Whitefish River Pawprints Amongst Dying Grass

| Time: Backdated to 20th. Morning—10:35am
        | Weather: 35࿀F — Clear — Slightly windy
            | Location/Setting: Whitefish River
                  | Tagging: @Orlaith

Small coyote scuffle

—♛—

Another day, another patrol.

A yawn escaped Aliana as she started her patrol along Kaistleoki’s borders a bit later than usual. She gave a scan over the horizon for any approaching figures before raising a leg and producing a fresh marking to reaffirm the borders. She stretched out her limbs a bit, shaking out pelt before continuing on her route.

Halfway through her patrol, another scent—very distinct against the rest she was used to—stabs into her nose. The fur on her back and mane bristle with a wave of rising anger and simmering excitement. Coyote. Female.
Mangy little bastard.

She must either be really hungry or really arrogant. Either way, Aliana’s sleepiness was washed away by the need to correct this glaring trespassing and disrespect for their border. To bring about retribution that could only be sated with a swift, sharp bite. She wanted the coyote to either be running for the hills or dead on the floor; either will do. 

Aliana moved quickly but stealthy, prowling through Kaistleoki like a wolf on a mission, following scent farther into the territory. The area quickly became familiar, and she could pick up the far-off sound of hurried digging. A snarl worked its way up from her chest and to her throat like it had been hidden within her body, waiting for just this moment. It wasn’t long before she could see them in the distance. 

The scraggly coyote was now doing their best to quickly stuff its mouth full of the food it was raiding from the cache—THEIR cache. She could their eyes and head darting frantically to and fro; looking out for any wolf lunging out of nowhere. The Coyote knew what it was doing was VERY risky, but it was desperate, really desperate. If it was Spring or Summer she wouldn’t care as much as she did right now. But it was Fall, with Winter around the corner, they couldn’t afford to be losing food to trespassing scavengers.

The coyote will eventually see her; she was a mass of brown fur careening around trees and through yellowing bushes and dying grass. What Aliana hoped is she closes most of the gap between them and possibly sink her fangs into this scranny encroacher.

Orlaith was rather quick to literally fly in. Like a ferocious beast, when she was at the border, the scent of a coyote was fresh, and slowly did it drift toward the inner sanctions of Kaistleoki. She with such a ferocity ran through the barriers of the pack, and scrounged closer to what was their cache, a gnarly growl tore onto the flaming wolf's face as she realized that they were trying to thieve their food.

Though another was already managing control as the large brown wolf grasped onto the intruder, and with a leap of anger so did the Knight. Two large wolves descending onto the coyote, was not something to be easily escaped.

It was like she suspected, the thieving Coyote quickly noticed her. It takes a moment to do a double-take at the size of her pursuer before the survival instinct in its brain finally clicked and it went to bolt with what it had. 

But it was that one pivotal moment that allowed her to close more of the distance between them.

 Aliana had to slide into a stop, pivot, then surge forward, kicking up dirt all the while. Jaws wide, ivories bared, hoping to catch something, anything. Well, her teeth planted on something, not a limb but on the coyote’s scrawny tail. A loud pained yelp left the coyote, dropping its stolen goods in the process. Its gangly body writhed in agony, pulling to get away at first before twisting its body towards her. Jaws wide but Aliana did not twist away, she held firm while the coyote bit wherever it could to get her to let go. She knew the moment she lets go, the coyote would bolt and she wasn’t the fastest wolf in Kintla. It would escape and she didn’t want it to escape.

Aliana watched Orlaith suddenly fly out of the foliage and into the fray, fangs digging in the coyote. It howled in agony once more. With the coyote distracted, Aliana releases the thief’s tail, then quickly digs her fangs into the coyote’s thigh and shook till she began to taste blood on her tongue, tearing into the thief. The coyote struggled and writhed between the two large wolves, biting at what it could get its jaws on, trying to escape. That’s all it wanted to do. Escape. Escape with its life.

However she wasn't merciful, letting an intruder escape alive. She always thought life comes with consequences, and as a coyote, stealing precious food from the wolves of Kaistleoki, they were prepared to face what was to be; their demise. She was not willing to let this coyote go, and severely stomped. on him so. With two large wolves fighting him, there was no way to escape.

