Gilded Bay I'm making my claim

Lýkos had recently come to this part of the world, so he needed a place to stay. As he had traveled, he had passed many different terrains, but he had been birthed in one similar to the one he was in now. It had a lot of tunnels, probably mostly rabbit holes, but it was marshy like where he was born. And there was water around, which he loved. He loved to fish and swim.

The coywolf started to leave scent markers around his newly found area, claiming a small square of it. In the middle of this area, there was an old tree, its roots showing, which would be a good place to start digging his den, in Lýkos's opinion. So he chose it to make his den. He started digging under the roots, until he had caved out a decent area. He found some brambles and placed them over the entrance as a barrier. He could slide through, as he was lean, but a larger canine could not.

Satisfied with his creation, Lýkos set out to hunt.

closer to the water lurked another wolf.

she had tasted from one of the many scattered pools and found it burned her tongue, and in a fit of surprise by this, she slapped at the surface with one paw then another. the sand now caught upon the wetness of her feet.

as she began to prowl on across the bay's sand, there came the sound of digging. soon after, the scent of something not-quite-wolf which piqued her interest. the water forgotten, she headed towards the trees.

The girl was massive in comparison to his smaller, more coyote size. Lýkos didn't like that. Because she'd have a better chance in battle against him if a fight were to come. But she didn't look well-built in a muscular way. Just large, and stocky.

He was leaner, athletic, and muscular. He could outrun her or chase her if needed. That reassured him. When she came closer to him, he breathed in the air, testing to see if she was in heat. If she was, which he could not pick up, he would treat her in a different manner. But she was seemingly not. So he pulled himself up to his full height and made himself look menacing.

"What do you want?" He asked in a low growl.

her time would come. that was why she had been chased out of the kyneswood; why she roamed here, now, whether zharille knew it or not. it was the natural way of things. that her mother wished for loyalty rather than rivalry, was of no surprise.

the trees were still, so when the sharp-bodied man stood tall and watchful of her, zharille took notice. it wasn't the same intrigue that drew her to watching, now. he was much closer to food than a partner. too small to be of interest to zharille's future.

she would of course press the advantage of her size - drawing closer and closer, whether he was comfortable or not. the only thing to stop her was the sound of his growl, which earned a humorless chuff from zharille.

her gaze shifted to the darkness he'd been occupying, and saw where he had been digging. what did a man need a birthing den for? for a moment she was distracted and pulled away from him, heading towards it, shoving her face in to take deep breaths and investigate.

Lýkos was not okay with that. When she shoved her face into his newly dug den, just a safe place to protect him from the winds, he snapped at her hindquarters, hoping to land a painful bite and make her leave his place alone, or fight him. Her large head was displacing the brambles he'd just put in and it made him tense.

the little man reacted with teeth! as soon as she felt the graze of those incisors at her flank, she pulled away from the den mouth and with a grimace to show her own fangs, turned upon him with a glare. her fur bunched up around her neck and shoulders as she bristled, rumbling a warning note that he should back down; the weight difference between them would come in handy if he kept up his attitude.

Lýkos was not one to back down. He had to defend his home. He growled again, spraying his scent on the ground to say this is mine. He was no longer speaking to the girl as she showed her feelings towards him. He started to pace in a circle around her, but also staying very close to his den, to protect his newly made home.

it was amusing watching his antics. he sprayed the earth, as if that meant anything to her. the scent of his urine - or whatever it was - made her nose wrinkle.

her rear-end was wedged close to where he'd laid his brambles. with how broad her figure was, zharille became quite an obstacle; but the little man still tried to find a way around her, and she scoffed as he came close to succeeding.

she was growing bored. clearly this hole in the ground was meaningful to him, and she was too big to use it herself, so there was no point in trying to take it. there was no food scent here either, which was what she was truly after. as she relented, she swung her head close to where he was cloistered against the earth and made a snap at him - not to do harm, but to warn him.

then she pulled away, striding a few heavy steps along while her tail waved like a triumphant banner, high and mighty behind her.

Lýkos's biggest talent was his speed and reflex. He was able to avoid her snap easily. She backed away from his den and he immediately placed himself in front of it, fur bushed out. He barked loudly at her, saying go away or fight me. It was her choice. He wouldn't back down, and had more skill than his size showed.

he barked after her, and postured, but she didn't see how he composed himself.

zharille was done with her investigation. this man was not the kind of beast she was hunting for, and besides, he was like a toothy child more than a real man. real men slept beneath the stars.

she carried on her strutting until well out of sight, finding her way to the sand again, and carrying on up the bay without looking back.

Lýkos kept his form until she was fully out of sight. Looking around once more for another enemy, he set out on his previous, original mission, of hunting.

fading here, ty for this spree!