Heron Lake Plateau Operation black light.

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Right after whatever might have transpired in her immediately previous thread, Towhee conked out for another long nap, then awoke in the dark, thirsty as hell—like, for actual water. She followed her nose and drank long and deep in the stream that forked between the neighboring swamp and the copse. Thinking about the latter made her wonder if she should head home. But nearly every fiber in her hormone-drenched body recoiled at the thought, if only because she was related to just about every dude in the pack. She still had an itch to scratch and she wasn't about to get jiggy with a relative, no matter how crazy her heat made her. That went against her basest instincts.

Instead, she doubled back through the thicket and began climbing the old, familiar ramp up to Heron Lake Plateau, willfully ignoring the telltale rumble in her stomach. She only had time to feed one appetite right now. Once she reached the top, she didn't go any further. Towhee wouldn't be visiting Orca's and X's graves in this state, nor reminiscing about her old stomping grounds. She gave these things only the most fleeting of thoughts before she tipped her snout toward the distant sliver of moon, her howl the auditory equivalent of shooting a flare gun into the night sky. It was a distress signal, begging someone to come up here and fuck her.

See, these fucking wilds were fantastic.  Here he was, minding his own damn business, and some wolf was screaming for services he sure as hell could provide.  So what if they sounded mildly like a rabbit screaming while choking a goose to death?

Zane checked his face in the pond before flipping his tail and heading off.  The scratch marks across the bridge his nose were already fading, but they provided a rakish quality he was sure only enhanced his appeal.  Whatever chick this was would be mesmerized.

As he arrived he slowed to a saunter, searching for the siren who had so desperately requested his expertise.  The standards weren't exactly high, but Zane wasn't fortunate enough to be picky.  He knew what he wanted, same as her, and he was here to get it.  Finally he spotted her, up on the rise, and smirked as he approached.

Hey babe.  You rang?

Here was another stranger, which made Towhee wary for a split second. What if he reacted like what's-his-face? But as soon he spoke, his lips framing four simple words that were easy to read even in the dark, Towhee knew he was good. She smirked at his cheesy pickup line and snorted, otherwise ignoring it.

It was tempting to simply turn around and let him sate both their desires, yet her orange eyes flickered when she remembered the way Kaertok had come at her. Oh, lort. She didn't necessarily feel like doing that again (she was kind of sore) but now that she was a full day into her cycle, Towhee found she could exercise the tiniest bit of restraint. She could make this fun, draw it out just a little, so it would be sweeter for the both of them.

"You want to put your beef in this taco, you have to catch it first," she proposed, spinning and wiggling her hips tantalizingly. She then threw back her head and bellowed, "¡Ándale! ¡Ándale! ¡Arriba! ¡Arriba!" before darting off across the plateau.

Wraen had hopefully managed to calm down Arcturus and sent him back to Moonspear in a slightly better mood than he had been, when he had found her. On her way back from the Ghost Lion Crag she decided to take a detour and visit grouse thicket to see, if there was anything to hunt there for tomorrow. What she caught whiff of, however, were not birds, but the same delicious smell that she had been tracking earlier, that had been draped all over Ostrega boy's coat.

No doubt that this was the girl, who had screwed her friend over, and though Wraen did not plan on skinning her alive, she wanted to see the face of that nameless woman. And then decide, what to do with her. Because, as her tracking progressed, the Sovereign came to realize that her growing annoyment was not only because she felt sorry for Arcturus, but also because she felt threatened and challenged as a leader. It did not matter that Firebirds claim did not reach as far as the Heron Lake Plateau.

As long as the lady with easy manners (Wraen had yet to reach that level of anger to give her juicier terms), she meant danger. You can imagine her shock, when the object of her anger turned out to be the aspiring co-leader. Wraen entered the clearing right in time to hear the last words Towhee yelled out and the smell here was maddening. So this was, how the Redhawk was meeting Hydra? Her gaze snapped to the second party in the plateau, then back to the deaf girl. "TOWHEE!" Wraen yelled, forgetting that the other girl could not hear her. "Stop, you TRAITOROUS, BLOODY BITCH!" she went after the sailing vessel. Absolutely furious, berserk even, ready to shred to pieces.

He wasn't in tip-top shape. In fact he was downright pissed off, more surly than usual. That's what happens when you wake up on the wrong side of the snow pile, half-dead and freezing your ass off in a stale puddle of your blood. He couldn't remember what exactly happened either; he had gone to bed, tucked himself away somewhere that allowed for a glimpse of the stars, and the next thing he'd become aware of was the feeling of teeth in his flesh. The sharp pain of something grabbing at him mercilessly (though not powerful enough to drag him or anything, which was peculiar) and then bam! He was out like a light.

