The Sunspire black seas

@Rannoch and @Screech but the whole pack is welcome eheh

He had picked up Screech's trail a couple of days ago, instantly brightening at the thought of encountering his friend again. The two managed to see each other every so often as they wandered the wilds, never actually staying long enough in the other's company to find out where they were heading next. Screech had his plans, and Redshank had his own; and he liked it that way. That Sorina girl was occassionally nearby, too, though the boy's opinion of her was soured by the way she treated both he and Screech. However, her scent was seemingly nonexistent in this particular trail — however faint it was — and so the Cairn followed with a curl of his lips that could almost be called a smile.

It led him deep within the mountains and Redshank began to wonder just what the Redhawk boy was doing all the way out here. As he had passed Northstar Vale — the telltale scent of another pack that had laid its claim marking its borders — a deep-seated feeling of betrayal stirred in his gut that only intensified as he drew closer to where Screech's trail led.

He finally found himself before a mountain that stood tall and proud, its snow-capped peak obscured by the low lying clouds. However, Redshank did not bother to look up, his nose pointing at the ground as he took in the scent of borders. There was another smell there too, intermingled with Screech's own, one that suddenly sparked the smouldering ember in his belly and turned it into an outright flame. Rannoch.

That fucker.

Without thinking, Redshank's lips peeled back into a furious snarl, a murderous war cry escaping that was so loud he almost felt the collar around his throat tighten from the strain. His wits were silenced, rational thought derailed as he charged headfirst into the territory, pure rage emanating from every beat of his paws. He was going to kill him. He and his entire pack. Maybe even Screech, who Redshank held to the promise that he would tell him he had found Rannoch. The collar at his neck felt like it was beginning to choke him, which only tunnelled his vision further as the stupid boy barrelled along the path, looking every which way as he tried to find that turquoise-eyed bastard.

she's just warning him right now with bites; feel free to land some hits or w/e.

she had a penchant for getting herself into trouble.

seabreeze had been patrolling the borders, hoping to catch @Terance and speak with him, try to see what he thought of the whole situation with that screech boy.  the first time she'd run across him had been very much the same, and she sought to commiserate with him, perhaps put him at.. ease.  maybe.

but what she found instead was a roar ripping through the air and a brown wolf charging in the territory.  quickly, she released a snarl of her own and sought to fend him off. what was with this crazed stranger?

she barreled across the territory and met him with bared fangs, but alas she was not much of a fighter.

slight pp!

danger.

a red siren blared through terance's ears as he began towards the sound of the war-cry. that's what it was, without a doubt. it meant the pack was in danger. his feet drummed against the ground and his heartbeat drummed in his ears. something was wrong, very wrong. sunspire was in danger.

he arrived at full speed, and had been aware of seabreeze's arrival before he even got there-- her scent was strong as ever and almost blinded him as soon as it hit him. but he kept forward, full speed, because this was more important-- even more important now that he knew that she was involved. 

she was there already, crashing into a red furred stranger with her teeth barred. terance, in the same mindset, launched himself towards the stranger from the side, teeth latching onto the mans shoulder.

Treason had been patrolling the borders, but had been just on the edge of earshot of the snarl.  If she'd been mere yards ahead, she wouldn't have even heard -- she'd already checked the border there.  The scents were a wall.

She hadn't known that he'd breached that wall and ran on in, so Treason's 180 and return to investigate wasn't at an emergency pace.  Or rather, it wasn't until she backtracked enough to find the trail.  She actually paused, completely dumbfounded at how absolutely stupid that wolf must be.  Like if they weren't outright deranged, they probably should be considered such.  He'd found a border, snarled, and continued on into it at quite a pace?  What.

The monochromatic wolf kicked off to follow, sprinting along in his tracks and not knowing just how far she was behind.  Probably fair enough that anyone else in the area would probably get the first bites in.

As the brownish wolf came into her view, there was... Seabreeze was it?  She wasn't entirely sure, but she was attacking the guy either way.  And not nearly as savagely as Treason thought she should -- and her smell was the equivalent of someone wearing a dumb costume and spinning a sign, but whatever.  Treason'd figure it out later.  Terance had appeared as well, launching his attack.  Their victim -- the idiot -- looked like he probably was deranged, or at the very least an exceptional example of a very pathetic soul.  It wasn't like Treason was the type who'd show mercy.

