She had been avoiding the mountain for a few days, getting her feelings of jealousy back in check. She knew that allowing herself to even have those feelings would be nothing but trouble for her and it was best to stifle them away as quickly as possible. For the first time in her life, Aguta was tired of being alone, tired of feeling lonely, and very tired of being invisible to others the moment either her aunt or her cousin was around. Though her loyalty ran very deep, she could feel it wavering here and there. And this was one of those moments, it seemed, because the last place she wanted to be was on the mountain.

Having not done much by way of exploring these lands, Aguta ventured away from the mountain that she had been hanging out on since her cousin had dubbed it the place that they would call home. She didn’t really care where she was going, to be honest, just so long as it got her away from the mountain for a while. It would give her time to clear her head, clear her thoughts, and hopefully clear her feelings of the jealousy that seemed to continue to grow with each passing day. She was three years old and had only ever been with another well before she’d turned two. Part of her wished to have pups of her own, to bring forth life from her loins. Was it to never happen? Not as long as the males got a chance to lay eyes upon either her aunt or her cousin.

Jealousy and anger surged through her as she suddenly broke out into a full-out run. Anger at herself for allowing the feeling of jealousy to get the better of her. Anger at every single soul that chose to bypass her in light of her aunt or cousin. She ran for what seemed like hours. Her legs burned, as did the lungs in her chest. It was the scent of water that finally got her to stop. Heading in the direction the scent was coming from, she raced to the edge of a lake that she’d obviously not seen before. Reaching the edge, she plunged into the coolness of the lake but did not yet allow herself to drink. The last thing she wanted to do was make herself sick from drinking so soon after having been running for so hard.

She hadn’t taken any notice of if there was anyone else around or not. The scarred female was far too wrapped up in trying to run from herself, run from her emotions and feelings, to take notice of much else. Heck, she could very well have passed into a pack’s territory and she would honestly not have realized it until it was probably too late, landing herself in a world of hurt and trouble. It wouldn’t be the first time she landed herself into trouble for not noticing pack territory borders, and it likely wouldn’t be the last, either.

Having plunged into the cool water of the lake, she came to a complete halt at a point where she was standing in it deep enough that her paws were almost barely touching the bottom. Cool water surrounded her all the way up to her shoulders, and yet she wasn’t ready to allow herself to start drinking just yet. She wanted to be able to cool herself off a little bit before letting herself drink because she didn’t want to end up throwing up whatever she drank. See, Aguta had done this before but hadn’t known better then and ended up not only throwing up but had also been physically sick for a few days afterwards. It wasn’t something she wanted to go through again.

The suddenness of a voice, a male voice, jerked her back to reality and the scarred female whipped around to face him. She didn’t hold herself aggressively but she did have an air around her that said she wasn’t going to take crap from anyone. Icy colored eyes narrowed, slightly, as she studied him for a moment before finally answering his question. “Only myself,” she answered bluntly. There was no point in lying, placing the blame upon some unseen face. She was running only from her own self.

It was definitely her being submerged in the lake that made her look small because small was something she very much was not. Although she wasn’t nearly as bulky as many of the wolves in her lineage, she was still very much large and leggy. He would get to see that sooner or later, but for the moment, she was not budging from where she was standing in the lake. If this male were to decide to attack her for whatever reason, it would take him some doing to actually get to her in the water, so, for the time being, she was content with where she was.

Without removing her gaze from him, she lowered her head toward the water and lapped at it a few times, making herself stop even though her throat cried out for her to guzzle more. When he replied, she partially slicked her ears backward. Though he probably wasn’t aware, but he was really right on the money with his comment. “You have no idea…” she responded, a soft sigh managing to slip through her words. His warning caused her to push her ears forward again, narrowing her eyes a little more. “I came from the south,” she informed him.

Leaning her head down a second time, she lapped at the water a few more times before allowing herself to move forward toward the edge of the lake. As she moved, her large frame came out of the water more and more with each step until she was standing on the bank of the lake. Water dripped from her scarred body. The last of the sun’s rays shining down on her strangely brindled fur. After only a moment, she shook herself from nose to tail, sending water droplets flying in all directions. “Who’re you?”

