was a heavy blow. Jas had felt it when he left his own family.
He walked over and nudged her head with his own, a rare gesture of feline empathy. If she was going to stay, he needed to stop calling her "Snowball" or "The Princess" every ti.
"Alright," Jas rumbled softly. "From now on Your na is "
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