Wolf RPG

there's a smell, somewhere near. it's sharp and pungent and strange, and seemingly has no source. occasionally, the breeze will bring her a few seconds of the scent from which to try and pinpoint the source; but it is ever-shifting, changing. the girl snorts, frustrated with her efforts, and realizes then that the fruitless hunt has taken her to the far side of the glen she'd come to frequent. 

it'll take her an hour, two, to cross over the border again. with the sun taking a swan dive over the horizon, she estimates most of the journey back will be in darkness. one final whiff of the mystery scent just to irritate her, and then she steers herself back toward the south.

The glen had become her resting place. There was prey, and save for the occasional passerby, it was relatively secluded. Ying slumbered beneath the shade of a snow-capped bush and dreamt of distant landscapes. 

The scent of a stranger did not escape her. She had energy that could not be burned off through hunts alone; she was aching for a fight, and didn't care who it was against.

Ying stood and stretched, then began to look for her opponent.

she is not long in solitude; the nearness of another soon becomes apparent. the girl pauses, swings her muzzle back the way she'd come. for a moment, in the evening haze, nothing shifts. but then, almost easily missed among the snow and shadow, is a woman. the girl's auds cant forward, chin lifting as she regards the stranger. "what?" she calls, the word sharp. she's not the one creeping around behind strangers.

The girl was small, likely young. She carried the same assertive tone as the children of Rusalka; was disrespect a commonly taught virtue? Ying's expression curled up into a foul snarl, her snout pinching upward into a collection of wrinkles. Her ears fell to either side as she took a step forward and began to lift her hackles, one row at a time. Should the girl choose to respond instead of run, Ying would not hesitate to retaliate.

Hydra followed Isilme's trail with a mind to teach her more of the Glen; it was her own fathers favored territory, and her possessiveness of it was largely due to this. But for all of Moonspears years it had been an extension of their hunting grounds; she thought it would be wise to teach the young Wodakru girl of the best paths to take. All seemed good, at face value, but that simply was not so—especially in the snow; the returning beasts had favored routes, and their migratory pattern was one Hydra had long since memorized. 

It took no time for her to find the winterwhite girl thanks to scent alone. She was not alone, it seemed—but when a stranger advanced upon her with misplaced authority, Hydra wasted no time; this land was as good as theirs, and Isilme was both her subordinate and her ward. Hydra would be swift to correct the others misconduct, and her own approach could not be missed as she moved to meet Isilme with a low snarl. Stand down, her body language commanded of the white-and-black woman.

And if she did not, by the time Hydra came to meet them the matriarch was quite unsure if the other would live to regret it.

the woman turns foul easily, and her snarl is met with the pricking of her hackles, the lashing of her tail as she steps once toward the woman. familiar footfalls, then, a snarl. any inhibitions that she might have had vanish in a moment, and the silver moves, charging directly toward the woman with jaws agape. aim is her face, seeking to tear, to rend that authority she wears so falsely.

A second she-wolf appeared, this one carrying a more convincing air of dominance. Ying knew that she could win a fight against the youth, but her victory against the adult was less certain. She was ready to back down, as was told by the slight submission in her posture, but it seemed that this was no longer an option.

The child leapt forward, teeth open and aiming for flesh. She dodged right but was still caught by the strike which had torn through the skin joining her throat and shoulder, leaving a decent gash. Ying snapped back, hoping to catch a limb and temporarily immobilize her opponent.

As only a leader might be able to discern, Hydra noted the shift in posture... Isilme, however, had not. Youth and pride often aligned, she knew—but a fight would make their point perfectly clear. Actions had consequences, and Ying would learn this day give the wolves of Moonspear a wide berth and to leave the Glen alone. 

