Nova Peak Malice

Their new occupation invigorated Masquerade for several days, though slowly the novelty gave way to the familiarity of routine. The Ulfr still took pleasure in their duties, though their mood began to shift as summer yielded to autumn and the winter loomed ahead. Their misgivings started to return.

They plodded around the base of Dragon’s Back Ridge, casually tracking a rutting moose while keeping a careful distance. This gave them plenty of time to reflect on matters of the rise lately. @Avicus was back but had not resumed her post as Wealda. This upset the sense of balance restored by her initial return.

They didn’t want to dwell on this, so they turned their thoughts toward @Mulherin and the other youngsters. It wouldn’t be long now before they were young adults. Masque still assumed “@Fifth” was likely to disperse like “@Pupper” had, though the others were knitted tightly into the fabric of the rise.

Next, they caught themself thinking of @Riley. Masque wondered if he would make a name for himself among the Redtails or fade into the backdrop a bit like @Reki and @Relic. Would he still be here, come springtime? The thought made their tail lash as they broke into a gallop, realizing they’d lost ground.

Now that they were beginning to establish a claim, Reverie thought it prudent to start getting to know the neighbors. But first, they would have to see who their neighbors actually were. She took @Blossom out on a scouting trip, intending only to see which packs were settled in the areas around their chosen territory. When she ran across the myriad scents of a busy claim, however, she grew wary.
So she skirted around it, deciding that it would be best to bring Boone with her to meet this particular pack. Yet she found herself crossing a scent trail that seemed familiar from the borders she'd only just avoided, and wondered if she had gotten lucky enough to find one of the pack wolves out on a scouting trip of their own. As she pursued, she found that her luck was not as good as she'd thought; the wolf was hunting. A moose, of all things! Reverie was immediately afraid, both of the moose itself and of triggering some kind of territorial response in the stranger. And so she hung back, only watching from a distance for now while Blossom ambled along behind her in a bid to catch up.

He led them toward the valley to the east, though Masquerade was reluctant to follow him too far. They eventually slowed and stopped, watching as the moose trotted toward the great stretch of woods over yonder. He let out a bellow right before he disappeared beneath their shade.

The Ulfr did not linger. They pivoted and began loping back southwest along the foot of the great stone dragon. Masque decided to report the sighting to @Augur, then find their favorite brother and tell him about it just for fun.

Their eyes cut upward and they halted in their tracks when they saw a pale figure in the near distance. Masque’s hackles prickled, their tail pointing stiffly out behind them. They were a little surprised by their own reaction, though there wasn’t time to dwell on it now. They stood still, eyeing the stranger, a rumbling deep in their throat.

The stranger noticed her, and it was just as she'd feared; the other wolf was not pleased to see her at all. Reverie called Blossom to her side and tucked her close, her posture folding in submission; tail tucked, ears back, legs bending into a near-crouch over her daughter. The gilded girl had never been one for conflict. She did not know what to do, and so she whined lowly, hoping that this would convey that she meant no harm.
With her daughter at her side, running would not be an option. Blossom still wasn't quite big enough to keep up with an adult wolf at a full sprint. If the stranger persisted in this sudden aggression, Reverie would have no choice but to distract while her daughter fled for safety. Suddenly she wished that she'd invited Boone along after all.

A younger wolf materialized, running and clinging to what must be her mother. This silenced the low growl momentarily, though rather than feel bad about frightening the pair, the sight of their cowering fed into Masque’s instinctive display. They did not move their feet, though they stretched their head forward as their tail lifted slightly.

They jerked their head once, a silent invitation for the two to leave. And though they hardly owned this land, Masquerade realized they felt possessive of it. They thought of it as Mulherin’s, in a way. And since they’d pledged to support him if and when the time came, it was also theirs to defend against unwanted visitors.

Fueled by a dream and their own mercurial mood, Masque took a single step forward to drive the warning—and hopefully the two wolves—home.

The stranger did not relent. Reverie began to tremble, afraid more for her daughter than for herself. Blossom, I want you to run, alright? I'll catch up, I promise. Just - keep going that way, She gestured with her nose toward Hushed Willows. Follow our scents back, okay? Keep going until you get back to the forest, or until I find you.
And she sent her daughter off with a nudge, drawing herself up to full height to face the silver wolf. She didn't move, but her posture stiffened and her tail rose along with the fur at her spine in warning. Every few moments Reverie shot a glance back over her shoulder, making sure that her daughter was following the instructions given to her. She wouldn't move until the other wolf did, or until her daughter was out of sight; whichever one came first.
If she was honest, she was terrified.

Masquerade squinted when the mother sent her daughter away but didn’t follow her. The youngster looked grown enough to find her way home without issue, though it seemed a very peculiar choice to the former Caru.

Trying to hide their perplexity, Masquerade raised their deep voice to be heard clearly as they said, You should go with her.

They weren’t spoiling for a fight but perhaps the stranger was looking for one. Maybe she wanted to lay claim to nearby resources or territory. The thought made Masquerade’s ears pull back, their marigold gaze boring into the towheaded woman.

The stranger spoke and Reverie's fear was replaced with anger all at once. She bristled all over now, outraged to have been threatened and now ordered on neutral ground. I'll go when I know she's safe, She snapped back. You don't own this place. I avoided your claim. How do I know you won't follow?
There was no desire in her to fight, but some part of her was beginning to resist the idea of being bullied out of unclaimed land. Even if she ended up terribly injured — which seemed quite likely, given her utter inability to handle herself in a fight — maybe it would be worth having stood up for herself. Reverie was tired of being the one to fold under pressure, to cave to the anger of others. In this, she felt it was misplaced. She'd done nothing wrong. So why was she being harassed?

The stranger’s 180° shift in demeanor caught Masquerade off guard. Their head reared back, though they remained stiff-legged and motionless otherwise. Of course, she was right: no matter how they felt, Masque didn’t actually own this mountain.

I have no interest in following or harming you, they said flatly. I just don’t want you here, they very nearly added, though the inexplicable turn of this woman’s temper told Masquerade this situation could quickly escalate in a way they didn’t want.

Huffing out a breath, they began walking. They treated her just like the rutting moose and gave her a wide berth. Masque didn’t take their eyes off her as they passed in the direction of the rise. She was a wildcard they would hopefully never see again after this.

She didn't believe it, not for a second. The silver wolf had been the one to approach her with hostility in the first place; Reverie had only wanted to make a friend, as she always did. You have a funny way of showing it, She seethed, but did not engage further.
Instead she turned to follow Blossom, breaking into a full run now that she was certain there was enough distance between her daughter and this hostile stranger. When she found Blossom, she would hurry her back to the forest of willows and keep her there. The girl was old enough now to stay at home on her own, Reverie thought. And maybe that was for the best. She wouldn't risk this happening a second time. They might not be so lucky with the next aggressive wolf they met.

She threw an acerbic comment at them and Masquerade could not stop puzzling over it as they walked home. As they neared the rise, it slowly dawned on them that they’d undergone a dramatic shift in personality today too. It hadn’t been nearly that rapid nor extreme but as they reflected on their own behavior, Masque didn’t fully recognize themself.

They couldn’t decide if that was a good or bad thing as they crossed the borders and began looking for the Ulfhedinn. But better to do some introspection rather than dwell on some Janus-faced stranger.