Porcupine Ridge The hills of Hollywood on fire

The beta wolf eased into a light stance, poised on his toes to either jump back or leap forward. The coyotes were kept just at bay by his presence, dancing in their unusual hyperactive way just beyond the wolves' claim, prancing their petite paws and surely discussing amongst each other how best to slip around the big bad wolf blocking their way.

They proved to be wily beasts: one, the male, skittered to the left and slunk over the borders, causing the wolf to snap at him with a speedy lunge, but at the same time the female gave him the slip and darted past his defense. The guardian whirled on his feet, kicking up snow and dirt. With several lunges of his lean body he overtook the female and caught her scruff up in his jaws. The coyote yelped shrilly and tore free of his grasp, leaving a clump of hair between the wolf's teeth. He let it fall to the ground as he pivoted, snatched back his ears and snarled with disbelief. The male was pulling the same trick now, attempting to tiptoe past the wolf while he was distracted!

But the coyotes seemed to lose their nerve before he went for the male, and the pair scuttled backward several steps. A confused Farstep lifted his head just long enough to see Diane before she was beside him. Though one ear and one eye remained pinned on the coyotes, he couldn't help passing an approving glance over the proud upward curve of her neck set on squared shoulders, the sharp peaks of her aggressive ears and the bristle of her pelt as she stared down the coyotes. He'd thought her a weak-willed creature upon first meeting, but this was not the wolf who snatched back from the touch of her comrades. It was only a matter of days, but Diane was not the same.

He turned his full attention back to the coyotes, who seemed indecisive now about their odds if their behaviour was anything to go by. He didn't give them the opportunity to make another attempt; with Diane's presence bolstering his confidence, the beta male took several sweeping steps and snapped at the air where the female coyote's snout had been seconds prior.