Treason gave no warning of her approach other than the sound of her steps -- there was no pause, no slow.  Instead, she ran at him like she would any prey, diving at his tail or hip or whatever hindquarter-type body part happened to be closest to her at this point.  If her fangs connected, she'd latch on and not let go, and only then would she growl.

The sound that penetrated the trees was somehow familiar and it was this which made him get up from his nap and go charging after it. Screech was hot on the trail of someone - and in a flash he realized he was tailing Terance of all people, and that put a damper on his curiosity but not his enthusiasm. He was on high alert but at the same time Screech was no warrior — he'd tried that in the past only to fail — so at most, he trailed after the darkie. With each moment he wondered just what would meet him at the end of his run; who could it be? Was the pack under attack? Should he even bother helping them?

It would be a good way to explore the strength of Sunspire; specifically, how mister Beta dealt with aggressors. At least, that was the thought during the ten-minute lope across the uneven terrain. Screech wasn't as fleet of foot as the other mountain-dwellers since he had lived primarily on lowlands, or most recently in a forest. They had a leg up on him in that regard.

So, he arrived late. He saw the dark figure of Terance intercepting a blonde - he recognized her as Seabreeze with a thinly veiled scowl - and then that brilliant flash of red; Screech closed more of the gap before he realized it was Redshank who was under fire.

He did the first thing he could: Screech tilted back his head and called out to his friend with a loud, if a bit gnarly, howl. The name of Redshank was more or less shouted from the proverbial rooftop — that would at the very least alert @Rannoch and maybe, just maybe, give the others a chance to stop and think. Whether that worked or not, Screech was throwing himself into the fray without considering his own wellbeing.

He tried to wedge himself between Redshank and the oncoming snaps, but the adults were so close that he likely didn't deflect many of them. He wouldn't attack, only intercept those teeth with parts of his own body - trying to protect his one true friend in the whole world. He almost didn't make it; the boy had misjudged the situation terribly and he didn't even see Treason as the third guard came careening on to the scene.

Weather: 12°F, cloudy. 
Note: Threads in this forum may not be marked private unless involving a member of Sunspire. All trespassers will be met with aggression as Sunspire is extremely protective of their territory. At least one serious injury must be sustained if your character enters without permission.

 
Suddenly, Rannoch's world was washed in crimson; the racket of Redshank's warning caused the young Alpha to abandon his meal and rush towards the cause of the commotion. 

Rannoch spotted the furious tangle from a distance, and the violent shifting of bodies urged him forward. Although he had no idea how to stop the brawl, and even though his life had been threatened, Rannoch was going to do his best to mitigate the situation. Everything within Rannoch's body was tense as he stalked towards the group; his posture was tall, and the hair along his hackles spiked. And even though everything within in him urged him to join the fray, he resisted. 

"What the FUCK is going on?" the Alpha barked, and his stony gaze sought Titmouse and Redshank in particular. "Redshank, stand down and tell me what on earth you think you're doing." 

The inevitable descent of fangs upon him was almost instant, coming at first in the form of a small, pale girl. He whipped around to face her as she lunged for him. He was pleased to see she was an even match for him, though slightly bewildered that she was even attempting to stop his self-destructive warpath. He met her charge with a flash of his own teeth, attempting to land a bite upon her muzzle as a warning. He didn't have time to deal with the others, he had to get to Rannoch. Cut the head off the hydra before he was swarmed.

Too late.

Another appeared; a far larger, darker wolf than the girl. The battle scars that marred his pelt made Redshank hesitate, and that lent the man the opportunity to grab ahold of his shoulder. The boy snarled in pain, feeling teeth sink deep, and turned to attempt to grapple with the obsidian-furred stranger just as a third pack wolf arrived. He barely saw the flash of white as she dove for his hindquarters and, as he felt the sting of her own teeth, a single rational thought broke through the fury that clouded his mind. He was pinned.

