Perched atop a rocky ledge, Cadmus yawned and stretched his wings out to their full span, letting the sun soak into the black fur and feathers while he enjoyed a quiet day alone in the mountains in his own skin. He got to do that so little anymore after years spent living among humans, which he didn't particularly mind, but it still felt good to escape here and there and live as he once had. It had been at least a few weeks since the last time he'd shifted and his shoulder blades had started growing itchy, right where his wings should be. It was probably more of a psychological itch, but it had still felt great to scratch it.
Lifting a front paw, which was actually more like an eagles claw, wicked talons and all, he delicately licked the blood from his talons and then began to preen his wings, removing a few pesky pinfeathers in the process. Behind him, a young mountain goat lay dead and half eaten.
Man, how he'd missed raw meat, too...too bad he couldn't eat it all, but some lucky scavenger would get the remains, at least.
Full, content, and cleaned up, he stretched out one last time, folded his wings along his back, and plopped down with his front legs dangling just over the edge. It was a nice lazy day, not too cold with a perfect breeze blowing. The perfect time to snooze away the rest of the day, digesting his meal, and--
His golden eyes snapped back open before they could fully shut when movement down in the valley below caught his attention, and he tilted his good left eye down toward the figure he saw. Ah, a little human...thing. Part human. With his keen hawk-like vision, he could make the figure out in detail, note the tail and ears and the cautious behavior. The tip of Cadmus' lion tail flicked and his ears perked up, but he otherwise remained perfectly still as he studied the boy curiously. Huh, what was a kid doing way out here? He looked kind of nervous, too, but Cadmus couldn't decide based off his body language alone whether he was hunting or just generally trying to avoid detection. Maybe he was lost? He tossed his head and glanced behind him and off to the side, where his clothing was folded in a neat pile with his sword and baldric laid over it, and then yawned and looked back again.
Too much effort getting dressed and going down there to find out. Besides, if the kid was hunting he didn't want to spoil it for him, so he'd just observe him for a little while longer to make sure--
That was when a man burst out of the treeline, brandishing a knife and yelling, and the boy wisely turned and ran even as a second man joined the first. The kid ran for the trees, but even Cadmus could see he wasn't going to make it, and even if he did, where would he go? He'd be dead--or whatever those guys planned on doing to him.
Cadmus was on his feet and launching himself into the air before he even realized he'd moved. He didn't know the kid, nor did he know whether or not his being hunted was justified, but it didn't matter; it wasn't a fair fight and it was as good as instinct for him to defend younglings. Powerful wings beating the air, he circled high above for a moment as he planned his attack and chose his target before promptly snapping his wings in tight to his body, extending his front talons, and falling into a controlled dive.
He chose the man closest to the boy. The man had barely time to yell out before five-hundred pounds of muscle, claw, and beak slammed into him, knocking him clean off his feet even as Cadmus threw open his wings and soared back upwards before he could hit the ground. The other man had stopped in his tracks, staring at his unconscious companion--who would be lucky if he walked away with only a couple broken bones--while Cadmus circled back around and dove again, this time at a slower rate. He didn't go for the other man the second time around; instead he landed near where the other man had fallen, fluffed up his fur and feathers and spread his wings wide. Then he snarled viciously, snapping his beat.
That did the trick.
The man turned on his heel and fled, and Cadmus gave a gryphon-ish grin, folded his wings, and slowly turned around to see where the boy had gone off to. Vaguely, he was aware of not being able to put his full weight on his right front leg, but he ignored it, the thrill of flight and a good, fun little attack making him feel a bit too giddy to pay attention to the knife wound. He'd miscalculated a little and come from the wrong angle...ugh...
"You alrrright, kid?" he asked.