Sleeping Dragon there is only one god and his name is death

It is late when she returns, legs weary traveling back from Nova Mountain. It had been one big landscape she'd yet to see since arriving in these lands. The other side of the Phoenix might be her next big adventure but until she knows the relationship between the new sole alpha and herself, she's hesitant to explore that section. The rest of the teekon would come later, when she's able, but for now she's glad to spend the next several weeks within the grasp of the dragon.

She can tell the difference in attitude with Gyda, that her season is likely approaching, and the thought only irritates her more. There hasn't been any change in her conditions and if she misses out, she knows she'll face some sort of wrath. Warbone held promise of being a good candidate if only in his impressive size and ability but trust enough to stay out of their way? In time, she'll get a feel for him, but she's uncertain if it'll pass by the time her queen is ready.

With a heavy breath, and the night sky hanging above her, she finds herself on the meeting ledge overlooking the bitterroot valley. She can't see details of the river but where the valley ends and the water begins, a shadow of a figure could be spotted if one decides to cross. In the lull of night, Thuringwethil rests with her paws slightly hanging over the deathly drop.

@Lucani.

It's labeled "AW" but I can delete this if it's too disruptive. On that note, please feel free to attack, of course. ;)

She drank greedily, making obscene noises as she slurped mouthful after mouthful of cool water. With her thirst finally slaked, Drag raised her head and squinted at her moonlit surroundings. She had spend a day wandering about the small mountain range, glutting on the catalogs of flora and fauna the landscape offered her, and she had even made a small kill (a pudgy Tamias ruficaudus). But all the wandering had not scratched the itch in her paws; if anything, it had only gotten worse, taken root more deeply.

Thinking nothing of it, the bony black she-wolf began to wander along the riverbed, locating some shallows. Mindless of the scent markers that would have stopped a smarter wolf, Drag crossed the waterway and moved into the shadow of a squat, craggy mountain that resembled a great slumbering beast. A strange odor lingered in the air, causing Dragyn to stop short, lift her muzzle and inhale deeply. Still ignoring the unmistakable scents of wolves, she squinted into the night, wondering why it smelled like burning.

Ooh! :o

Although her eyes were ordinary and uninteresting, they shone with all the fireflies of the night's sky as she looked up at it and tried to identify a constellation. A wise healer with integrity and patience, Lucani had many skills — but navigation was not one of them. She'd gotten a bit lost recently, and had to work on that. And so she planned to. First by self-training and later, if it came to it, by asking another to teach her. But that time was not now, for she'd just spotted the strong and shadowy form of Thuringwethil on the ridge up ahead. The Heda was shaded in the night, but she was so familiar to the healer now that she could spot her in any condition and still know it to be her.

But then, upwind, an unfamiliar scent. Too unfamiliar in fact. There was no hint of Thuringwethil or Gyda upon that fragrance, meaning the stranger had not encountered either Alpha recently. Utterly distracted, Lucani stood up tall and alert, muzzle pointing straight in that direction and a growl already growing in her chest, though she was unaware of it. She was seconds from heading fiercely for the as-of-yet unseen stranger, but those few seconds meant that she did not move instinctively. On the contrary, her instinct was to wait for the command from her warrior Queen.

*barges in also, pls shoo me out if u would prefer*

Disturbed by the stranger's scent that passed the threshold of their boundaries (the very same ones he knows are plainly scented because he's personally pissed on them), he begins to gain ground the further into the claim his strides take him. Not knowing precisely what this unfamiliar scent could mean, his silver-dusted hackles rise up and his tail is quick to follow to arc aggressively over his back. Beneath the cover of the night, he stands out markedly in his creamy gold hues, but he is eager and energized in his approach nevertheless.

A waterway obscures his nose briefly but he corrects himself not long after, and digs deep to make up the ground quickly. Soon enough, he comes rounding up from behind the stranger, and snarls lowly the second he identifies the little invader. Dio closes ground greedily, and aims his momentum teeth-first for the intruder's rump without much prefacing. Somewhere in that second before he hopes for contact, he notices Lucani -- but not quite Thuringwethil with her darkness blending well. He considers only briefly that perhaps there would be a reason to stand-down here, but his nose is telling him absolutely otherwise, so he follows through with his opening attack at the very least; he will adjust accordingly if necessary.

The dark wolf only sees the disruption of the night, separating from the river in a blob she can barely distinguish. It’s not small enough to be easy game and big enough to cause concern that slowly began to lift her front legs from dangling over the ledge. Thuringwethil focuses on the other’s approach of her borders closest to the river and her eyes narrow and for a moment, she considers making a call but the scent of her healer behind her catches her attention, followed by a low growl that would surprise her if she weren’t so focused on the borders below her.

