Swiftcurrent Creek where'd you learn to shoot your gun so straight

She'd taken Viinturuth along with her on her patrol of the Northernmost border, and shared with him what was to be expected of him there when he came of age to defend their land. Durnehviir dismissed him after a short time, not wishing to overwhelm her firstborn with too much information, and quietly observed as he loped deeper into Swiftcurrent territory. They would revisit the lesson in the morning, she noted, and pressed on to complete her route alone when the pallid youth was out of sight.

She did not worry for her cubs as she once did, but they were rarely far from thought. They were fast on their way to adulthood and as Durnehviir ventured through the foliage that late afternoon, she considered arranging their first official hunt to commence in the coming weeks. It was something she and Constantine would need to discuss, she reminded herself with an uncomfortable twitch of her russet tail-tip.

Durnehviir had maintained distance between herself and her swarthy mate, and it seemed both were too stubborn to admit fault. She knew her treatment of him was unfair, but she'd been entirely unable to shake the discomfort of Aria's proximity nor had she made any real effort to get to know her.

Because she didn't want to admit her envy of the bond she shared with Constantine. She hated that her own connection with Constantine might pale in comparison to the one he shared with Aria.

The leading pair had mostly avoided one another, and so the crimson Frostfur had not anticipated her mate's pursuit of her. She halted to regard his arrival with a backward cant of a ginger lobe, and followed his movement with a cool stare as he made to circle her loosely. At once, her hackles lifted. She threatened to bristle, and her brow furrowed in silent judgement.

Her tail arched in a proud arc over her hindquarters, flagging dominantly as the swarthy male braved to step close to her. When he touched her, the dragoness peeled her lips back to reveal an impressive set of fangs and huffed a hot breath through her teeth toward him. They'd barely looked in one another's direction for weeks - what the hell made him believe she'd want to get cosy with him now?