Wild Berry Meadow i am without a heart

tenacious as the glen wolf had been, astara found herself returning to the meadow.

time to test both their observance of her presence, and their ability to defend an area outside of their reach.

astara kept her head low, coursing lazily after the scent of @Keres.

There was a prickle between her shoulder blades, a tension that sang down her spine in a way that said it all: I'm being watched. Keres did not entertain the feeling for long, stopping in her tracks to turn and lock eyes with the one that stalked her. Scowling, the woman flicked her tail in irritation, starting her way back to confront the dark wolf, her very presence a looming thread. Head and tail up, lips pulling back, Keres gave her a silent warning: begone.

the owner of the scent astara followed was a slab-sided, hardened wolf — boasting the same aroma of the copper-backed guardian which had routed her the night before.

astara answered the silent warning in turn; her eyes flat yet ears forward assertively. she took several step forwards, encircling keres as she had done to Osiris the day before.

she had little intention to get hurt today, but what was the harm in a little antagonistic frolic? a reminder to these wolves, that the might of the bear was never far.

Their posture mirrored; aggressive, assertive, dominant. Two sharks circling each other in the waters of the Wilderness. There was a presence to this woman that set the valkyrie on edge, and it was for that reason alone that she decided the woman was many things. Too close. A threat. Unwelcome. 

Keres lunged, teeth snapping in the vicinity of the violet-eyed wolf. She aimed, not to injure, but to drive her away under threat of violence.

astara waited — as insidious and uncollected as an oilspill in said wilderness’ water.

part of being a clever fighter was learning to strategize. every opponent was but another opportunity to learn.

when the agouti lunged astara moved with oily efficiency — striking off into an easy lope. she recognized keres’ intention was to herd her away. rather than make it easy, astara dropped her head and began to lengthen her stride, performing a half circle around the beast. she leaned in, a flurry of snaps to the empty air in rebuke.

So it was to be like that, then. She would not shy from the threat of teeth, or from the possiblity of bloodshed. Her home sat nestled in these wilds, its peak spearing the clouds behind the devil-woman. She did not need to glance at mountain to be passionate about her protection of it, unflinching as those jaws came close to her in rapid — and rabid — succession.

Her circle broke, instead making a dash straight through, looking to land a solid pinch on that dark haunch. A bruise would no doubt be left behind, a welt if she was lucky. This was no game; the next blow would seek blood, the one after that, she would aim for death, progressively climbing the ladder of escalation.

astara felt the sting of tooth to her pelt as she cantered by, haunches tucking under her in instinctive response.

no loss of fur or blood — yet — but that did not make the blackbird careless.

she turned again, another circle carved around keres. the air between them was snapped at several times in silent threat before astara rushed in again — this time veering sharply to the left before any contact was made.

a game of cat and mouse — where astara moved in rapid, unpredictable bursts meant to make even the most stoic wolf feel alarmist peril pulse in tandem with the blood under their skin.

the feint had the desired effect, blood and adrenaline rushing through her veins, flooding her ears with white noise. she could barely hear her own snarl as she lunged after her -- again -- mouth yawning wide to score upon the black wolf's body. fur bristled, tail held stiff, her mind consumed now with what was at hand here.

where this attack missed, the dark form of the bitch flitting away like a carrot dangled on a string, she was sure that the next would not; though astara's movements were wild and capricious, keres was the opposite, her attacks increasingly serious and savage in equal measure, seeking to close in on the female now

astara did not intend to allow keres close, and yet, the she-wolf was as vicious as she. too late, astara realized she had gotten too close -- keres' fangs snapped in whizzing ferocity past her cheek, seizing an ear with painful force.

instinctively astara shoved with a shoulder while attempting a barrage of bites at keres' face -- more to force her backwards than to hit -- and as soon as she was able, she began to lope out of keres' close-quarters range.

this time she gradually arced her circle wider and wider; should keres advance, the blackbird would retreat. a reminder that she would be ever present, and ever willing to shed the blood of her enemies.

silver form reeled backwards, releasing her grip on that ear before she could rend it apart, avoiding teeth that came close too close. ears splay, proverbial wings spread in warning, keres watch only a moment as the woman began a wide circle, the shark still testing the waters.

no more.

paws carried her forward, path driving straight for the violet-eyed heathen, a final snarl accompanying the act of driving her away away from the mountain, away from her home.

<3 thank u for the thread

bloodied, the blackbird was driven from the mountain-glen. her stride opened in earnest as keres came charging in. this time she did not turn for rebuke.

this time, astara kept going.

she would pause here and there, to let keres come closer -- and then she would flit away like a teasing crow.

all the while, snaps given to the air in silent fuck-yous. keres may have driven the blackbird back, but the wrath of the bear had only just begun to stir.