Thuringwethil only offers a brief glance toward Lucani before her tired paws hit the ground running, finding the easiest route down to the borders to try and meet whatever force has come upon them. 

She doesn’t glance back to see if her subordinate follows but she does come upon Dio, charging the creature from behind that immediately sends her to the front. The closer she gets, the more she smells the wolf and focused on a spot somewhere in front of intruder to keep her between the two warriors. Her tail stiffens, arching over her spine and she keeps her head high, nose pointed downward slightly for protection, as a snarl rips from her jaws in anticipation.

I hope I understood everyone's placements correctly (if I didn't, lemme know and I'll edit!). Y'all are welcome to PP, sans death. :)

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something pale moving toward her. Drag squinted over her shoulder, her mouth falling ajar in a cry of surprise when the cream-colored shape barreled straight at her, full of angry noises and sharp teeth. Her hips bowed toward the ground. She did not understand the attack—having never left home, she didn't quite grasp the concept of borders and territoriality—but her body reacted instinctively. She made to flee in the opposite direction.

The bony yearling nearly crashed into another shape, this one much darker but equally bristling with fangs and snarls. Another cry wrenched loose from Dragyn's throat as she immediately buckled, falling to the ground and rolling onto her back, her black tail curling up against her belly. Confusion and terror coursed through her; she didn't know what she had done or what she should do now. She stared up, wide-eyed like a deer in headlights, totally at the mercy of her attackers.

Thanks Kat!~

The very movement of Thuringwethil's near-distant figure, a flash of black muscle, was enough for Lucani to move with her. By the time the young Alpha was shooting towards the unfamiliar scent, the grey-furred Gamma was already at her side, a growl soft in her chest, poised for attack, but also very alert and sharply curious. She did not outright attack when the scene was upon her, because two great warriors — Thuringwethil and their own hardy Dio — were right in the face of what turned out to be a bony little stranger who looked full-on terrified.

While Dio finished his initial attack and Thuringwethil made commands with snarls and glares, Lucani moved round gracefully to block the trespasser's exit. Her growl had vanished now, but she stood tall and strong. Her eyes were not furious as they looked at the now-grovelling stranger, but inquisitive.

He's joined from ahead, and his jaws click shut with angry force around the space she'd occupied just a blink before. The intruder makes to flee and as soon as his paws land appropriately, he's gathering them up again to lunge after her in pursuit. In the next breath, he realizes just how thoroughly they have her surrounded and how her way of escape has narrowed so rapidly. Thuringwethil from the front, and Lucani blocking off the extra, he's confident in this.

When the she-wolf grovels at the sight of her outcome, he snarls. Such an openly presented appeasement reins him back just the slightest, but the intensity of his every fiber is not fading so swiftly. His momentum moves him close even with her belly-up on the ground, and he looms aggressively with his teeth close. She does not seem like she may try anything, not with this already borrowed time, but he's to serve as a grim reminder of what may still await her. In this pause, Dio glances to Thuringwethil, poised and ready.

The wolf gets away from the reaches of Dio and nearly rams into her. She hits the ground, however, and rolls over and Thuringwethil begins a slow circle with her teeth bared with anticipation. Lucani stands off to the side to block her exit but the trespasser doesn’t attempt another escaped, curling up on the ground. The large male bounds back over to continue what he started.

Thuringwethil lowers her head as her shoulder rotates, pushing her around to that leaves little space for the wolf to go. If the female were the first wolf to cross borders, she might have seen a nicer, more merciful wolf instead of death looming, Dio ready to do her work upon command.

“Kill her.” 

Heda takes a step back and shifts from throwing her anger now that the wolf is subdued beneath her. Her posture corrects, squaring her head above her shoulders. A glance toward Lucani, watching her expression as she become witness to something with a brutal finish. Even this far into Drageda’s formation, the healer had been faithful, so she glances back away to Dio to fulfill his duty.

obvs don't... kill her. drag could weasel away after the attack and run off?

I tried to avoid too much GM/PP but let me know if I need to make edits! :)

There were many things Drag simply did not comprehend on a day-to-day basis, yet these wolves' action spoke louder than words. And when actual words were spoken, the black she-wolf did not mince them. Even someone as obtuse as Drag understood that she was in mortal danger. A terrified mewl escaped her.

