Redtail Rise All the way up

Wildfire was so beat that she didn't so much as stir when the distant voice called her by name. She only roused when she heard Gavriel growl and rush to his feet nearby, tension already thickening the air. Blinking sleep from her eyes, the she-wolf peered uncomprehendingly at the dark, haggard form across the way and rolled a bit drunkenly to her feet. The instant recognition registered—and she realized that Reek was acting aggressively—her face darkened. She didn't echo her companion's growl, though it was a close thing.

For a moment, she couldn't imagine why he would react this way to her presence, although it dawned on her that his ire seemed directed at Gavriel more than herself. Then Wildfire remembered the commander's taunting call to the grotto's Alpha. Her jaw clenched as she eyeballed him now, thinking of the despicable thing he had done to Saena and their children. Even the softhearted ambassador could not bring herself to feel sorry for the ugly beast in front of her.

"Leave us be," she said softly but firmly to Reek. She wasn't sure what she would have done if she were alone—the situation might have played out entirely differently if not for Gavriel—but her pack mate's presence certainly bolstered her. The odds were in their favor. Wildfire wasn't looking for a fight, though, not at all. This wasn't the time, nor the place. None of them could afford to waste their strength on petty arguments, not with the swarm leeching the life from the very earth beneath their feet.