Blacktail Deer Plateau Calling by stormlight

Pied did not anticipate Hawkeye's harsh words and her gray ears flicked backward. She didn't know what to say in her own defense. Her lips pursed and she glanced at Cuan, who seemed to be in favor of a treat. Her eyes then shifted back to Hawkeye and she peered at her searchingly. She saw muted fury etched in the lines of the dark female's face and it took her aback. Pied wondered at the violence behind those bright eyes of hers.

Before she could think of what to say, two wolves materialized from their dimly lit surroundings, each of them familiar. Pied's heart leaped as she spotted first Koontz, then Ray. Although this meant that the surprise was spoiled, Pied could only think of how happy she was to see her family members, especially in these unexpected circumstances.

Sharp growls and even sharper words slew the briefly happy atmosphere, if it had ever really existed. Pied's entire body tensed as Koontz hissed at them, Hawkeye in particular. She didn't even acknowledge Pied. The bewildered yearling blinked at her pack mate, then exchanged a look with Ray. Her eyes were questioning but he answered her only with a stony look.

"What's going on?" she finally managed to say. "Koontz, it's me—Pied." She felt silly pointing it out, as if she wasn't the most recognizable individual on the planet. Yet she really felt like her relative had looked right through her. It wasn't a good feeling. "Can—" she tried to say, hoping to somehow diffuse this perplexing situation, but a sudden movement cut her off.

Evidently having no patience for words nor other pretenses, Koontz lunged at Hawkeye, her jaws snapping. Pied didn't know whether her cousin intended to simply frighten Hawkeye or do some real damage. Without even thinking about the consequences, she flung herself at Koontz, her jaws closing around the meat of the other female's shoulder to stop her forward momentum. She jerked backward as hard as she could, effectively halting Koontz and preventing her from getting to Hawkeye. She then released Koontz and took a step backward.

"Don't touch my pack mate," she heard herself warn Koontz and Ray. She felt an unpleasant, creeping heat all over her body as she stood up to two wolves she never would have thought she would have to face off against. "We don't mean you any harm; we're just here to trick-or-treat!" she hissed, unaware of Hawkeye's history here or her friend's ulterior motives but instinctively siding with her. Bon Dye and its members were her family now.