Since absolute submission was not going to save her, there was only one desperate measure left to her: escape. Even daft Dragyn knew the chances were slim to nil (if not outright impossible) but with nothing left to lose, she acted on instinct and impulse. Even as her bladder voided in stark terror, the urine squirting in her male assailant's direction, the she-wolf pitched suddenly to her feet.

There was a very narrow break beside the less aggressive of the two she-wolves and Drag darted toward it, her bony black body slamming gracelessly into hers. Hopefully this distraction would give her the precious seconds she needed to get away from this deadly situation. Making another inarticulate noise of fear, the slim yearling shot off in the direction of the river.

All good on my end!

Ah such a black command. Lucani's yellow eyes blinked from the trespasser to the warrior Dio. Thuringwethil's deathly order was given to him, not to Lucani — and briefly she wondered if this was because the Alpha knew Lucani would not obey without explanation. The healer would kill a wolf, yes, and a mix of instinct and command would make it all the more likely, but there was a good chance she would hesitate if not first given a reason as to why they couldn't question the trespasser for thirty seconds before slaughtering her outright. This little creature was terrified and bewildered. Why? Had someone sent her here? Who? Was it possible there was some sadist within Sleeping Dragon's own ranks who had cruelly directed her straight into the warrior pack's sharp fangs?

So Lucani would not have blindly murdered their mysterious victim just because she'd been commanded to. However, she had always known Thuringwethil to be hard and merciless, and yet still stood by her side. She did not object to the command as directed at Dio, and she had no intention of letting her go.

But the last thing she'd expected was an attack, and so was winded and staggered for a moment as the trespasser crashed into her. Regaining herself as quickly as she could, Lucani didn't hesitate in chasing after her, teeth flashing for a nip of that silver-black tail.

His muscles are coiled tight, readied to spring with all the force he stored within them when the simple command met his ears. It came as a go-ahead from the dark commander and he would ponder it at no greater length for there was no need. He had no mercy in this moment and with the alpha's ruling behind him, he meant to function as absolution. Dio did not question it, and did not feel like hesitation had any place. She had signed the deathwish the moment she'd allowed her brain or nose or both to fail her so spectacularly to land her here.

The gold-furred guardian swung for the motion meant to signal her end in silence, but the intruder had other ideas.

Dio's jaws crunched shut with a frustrated snarl and with the scent of piss strong on his nose, he prepared to adjust yet again as she made to flee with horrid noises accompanying her. There was a brief collision between her and Lucani, but it at least gave him time to pivot and begin his own chase, even if speed was not his greatest skill.

Slippery little shit he swore to himself and sped after her alongside Lucani. He would not relent until the borderlands were well past his back.

The speed in which things change does not surprise Thuringwethil and she jerks when the other wolf moves, Dio’s jaws quickly behind her, and finding the spot between them for her escape. She collides with her healer but is on her feet again and running in the opposite direction of the Dragon. Dio is quickly after her, Lucani next, and Thuringwethil stays behind in a slower run without full force. With fear fulling the trespasser, she watches her get ahead of the two before she’s in a threat of disappearing. Chasing her to the ends of the earth wouldn’t be worth it and Thuringwethil lets out a call to withdraw them when there is too much distance between them.

Her chest hit the water with brutal force and Drag began to paddle desperately. She kept glancing over her shoulder, eyes wide with fear, her breath puffing out of her in ragged pants. The instant she felt slimy earth beneath her feet, she hoisted herself onto the far bank and resumed her run. She did not stop to shake the water off herself; she did not stop for anything. Dragyn ran and ran and ran until she felt her heart would burst right out of her chest.

Eventually, she collapsed over the roots of an oak tree. She scrambled to tuck herself out of view, eyes rolling as she glanced behind her. She didn't see anyone pursuing her, yet she trembled with both cold and fear. She intended to keep running once she caught her wind. When a distant howl rose into the air, she held her breath, which then rushed out of her noisily as she realized she wouldn't be killed tonight after all.

Boneless with relief and still quivering for the experience, Drag shakily rose and began to jog. She paid absolutely no attention to what direction she was going, other than away from those murderous wolves.

Gotta finish up some threads, so fading Lucani out of this one~ Panda, please feel free to PP her a little. ^__^

Her long legs and prime condition carried her fast, but she hadn't yet recovered from the unexpected shove the trespasser had given her — she was still slightly winded. So her body was relieved when Thuringwethil called them back. Lucani was quiet and obedient as she returned to her Heda, still buzzing from the chase and wondering what would become of the poor foolish little thing.