That had been a few days ago. He still smelled like road kill. Beyond that though, there was an alluring perfume to the air which prompted Yutani to give up on his quest to feed his belly; the only thing he ever needed to feel good after a bad hunt, or a shitty fight, was some sex. He took to prowling after that scent - disregarding the growling of his belly in lieu of this much more attractive path.

When a copse of trees exploded with a raised voice, Yutani was curious. He didn't want to get in the middle of a family squabble or some shit, but the fiend was pretty horny already and thought, 'Either someone is doing something damn kinky over there, or I've found myself in the middle of a lover's quarrel.' which, for Yutani, wasn't a bad thing either way. He lurked just out of sight of the wolves but eyed them as he drew closer, spying a single male with two women. That was more than enough to go around.

zane out!!! Last post from me!

AYY, YOU GOTTA PUT THAT SHIT IN THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS, he hollered after her before letting out a wild whoop.  Alright, then, fine!! He'd do this chase thing and by the end she'd be so tired she'd be begging for it.  Because that's totally how that works, buddy.

That was the plan for about .5 seconds before all fuckin hell broke loose.  Someone came screaming on the scene, psycho bitch who seemed hellbent on tearing his piece to pieces, and then another fuckin dude shows up?

If it was just the guy maybe he'd have tried it, but he wasn't about to go up against him and crazy mc murder over there.  Fuck this.

Ohhh hell the fuck no.  This shit is way too hot for me.  Hey, bro!  GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!  This last part he hollered at the other dude, and with a last semi-regretful look he jetted the hell out of there.

I made some assumptions. If you need me to change them, just slip me message! :)

She didn't hear the shouting at her back: her suitor's first and, a few moments later, her Sovereign's. Towhee rocketed across the plateau in a straight line, then began to zigzag back and forth. Her familiarity with the landscape made her surefooted even in the dark. Aware that she might have too much of a lead because of this, the wily mercenary began to slow down a little and finally glanced behind her.

Towhee had barely come to a stop when something crashed into her backside. This was nothing like Kaertok's flirtatious sparring. Teeth and claws slammed into her right there, causing her back to bow downward into a squat even as she let out an ungodly yelp. In the next instant, she snarled despite herself as she whirled on her attacker, all thought of sex driven from her mind by the literal pain in her ass.

She gasped loudly and leaped backward when she saw who had just mauled her posterior. "Wraen?" Towhee choked in disbelief, ears slicking backward and head lowering protectively over her throat even as she scrambled backward. "What the f—" Her voice broke off as she winced. Despite the possible threat still at her fore, she couldn't help but curl to assess the damage Wraen had done to her bits.

Even in the dark, Towhee could tell that her career as an amateur porn star had come to an abrupt end. And if she hadn't already suspected she was barren, she was pretty sure her leader had just made absolutely sure of it.

Towhee did not stop, which infuriated Wraen even further and made her go after the self-proclaimed Aphrodite of the Hinterlands faster. With half-an-ear she heard, how one of the suitors gave up, yelled something incoherent and disappeared. At the same time her object of the hunt slowed down for whatever reason, the Sovereign gained upon her and sank her teeth in the hind part of Towhee's thigh and pulled backwards, intent to stop her this way. In doing so, she might have injured more than she had intended to.

However, she had achieved her goal, she glared at Towhee, when she addressed her, then snapped around and yelled at, whoever was looming in the darkness still: "YOU - BUGGER OFF OR SO HELP ME GOD - I WILL GUT YOU, BASTARD!" There was an absolute certainty in her voice of a person, who intended very much to act upon her words, if further provoked. "And - YOU," she turned around to face her cousin, realizing, how pointless it was to yell at her, because she would not get the meaning anyway. Icy anger would be a better word. "So, this is, how you go and have slumber party at Hydra's place? What the hell, Towhee? You, of all people?" she was still angry, but her voice was lower now (not that it mattered), laced with bitter disappointment, and there was a hurt look in her eyes.

Raised voices all around. Nothing he couldn't handle - in fact it felt like being back with his old crew, rabble-rousing, and whatnot! A little bit of action was just what the doctor ordered. He watched as one woman chased another, and the other man shouted as he retreated, which was pathetic. It left the two women to duke it out and Yutani was entertained for a minute or so, but then he felt compelled to intervene.

Mostly it was the antagonistic bitch that riled him up; she called out to him with threats and Yutani was not the type to take such crap from anyone. He emerged from the cover of the trees with his spine bristling and tail raised defiantly, a challenge in his eyes.

Looks like she learned her lesson. He scoffed, drifting closer. You done mutilating your girlfriend, or are you gonna keep going with the hysterics? He stood his ground as he said this, eyeing the wounded girl with swift glances, unwilling to drop his glare at Wraen. The dick ran off. Problem solved.

