Hoshor Plains Roadrunner

The wretch sunbathed at the homestead, done scurrying around the prairies for the next few days. She resigned now to allowing herself to laze.

Despite the idle ache in her limbs, she'd grown healthier in appearance, no longer a half-starved stray fighting the futile battle of lonesome survival. Odds were fixed against her out there, and Envy was well aware of the cards she'd been dealt.

Now at least, she didn't have to want for food. She still did, but she didn't have to.

She'd carted back an antler on her most recent outing, and toyed with it with the end of her paws, idly nudging it as the sun's rays cast a mid-day glow onto the soil, and more importantly, onto her body. Rolling onto her back, she was sure to blind any who came near, as the bright light bounced off of an underbelly the colour of freshly fallen snow.

These lands were sorely overcrowded. It was difficult to go far without tripping over another canine, and Calahan surmised that many had traveled west, only to be rebuffed by the presence of the ocean. They seemed to have remained here. Bitterly, he recognized that untouched region, miles upon miles of lonesome, was not to be found here. 

The outlaw considered the whitefish river, and the possibility of setting up an official hold on the waterway, as he wandered the plains. Coming across the hot springs, steam bubbling from the pools. Interesting...

The tawny man had heard of such abnormalities, but had never witnessed them before. He wondered if the water would scald, deciding not to test the theory. Unfulfilled curiosity wasn't quite a crippling ailment, but burns could be.

he's trespassing at the edge of marked claim.

This one too was plagued by curiosity. Festering. Gnawing. An eternal flame within a misguided heart. When none had sought her services for the day, she took the later hours to once more scurry about the territory, always seeking for herbs to add to her stock or for vermin to torment into the night. She muttered along the way, the tail end of a conversation played in her head sometimes escaping to the open air.

She kept herself company, even in the absence of another.

Upwards towards the steaming pools along the cusp of Yellowstone territory, Envy cast her gaze from one side to another. Ravenous crimson surveying the picturesque area; deep blue water, boiling as if hell itself laid just beneath the waters surface. It had surely been hell for one individual, who's bones laid clean in the water, only the tips of antlers poking out. She wanted that skull, but some things were simply unattainable. Much like her ever attaining some sort of normalcy.

Envy hadn't been up this far until now, but she smelled the scent markers of her packmates, and knew that these springs were under their claim, however much use they actually provided beyond a pretty thing to sit and stare at. They could have that at home. She was plenty pretty enough.

She wasn't all that far into her little sight-seeing trip when she'd catch the figure of another through the steam, at first she thought it might be Dreven, unfortunately yet again subject to simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time—ie: anywhere near her. But this assumption would be proved untrue as she glimpsed the paler ruff and coat, and this one was not nearly as marred, and not near scrawny enough to be Bard. If it was Bard she'd have smelled him a mile away. No no, this was a stranger!

Shit! What to do what to do...

Her hesitance in the moment only allowed for him to see her all the same, and in response, she would vent a quiet growl to rumble in her throat, pearly canines half-concealed by a rising lip. Much like a bear, she made herself just that little bit bigger, tattered ears flattened and her tail rose, sharp and alert.

Who are you? She called with all the authority her voice could muster, narrowing her gaze with a venomous scrutiny as she stood her ground.

Calahan had been trespassing, he knew of it. Today, he learned that the canines of this land seemed more likely to confront than attack upon sight. The monochrome wolf in his vision- wait! The outlaw blinked, unsure of what he was seeing. Could it be? Could it really be Elm- he was snapped out of his trance. The stark red of her eyes and difference in voice confirmed that he'd been imagining things. The rustler felt an immense amount of disappointment and twice as much relief.

But, good lord, did they look similar! This one had the markings of a certain critter, and so he dubbed her as such. Raccoon.

"Nobody," was his guarded response to her hostile question. Regaining his state of alert, he turned the question back to her. "Who the hell are yew?" Like as not, she was one of the folks inhabiting this marked claim.

Oh, so that was the game we were going to play.

Nobody. She echoed with a petty, girlish huff, pulling her chin up.

You's is trespassin' on yellowstone land, dummy. She mocked his accent poorly and curled her lip, taking a few more confident steps his way, her voice resuming her natural cadence. Got a reason to be? Or just nose-blind?

Perhaps the honey badger display would keep him from testing out the actual stretch of her combat abilities. One could hope, though her shoulder was still ravaged from the rancid teeth of Bard. Despite her own workings, she could not magically make a wound disappear, and so the impurity remained, half-healed and peeking out through rainswept fur.

