Northstar Vale take control

A satisfied rumble found its home in her chest as she successfully broke away from the Vale wolves. She put distance between herself and them, clutching the root in her jaws like a most precious possession. All she needed to do now was find her way back to the pass, remaining out of their reach, and she'd be home free. The open plains beyond the mountains were all too familiar to her, and she would find the speediest routes from there.

Jinx had grown up in woods, however, and navigated the trees with ease. What she hadn't grown up on was mountain terrain, and so she shied away from the rolling base as much as she could. A glance backward revealed the auburn-haired female trailing along the mountain's edge, which was all the more motivation for Jinx to angle herself into the trees. She was unaware that the other wolf, whose face she hadn't seen, was tailing her from within the trees. A haughty laugh bubbled in her throat at their perceived failure, but it was choked off by the herb in her teeth.

But what Jinx thought was a success was no more than the beginning of a much longer struggle. A misstep around the next tree had her shoulder colliding with its trunk, eliciting a sharp hiss of pain from the wolf. The impact slowed her down just enough for Raheerah to reach her, and she felt her footing falter and her breath whoosh out of her lungs as his strong body collided with her side. Some primal wave of terror and protectiveness washed through her as she cringed away from him, subconsciously protecting her stomach from any harm. A heavy kick of her hind legs put her back into running, a success on the Kesuk's part for not falling (yet), but Xi'nuata had caught up on the other side. Her pursuers had closed her into a straight line that would lead her exactly where they wanted her to go... But that didn't mean Jinx gave up.

Arrogance would not allow her to foresee their plan. She thought she could throw them off if she was clever enough. In the deeper woods, it was impossible to see what paths she could take, so Jinx charged on ahead, heedless of what the two wolves were attempting to do, though her side and her shoulder both throbbed with every pounding step she took.