The Sunspire knocking on devil's door

Magpie was accustomed to doing what she was told without question — here, at least, where she still felt so knew. One misstep was likely to cast her outside of the safety a pack, something she couldn't afford to risk. This was not the safety net of her family. This was life amongst outsiders, the cruel and heartless. She was a slave, and the female known as Fox was her master. Not knowing whether she was following her Alpha to her own execution or to a fat, meaty carcass, the youth moved submissively and obediently.

However, as they moved closer and closer to the creek's edge — and then beyond, toward uncharted territory — Magpie's gait grew more excited and her posture more confident. Her youth was unable to hide her eagerness for adventure and the unknown; she would stifle it as soon as one of her companions made eyes that told her she was being too much, but the energy would slowly creep back into her step despite herself.

When they reached their destination, Magpie halted and her posture grew more alert. She was not in a position of challenge, necessarily — still under a year of age, the little black-and-white wolf was clearly no match for either of her companions — but it exuded more confidence than she had shown since her initiation to the creek. Her green eyes scanned the landscape, nose tasting the scents on the wind. Before Fox spoke, the youth could already infer that a pack made their home nearby.

Unlike Leaf, Magpie had no ties to the wolves that lived here — though she had met someone that vaguely reminded her of the scents littered in the area. So, following her pack mate's lead (and perhaps not quite realizing the severity of such vandalism), Magpie did her best to mark the area as Fox commanded.