Overture Downs Rational

She hadn't been out of the territory in months.  Or something like that.  Either way, with Terance watching the pups, she'd taken a bit of time to go out and patrol -- or that's how it had started.  She'd ended up crossing the border chasing a hare, the path veering wildly out into the Downs. 

In the end, Treason had caught the hare, and it now lay limply on the ground at her paws as she paused to catch her breath, panting.  Yeah, she was a little out of shape -- it felt like way more effort than it actually should have been.  Hopefully that would be something that would return quickly.  But hey, now she was back to a point where she could earn her own keep again, and that felt good.  Treason stretched, scanning the landscape around her before reaching down to pick up her prey and start the walk back to the territory.  She was in no hurry -- she'd just cut her planned patrol short and she'd be back when she was expected to be.

Wisteria quietly watched the whole affair.

She was curled up in the shade of a beech tree, nestled down where she was semi-hidden. She was trying to sleep, or that's how it started, but the commotion roused her. Adrenaline spiked through her veins and she flattened herself, but she had a decent vantage point from which to watch the other wolf work. When Treason secured her kill, Wisteria's mouth exploded with saliva.

She measured the odds quickly and found herself defeated. Treason was a hale and healthy pack wolf from the look of her, and Wisteria was little more than an urchin. Stealing the rabbit was out of the question. So she chose another tactic. Rising suddenly from her hollow under the tree, the striped she-wolf began tailing after Treason with her body pressed low in submission, skittering along like some pathetic little spider. The scent of rabbit wafting back toward her was divine. Wisteria would never be able to steal it, but perhaps the woman would feel sorry for her and share a leg or something. After deliberating for some time and fighting against her own nerves, she loose a tiny wavering whuff.

Hopefully my only needed mobile post, heh.

Though she had seen nothing immediately obvious, that didn't mean that the world didn't have eyes. She was confident in her position both in general status and proximity to her pack that the whisper of grasses as the younger wolf approached only got an ear pointing back in her direction. Perhaps that was foolish, but certainly she would have seen or scented another large predator in the area, but nothing that scared her had registered.

If her only competition was other canines, then her best solution was to keep moving, and so she would have done had her tawny shadow not called out. Treason turned on heel then, looking for the source. Once spotting her, Treason tilted her head inquisitively but said nothing -- she wasn't going to set the rabbit down unless she had to. Just because the groveling girl wasn't the least bit of a threat, it didnt mean she wanted to risk a theft. It was probably pretty unfortunate that the pale devil was not by nature charitable, her deals came with strings. And depending on perspective it might also be unfortunate that the description of the missing child had long since faded to just a name -- and enough time had passed that Treason wouldn't have likely recognised her anyway even if she had been paying any attention to last year's pups.

Wisteria couldn't help the wince that shuddered through her when Treason spun around, but the black-capped she-wolf didn't seem hostile. That assumption was Wisp's first mistake. Her turquoise eyes flicked from Treason's bright blues to the hare and back, betraying her lack of knowledge on proper body language etiquette. Any wolf with half a brain learned at a young age that eye contact was a no-no, as had she, but such etiquette had failed to matter to her for so long that she easily forgot herself.

So she didn't drop her eyes from Treason's even as she began to pick forward with low, swooping steps, as if she thought she could get close and snatch the rabbit right away. That was impossible and she knew it, but in that moment hers was the slinking gait of a sly coyote rather than a noble wolf. The only thing to suggest she wasn't about to try her luck was the rasping warble of, please, that fell from her parted lips.

Mixed messages.  What was with this chick?  On the one hand she was submissive but she was staring Treason down and the combination made her uneasy.  As she stepped forward, Treason stepped back a couple of paces, hackles raising slightly as she uttered a low growl.  She had been neutral before, but now her body tensed posturing dominantly.  Though it wasn't like Treason was intimidated, uncertainty wasn't her thing, and she'd rather have space to maneuver. 

Why? she said, muffled due to her mouth still being full.  It was more of a statement, honestly.  A greedy creature like herself wasn't gonna drop her prize unless she had to.

Wisteria ground to a halt at the whirring sound of Treason's growl, letting her own silver-speckled hackles turn to blades over her shoulders. The longer she looked at that rabbit hanging from the pack wolf's jaws, the more bold she felt. What she knew was impossible moments before felt like a narrow chance now. If she moved the right way, if she was quick enough, perhaps she could take it for herself...

It was hunger speaking, and Wisteria needed more than that to risk her hide. But she took the measure of Treason more closely now, with sharp turquoise eyes picking over every aspect of the other female. Need it more, she rasped with a twitch of her lip toward a curl. Wasn't that obvious? Her ribs showed through her lackluster fur and her belly tucked up toward her thin hips at a pitiable angle. She needed food and it showed. Compared to her, Treason was utterly fat in Wisp's opinion and could stand to lose a few pounds. More than a few, really, since she'd given birth not that long ago. Win win, truly.

She carefully set it down and put one large paw on top of her prey.  She apparently would need to talk a few more words than could be garbled around a hare.  A stranger, versus my children.  If you want it, what can you trade?  Honestly Treason suspected the answer would be nothing, and she was not the sort to help the weak without payment.  Especially not when she very well knew that there were several bleeding heart packs that would take in any failing hunter at the drop of a hat.  Just turn right around and go to Elysium. Hell, even Easthollow might have enough pity on her if she had nothing to offer Treason.  A freshly caught hare was too good of an item to just waste on someone unfamiliar for no reason.