She saw him bristle at her words, having told him which direction she had come from, and actually almost took his words as a challenge. Aguta went where she wanted any time she wanted, most borders be damned. However… “Don’t fret your pretty little head,” she began, her voice laced with teasing sarcasm. “I didn’t pass through your precious borders.” Because that was clearly what he was warning her against. Aguta had been around the block a few times and was far from stupid or naïve. Him appearing to hold his ground did little to intimidate her, especially as she made her way out of the water, allowing her full size, and scars, to be seen. He didn’t need to know that the majority of her scars were not from fighting.

This male was quite probably the first to be taking notice of her as her and not her aunt or her cousin, both of which she resembled quite a bit, though wore her own scars and the brindling of her coat was not something either of the other two females wore. Even without her aunt or cousin around, most still didn’t bother noticing Aguta for one reason or another. After having shook herself from nose to tail, her fur was a little fluffier but still very much clung to her shape. “Aguta, daughter of no one important, or of anyone that I acknowledge,” she responded to him turning her question back onto her. She found it strange that he included who he was the son of since she, herself, had entirely disowned both of her parents, casting away the family name she had been born into and adopting the name that went with the pack she had been a part of.

Still watching him, she lifted a hind paw to briefly scratch at a spot on her shoulder. Setting her paw back down on the ground, she removed her icy gaze from him for a few moments to glance around their surroundings since she hadn’t really paid all that much attention, at all, when she’d first arrived here and plunged into the lake. “Where is here, anyway?”

Even though her being here was because of her jealousy and anger, she was in a fairly decent mood. Perhaps it was because someone was noticing her and not focusing on how she resembled her aunt or cousin. To some this would be no big deal, but to her it actually was, even if she wouldn’t ever openly admit it to anyone else. There were just some things that a female needed in life, and attention was actually one of those things. Heck, she was three years old and had ever only been with a male once. But even then, it wasn’t her that the male she’d been with had been thinking about. That much had been clear when he’d called out another female’s name during the act. Talk about self-esteem shattering!

It was good that he wasn’t asking her about how she’d introduced herself at the moment. Since she didn’t know him, talking about the family she no longer acknowledged as being family wasn’t something she was really willing to do with a stranger, especially since it was a topic that was much likely to kill the decent mood she was currently in. Her in a foul mood was not a pretty sight, at all, and never ended with anything good coming of it except bloodshed. It was hard to remember back to the time when the mere thought of drawing blood on another, be it wolf or prey, made her physically ill. Ever since the journey she had been sent on by her dark god, Sos, she hadn’t been the same and never would be, but this was not a bad thing in the least.

She listened as he began to answer her question, and she allowed her icy gaze to drift slightly, silently searching for any trace of the flock he said lives here. Not seeing any sign of them, she returned her gaze to Goldry as he asked her another question. She caught the jest in his sparkling yellow eyes and actually felt herself relax a little, which was a bit odd for her because she rarely ever relaxed in the presence of strangers. “Only when running from myself,” she answered, actually giving a slight wag of her tail.

Even if she weren’t to admit it, his assumptions of her were actually quite spot on. Having learned to show little to no emotion, she fought within herself more often than not. Feelings raged inside of her and the only way she was able to really let them out was to try to run from herself with absolute reckless abandon. It really was like she was on a self-destructive mission during those times because, honestly, she cared little of what happened to her, where she went or where she ended up. Just like right now. But being Tartok, she didn’t want to be viewed as weak in the pack. She’d had her share of being the weak one within Tartok, but that was from years ago. She’d fought hard both within herself and without to rise to what she was now. If only she could completely shut off her emotions.

The large woman tilted her head slightly to the side when he asked her if she was hungry. One day she would learn to expect the unexpected, because this was definitely something she had not expected. On the other hand… “After having been running nearly all day,” she began to answer, still studying the male. “I’m famished.” She would definitely not pass up the chance at a meal, especially if it was a meal that she wouldn’t have to catch entirely on her own. “Have something in mind?”

She was suspicious but purely because she rarely interacted with anyone outside of Tartok, and even more rare was for her to hunt with anyone outside of Tartok. Granted, she had done just that with one that she had found on the mountain that had been her home since coming to these new lands, but she had been terribly lonely at that moment in time and had been the one to invite that stranger to hunt with her. It was also because she’d wanted something larger than a rabbit to eat. So for this male to be inviting her to a meal with him, she couldn’t help but be suspicious. Was he expecting something from her in return? Or was he actually just a decent guy? Either way, he was paying attention to her.

