Star had begun patrolling the borders. Once upon a time this had been a routine for her, almost daily, when she lived at Swiftcurrent, and later when she lived in little packs here and there. More than a year of being a nomad had put her out of practice (not that it was a difficult activity), but now her old bones made it a little harder. She was holding up well for her age, but her gait was slower than it once was. Nevertheless, her paws carried her over stone and grass alike.

Something caught her eye, a silvery figure just ahead. Of course she did not know all the members of the pack yet, but she knew she did not belong. Her scent came upon the wind, different than the rest, not like the Vale. And there was something... off-putting, about this girl's general aura. Like there is a hollowness beyond her skin and eyes.

Star's fur bristled at the sight of her, but she calmed herself and approached her with seriousness. Andraste had a policy of giving trespassers a chance, to explain themselves and the like, before utilizing force. Whether or not Star agreed with it was irrelevant, it was the way of the pack and so she would make it her way as well. "Good afternoon, let it be known that you are trespassing in Courtfall territory. Please state your business here," She huffed. It amused her, to hear herself speaking with such formality, but she maintained a straight face and a stern gaze.

Here it came. She should have predicted it, these hopeless and hollow children who were careless to the rules of the world, careless to their own conditions. Spitting out reckless words of anger and apathy. Star felt bad for this pathetic girl, who felt the need to be aggressive and provoke people.

She wondered momentarily, if this was how she once looked to the Blackfeather wolves. She had been just a year old, immature and full of anger, trespassing without a care in the world. And look what they had done to her. She shook away the thought- Courtfall would deal with trespassers differently. Maybe Star had once been dragged underground to be held and tortured and interrogated, but Courtfall was not like those people. She would fight as she needed to, whatever it would take to rid the land of this pesky kid. But never something like that. 

Anyway, she did not take kindly to those insults. Fuck, when did I even get old... I'm a hag now? She thought to herself. Her fur bristled on her spine once again, only now she did not calm herself. Just as she was about to make a move herself, she noticed the approach of someone- before she could turn, the wolf was already leaping from behind her, ready to tear apart the stranger. Pale and small like herself. A fellow Court woman- Star was glad that she would not have to battle alone. The odds were in their favor now. Star made a leap of her own, black lips pulled back to reveal bright fangs wet with saliva. She attempts to take the girl's back end, her jaws reaching out to bite at her hips, or hind legs perhaps, wherever she could connect and draw blood.

She stumbled back into Star's fangs after Tundra's initial attack. The old woman's fangs dug into the girl's flesh the best she could, quickly beginning to taste the blood in her mouth. Unlike Tundra, this sort of thing did not fill her with some sort of satisfaction, not even for a single moment. She saw it as a duty- she spat the blood out when it welled in her mouth, finding it more of a responsibility than a joy to experience. 

And then a scream hit her ears, and it was the worst and most terrifying sound ever. The scream of a child in agony, crying out for help after her mistake. It's like a nail on a chalkboard to Star, to hear the kid's pain vocalized. It's like a knife in her heart, or like Crescendo's claws in her feet, the pain that suddenly reaches her soul. They were strong women, going two against one on an ignorant child.

I'm like Bane. I'm like Bane and Raissa. 

She can't prevent the thought as it fills her head, as much as she wants to think about anything else. It makes her nauseous, to think that she is as cruel as those Blackfeather wolves. So she tried not to hear her thoughts and tried not to hear Zephyr's scream. Instead she got another bite in on the kid's flank, but it was messy, not as precise as usual as her mind was thick with worry. 

The stench of fresh urine reached her and her nose scrunched with slight revulsion. And then, the girl stared at them, wide-eyed and bloodied, begging them to stop. Star's midnight eyes met the girl's silver ones, and in that moment she wished she could communicate I'm so sorry, but all she could do was quit her attacks and give the girl a look of pity. And then her packmate was spitting harsh words at the intruder, and the kid was off on quick legs, and her packmate pursued. Star didn't have the heart to continue- she stood like a statue of stone, staring down at the pair as they took off. Maybe her packmate would be mad at her for not bothering to follow- but she couldn't go against her own belief. She was a warrior, sure, but something like this reminded her too much of her own experience trespassing. She could not follow.

The girl takes her leave finally, ending Star's moral battle that takes place within physical battle. The woman who had assisted her had started to go, and coming back upon Star urged the troubled old woman to follow. She can feel her cheeks flush at the thought that she was holding the woman up, with her worries and jumbled thoughts. But the words that are uttered are enough to get her moving. She nods at the woman's statement without a word. She had a point- and besides, Star ought to tell herself the same sort of things. Otherwise she would lose sleep trying to debate with herself over whether what she had done was right. Trying to get her mind off the incident and onto other things, she wanders off too, continuing her round of the borders as if nothing had happened.