"Well, well, what do we have here?" a silky purr floated out over the Messus plains.

Daylight sighed, looking up from the stream's edge where he had taken little Lucius for a drink. This was a stranger, and obviously one with nothing good in mind. The newcomer was a tawny ketucari with a marbled coat, watching them with malice in his eye and a smirk on his face.

"And you are?" Brightside snipped from beside them, hooking a paw around Lucius and pulling him under himself.

The cub made a startled squeak and pouted at both of his guardians. This one really had no sense of danger, Daylight reflected. Too sheltered.

"I don't think you need to know that. What I do know is that cub you've got with you. He's from one of those wealthy families, sitting pretty in the White City. I bet he'd fetch a pretty ransom." the stranger purred, wading into the water to get closer to them. "Hand him over and I'll split you in on the profits."

"What's a 'ran-some'?" Lucius swished his tail under Brightside's belly, crouching low to the ground.

"I'll explain later." Daylight soothed. "It's not a good thing." He stepped forward, putting himself between the stranger and his friend (and the cub). "Look, we're not going to let anything happen to this kid. Shove off, or we'll chase you off. Your pick. …Besides, I think I recognize your face from some of the wanted posters I've seen. You've been raiding the farms around here."

"So what if I am? A quald goes missing every now and then. Doesn't matter if it's to me or a lythersnitch. Besides, I have a kid of my own to feed. You know how it is." the stranger licked his lips and bared his tusks. "In any case, I'm pretty sure I can run off a couple of scrawny kids like you."

Daylight sighed. There was a lot to respond to there, and he wasn't particularly eager to rise to the bait on any of it. "Suit yourself. Hey, Bright? This might get loud. Can you keep the kid away from danger for me?"

"Aye-aye, cap'n." Brightside drawled, then grabbed Lucius by the scruff.

The cub squealed again. "Hey, put me down!"

Brightside disregarded the demand, scampering up the hillside and flopping down, curling himself around Lucius like a mother cat, completely pinning him against his belly and covering him with his massive fan-like tail.

Daylight made the mistake of glancing back over his shoulder to make sure they’d settled.
The only warning he had was the smell of ozone and a crackle in the air before a wicked lightning bolt lanced through his chest. Searing pain flashed through him. He couldn't breathe, couldn't even scream-- his muscles locked in place and refusing to obey his orders.

The lightning arced off of him, hitting Brightside behind him-- and completely evaporating off his coat without harm. "Day!" he barked in concern, and Daylight only heard it distantly over the roar of blood in his ears.

When he finally was able to draw breath again, his back was on the ground, two kill-claws hovering a hairsbreadth from his throat.

"Any last words?" the interloper growled. "Before I tear out your throat?" Malicious glee shone in his eyes.

Ah. He's a gloater. Gloaters were always useful. "No thanks." he threw his weight back, pushing back into the wet ground to get away from the claws on his neck. Simultaneously, he rabbit-kicked with his back legs. His claws met tender belly-flesh. He kicked back to rake and was rewarded by a pained growl and his attacker's paws having to scramble in the muddy riverbank to not topple over.

But he knew it wouldn't be enough with someone like this. As soon as his attacker recovered, he'd be dealing with more Talik and claws in his windpipe. Instead of trying to wiggle free, he kicked again, this time infusing it with his own Talik magic. His foe used his as a blunt instrument, Daylight used his like a scalpel.

His attacker collapsed with an absolutely undignified noise, muscles twitching. Daylight thrashed out from under the weight of the stranger, clawing his nose with his back paws on the way out.

"Go, go, go!" he hissed, calling a Rift as he struggled to his feet.

Brightside didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed Lucius again and leaped through, and Daylight followed on his heels. The portal evaporated after he was through, leaving the three of them panting in a different part of the Plains.

Daylight knew he was a mess-- his whole back covered in mud. He could still smell the singed fur from the Chain Lightning that hit him. As he caught his breath, Brightside padded over to roughly check on him.

"I'm fine." he tried to wave him off. "Really. I've dealt with worse."

"Next time, Rift first." Brightside grumbled.

"How'd you do that?" Lucius looked up, eyes glittering. "Get him off you like that?"

Daylight sighed. "Talik magic. You're talented, I know, but you need a lot of control for something like that. It's hard to do it until you're a bit older."

"Could you teach me?" those cub eyes were wide and pleading.

Daylight sighed. He had a hard time saying no to cubs. "...I can teach you the basics, at least."