Sunset Valley Show your colors

Wildfire was having such a difficult time grappling with her emotions today that she decided it might be best to leave Drageda for a few hours and clear her head. She didn't say anything to Thuringwethil or anyone else, she simply disembarked from the northern border and tried her best to locate a scent trail. A good hunt would get her mind off the feelings of jealousy raging inside her at the mere thought of any other she-wolf in the pack (aside from the commander, of course), all of whom she couldn't help but think of as a threat all of a sudden. Rationally, Wildfire knew she should be able to banish these invasive and illogical thoughts and feelings, but actually overruling them was proving arduous.

She struck a scent and tracked it, though she fumbled the chase and ended up at the base of a tree being loudly chastised by an indignant squirrel. Wildfire would usually let a failure like this roll right off her shoulders. But she felt like there was steam trapped beneath her skin. She was angry with herself and annoyed as the overgrown rodent continued screaming at her from its refuge on the branch above. The she-wolf struck a petite paw against the trunk, feeling futile and frustrated, then growled under her breath and turned to stalk in another direction, any other direction.

Chip continued to meander about this strange, dick-filled, gorgeous place, wondering if she would ever find a place to settle down and call home. Psych! She didn't wonder about finding a home. She was pretty damn sure it was something she had to do in order to survive the winter. And winter was creeping up on her faster than she ever would have liked. The days were getting shorter, the nights colder, and the days weren't exactly warm, either.

A ruckus broke Chip from her inner thoughts, and she spotted a rather red, rather moody looking girl who looked to be about her own age. "Jeez, who stuck a stick up your butt?" Chip asked, scoffing at the other girl. Truth be told, this one looked like she could use a good lay. Chip could point her in at least three different directions if she was lookin' for that.

A voice startled her out of her broody march. Wildfire froze, expression transitioning from pinched to surprised and then back to pinched in a matter of seconds. She attempted to steady herself with a deep breath, yet it didn't take the edge off her agitation. Although some random she-wolf out here in the wilderness posed no threat to Wildfire's breeding rights, she had still caught the Bandrona in a foul mood. And her rude question didn't do much to placate the temperamental yearling.

Still, she was an ambassador for her pack even when she was doing her best to avoid it and Wildfire tried to keep that in mind as she squared her shoulders and padded slowly toward the stranger. She was striking, now that the yearling took a moment to really look at her. Wildfire tried to smooth the angry furrow out of her brow as she moved nearer, so that she didn't say something unnecessarily curt. As feisty as she felt, she was mindful enough to know that picking a fight with a total stranger was a bad idea. Plus, it could hurt her chances at motherhood.

"Just having a rough day, I guess," she said as breezily as she could muster. "I'm, uh, Wildfire," she added a little awkwardly.

The little red wolf (okay, she was about the same size as Chip) didn't take the insult-bait, which was a little bit disappointing, but also a little bit impressive. It wasn't often somebody could brush off a comment like that and keep their cool at the same time. It took an insane amount of heckling to put Chip off-guard, so perhaps she'd found somebody who rolled the same way.

"Nice t'meet you, Wildfire. I'm Chipmunk. But everybody calls me Chip. I've heard all the jokes, so don't bother," she said with a grin. "Fitting nuts in her mouth" and "climbing trees" were usually the easiest go-to cracks at her name and appearance. "Chip off the ol' block" had been a common one back home, even though she couldn't really understand why. Both of her parents were exceedingly dull.

"I was gonna try and rouse up some grub if you wanna lend a girl a paw," Chip offered with a raised brow. Unlike her older sister, Chip actually had a knack for hunting.

She half-expected a rude retort, in which case Wildfire would just walk away. Instead, she got a very amiable greeting and introduction. It surprised her and put her at ease. Her lips even quirked slightly upward at the mention of jokes. She had gotten her fair share of lame, repetitive remarks about her own moniker. On that note, the naming convention and resemblance to said animal reminded Wildfire of her own family, which piqued her curiosity.

But before she could comment on or ask about that, Chip asked if she wanted to hunt. Wildfire paused for a beat, slightly hesitant at the notion of hunting with a perfect stranger, then inwardly shrugged and decided, "Sure. I'm actually a small game hunter by trade. What's on the menu?" She hoped it wasn't squirrel. She was still feeling pretty bitter about the one still shrieking in the distance.

"Anything but chipmunk," she winked without missing a beat. Sure, she'd heard that joke a thousand times, too, but it was so much more enjoyable when she made the joke. "Actually, how about rabbit? I think I spotted a cluster of their dwellings a little ways back," Chip suggested, unable to remember what the names for their dwellings actually were. Without really waiting for an answer, and figuring Wildfire would stop her if she really wasn't in the mood for rabbit, Chip began to make her way toward the location she'd spoken of.

She had probably devoured a thousand rabbits in her day, yet Wildfire never tired of eating them and definitely didn't mind killing a few. "Sure," she replied, falling into step slightly behind Chipmunk as she led the way. "There's a couple of warrens near my pack's territory," she said conversationally as they walked, "so I guess they're kind of a specialty of mine. Do you live in the area?"

It occurred to her that she could attempt to recruit this individual if she was a loner, especially if she proved to be a good hunter. But Wildfire rejected the thought out of hand. She didn't need any more competition in the ranks. Besides, they were pretty full. Even if Chip turned out to be some kind of amazing, the Bandrona wouldn't be taking her back to Drageda.

