Firefly Glen going-to-the-sun road

@Osiris

The glen was a peaceful place.
 
Initially, the inkwell yearling had been worried that their move to the new location would leave him with a sense of loss over Moonspear. He’d fretted for several days before traveling with his brother to their intended claim. The glen was close to their birth pack; Atlas figured that he could venture back to the mountain’s borders in a short time if it was needed. Beyond that, there was something about their new territory that had settled well in the belly of the dark young beast.
 
Trekking toward the borders of the claim, Atlas peered in search of a familiar shape. He hoped quietly that Meerkat might have been out bouncing along the edges of the glen with Bronco, but her scent seemed to have been lost several paces back. As he marked a portion of the border, he cast his sunlight stare into the internal territories and smiled softly.
 
Home…

Osiris was up-wind from Atlas, crouching over the muskrat he'd only just discovered. The body reeked of badger, and the scent was recent, too—not more than a day old. With the smell in his nose, he lifted his head and expectantly looked around, as if he were anticipating finding the culprit so quickly. Osiris was tense as he observed, his ears erect, and his nape-hairs quill-like; he was ready to kill if it were necessary. 

He detected nothing suspicious in his immediate surroundings, which was troubling, given their issues with badgers in the past.

It didn’t take long before that reeking badger scent was brushed past the dark Ostrega. Atlas’ head drew upward, and he turned his sights toward the origin, feeling the prickling of uncertainty in the pit of his stomach as he searched the immediate area for signs of the aggressive creature. Badgers were not kind to wolves, and they did not like it when their dens were intruded on. More importantly, the inkwell did not wish for their home to be invaded by the dangerous beast.
 
Picking up his pace, Atlas trotted further ahead until the scent was stronger and he settled his sights on the familiar shape of Osiris. It was likely that his brother had found the same scent and was searching for the intruder. The dark brother chuffed to announce his presence and loped to close the gap that stretched between them.

The sound of Atlas' chuff drew Osiris' concentration, and he turned to watch as his brother approached. "Brother," he greeted gruffly, his smile warm despite the trouble at hand. There was little time to exchange pleasantries; they had bigger fish to fry. "I'm sure you can smell, but it seems as though we have an intruder," he drawled, jumping straight to the point. "Badger—fresh, it seems as though it had a snack and wandered into our territory looking for more," the trail lumbered towards the glen's core, towards the various caches that their hunters had begun to form. 

"Feel like tracking it down with me?" he asked with a click of his jaws. Osiris knew he couldn't do it alone, and Atlas was one of the more capable hunters in the pack; together, they were unstoppable.

Let's find it and clear it from our land, the inkwell remarked to his brother. Normally, Atlas' anxiety would have given him pause. He didn't think he was fully capable of chasing an angry badger on his own. With Osiris? Atlas felt invincible with a titan by his side and nothing to hold them back.

Osiris and Atlas set off in the direction of the glen's heartlands, with determination driving their every step. They trailed along for some time, following until they found their quarry. Osiris had spotted it from a distance, and instinctively he slowed as he watched it waddle through their territory as though nothing was wrong. They were a ways from the territory's outskirts, so they'd be in the chase for the long haul. 

Turning an ear towards Atlas, Osiris asked, "We'll chase it to the Heartwood," he instructed quietly. "We won't stop until it's gone—you ready?"

‘We’ll chase it to the heartwood…’
 
The inkwell nodded his head once in confirmation before Osiris set their path and led them into the glen and toward their intended target. When the aggressive little creature was spotted ahead of them, Atlas followed suit with his brother and dropped into a hunter’s stance. His sunlit gaze gleamed brightly at the shape of the badger, eager to drive it from their territory and into the wilds elsewhere.
 
A simple sniff at the tracks in the dirt revealed that the badger was very much alone – no children or mates to cause trouble. Atlas glanced toward Osiris and smiled softly. Ready when you are, brother, the dark Ostrega stated in a smoky rumbling voice.

Atlas' confirmation was all that Osiris needed. Springing towards their mark, he began their raid. At first, the badger had wheeled around to face them with its fangs exposed, leaving the young leader to question if it'd fight them instead of fleeing. When the striped creature realized that it was outnumbered, it changed its tune and began to run in the direction opposite of the two wolves.

That was all it took before Osiris was off and hungering after the trespassing beast that had wandered into their home with the intent to cause havoc. Atlas dutifully followed and kept his head to the ground and his nose trained on the scent of their target, as well as any other signs the badger had left behind. He did not think that it would be hard to follow the creature; they were not typically sneaky animals.
 
Ahead, Osiris seemed to locate their intended target. The inkwell yearling quickly approached from the side, making sure he blocked off one of the possible means of retreat that would have carried the target further into the glen instead of toward the borders. With a guttural snarl, Atlas lowered his crown and lunged for the badger, aiming to strike at its face.

Osiris swung right as Atlas sprang left, opting to obstruct the badger's trajectory without much consideration before leaping after it; they would do what needed to be done to rid the glen of the menace. Pushing off the ground in hot-pursuit, he raced after his sibling as they drove their target towards the borders.

The chase was wicked fast and thrilling once the badger had decided to flee. Osiris was quick to follow, and Atlas did not take long before the length of his dark limbs carried him in pursuit. Their youthful frames chased the beast to the edges of the glen and watched as it barreled into the brush with a shriek and hiss that did not sound as though it should have come from an animal of the wood.
 
The two brothers stood panting beside each other; trespasser removed from their claim. Atlas glanced toward Osiris with a proud smile. It would be good to stand beside his kin in a pack that was entirely their own. Regardless whether Hydra had stated that Firefly Glen would be an extension of Moonspear. He knew that they were still independent. They could stand strong together, but the shade felt that this mild freedom had given him a sense of peace.
 
As they continued their patrol of the borders, Atlas shared some of his thoughts with Osiris before parting ways.