king of the hill

“That is not necessary,” Jinx responded to Majesty's concerns, though her eyes remained fixed on the slowly rising Bazi. In reality, she would have loved the opportunity to rip this wolf apart and deliver her back to Fox as a reminder of how useless she had been when she came to the creek, but to do so with the aid of her pack mate would only bring war on their heads. She would win in single combat or not at all, and in this case, Bazi saw the opportunity and took it.

But before the plush white Swiftcurrent Beta could properly leave, Jinx spoke loudly, addressing her subordinate but still staring fully at the yearling. “This is one of the wolves I talked about at the rally who is unwelcome near our home,” said the Alpha, projecting her voice so that Bazi could not mistake it. “If you see her near the pack... Kill her.”

With that, the pale Alpha lifted herself as if to leave, bumping Majesty's snout amiably with her own in thanks for his presence. Her initial irritation had dissipated into gratefulness. They were, after all, much closer to the Creek and Bazi could have called for her comrades faster than Jinx's could ever have arrived.