Warren! That was the word she'd been looking for. The hunting duo set off toward where Chip had caught wind of the rabbit warrens, Chip making a mental note of its location so she could return if she was ever around these parts again. "No. Not really. I don't live anywhere right now... but I'll have to find somewhere soonish. I was gonna go down south in a few days and see what it's like there," she replied. She certainly didn't want to join... that one dude's pack. Had she really not even gotten his name? The corner of her mouth turned upward, amused at her own lack of care to acquire such information. She planned on heading south following their next planned encounter, seeing as she intended to make good on her half of the deal.

"How 'bout you?" was the obvious follow up to that answer, though Chip was unaware of Wildfire's resistance to recruiting her. If she'd been aware, Chip would have gladly assured her that she was not inclined to join anywhere right this second, let alone before she had the chance to really check it out. Nimble feet continued toward the rabbit warrens, eyes looking out for any that might have strayed from their homes.

As soon as Chip spoke, Wildfire thought of mentioning her parents' pack to her. She opened her mouth, then hesitated and closed it again. Should she wait until after the she-wolf proved herself a little bit? Either way, her parents would certainly vet her, so the Bandrona's lips parted again to say, "If you go southwest, you should check out Redhawk Caldera. My parents and godparents run it. That's where I was born, actually. My dad would love to have another good hunter in the ranks, I'm sure."

Chip wanted to know about Wildfire's allegiance. Since there was no hope for recruitment here, she was slightly cagier than usual about giving away information. "I'm part of Drageda, which is slightly south of here," she said, saying nothing further. In any case, they had arrived at their destination, if the thick scent of rabbit spoor was any indication. Wildfire's mouth clapped shut and she dug her heels in the ground, stopping and looking at Chip, expression asking, Is this the place?

The girl mentioned a pack, and Chip nodded. She would keep it in mind if she ran across it, but she couldn't imagine herself seeking out a specific pack because a stranger said it might appeal to her. The thick scent of prey was enough to distract her from whatever Wildfire was saying, and Chip was suddenly in full-tilt hunting mode. Her eyes glazed over a bit at the smell, and then the sharpened to watch for movement.

"There!" she whisper-shouted, seeing one of the rabbits pop up out of the ground and flop lazily forward. It hadn't noticed them yet, and Chip had already lowered herself to the ground. Her butt was soon wriggling back and forth, ready to pounce on the poor creature. Another rabbit had made an appearance, and Chip shot Wildfire a "get ready" glance. It would work best if they both went at the same time... or so Chip assumed.

They didn't even have time to discuss a game plan before a rabbit oozed out of one of the holes to begin grazing on the autumn grass. Wildfire dropped immediately, trying to blend into the background. Both she and Chip were suited to the season in that regard; their red and brown coats offered decent camouflage against the backdrop of autumn foliage. Lips quirking into a smile, Wildfire kept her amber eyes pinned upon the bunny as it quested along the ground, searching for things to nibble and eat.

Chip shot her a glance and Wildfire nodded, muscles coiling as she prepared to spring. If they both darted at once, they would at least double their chances of capturing the hare before it escaped down a hole. The trapper's lips peeled back from her teeth, her hunting weaponry at the ready.

Chip's muscles sprang her forward from their hiding place, and the rabbits instantly knew something was up. Either Chip hadn't been fast enough or the rabbits had been too fast. In any case, they had slipped back into their maze of underground tunnels and left her with nothing but a mouthful of air. "Ugh!" she complained, stomping the ground with both front feet.

The striped yearling looked back at Wildfire to see if she'd managed to catch anything.

Chip's failure to capture the rabbit enabled Wildfire's own success. Was there any feeling in the world more satisfying than feeling hot, quivering flesh between her clenched teeth? She applied crushing force and the rabbit screamed as death took it. It immediately sagged limply in her jaws, rivulets of blood streaming from the puncture wounds along its crushed rib cage as the she-wolf dug her toes into the ground to steady herself.

She loosened her jaw, letting the fresh kill slide onto the ground, and peered at her partner to see how she fared. "I'm happy to share, of course," Wildfire said when she saw Chip's empty-handedness.

The red wolf had bested her, and Chip perked her ears at the offer, but she shook her head. "It's yours, fair and square. Maybe I'll get another chance later today." Chip paused, wondering if she should stick around to watch her companion eat, but decided that would be one step too awkward, even for her. "I'm gonna go see if I can rouse up something else. Thanks for helping, and enjoy your catch!" Maybe they'd run into each other later on down the road. Or not. Chip wasn't terribly driven to find the redhead anytime soon. With another lingering glance at the rabbit, Chip tore herself away and pranced off into the distance.

Their chance encounter came to an end as suddenly as it had started, though on a significantly more positive note. "Thanks," Wildfire said right before Chip pranced away, "and nice to meet you." Her eyes followed the other female's figure until she disappeared into the distance. Only after she was gone did Wildfire think about their possible connection again. Now it was too late to ask.

Shrugging, the Bandrona gathered her catch in her mouth. Her mixed emotions from earlier in the day no longer afflicting her, she loped back in the direction of her home. Wildfire still wasn't feeling particularly sociable, though she would take advantage of her better mood—and the meat currently clasped in her mouth—by hopefully stealing a few minutes of her mate's time.