Swiftcurrent Creek roll up your sleeves

Fox had just granted asylum to a young wolf by the name of Arrakis. Eager to put him to work, she had asked him to travel to Blacktail Deer Plateau and seek out Perry to let him know of the leadership change here. She could only hope that her messenger would not be eaten in the process. Fox knew well of Perry's wrath against trespassers (or lingerers), and she did not want Arrakis to be eaten. Then again, if he was stupid enough to get himself killed, he probably should not have been among the creek's ranks in the first place.

The yearling was prowling the borders this late afternoon, feeling that her job was somehow getting easier. Spring would be upon them soon enough, and she was looking forward to a little bit of warmth. This deathly-cold weather took the life right out of her most days, and she could not wait to be panting in the sun. Not only would her health improve, but the added bonus of having more plentiful prey would surely help everybody's mood.

Well aware that traveling would soon become impossible—she would soon be too pregnant to walk far and, following that, she would be busy rearing her pups—Pied decided to take advantage of her last few weeks of freedom. Initially, she considered heading to the plateau again to talk to Hawkeye. Something was incredibly off about her mate-ship and Pied knew her sister would bend an ear for her.

But her whimsical feet led her in another direction, carrying her around the ridge and toward the place she called Jawbone Hill. She roamed up and over the slope, through the orchard beyond and began to walk along the foot of the mountains to her right. Eventually, a familiar scent found its way into her nose and, though it didn't engender any particular affection, it stirred something inside of Pied. She tracked it, walking much further than she'd originally intended.

She found herself approaching borders, the scent markings unmistakable. In the distance, she heard burbling water. This must be the creek pack, the dappled she-wolf thought to herself, hanging back from the invisible boundary line. Jinx lives here. Well, duh... It'd been the Kesuk's scent that had led her here.

Pied was chewing over this information when she felt suddenly faint and dropped heavily onto her haunches. Luckily, the dizzy spell passed quickly. Pied blinked and glanced upward just in time to catch sight of a small, reddish figure weaving in her direction. Her gray ears pressed flat and she kept her head in a neutral position as she watched the foxlike wolf come closer.

i rarely ever say this, but i think my writing is real crap in this post. blah.

Fox was quick to pick up on the outsider's appearance at her borders. The scent was mingled with others that were vaguely familiar, although Fox had never been too good with names or remembering who belonged to who. The yearling was not outright hostile as she approached, though her body language made it clear that one move by the stranger in the wrong direction would cause trouble. “You have business here?” Fox asked. She doubted the oddly-colored female was seeking acceptance, considering the scents of so many others lay thickly upon her.

Briefly, Fox wondered why somebody would come up and just sit here, though she did not voice her question aloud. Then again, she'd been the one to send somebody to the plateau mere minutes prior, so who was she to judge? Fox could only hope this one did not bring trouble with her.

I assure you that it wasn't crap. :)

The young mother-to-be sensed a certain brusqueness in the other female's approach, causing her to dip her muzzle downward, her posture saying, I'm no threat. She kept her mismatched eyes lowered as well, though out of the corner of them, she ascertained the red wolf. She was very small and sylphlike, though she definitely possessed some quality that gave her a larger presence.

When questioned, the visitor shook her head and replied honestly. "No, I just followed the scent of an old acquaintance here. I'm Pied, from Horizon Ridge," she introduced. "I smelled Jinx and decided to check out her new digs while I had the chance. This is one of the last chances I'll have to travel any meaningful distance. I've got buns in the oven," she explained, "which is another reason why I stopped: dizzy spell..." She sucked in a deep breath. "It's passed now."

Pied paused, allowing the female a chance to speak in turn, then gave voice to a question burning on the tip of her tongue. "Are you the Alpha here?" If not for that abstract, commandeering quality she sensed, Pied would have been baffled to know that this was the wolf Jinx had chosen to follow in lieu of Akhlut.

This one was long-winded, and Fox shifted on her feet impatiently. Still, she found it interesting that Jinx was apparently on somewhat good terms with at least one of her old pack-mates from Horizon Ridge. It seemed that was what had brought Pied here. That and something about children. It seemed like pretty much everybody of age was getting knocked up left and right. Fox knew her time would come next year, though she was thankful she did not have to worry about children and the throne. Already she had begun to eyeball potential prospects, though nobody in particular had struck her fancy. At least not any that were not already taken. There was plenty of time for seeking one out.

“Yes,” she replied, “My name is Fox.” The fireball did not elaborate on how this had come to pass. The fact that Swiftcurrent had suffered a sudden and strange death was not something she wished to divulge to a stranger. On some level, it did make the pack look weak. When an alpha went and threw themselves into a creek, surely something was up. The yearling shifted her weight to the right side, though she made no move to depart. No matter how docile this one seemed, Fox was not about to leave a stranger unattended here at the border.

The she-wolf seemed unmoved and unimpressed by this information and it occurred to Pied that not everyone would care about her pregnancy and how much it meant to her. Her ears fell back at the other's lack of reaction, not only to that but everything she'd said. They pricked again when the little she-wolf supplied a name and, in the same breath, affirmed her leadership position.

Unaware that Fox wasn't the creek's founding Alpha, Pied once again marveled at the fact that Jinx followed this small woman. Then again, they seemed alike in some ways which the Gamma could already identify. Neither one was very friendly, for starters...

Pied's two-toned eyes watched as Fox shifted restlessly. "Well," she said, "I don't mean to waste your time. Since I don't have any official business here, I can go." She climbed back to her feet and began to turn, though she paused and looked over her shoulder to say, "Can you..." She hesitated. "Can you tell Jinx I said 'hi'?" It felt weird but somehow right to pass along a little message to her former pack mate.

Thankful that Pied did not seem to want to hang out and chat (which Fox felt was far too common among wolves from other packs), the young Alpha actually did respect her in that regard. Perhaps if they had met in some other way (or if they met again later), they would get along just fine. As it was, Pied was from a neighboring pack, and Fox did not really understand visitors who were just here to say "hi." Still, she nodded when Pied asked her to pass a message along to Jinx. There was no reason to refuse.

Watching until the Horizon Ridge wolf disappeared from her sight, Fox continued along the border, not seeking out anything in particular.

Pied paused, waiting for affirmation. Perhaps Fox would say something else as well. As it turned out, the tiny Alpha merely nodded and said nothing more, making it clear she didn't want to prolong this encounter. Although Pied felt the tiniest bit slighted—it wasn't the most pleasant thing, being viewed as a waste of time—she didn't begrudge Fox her behavior. Some wolves didn't like to stand around and make small talk; that was fine.

Nodding in return, the Gamma swiveled and began to trot back in the general direction of home, feeling eyes on her dappled back but resisting the urge to look over her shoulder. Soon enough, she disappeared into the distance and the sensation vanished.