She stared in blank horror at her torn flesh, then flinched when the sheer vehemence of Wraen's tirade recaptured her attention. Towhee could only stare, utterly perplexed by the Sovereign's fury and accusations. She recoiled, her ears slicking backward and disappearing against her skull in the face of them. She hadn't quite processed the savage attack on her hindquarters either. It was all so unprecedented, particularly because she'd never seen this side of Wraen coming.

"What—what the hell," Towhee blustered weakly. It was all she could really manage. She saw the moment when Wraen clearly fell silent, her eyes boring into Towhee's, demanding answers. "What're you talking about?" Between the confusion and pain (and those damnable hormones), she was really struggling to gather her thoughts and string together a proper sentence.

Then a realization hit her and Towhee's already furrowed brow scrunched even further. "Are you slut shaming me?" Was Wraen angry with her for reprising her role as the town bicyle? That might make sense, if the Sovereign hadn't once expressly told her she could mate and have children if she wished. Of course, what Wraen didn't realize was that it didn't matter whether or not she sanctioned Towhee's promiscuity, since the mercenary couldn't bear children, especially now.

She should probably share that fact, yet none of it made any sense. And suddenly someone else appeared, causing her to jump and bare her teeth out of sheer self-preservation. By smell and feel, Towhee was suddenly extraordinary aware of just how much blood she was losing and how endangered she might be if Wraen decided to resume her attack or this stranger—whose words went unseen in the dim—tried anything either. He might not mean her harm but if he tried to mount her right now, he could do even more damage.

Tail tucking to protect her bleeding nether regions, Towhee crouched and backpedaled hastily away from both of them. She did not bolt, instead refusing to take her eyes off either one, still so thrown by Wraen's behavior that it rooted her to the spot.

Slut-shaming - that was a direct hit. Wraen fell silent, comprehending, what had just been said. Wanted to feel wronged and misunderstood. Instead she felt worse. A hypocrite. Funny, how easily it is to give out permission, when you did not think that they were ever going to be fulfilled. It was true - she had given Towhee rights to breed. She had imagined her to be honest and open about this. She had thought of her doing like everyone had - finding a suitable mate, settling down, asking a permission again.

But she had not imagined her doing it like this. 

Lying.

Going behind her back.

"You screwed a good friend of mine, Towhee," Wraen told her and she realized that for, whatever reason, she felt Arcturus's heartbreak as keenly as it was her own. She could forgive the first two arguments, but the third one was that mattered to her the most. It was easy to chastize an unknown bitch that had wronged her friend, but it was so much different, when this person had a face and name of a person you had trusted. To see the anguish in the Ostrega boy's face and realize that it was your co-leader-to-be that had caused so much pain.

"I did not know that you were capable of treating other people as things," she said, now quiet, eerily calm. She looked over her shoulder at the man that still not had left, but paid no mind to him. The Sovereign turned back to meet Towhee's eyes and hear something, anything that would make it right again. Tell her that it was not true.

The flash of fangs from the injured girl made his eyes narrow, but Yutano did not withdraw yet. He couldn't fault the girl for her reaction since he was a stranger and she was in a difficult position. The more he overheard the less he felt like involving himself though; plus the antagonistic woman ignored him, focusing on her primary target instead. Without a reason to linger (since that bicycle had sprung a leak) he huffed and kept himself at a distance but did not remove himself entirely, just in case further fighting broke out.

The Sovereign utterly ignored their third wheel, though Towhee didn't feel as though she could afford to do that too. Her eyes skittered between the pair, then shot out into the darkness beyond them, suddenly wondering what had become of her original suitor. Perhaps he'd heard the altercation and hightailed it out of there. Things had escalated quickly. She quickly dismissed any thought of him. It wasn't like she would be having sex anytime soon, maybe ever again.

Wraen didn't seem as if she was going to physically assault her again either, though that was of little consolation to Towhee. Her own leader had just brutally attacked her and didn't seem to have any remorse about it. Rather, she continued her verbal lashing of the mercenary, who was starting to feel faint. She screwed her eyes up tightly to catch Wraen's words, which still didn't really make sense to Towhee but at least gave her an inkling.

Wraen had mentioned, "Hydra's place," and there was no denying that her first partner had looked a lot like the queen of Moonspear. Towhee grimaced and groaned simultaneously. She really, really regretted boning that guy. But how could she have known he would be so unexpectedly naive and strangely sentimental about their tryst? How could she have ever guessed he would go crying to her leadership? And how could she have possibly anticipated that he was Wraen's bosom buddy in the first place and and that her Sovereign would inexplicably and violently come avenging his virtue? (Even if she'd been aware of any of these things, Towhee wasn't sure she could've stopped herself regardless, although that was incredibly moot now.)

