and strike the nail against the flint

For @Kerosene. <3

They proceeded towards the borders at an even pace, coming upon them with the light of the day still high in the sky. Out there the dense undergrowth served as a humid blanket, alive and loud with the insects and other creatures of the wilderness. For Echelon there was no idling, just a silent dive into the work left ahead of them. She paused briefly to add to the scent markers there, initially pleased that in their collective absence that nothing was seemingly disturbed.

Once that was complete, she brought her cool-eyed gaze to rest upon the reddish coat of the alpha male, testing the wind curiously for things unseen but not to be missed. Even out here, she could smell Tonravik as though she were with them, though a large part of that no doubt came from her chosen breeding partner of the season. His scent was all over as well, as she anticipated. Good.

murder by death — end of the line