Northstar Vale Pas de Pitié

Careful steps along the border, Chaudry was feeling particularly disgruntled today. He wanted nothing more than to curl up in his nest, yet borders had to be checked. Such things could not be helped.

Marking as he went, he remained alert. Ears perked and mouth open just slightly, he followed the path laid out. He was beginning to see the indents from his daily patrols, the grass showing his route for any trespassers who may come upon it. He wondered if it would be more of an issue than it would be a repellent.

Tail held high he paused his steps to breathe in the surrounding scents, searching for anything that may be out of the ordinary.

The mountains did not seem to attract many strangers, but you could never be too careful.

a great din of distant howls drew ava in from the islands. 

by the gathering calls of crows she knew she was getting closer. there were scents laid here that seemed fresh — including an acrid patch of urine still warm. 

creeping low now, ava eyed her prospective trail, wondering if she should not go around. 

no. it would cost too much time. she moved off at a slinky trot, following the call of crows as they flew inland.

Something unfamiliar caught his attention, the breeze adding strength to the sickening smell of wolf who was not his own filling his nostrils. This disrespect would not be tolerated, not today.

He began to follow the path laid by the wind, attempting to keep the calm and professional composure of his mother. He would have been successful if not for his glare.

Soon the shapes on another slinking through the trees was spotted, the man lifting his tail at the sight. He called out to them, "You there, you are not of La Montagne." His tone was stern, his voice elevated. This was his mother's territory now, and while it would never truly be his he would defend it for her sake and the sake of the family he would have here.

a man broke from the cover of trees, causing ava to slow to a stop. he was colored in the same stony palette as druid, but it was there the similarities ended. 

his voice was stern, and the tactical swing of his tail spoke a language clearer than any words. 

ava only froze, the call of the crows growing more faint as blood began to pound in her ears.

The silence did not to ease his mood. Teeth now bared, he was looking for a fight.

His stance strong he waited for the other to make any sort of movement. To speak, to run, to bite. The responsible thing would be to call Paladé, have her assist him in herding the stranger away from them, but today such actions would not be taken.

If the other ran, he would chase, if they were caught, he would bite. No, not bite, but rather rip.

the glint of teeth gleamed between the stranger’s gums. 

this did not bode well for ava. 

still frozen in place, she swallowed. she’d made a risky decision cutting through territory, and now she was caught. having never been in this situation before, she cycled through every situation leading to this moment. trying to figure out what to do next. 

she had no experience to draw on, save that of her ancestry — ancestry which came with a rigid spine. 

it was astara’s proud gaze that peered through that mismatched stare; merrick’s madness that channeled through her frozen thoughts and cut her loose. 

she shifted, spreading her stance to ready for the man. 

go on, her posture communicated. let’s see if you’re bluffing.

I'll be rolling out of 10+1 for attack and defense! <3

It appeared as though his challenge had been accepted. Barely a moment passed, claws digging into the dirt. He shot forward to knock her off her feet.

Contact was made, but with so little momentum it was little more than a scare tactic, something to catch her off-guard.

Attack roll: 2

you do what works for u! <3 ill have her run soon but figured you’d need at least ten replies for the thread to count so im stretching it out <3

oh shit, he wasn’t bluffing. 

ava flinched and leapt back, but not before his teeth grazed her shoulder. hey! rude!! she snapped her teeth in his general area to fend him back. 

now that a physical altercation was on the table, ava realized she had no stomach for risk. this was not something worth potentially dying over — a sense of proprietary knowledge instructed her to tread carefully. 

she was reluctant to spin and run - that would open up her hind end to attack. 

so, she stood her ground just enough that if he advanced she’d move an equal distance away — dancing just out of reach enough each time that hopefully she’d earn enough space where she could make a safe break for it.

A dance broke out on the borders- with a woman taking the lead, it seemed, in shifting their paws further away from the borders. Tousaint was not one to get his paws dirty- but he knew border tactics well enough to know that two against one was not a fair fight- and that he’d likely only have to be minimally involved if he simply stepped in to present himself as a threat. 

Chaudry had managed to push her back but the young woman seemed reluctant to turn and run. The woman was either bold or oblivious, to have come into the Vale- by Chaudry’s charged reaction, he assumed the former. 

Tousaint joined his packmate with a flash of his teeth and flagging of his tail, making clear with his posture that trespassing was not welcomed in the Vale.

Chaudry barely seemed to notice as Tousaint joined them, his eyes fixed on the stranger. A growl sounding out, he took a step forward with the intention of having her step back.

He was no longer alone. He could not be as aggressive as he wished; after all if Tousaint reported such behaviour to his mother he would likely get in quite a bit of trouble with her. She did not believe in using your teeth before your words.

a second wolf joined the first; this one was roughly her age group,, but ava had no time to admire how well groomed his fur was, nor the intriguing color of his eyes. she only saw him for what he was in that moment — another piece lodged against her ever-changing odds of survival.

she licked her lips nervously, the bristling of her pelt subsiding just enough to show she’d lost interest in the path that cut through the woods. the steel colored man and his well-groomed counterpart indicated this way was clearly shut; none shall pass.

ava bobbed her head and leapt back once more. this time there was enough space between them she felt she could safely retreat — and she did so promptly, legs racing and tail clamped tight to her haunch.

Chaudry felt a sense of accomplishment at the sight. He spoke no words, only briefly glancing at Tousaint before turning back to his route.

With the dispute settled, he would continue his patrol.