She spent the night in that fusty forest on the far side of the mountains. When she woke, the ethereal, rolling mists distracted her from her aches and pains. She strode slowly north, trying to limber her muscle in the cold February air. Towhee could not bring herself to regret yesterday’s run.
Nor did she regret its tryst. There was a split second while she toileted, her scent wreathing her, when she fretted: What if I have four again? But Towhee shoved the thought away. She’d spent so much time dwelling lately, she simply refused to indulge in the practice anymore.
She reached the meadow at the edge of the woods. Her body hurt, yet still it made its demands. Towhee’s paws crunched against dry grass and dead flowers as she pondered the merits of awaking the valley with a caterwaul.
ope
bearclaw's entrance was guarded by a large sentinel stone, and it was here that ancelin was often found if he was not hunting or admiring another grisly trophy brought by one of his girls.
he thought of athalia and amneris as his now, as belonging to he and ameline. the first of many children, if they were blessed.
not yet quite to maturity, ancelin was stirred by the fragrance on the breeze, and slowly rose with a tension to his body. he slipped from the stone and left the single red-dirt path leading into the valley, unconsciously assuming the feline grace of his father.
he found a lone figure in the valley he had also decided belonged to him and to them and to bearclaw. the elk that crossed the meadow often lingered with herds of deer, and they'd fed the small pack at least once.
her scents strengthened. ancelin was still confused by his visceral response, and channeled that not into desire but into a stalking, aggressive gait which treated the other wolf as a trespasser.
There was a joke here about cocks and crowing, though before Towhee could put the pieces together, a patchwork fellow appeared across the meadow. Her snout had begun tilting skyward but now it dropped as her fiery gaze settled on him. She had never seen a pelt quite like his, not to mention those purple eyes. He looked so young—too young.
He didn’t even seem interested. He looked prepared to chase her away. This intrigued Towhee but she didn’t have time to waste. She shrugged at the young man and, after a brief consideration, decided to walk back toward the woods and head south instead.
her dismissive attitude toward him enraged the boy, who considered himself a threat. he slid headlong into a run, tail flagged, teeth ready to chivvy her away like a rogue stallion.
however, his wariness of her scent kept his fangs clicking on the air in heavy warning first; he wasn't sure about the aura and wanted to stay clear of it.
ancelin didn't really care that he was acting like a barbarian. the land was theirs, and if anyone from the valley was watching, he wanted to show them his expected baseline level of aggression for trespassers.
He pursued her. Towhee hadn’t gone more than a few dozen steps before she halted again, curious despite herself. She swung to face him properly as he came closer, gnashing his teeth. Surprise flashed across her face at the open aggression, her stiff muscles bracing for an attack.
Yet he hung back, as if there was some sort of force field around her. Towhee held still, truly perplexed. Her stare said as much. What did he want from her?
she stopped. ancelin paused. they stared at each other. the valleywolf felt suddenly foolish, but doubled down on it, snorting in draconic noises at her questioning look.
he had wanted her to keep running; now she wasn't. "you smell — ill," he claimed in a growl, though illness was not the proper word for the changes in her scent. "leave."
it felt good to flex his teeth, his jaws; ancelin had land of his own to protect and the aggression infused him with a cold sense of rightness.
You sweet summer child,
Towhee said.
He continued flashing his teeth and posturing, demanding she leave. It was very tempting to troll him but she didn’t want to waste her energy on him.
That’s what I’m trying to do,
she announced cavalierly, edging sideways and telegraphing her intent to continue southward.
he was ruffled and it showed, but the fight went out of ancelin. he stood rather sheepishly watching her go, taking a step after her not to aggress but because the scent was so compelling.
and then he turned, retreating back to the valley with his anger and salacious thoughts.