Hydra's behavior was not for show; though she knew Isilme could handle this alone, that was not the Moonspear way. The other had threatened her, and Hydra equally could not abide this; any who threatened her subordinates in turn threatened her, albeit indirectly. Hydra was quick to set her defenses; her head draped over her throat, her ears flattened across her crown, and her tail pressed against the more vulnerable areas upon her person. Hydra squared herself, watching as Ying made her own move—

The matriarch arrived in time to move with Ying's evasion; Hydra went with Ying with her own body weight, fangs seeking to latch onto shoulder to catch and force her on with Ying's momentum; with her own added to the equation, Hydra hoped to unbalance the she-wolf through causing her to fall upon her side. Ideally her action would cause the accuracy of whatever attack she sought to land upon Isilme to fail, or else not land true. 

the woman moves; and so does the shadow of destruction at Isi's side. Ying's grab manages to catch her paw a moment, but she quickly moves to wrench it away. snarl escapes her as she presses forward once more, wary to give the queen room as she circles tightly the pair, jaws moving to grab at whatever pale furred appendage would make itself available to her.

The impact was strong. The darkest of the trio pushed with full weight, her teeth engraving another set of bite marks into Ying's shoulder. She fell to the ground, landing square onto the wounded appendage; a yelp escaped her maw as the pain began to radiate. 

Ying had known that this would not be a fight easily won. She didn't like the idea of submitting before a child, but she knew that the woman would have no less. She was a lone wolf now; without the backing of a pack, she would have to be prepared for a swath of uncomfortable situations.

Slowly did she roll onto her stomach. Ying traded her snarl for a smile and the begging pant of her tongue. Her tail shifted beneath her as her ears fell back in a plea for mercy.

Hydra released once the woman fell, and moved to crowd and stand over her so she could not rise if she thought to continue to fight—but the submissive antics of the she-wolf caused Hydra to realize Ying understood the fight was lost. Looking to Isilme and letting out a low whuff for her to fall back for now, her gaze was quick to land again on the stranger. 

Leave the Glen, Hydra commanded, these are our hunting grounds. Hydra would accept nothing but for her doing as she was told then and there. Only once this happened would Hydra accept the others pleas in full and not set Isilme upon her to finish what Ying had hoped to start. She did not wish to have her members harassed by the likes of this she-wolf, but she trusted Ying had more common sense than that given she knew to submit and would simply do as she was told.

she rears to strike again, only to falter at hydra's instruction. she circles back toward her leader's side, presenting a united front as she turns gimlet stare on ying, a lash of her tail punctuating the queen's words. otherwise, she is silent; deferring to the queen and not entirely trusting herself not to attempt to insult or antagonize the woman further; silence seems the best policy.

The scent markers hadn't been strong, if they'd been there at all. Ying hadn't meant to trespass; she actually thought the other two were invading her little claim. Having realized that this was not the case, she allowed herself to feel an otherwise absent guilt. I no...know this, she explained with a shake of her head, I leave.

There was respect to be had for a pack's boundaries. Ying stood and moved to walk away, tail tucked as she went. She would leave the glen eventually, but she needed time to recover first.

Hydra's gaze was hard upon the other even as they seemed to realize their mistake. She said nothing more to that; Ying had not realized, but now there was no confusion to be had. The Queen had made herself clear. When Ying limped away, Hydra watched as she retreated. Looking to Isilme, Hydra moved to nip her shoulder in a gesture of camaraderie; once again the other had done well. 

You have done well, Hydra commended, licking her chops to rid her lips of Ying's blood. The Glen has acted as Moonspears additional hunting grounds for years, now. While I have no issue in others passing through, none shall be permitted to settle here, or hunt themselves unless you deign to hunt with them. Most of Moonspear knew as much, and now Isilme could be sure of it herself. The famine made Hydra all the more settled on this decision, and that mindset had aided them this past Winter. 

Come, let us train more; I will show you the routes of the Glen another day, so that you may better know them, she drawled, gesturing now toward Moonspear and beginning to trot back from the direction they had both come. Hydra had an idea as to where they could train to make it more challenging for the Wodakru girl, all for the betterment of her abilities.

the pair watch her go; until the concentration of it is broken and the leader nips her shoulder. isilme's tail lashes behind her in a burst of fierce gladness. the string of spars and fight the past few days is keeping her anger well at bay, igniting a desire to better herself that had faded since the death of her father. "it was fun," she admits, nodding attentively as Hydra tells her about the hunting grounds.

the leader's proposal is met with eager acceptance, and the pair move then to return to the mountain's borders.