It was fleeting, however, as suddenly he spotted a familiar face race onto scene nearly at the exact moment as the third brute of a woman. Redshank's attention turned to the one-eyed boy fully. Relief and anger washed over him both, and he struggled against the two wolves that had ensnared him, trying to force words out as Screech tried to come between their attacks. But it was Rannoch's voice that rang out clear as day that finally got him to pause. He struggled to turn and face his once leader, pain and rage both twisting his features into an ugly snarl. His demands fell on deaf ears, and Redshank attempted to surge forward even as he was held back by the two much stronger wolves.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" he screamed through gritted teeth, fiery eyes never once leaving their mark.

Throws posting order out the window~ ~ ~

There was too much happening at once. Screech was alerted to teeth upon his flesh and the sharpness of the sensation, then the rise of his adrenaline to compensate. There was no telling how many blows he took instead of Redshank - and in the end it wouldn't matter, because Rannoch was thundering down upon those gathered and his voice was booming, demanding explanation. There was the briefest of lulls; Screech whipped about with teeth bared to warn away any oncoming danger to himself, but the rest of his body was low and snaking, his tail low and tucked to his belly. He knew he was doing the wrong thing — defending this interloper — but Screech would have to make a choice about Redshank, and soon, or face the wrath of the pack.

For now, he only hoped that Redshank would be stunned enough by the backlash of his stupid behavior - but this was the pot calling the kettle stupid here. Redshank abruptly dashed all of Screech's hopes when he shouted an overwhelmingly clear message. The boy was struggling against the bonds formed by the pack wolves, and they had not relented in holding him back, which was good.

Screech was struck with the scene before him, around him. All of these wolves that Rannoch had put his faith in — Redshank, the boy time left behind — and Rannoch, looking less and less like an ally and more like the leader of a gang of thugs. Screech was simultaneously impressed by Rannoch and afraid of him; he couldn't help but drop even lower, loosing a small whimper in his leader's direction, but the sound died in his throat. He didn't want to plead with Rannoch - he shouldn't fucking have to. Rannoch had always been the pinnacle of everything good in Screech's world but that mental image had fogged over with their separation, tarnished when they'd reunited, and now the boy wasn't so sure of anything.

He had to make up his mind but, he couldn't. So he was silent and stuck and it was awful.

a clash of fangs and a blur of wolves was all she could understand.  she'd never done this before, she'd never fought.  this was a mistake —

teeth rake down her muzzle and blood pools freely down her lips, her neck.  the wound likely was not severe but head wounds did bleed a lot; it looked worse than it was.  

but it scared her.  she could handle blood coming from anyone else, but once it was drawn from her she cowed.  she drew back, close to terance, and postured defensively, protecting him the best she could as she waited for answers.

the man-- redshank, apparently, terance learned as rannoch's voice echoed clearly even though the ruckus-- fought harder still. moron, he was going to get himself killed, and terance would do it. even as he tried to surge forward to get to rannoch, terance and treason and screech(though now that dust had settled(sort of) terance realized screech was doing nothing but being in the way, go figure) held him back. and terance's sheer size along with treason's help forced him lower and lower, and when the timing was right lunged again, this time for the guys throat.

but he didn't crush it, because rannoch was there. instead, terance used it as leverage, a low growl rumbling in the back of his own throat, threatening the guy to stand the fuck down, because if he didn't-- terance would kill him.

i suck at fighting thread omfg. terance basically just grabbed his throat and is trying to force him to the ground, can change anything if you need me to!

She'd gotten a fairly good grip on the back of his thigh, but this Redshank fool was still trying to go after Rannoch?  Really?  As he tried to lunge, she bit harder, holding her ground as best she could.  Once he seemed to have given up on that for the second, she only barely released pressure and that was only so she could snarl and slightly shake her head to warn him that if he tried that funny business again, he was surrendering a good chunk of his leg.  She was holding on far tighter than one would in a spar -- he was prey, and she treated him like it.  It probably hurt quite a bit, though she wasn't sure she'd quite broken the skin yet.  There were more important things to focus on.

Though she wasn't in the position to kill (at least not quickly) she was definitely in one to cripple, and she had no moral qualms doing so.  Her actions from here on would depend on Redshank and Rannoch.

Rannoch couldn't understand where Redshank's hostility was coming from. Although he speculated in the brief moments that he was allowed, Rannoch couldn't conceive a logical explanation. 

