Otatso Wetlands bippity boppity

Blargh, just saw the tag in the Gossip thread. :D Setting this after Bazi's ultimatum to Jace.

It had already been one of the more exhausting days of her life, and when Peregrine's call rose up from the north, Bazi seriously considered ignoring it. Most of all, she wanted to sleep - to forget that Leaf and Magpie were in a precarious situation, and that Swiftcurrent Creek was all but leaderless.

But she didn't.

The run helped cool her head after the stressful run-in with Jace, whose hotheadedness had frayed her already tender nerves. Sure, Bazi was no Yogi, but she had a very clear sense of what needed protecting. Swiftcurrent Creek, land and wolves - especially Maera, Jökull, Larus, and Valtyr. Whatever she said or did today had to be in their best interest. The Sunspire would not be going anywhere, she thought darkly, and spent several minutes plotting their future demise. Fox had the right idea, at least.

At first, she was only a distant red blur. Bazi slowed to a walk when the shape became a wolf, and stopped ten or so meters short of Fox and her dark, handsome companion - the one who had called her, though the Beta had correctly assumed that the summons concerned the Creek's leader. What Peregrine was doing there in the first place - or 'this random dude', to Bazi, who had never met him - was beyond her. Was he some kind of hired mercenary? Haunter 2.0, now with two ears and 50% less brain tumour?

A hundred vicious comments rushed into Bazi's throat, and it took quite a few seconds of grimacing and snake-like flicks of her tongue to settle on something useful. With Peregrine there, she couldn't exactly lead with a smack to the face. "We filled in your den," came first. Innocuous - good. A pause followed. "Ferdie wants you in trade for the girls. I told him that you were a free agent and that he could find you himself." The control lapsed - Bazi's ears fell back and her expression turned sour, like a flimsy cardboard shell falling away from its contents. Her voice took on a rather more screechy quality. "Magpie is a child! How could you do that to us?"