And she wanted to end it. An attempt to hold him down, the Knight Commander look at Aliana, urging on to finish him off.

She hesitated for just a brief moment. She didn’t know why, but she had always done this, something her mother did her best to weed out of her since she was young. It was hesitation that could make her lose a kill, or get her killed.

—

‘You hesitated again, Aliana...'

'Sorry, Mom...' 

'Tell me, daughter... Would you hesitate on a kill?’

‘No.’

‘Would you hesitate to protect a packmate?’

‘No.’

‘Would you hesitate to protect yourself or the borders of the land that you call home?’

‘No.’

‘Then stop hesitating, Aliana. At best, it’ll leave you hungry. At worse …  it’ll get you killed. If you see an open opportunity … take it. Show neither prey nor enemy mercy because both will try to kill you.’

—

The memory fades and Aliana was quiet...then she lunged forward. The coyote squealed, kicking and writhing while Aliana’s fangs sunk deeply into its neck. Blood danced on her tongue and dripped onto the earthy ground, being sucked up by the soil. She held this fastened grip so tightly that the Theif couldn’t breathe. No matter how much the Coyote struggled, the grip would not loosen. Aliana held it till the struggling stop and she knew the Coyote’s heart stilled before letting go.
 
It was done. 
 
Aliana lets go and steps away with a huff, anger had faded away into a pitiless glare. It knew the risks but was still desperate enough to try; it can't be helped. ❝  Let’s move the body out of the territory…  ❞ Aliana spoke looking at the corpse, ❝  Its body will feed some other hungry scavenger.  ❞ 
 
The irony of it all; it came looking for food, now it will become food.

Orlaith never hesitated, perhaps that's why she was but a wolf in flames. Her mind did not think, and only rushed with a heart of adrenaline, and a firm choosing of what she knew, what she wanted. In the end that has caused a few downfalls, many that she no longer remembers. She was but like a new bird now, for those she experienced was no longer a plus to what could change her core, she restarted, and once more, was a brash, and hot-headed woman.

Though she also did not mind if another hesitated, as long as in the end, it was done. But there was a issue to those who do, "if you hesitate, in the end, you'll be the one on the death bed." She strictly warned Aliana after the woman finally ended the coyote, and released her own grab onto the canine.

Those who hesitated, tend to meet death. Upon the final strike did they second-guess, and in that moment would any enemy, take that charge. Confidence was a key, and Orlaith always knew in the end, what she did was her right. There was no point in regretting or hesitating, for in the end- she would live.

"Throw it Plateau, we wouldn't want some mangy lion coming to the plains."

❝  I know...  ❞ Aliana replied as she stared at the coyote’s limp body and sighs, licking the blood from her lips in slight disgust. Her mother has always told her that Wolves live a 'Life of Blood' whether that was from their prey or from their enemies didn’t matter. It's just...she rather spill the blood of prey than the blood of another wolf if she could help it. She was by no means a pacifist, but she didn't want to be a killer either.
 
When Orlaith spoke to toss the body in the Plateau, and she raised a fuzzy brow, ears curling back slightly, ❝  Ain’t Wraen and her group sheltering in the Plateau...?  ❞ At least that was from her understanding from their meeting several days ago, ❝  Doesn’t seem very ... `neighborly like` to drop a dead body on their heads...Unless you’re talking of another Plateau nearby where we can dump it?  ❞ And the last thing she wanted was to bring a hungry Cougar their way. Kaistleoki had the numbers and strength to deal with such a creature, they didn't. So not only would it be inconsiderate but it would be dangerous as well.
 
Aliana pondered a bit, ❝  ...If you ask me… we could dump it over by the cliffs southeast of here. Let the Vultures and eagles have a field day with it.  Or we could head...West I believe? Northwest to those woods over there and dump it for the crows. What do you think? ❞ As long as the body is far enough away that it won't bring any more scavengers to their borders, it didn't matter to her. She glanced to Orlaith for her confirmation or opinion.