Rannoch observed as the intruder struggled with Treason and Terance's resistance, and he strayed a step forward as his expression softened imperceptibly. "What happened, Redshank?" he urged. Yes, the situation did not look good for Redshank but, what had caused him to act in such a way? Rannoch could take a moment to think instead of behaving on instinct; he was confident he could reason with the intruder. 

"I don't want anybody to get hurt. But, I will do anything to protect my family here at Sunspire," Rannoch warned with a growl, his expression growing inflexible one more, "Take a minute to think about what you're doing, and what the consequences will be if continue to ignore my questions."

Despite his struggling, the boy was roughly forced to the ground, dragged by both hindquarter and shoulder by the two sizeable pack wolves. He was aware of Screech darting in but wasn't sure if he was helping or hindering the others — did it even matter? After he had dealt with Rannoch he would decide how he felt about Screech's being here. What was he even doing following that traitor? He tried to twist to catch sight of his friend but suddenly felt jaws clamp around his collared throat. A high-pitched whine escaped from between his clenched teeth, a jolt of fear forcing him to finally still. Redshank had underestimated the amount of danger he was actually in.

His ears turned backwards at the sound of the other's low growls, both nearest to his face and at his rear, where he felt the teeth at his leg give a few good yanks. In his semi-forced cowering position, he finally relented, though eyes were trained on Rannoch's domineering form. There was a quiet whimper beside him, and Redshank gave a few lashes of his tail. Man up, Screech.

It was a blessing that the Alpha was a reasonable man, even more so that he had had prior dealings with the Cairn — the boy otherwise would have been a mangled corpse by now. Still, Redshank felt his lip lift as he observed the burly man from his place in the dirt, ear tips quivering from both pain and adrenaline. He spoke of his family, and Sunspire, and consequences, which only caused a fresh round of anger and hurt to consume him once more. "Yeah? Or y'gonna ditch them just like the Vale?" he snarled, words strained slightly from Terance's grip. "Fuck you, you traitor! You stupid, self-serving bastard, y'fucking..." his expletives trailed into a series of frustrated growls as the boy squirmed against the adult's grasp, foolishly trying once again to break free.

she is terrified.

rannoch did not abandon the vale! she yells, her voice rasping.  she still blames herself for rannoch's injuries (even though she could've done nothing to prevent them if she'd still resided in the vale, she regrets running off with mato).

she adds her own weight to the mix as the man begins to struggle and fight against terance and treason though she is small and trembling.  she would not have him break free and get away, she could not accept the consequences if he were to hurt a packmate.  she launches in on him, forcing her weight down on his abdomen with her shoulder as she latches onto the tender fur along his scruff.

Assume this continues until she's actually told to stop. :P

For a second, it seemed like Terance's message got through.  But that was short lived.  She was pretty much ignoring the conversation, focusing her entire attention on Redshank.  

Oh look, he was wiggling again.  Again she bit down, and though previously she hadn't broken the skin, now she was pretty sure she could taste blood on the tip of her tongue.  She flung a front leg across the top of his hips or the lowest part of his back -- she wasn't sure which, he was attempting to move too much -- and shifted her weight to help hold him down.

That and give her better leverage to start slowly pulling her head away as if she was ripping off a chunk of meat to eat.  The harder he struggled, the more she pulled the chunk of thin muscle and hide within her teeth. If he stopped struggling, she'd stop.  If he stayed stopped, she'd release some of the tension she was creating and give him a break.  How much pain would he be able to tolerate before he got the picture?

Rannoch shook his head at Redshank's accusations; he was thankful that Seabreeze had voiced the truth. "I was almost killed, Redshank," Rannoch replied, "A wolf name Vaati attacked me while I was looking for Cypress, and Moonspear's Beta, Hydra, and her sisters saved me." He craned his neck so that Redshankd could see the damage that had been done. 

His thoughts progressed, and he found himself wondering, "Were you not there when Hydra came to the Vale? She came and told everybody what had happened. The remaining members of the Vale can vouch for this," his gaze found Seabreeze for a moment before it returned to Redshank, "I never wanted anybody to think that I abandoned them because it isn't the truth. I never wanted to leave Northstar Vale." 

Redshank was an angry boy, but to both himself and to Screech, it was justifiable. Screech couldn't voice his support of his friend right now but he had known of his sentiments prior to this event, and found that the more Rannoch spoke the more connected he felt with the boy of his age. But he was sympathetic to Rannoch too - Screech knew what it was like to be injured and living somewhere far from home, he even knew what it felt like to be stuck with enemies all around, such as Blackfeather Woods.

