Bearclaw Valley starving in the belly of a whale

aware of his own intentions, and particularly mindful of indra's trodden mood, stigmata kept near bearclaw's borders - conceivably prepared to escape at a moment's notice. he wasn't looking for an out at that time, however; he was most interested in young nunataq's less-than-efficient method of patrolling the borders. luckily for their stead, the scrappy kid on the front wasn't their only line of defense. a dark and fortified veteran lurked near, and when the fawn girl with the shadowy mouth was alerted to the presence of another, so was he.

stigmata perked up, trotting to a position where he could see both parties involved and intervene quickly if needed. he eyed the older she-wolf first, and noted her respect for the borders and current lack of malice towards the foreign child. she was favorable, he thought— if only for wisdom beyond his years— but also quite aware that it could be ploy, since she had not sought an audience herself.

the smokehound watched for now, at militant attention, content to watch and see if nunataq would beckon for yet-unseen backup or if she would attempt to handle the stranger on her own. he had no idea the girl had... been around the block before, so to speak.

*in the bg like*