Secretly, he found her clever retort amusing, returning a wry smile. Still, the tawny man was wary. He took a step back as she approached. The rainy woman's likeness to Elmira continued to surprise him.

Yellowstone? That sure was a mouthful. "Reckon I might just be nose-blind, raccoon." Calahan had no qualms with returning the pettiness.Two could play at this game...

little phone post.

Raccoon? An insult!

He mocked her strength, surely, and much as it beckoned her to give him a quick snap, she was not the impulsive type.

She was far more methodical than that. She bit her tongue. To call for reinforcements would've been wise, and yet she was too tempted by curiosity to make the decision.

Border's the other way... N' you don't exactly look like you're starving, which means you've got no need to trespass. Find somewhere else to wander, before the muscle gets here. She does him the courtesy of a warning, though her hackles are no longer raised, and her teeth less inclined to tear, she keeps a threat on her tongue and in her tone.

"Oh, simmer down! I were just meanin' to say, yew kinda look like a varmint. Y'know, with that mask an' all..." Surely he wasn't the only one noticing the resemblance. He did not regret the potentially insulting comment.

The outlaw should have heeded her words, making himself scare. Calahan did not lean on the side of good judgement (when had he ever), instead opting to stay. "Look, I can be 'ere if I want to." He could not. If the shoe on was on his foot, if this was his turf, he would have gone for any possible trespasser's throat from the start.

"Besides, I'm just explorin'. I got better land than this, over yonder. I ain't starvin', make no mistake on that." This raccoon-like creature didn't faze him with her threats.

And now he called her vermin! Her teeth would grit slightly against one-another, however unintentional his comment was. Reading others was far from a strong suit of her own, and his continued relaxed nature only served to confuse her further. This was an interrogation! How dare he not her seriously!

Sure. S'pose you can go anywhere you want. She rescinds, offering a light shrug and sitting back on her haunches. She would not take his might seriously, either. What I'm tellin' you is that comin' here has consequences. Y'know, borders n' all that. Sometimes we put em' there for a reason. Y' don't get to come explore this land for free. Gotta be part of the club. If you've got 'better' land, I suggest going back to it. You won't find anything other than teeth, here.

The interaction was gradually growing stale, for him, and Calahan wondered if she spoke only empty threats. "Oh, no welcome committee...that's a damn shame." He mockingly pouted, feigning disappointment. It hadn't been too long ago that he'd aggressively ushered interlopers away from the whitefish river. That was the joy of being a rotten hypocrite, the outlaw decided. He could hassle a feller for something or another, then proceed to do the same thing right after.

She was as sour as a saurel. "C'mon, lighten up. If I were here to rob this place, yew'd have already known that. Unless yer as foolish as ya look...in that case I don't reckon yew can see past the end o' yer own snout." The rustler was being inflammatory, while maintaining a cheery tone.

She's gonna sneak off to call for backup here. Deal with her as u see fit >:) Tagging everyone cause i imagine they'd all hear it, nobody is required to come.

Pff. Like it matters what you're here to do. If it isn't to help us in any way, then you're risking your hide for a whole lotta nothing. Carry on. I'm sure we'll see each other again. The wretch would scoff and let him proceed. She was not so suicidal nor stupid enough to pick a fight with one twice her size.

No, she would let the others handle this. She found herself keen to watch from the sidelines. Anticipatory. There was a vile little parasite inside her heart, thrilled for things yet to come.

You'll get your welcome committee. I dunno how nice they'll be. Best come up with an offer, or somethin' in the meantime. She grinned, shit-eating and smug. Maybe they'd make a good bait-dog out of you. The bison hate wolves that get too close. Better not to risk ourselves, eh?

Her threats were naught but words cast to wind.

For now, at least.

She gestures further inward toward their lands, an unspoken offer for him to venture as he saw fit. In the meantime, she would slink away, making no secret of her whiny, broken howl that rang out across the prairie. @Arktos @Nephele @Dreven @Fjall

'Intruder.'

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Dreven heeded the call of the little annoying tch, but he found a strange affection for.

It was with narrowed gaze Drevens eye fell on the interloper. And a growl low and savage and wild left his maw. He knew this fucker. He was the one that had done all of these wounds.

Come to try again did ya bitch.

Dreven stepped forward. You got .5 seconds to run before I rip your dick off.

if his language makes you uncomfortable I will edit