This hadn't been the smart move by Redshank, but it was happening and there was no reversing it. Screech watched everyone struggle to remain somewhat calm and he saw Redshank struggling against the force that Rannoch had built here; then he was staring pointedly at Rannoch, studying him and casting the chaos in to darkness simultaneously. But you did, Screech said, finally making his voice work.

He was looking for you for months. Look at him - he's practically starving to death, and that wouldn't have happened if you had stayed in the Vale. Oddly, Screech's voice was level and almost factual in its manner, rather than the usual shout or belligerence. He couldn't help but feel like Redshank's issues were Rannoch's fault to some degree and that, deep down, hurt him too.

Are they more worthy family than Redshank? And me? The boy's ears pulled backwards upon his head and he frowned, his head turned so that he could only see Redshank and the wolves holding him.

Rannoch turned to Screech as he began to speak, and studied the yearling as he revealed his perspective on the matter. "It is unfortunate what Redshank has been through," Rannoch agreed, "But, it was also his decision to be away from the Vale when the information was passed along. I'm sure that somebody would have filled him in if he would have returned to the Vale after my disappearance. I cannot be solely blamed for the condition he's in." 

"Any wolf under my leadership is my family," he assured Screech. "Nothing is saying that anybody is less worthy." His gaze returned to Redshank, and he frowned. "But the fact of the matter is that Redshank isn't a member of Sunspire. He is an intruder within my territory, and I must protect my family. I cannot allow for my wolves to be hurt because of him." 

Rannoch regarded Terance then, "Terance, as my lead guardian, I will allow you to decide what happens to Redshank. Protect this family as you must." He turned back to Titmouse then, and frowned, "And if you decide to side with Redshank, you will be considered an intruder as well." Blood relative or not, the yearling had done nothing but cause trouble since his arrival.

there was a lot going on-- conversationally and physically. terance kept losing track of titmouse, who was still in the way but also not exerting any force onto anyone, but he was arguing with rannoch now-- the dipshit. seabreeze, who was bleeding (much to his horror), had backed up a moment ago, but had returned to help pressure redshank into submission. good. 

terance held tight and still though, for he was in control (along with seabreeze and treason) and was merely waiting for rannoch's command. and when he got it-- oh boy when he got it-- his emerald gaze shot straight to titmouse's gaze, blazing and threatening. and then, with a loud snarl, terance moved to slam redshank to the ground with the help of seabreeze and treason. teeth digging into the male's neck but not crushing it. and though rannoch had put him in charge, sunspire's beta looked to treason, who was still holding onto that leg, chunks of flesh torn, and gave her a heavy nod. "break it," he said, and then his gaze found titmouse again. a challenge. who did he side with? because terance fully trusted treason and seabreeze to handle redshank-- and he was feeling plenty confident enough to fuck titmouse up as well.

Liffey had left her and Rannoch's shared den early to explore the slopes further, cataloguing each landmark and adding it to the mental map in her mind. She was determined to know every inch of her mountain, just as she had been determined to know all of Moonspear and the Vale before it. Every aspect of the mountain she saw made her more and more confident in the decision they had made. This mountain would bring them peace, and happiness.

That is, if everyone would stop shouting.

Raised voices drew Liffey more quickly home than she had originally planned. Bewilderment was written over all of her features as she cantered swiftly to join the group, looking at the wolf pile on Redshank and then to Titmouse and Rannoch squaring off with each other. She slowed to focus in on their words, picking up the pieces with no hope of the gaps getting filled considering how late she was to the conversation. But she heard Rannoch's decree to her brother, and then Terance's command, and immediately she felt her opinion on the matter rising to her throat.

"Rannoch! Terance! Stop this now!" she shouted, incredulous at her mate.After everything they had been through with Moonspear, had he truly just told her own brother that he wouldn't be welcome here if he decided not to side with him? And had Terance truly commanded they break Redshank's leg? She had to be missing something. "That's enough. All of you stop this," she said, in as commanding and calm a voice as she could muster. Tensions were too high. She looked between them all, hoping desperately that she could somehow manage to reel this situation in before it got any worse. She looked at Redshank, "Get him out of here, and don't you dare harm him. And you--" she looked at Titmouse, "--are going no where until we talk."

