Anyone welcome, especially to spree, perhaps
@Towhee? Not a joining thread, just some muse jumpstarting
He'd searched for a long time for his brother.
Their time together was so fleeting and limited, alas he could find no traces of a wolf within coyote ranks, nor with any packs beyond those mountains.
Falling Star was gone for good, and if he returned then that would be...wild. He'd have to find his Mother.
But for now, he tumbled back into the Teekons, aiming to go back to Blackfeather. Back home.
But a scent caught his nose on the wind, a pack, and there were some scents he recognized but couldn't place. He'd smelt so much, from their Nightwalker enemies to the fallen Court. Could some be there?
He dragged himself through swamps, his toned body working hard to get to his destination. The trees calmed him though, and after he cleaned up in a mildly warm stream he continued following his nose towards that hub of activity. A pack he'd long forgotten.
Towhee knew she still needed to talk to
@Pippin, though she hadn't seen him around the copse lately. She felt more or less ready for it, though she wasn't going to put much energy into finding him. He knew where she and Meerkat lived; he could come find them when he was ready.
In the meantime, life resumed a regular, rhythmic pace, as did Towhee as she wound around the borders. Her thoughts had just strayed from Pippin to
@Arcturus when she noticed the figure in the distance. Her mind immediately emptied of any thoughts about baby daddies as she loped toward the stranger, assuming an authoritative posture as she went.
There was something vaguely familiar about him as she drew closer. The Regent picked up his scent and felt a flare of apprehension. But she couldn't place him, at least not right away. The instant when it
did click, though, her lips peeled back from her fangs and she charged him with a fierce snarl.
His ears pricked and flattened, anxious. He couldn't place what was making him feel this way.
He'd grown a lot since he'd last been in the Hinterlands, his muscles were more toned and he could hold himself in a fight. He'd learned tricks of the trade since being absent too.
Then, a scuffle of footsteps. He could hear them, light and fast, beelining for him. He backed up quickly, ears flattening and tail tucking tight between his legs.
He snarled viciously, hoping this wouldn't come to a physical fight; he couldn't be bothered for that.
But what came for him was worse than anything he could expect.
Towhee.
He wasn't a pup anymore and so she didn't hesitate one bit as she bore down on him. He backpedaled and tucked his tail, though submission wouldn't appease her. There was a Blackfeather standing directly on their border, an open threat to Towhee's family and a reminder of the war they had won only to lose their home. They had come much too far for peace of mind to let their ilk darken their doorstep without consequence. And she'd already warned him once before.
She didn't slow one whit, just closed in and sprang at him, aiming for the side of his neck.
Do you want to do dice rolls or not? Bc I'm fine with either
He wished she had mercy.
Why couldn't a Redhawk have mercy?
He tumbled backward, she dug her teeth into him, missing his vitals closely. Too close.
He surged up the best he could, snarling in anger and to defend himself. Hoping to dislodge her teeth,
Rowan lunged at her, leering with snapping jaws, hoping to make an escape.
It seemed unlikely, however.
He twisted his butt around, facing her directly, bracing for her next assault which he was sure to follow closely.
He could feel the blood soaking through his fur already.
I've never really been a dice person (terrible at math)! I'm totally fine with Rowan getting in some hits! Please let me know if I need to change anything with my own assumptions. :D
Her teeth sank into the space where his neck and shoulder met, blunted by the bone there. Within seconds, he wrenched loose. She felt his own teeth graze her cheek as he lunged defensively before falling back. Soon they were facing one another and Towhee felt a surge of galled fury that he was standing his ground instead of running for his life.
Had he been anyone but a Blackfeather, Towhee might have paused to give a warning, after all: one last chance to get the hell out of dodge. But he hadn't heeded her past warning and she didn't want to waste any time with words. She dropped low and then sprang at him again, once more aiming to get at his jugular.
No problem! Do the same for me
Maybe he should've taken his seconds breath to run, but she would be faster than him and would easily trip him up and bear down on him.
In his mind, his only option was to make her think twice about chasing then leg the fuck out of the Hinterlands. Hopefully for good.
All he knew was he was glad for his training in Blackfeather.
His chin dropped, jaw parting ready to snare her as she dived for his neck. His tail lashed the air just before she hit, jaws clashing with no similarity to a puppy fight where they meekly battled. No, this was like moose rutting.
Blood splurged from his gums and tongue, and he was pretty sure a tooth cracked.
Better than her holding onto his neck.
He dare not snap his head up, though it did a bit in recoil from the pain.
He knew for a fact she was older and definitely had more experience, but he had some training at least.
Rowan took a could retreating steps, hoping nothing was blocking his behind.
He parried with his teeth, causing their jaws to clash painfully. Towhee ignored the taste of blood in her mouth just as she did the stinging in her sliced cheek; they were superficial wounds that could be assessed later, when she wasn't in the heat of a fight. Right now, the only spilled blood that was of any concern to her was Rowan's. She wouldn't stop driving at him until she tore it from his throat in a fatal gush.
(TFW your own post is so graphic, your stomach turns...)
He lowered his center of gravity a little to cover his throat even as Towhee retreated a few paces to renew her onslaught with force. But even as she prepared to launch yet another attack, she became aware of her own broken tooth... in the split second before she accidentally inhaled it and promptly started choking as it became lodged in her throat.
I actually swallowed a chip of my tooth as a kid omg xD
He watched her, a soft growl escaping him.
His tongue snaked to feel his teeth were intact, but also in immense pain.
His lower two incisors were cracked, so crunching would be painful, but not impossible.
He braced for impact, ready to headbutt the fuck outta Towhee's big-headed ego when she blundered.
He made his decision quick and darted at her, headbutting her in the muzzle.
I hope this is ok, just DM me to yoink me back if not
He reeled backward, the impact hurt, made him a bit woozy.
He turned, loping away from the pack border as quick as his spinning head would let him.
Sounds unpleasant! Are you're totally fine. Thanks for the fun thread, kekeke!
Too busy fighting for air, Towhee paid Rowan no attention, so she didn't see his attack coming. The crack to her muzzle sent her reeling in shock, resulting in the stuck tooth coming loose and getting swallowed. By the time she caught her breath and recovered, he was little more than a speck in the distance.
She stood there, panting, all her aches and pains suddenly flaring as she realized he'd just
saved her life. Talk about a conflict of interest. Towhee stood there a long time after her vanished, simply trying to process everything that had happened in the past five minutes.