Blacktail Deer Plateau I'm not made of stone

@Grezig perhaps forward dated a day or so? :)

She'd avoided their Beta long enough. 

It was midmorning when she abandoned her patrol - having spent more than half the morning remarking the territory with her scent. Sunlight peeked through the gaps in the canopy, golden spots lighting on her achromatic coat like that of a fawn. Pine needles brushed softly against her paw pads - brittle and brown where they carpeted the forest floor like natural rushes. Liri's pace was slow, unhurried, for she was in no rush to reach Grezig.

She'd seen something in the woman's eyes, just before she fled. 

Something akin to love. 

Liri didn't know what to make of that.

 Grezig's background spoke of more feral people than she was accustomed to, people who likely wouldn't have given Liri a second chance. She imagined that upbringing didn't leave you so easily and she'd been suspicious of the Beta, piecing together that Grezig might someday decide she was better suited to lead. 

It made little difference, Liri had proved she was an adequate leader more than once. They were in Teekon, not Grezig's homeland, and she doubted that her wolves would cast her off so easily, needlessly. Beyond that, Grezig had been her trusted friend. Liri had ignored her mind's paranoid wanderings - assuming their right hand would never do something like that. 

Liri had no desire to hurt the Beta - whether with her words or fangs - nor did she plan to punish her. You couldn't help who you loved. 

And that image of Grezig's face just before she fled plagued Liri. It was obvious that she felt guilty enough. 

No, the healer sought out the agouti merely to speak. Yet, she couldn't find it in her heart to face the situation with trust. Not if Grezig could conspire behind her back with her husband to ambush her with that crazy plan about children. It should have been obvious that Liri would say no, that anyone in their right mind would say no. Even more so, it should've been obvious to Grezig that she would guess what it meant - why she had asked the Alpha's mate and not any number of the unmarried males within their pack, or even a lone wolf beyond their borders.

Trailing reluctantly after the Beta's scent trail, she halted only when it seemed the other female was nearby. Calling softly, Liri requested an audience with her - features and form carefully neutral.