She looked between Terance and Rannoch again, anger and hurt on her face. Could they not hear that they sounded like them? Her muscles were tensed, ready to enforce her commands if it became necessary, heart hammering wildly as the desire to completely panic battled against her will.

For the first time in a long while Screech didn't know what to say. Everything Rannoch was saying seemed right but also so wrong, and watching as Redshank was terrorized for a bad decision only made him think of his own bad decisions and the unfortunate events that led to this point. Moonspear — this was their fault, too. They had corrupted Rannoch.

He looked sharply at the leader as Rannoch gave the order to do away with Redshank, and then turned to regard his friend and the wolves which had him pinned. His good eye found Terance instead and upon seeing the challenge there, Screech lost his shit. It was his fault — it was all their faults, all these Moonspear wolves continuing to ruin Rannoch! They had infected him with some kind of backwards thinking, tainted him with their innate evil — Screech bristled and lurched towards Terance in the next moment, unable to stop himself from feeling an overwhelming hatred for all that had transpired.

No, he didn't blame Terance outright for this; he blamed Hydra, and Moonspear, always. But Terance was the  next best thing - the closest, resembling the darkie sisters who had ruined him, and now that he'd decided they'd ruined Rannoch too (and left tendrils of their evil ready and willing to continue that corruption) something had to be done about it. The dark wolf gave the command to break Redshank's leg and Screech was already flying straight for him; his lips parted, and he threw himself haphazardly at the massive shadow with his own malevolent intent.

A decision had been made — but then there was Liffey.

Her shouting voice made him stutter-step and fall short of his attack, and while he snarled and postured Screech wheeled about trying to avoid Terance's likely rebuke; the momentum carried him around the gathering and then he stopped with a skid, and looked up, glaring at first at Rannoch by happenstance. Screech noticed Liffey in the next breath and his expression relaxed, but the rest of him was still agitated and ready for action. He didn't know if he could trust his sister — she didn't understand what was happening here, and maybe she had been corrupted too — but if she could stay everyone's hands (er, teeth), then his only option was to listen.

So, he huffed and puffed, but distanced himself from the chaos so that Liffey could intercept him.

Suddenly, Liffey was among them and gave her own commands.

He blinked (insert blonde man blinking gif here), and took a moment to comprehend what had just transpired. 

“You want them to let go of the wolf who wants to kill me?” He asked with evident confusion, “Who I’ve been trying to get through to, and who will not answer any of my questions?” Was she crazy? “He’s not going to listen to any of us. He’s here to kill, and that’s what he’s going to do if you let him go.”

At Terance's command, Treason let go of where she'd initially attached herself, leaving behind several bloody marks from her bite.  She took a second to examine Redshank's leg before picking the nice bony section just above the hock as the best place to carry out his orders.  Just as her jaws were starting to close, Liffey came barging on to the scene.  And she was definitely not of the same page as everyone else.  Treason wished she'd just ripped a gaping hole in his leg as she'd initially planned and left it at that.  Then she wouldn't be here in this awkward limbo.

However, she was not moving to let him go.  She tilted one ear off to the side in obvious irritation at their lack of agreement, but scooted more of her weight forward, onto the bony male so that he'd hopefully be held in place without her teeth in play.  Treason wasn't going to let him go unless there was confirmation from Rannoch -- her glance went his way briefly before focusing on her prey again, keeping her muzzle close to Redshank to chomp him again in case he tried to scram before they agreed on a verdict, her breathing occasionally rustling his fur.  She shouldn't have let go, dammit.

It was unfortunate that the guy seemed keenest to attack Rannoch instead of Liffey.  If the alpha female was his target, Treason would be prone to let him go have at it since it'd be her hide he was after.  Alas, no.  She imagined that being willing to put her mate's life at risk -- for what, pity? -- might throw a few monkeywrenches into their relationship.