When he set off into motion, Aguta paused for only a moment before pushing herself forward and easily catching up with him. Falling into step beside him, she carried herself quite proudly and, surprisingly, allowed herself to begin to enjoy his company. She remained silent as she moved along beside him, feeling curious as to where he was leading her but not wanting to damage the moment by asking questions. For the first time in a long time, Aguta was forcing herself to just trust him even though he was a stranger. The large woman doubted she’d run into him again once she returned to where she’d come from, so why not allow herself to relish in the moment?

She stopped when he stopped, allowing her gaze to follow where he had motioned. Icy gaze fell upon the animals he was pointing at. Though she had seen animals like that before, she’d not hunted them that she could recall, sticking to the things that lived on the mountains instead. Her gaze shifted to him as he asked his question. “No,”, she answered, giving a slight shake of her head. Though she was large, she was long legged, built more for speed, for the chase. Though she could also very easily take a hit, too, be the “catcher” of the animal being chased down. Since this was his thing, she would actually let him instruct her as to what he wanted her to do rather than try to take it over and tell him what she expected of him. “What would you have me do?”

She was silent as she listened to him giving instruction. When he spoke of the beasts running too fast even for her, she kind of smirked, the first sign of seriousness finally leaving her face. It was something she would normally take as a challenge. Aguta would try to keep herself from thinking of it as such, though, at least this time around. Perhaps next time, she would have to give it a go just to see how much faster than her they were. Aguta liked a challenge, especially when it was something that involved speed and running. There would be plenty of time for that, though, and right now was not that time. Right now, she was allowing someone else, a stranger, give her instruction. That, too, was something that never happened.

She nodded as he gave the rest of the instructions to show that she was getting it all. “Got it,” she responded out loud to his question. Icy gaze watched him move away from her, heading where he said he was going to head. She waited for several minutes before she began to slowly make her way in the direction he had instructed her to go. Stopping at one point, she scanned the general area of where he said he was going to be purely to make sure that he was either there or at least most of the way there. She didn’t want to set the beasts moving too soon because that could be an obvious mess-up and not something she wanted to do. Aguta strove to do things right and not half-assed or incorrectly.

Satisfied that he was where he said he was going to be, Aguta began to move forward once more, moving toward the trio of pronghorn. After a few steps, she began to pick up her pace, running at them at an angle just like he had told her to do. She made sure to keep her speed in check, though, not wanting to press them too hard like he had warned against. Sure enough, the beasts began to head in the direction he had said they would. Now it was just a matter of getting them closer to where he was so that he, too, could make his move.

She wasn’t inexperienced, per say. She was just inexperienced when it came to hunting pronghorn. Aguta mostly ever hunted animals that resided on the mountain that she now called home, as well as the mountain she lived on prior to coming here. She had nearly been killed by the mountain that had been her home for the last two years, but she lived, rose to conquer not only the mountain that had nearly beaten her, but conquered the fear that had been instilled into her by that very mountain. She had risen from her wounds and became what she was today; a force to be reckoned with. There was little that she was afraid of now, though she would likely never openly admit to being afraid of anything to anyone.

Aguta knew better than to allow her recklessness impede in her ability to hunt, especially when she was hunting with someone she didn’t know well at all. Without admitting it, she was out to impress the male, not cause him to turn his nose up to her, and that meant putting her best foot forward in this hunt. She strove to do the best that she possibly could, especially considering that she knew that her assigned job in this hunt wasn’t something that was all that tough. The scarred woman knew that she was doing good when she took notice that the three beasts had turned their focus entirely on her, watching every move she made. That meant that Goldry would be able to get himself into the position that he wanted to be in.

Though she was keeping an eye on all three of the beasts, she paid the closest attention to the one with the broken leg. The moment Goldry made his move, causing the buck to veer one way while the two does veered to the other, Aguta turned herself so that she was giving chase to the one with the very obvious limp. Pushing herself now, she easily, and eagerly, chased after the beast with the broken leg. Getting closer little by little, Aguta swiped outward with a front paw to smack at the hind legs of the beast with the limp. She hoped that doing that would cause the doe to stumble at least a little bit.