"Wraen," Towhee began, preparing to argue her case and insist they were two consenting adults and she wasn't responsible for his post-coital regrets. They'd had a good time, right up until she'd realized she'd let crazy put its dick in her. "I didn't—" But that was as far as she got before she changed tack entirely, orange eyes dragging sluggishly to their shadowy witness as she listed tellingly, then back to the wrathful Wraen. "Look, you fucked me up—bad. I need medical attention. Is there any possibility we can go home and talk about this when I'm no longer hemorrhaging out the new asshole you just tore me.........."

Wraen saw that she could not win. Just as clearly as it had been, when Pippin had joined and Niamh had sided with Towhee, no questions asked, it was clear now that her cousin had all the freedom of the world to do, whatever she liked. She would always have the support of majority of Firebirds and the Sovereign could either agree with them all or be an outsider and leave. Wraen's rank was just a name, she no longer had any real power. 

At this moment she did not regret hurting Towhee. This woman did not have the capacity of feeling emotional pain, but physical one would be just as a good reminder. You did not, could not treat people like things, as if they did not feel anything. Being under influence of heat was no excuse. Wraen did not wish to have anything to do with the Tradesman now, she would have  been more than glad never to see her face again. But she was her subordinate, she was hurt because of her and Firebirds would frown, if she left her there.

"You should not move, while bleeding. You will hurt yourself more," she said impassively, not looking Towhee in the eyes. "Snow seems to be more there," she beckoned to a corner of woods. "Cold will stop the bleeding and ease some of the pain," she explained. "Then I can fetch someone from home and bring here to deal with you." Wraen turned to go, then caught sight of the stranger still being here and changed her plans. "I'll stay then, so that we both can go," she added plainly and waited for Towhee's response.

No more fighting, which was sort-of lame but probably for the best; no sex either, which was double-lame. Yutani had half a mind to leave them with their discussion since he wasn't really involved, except when he turned to go.. He heard a fwump as the injured wolf collapsed. With an unseen roll of his eyes and a brief glance at the dark trees beyond him, he turned back to the pair.

Okay look, I'm just passin' through and yeah, I was here for some fun, but obviously that ain't happening. She needs help. Let me help. The angry woman could've ripped him a new asshole too, but that wouldn't have stopped Yutani from trying. Sure he was a scoundrel, a pirate, a bit of a slut - but he had a good heart. Someone needed to help get the woman back home, wherever that was, and while Yute trusted the pissy lady could handle it, he couldn't sit idle either.

No funny business, promise, he remarks as he steps towards Towhee's passed out, bloodied body. He doesn't touch her, doesn't get that close, and keeps his eyes trained on the warrior woman as he silently asked permission. If allowed, he'd help get her back from whence they both came.

Towhee could've been thinking plenty of ugly thoughts too and should've been taking serious action, rather than sitting here, cracking terrible jokes. Truthfully, there was nothing funny about this situation, nor being ambushed and seriously hurt by her own leader over a matter that that didn't even involve her. Later, the mercenary would surely have plenty of thoughts and feelings about Wraen and this whole situation.

But right now, she was swooning so badly from pain and blood loss, it left Towhee befuddled and dopey. She knew Wraen had said some things to her, had even caught a word here and there, but all of her concentration was going into not passing out right now. Her body tended to shut down in these situations but she knew if she lost consciousness this time, she wasn't in good hands. There was Wraen, as well as the stranger lurking somewhere out in the dark.

"Whatever..... you say.......... boss," she slurred worse than ever, rising onto all fours with a loud moan of pain. She should've maintained distance from the other she-wolf, considering the circumstances. But Towhee had no choice but to stumble over to Wraen, especially when their shadowy guest suddenly reappeared and attempted to intervene. "This is fine," she shouted drunkenly at him before promptly passing out after all, leaving herself entirely at their mercies, or lack thereof.

Wraen did not believe that she had got Towhee that bad - there was a puncture wounds on her upper thigh and perineum, blood smeared all over, but there were no intestines trailing out of her adomen, neither there were copious amounts of blood, if the Sovereign had accidentally caught a vital blood vessel.

She let the exhausted woman rest in the snow and lied next to her. The gray-pelted wolf had changed his mask from that of Casanova to a self-proclaimed Superman. Wraen listened to him and then told him wearily: "We will be fine. Please, go away."

The woman wasn't going to attack him, but she was more dismissive than he was expecting. Surprised by her refusal for help he sort of.. Stared at her. And then recoiled, shrugging. Fine, whatever. He wanted to be useful but evidently that wasn't in the cards, so Yutani finally relented and retreated to the shadows. He glanced back to have one lingering moment to absorb the scene, but carried on as if nothing had transpired at all. Just another day in the life of a lone mercenary...