His violent squirming was halted as suddenly another wolf — a lighter one this time — added their body weight to the pile upon him and held fast to his scruff. Redshank stilled, but kept his lips peeled back over his teeth, flaring eyes wildly trying to catch a glance at the offenders atop his back. The one at his hind leg was the most troublesome, and every movement caused her to sink her teeth deeper into his flesh, bringing fourth sharp yelps of pain from the boy that quickly dissolved into growls. He stiffened as he suddenly felt a leg drape across his hips followed by a sickening tearing sensation, realising she was slowly ripping apart what little muscle he had left.

He grit his teeth so hard he thought they would break, shivers beginning to wrack his spine from the pain. Rannoch's words were almost missed, yet they hurt all the same. Lies. All lies. He did not let himself believe what the man was saying for one second, preferring to instead continue playing the victim. Screech only helped cement his own views, and Redshank tried to give his friend a grateful look, though the white hot pain at his leg had his face twisted into a constant snarl. He was silent as Screech tried to reason with the Alpha, instead focusing on fighting back against the need to squirm and twist out of the Sunspire woman's grip. Rannoch's pointed words about protecting his family, however, had him give into indignant fury. "I only want you, you fuck!" he snarled, attempting to lurch forward before he felt the sting at his leg once more.

It was then Rannoch handed his fate over to Terance, who Redshank regarded with wide, suddenly fearful eyes. Break it. Everything happened at once. The boy was crushed against the ground from the male's weight, feeling the pressure from his leg ease off momentarily yet he braced for when the dreadful woman would strike again. Through the sound of the blood rushing through his ears, he heard the distant high-pitched shrieks of Screech. Even without the air in his lungs — that had been forced out due to Terance and Seabreeze's combined weight — the Cairn managed a haggard, raspy protest. "N-no! Please! R-Rannoch!" A broken leg would be a death sentence. He tried to turn to see his friend again. "Scree—"

Suddenly the voice of another broke through the chaos. His saviour, unbeknownst to the boy. Don't you dare harm him. He breathed a sigh of relief, although kept his muscles contracted as he felt the hot breath of the wolf at his hindquarters. He kept his jaw set, trying to not let the quivering betray his true fear of what had almost transpired. He was still not safe. Not until he was far, far away from here. Rannoch, that blasted man, shot the woman a retort, and Redshank snarled from his place underneath the other Sunspire wolves. However he did not give any more threats, knowing literal life and limb were at stake here. "I'm not..." he forced out, voice breaking. He took in a shaky breath, looking up to the Alphas, specifically peering up at the grey-coated female. He had seen her before. "I'm sorry," he lied with a whine, though the breathlessness of his voice was genuine. "Please, just let me go, I-I didn't mean..." He tried to catch Rannoch's eye, his own gaze pleading.

Rannoch’s words were like a truck ramming directly into her chest. She looked at the struggling boy again, who had switched to pleading for his life. She had not heard the death threats, otherwise maybe she would’ve come at this differently. She hesitated now, fear for her mate wrestling with fear for what Sunspire would become if they did this thing. It might’ve been different if she had heard Redshank’s violence and not his pleas. It might’ve been different if Terance had ordered a different punishment and not a broken leg. It might’ve been different if Rannoch hadn’t threatened banishment for Titmouse if he didn’t side with them.

But Moonspear was too close. To all of this. Redshank was Gannet and Terance was Hydra. Rannoch was Charon, Titmouse was her. She looked at her mate, her anger and her command softening from her desperation. ”Rannoch, how is breaking his leg going to stop him from wanting to hurt you, or any of us?” she said to him, pain lancing each word over the fact that she even had to say these things to him when he should not have brought her to this in the first place, ”We didn’t leave Moonspear just so we could become them on some other mountain. What’s next? Break his leg, take him prisoner, then demand a life of servitude and loyalty from him? I love you, and that is why I will not allow you to do this. We are better than this.”

Her eyes went to Redshank then and she stepped forward, her demeanor shifting again to something more authoritative. ”Do not come back. I will not protect you next time if you make this mistake again,” she told him, with some regret. Not for what would happen to him if he did return, for he’d deserve it. But still she would mourn that he had made the choice that would end so poorly for him, for she remembered this boy. He had not always been so angry.

Liffey stepped back then, looking once again at Rannoch and wondering with a terrible pang if he truly hadn’t understood her reasons for Moonspear. If he truly even understood her, to think that she would ever be okay with this. She’d never looked at him like this before. She didn’t know what would happen if she ever had to again.