Aguta could feel the burning in her legs and chest already. Usually it took a lot more than this to bring on the burn, but she hadn’t really rested all that much after having run all the way down the mountain that was her home to the lake where Goldry had found her. That meant that her limit of stamina was diminishing quicker than if she had started this hunt fully charged and ready to go. But she was not about to give up until either the beast was dropped, or she, herself, dropped from sheer exhaustion. Aguta was not a quitter.

Her aim was true, knocking the doe off balance, causing the beast to trip. But when it lashed out, kicking out with its vicious kick, Aguta was a little too close. The hoof of the pronghorn doe landed in the middle of Aguta’s chest, winding her and causing her forward momentum to falter. As she tried to catch her breath, Goldry flew past her, grabbing hold of the kicking beast by the back of her head. A strangled snarl escaped from Aguta, but not directed at him, as she dove forward just as the doe’s broken leg crumpled beneath the weight.

A second angry snarl ripped forth from Aguta as she shoved her own head into the mix, clamping strong jaws around the snout of the doe. She was going to go for the throat, but the doe had her head at an awkward angle making it impossible for Aguta to grab where she wanted to. So she settled for the snout, crushing it beneath the power in her jaws. She had no intentions of letting go until the beast ceased thrashing about. Her chest burned both inside and out, out from where the kick landed.

Aguta rarely ever showed aggression toward others during a hunt, just as she was not doing so toward him either. It was at the doe that her anger was directed toward. Anger because the damn beast had kicked her full on in the chest, knocking the wind out of her. If he thought the aggression was directed at him, she would actually make sure to set that right. Thus far, she had no reason to direct her aggression toward him.

The scarred female kept her hold on the doe’s muzzle when Goldry began shaking it’s head back and forth. That was quite a feat; being able to hold on. It wasn’t until she heard the neck snap that she released her hold. Now that she was no longer having to focus on the killing of the beast, Aguta stumbled backward slightly. Her rump hit the ground with a bit of a thud. She was a big girl, after all. There was a little trickle of blood where the pronghorn doe had landed her kick to Aguta’s chest. The cut on her chest was from the sharpness of the hoof and the way the kick landed.

She just sat there for several long minutes. Her legs burned, as did her lungs and her chest where she’d been kicked. But it was the growling of her stomach that finally pushed her forward. Aguta tried to keep her distance from him, tearing into the hindquarter of the dead doe. Icy gaze fixed upon him, making sure that he was respecting her space as she was respecting his.

When he moved, leaving her the liver and kidneys, Aguta didn’t hesitate to lurch forward, snatching them up straight away. Once they were gone, she moved back to the hindquarters that she’d already been eating from. Her lip curled back in a bloody display when she realized he was getting nearer to where she was eating and a deep warning growl easily slid forth from her. The scarred female wouldn’t hesitate to physically lash out if he got too much closer into her space. She would do the same toward anyone that got too close to her space while she was eating. It was something she just didn’t tolerate.

She finally had eaten more than enough, moving backward away from the carcass and dropping her rump to the ground, reclining comfortably while licking the pronghorn’s blood from her mouth. When he spoke, taking notice that she’d gotten injured by the doe, she cast an awkward feeling glance down at her chest and shrugged slightly. “The bitch kicked me,” she replied. Lifting her gaze from her chest, she allowed her icy colored eyes to fall upon him. “It’s no big deal, really,” she added with another shrug. “I’ve had far worse than this.”

There was little left to be said between the two of them it seemed. The hunt had gone well, minus her getting kicked in the chest, and they both now had full stomachs with plenty left over to share with others. Aguta would not likely take any with her, though, because she had quite a distance to travel and did not want to be hindered with carrying any part of the leftover carcass with her. “Thank you,” she responded, giving a slight dip of her muzzle. It had been an interesting experience, hunting with a stranger in strange lands, but it had been well worth it, especially since her stomach was plenty full now.

She was just rising to her paws from her seated position as he walked away when he stopped, turning back toward her and addressing her one last time. For a moment, her ears slicked backward as his words rang true. Aguta diverted her gaze away from him for a brief second before returning it in his direction, letting her icy gaze meet his of yellow. “I know…” was her almost hushed response. Watching him go, she finally pushed herself onward. Aguta did as she was used to doing and did her absolute best at hiding her trail as she traveled back in the direction of the mountain that was her home in these lands. She made it damn near impossible for anyone to be able to follow her. Little did she know, he would end up doing just that.