Heron Lake Plateau Let's give this bad boy a test run.

His comment was immediately acknowledged by a small child, a scrawny little thing who regarded him with a stink eye and a threat, and Redshank responded in kind with a louder snarl. She seemed ready to bring it, as was Redshank, but he remained rooted to the spot as he awaited on Screech. What his friend did would dictate his own actions (if his hair trigger temper didn’t give out first, that was). He eyed the wolves who had gathered, judging each one. There were a few that looked as if had seen their fair share of fights, but many were still quite young. A small whine caught his attention, and the boy’s eyes slowly trailed down to the pair of tiny pups at a grey woman’s feet. A single ear twitched as he stared, deliberating on a terrible plan for a single moment, before the apparent leader of the group’s voice rang out loudly and stole his focus.

He noticed then that they had an ally. A pale-furred girl had come up on Screech’s other side, and Redshank cast her a brief, thankful look before turning back to the opposing dark woman. He did not know of her and Screech’s relationship, but he already hated her and the threats against their life had him bristling. His ear angled towards his friend as he spoke, backing up his words with a roll of his shoulders, ready to take down any who dare to come at them (despite the obvious skew of numbers in the Redhawk’s favour). This place was theirs, they were here first. Another spoke then, a stocky male who wanted, it seemed, to deescalate the situation. As he swung his head in their direction, Redshank gave a snort. He’d fight an entire army with Screech if it meant they’d get their way. He gave the one-eyed boy a gentle bump against his shoulder, letting him know silently that he had his back.

Suddenly push came to shove as that irritating grey-clad girl gave a holler and launched herself at Screech. A second, ever so slightly larger girl echoed her statement and the tension between the two groups broke into a chorus of snarls and blur of movement. A dark figure raced to place herself between the attacking party and Screech, and Redshank dashed forward with his own battle cry. He aimed to throw the entirety of his — laughably small — weight into the intervening woman, attempting to knock her off balance and, with her, the two girls behind her.