Sun Mote Copse You question the choices in your life.

Alyx definitely wasn't supposed to be here, but when had that ever stopped her? She'd already forgotten all about that time Meerkat was grounded, the only thing holding her back from misbehaving, so here she was, loitering in forbidden places. There was a lot more stimulation for her sniffer here than could be found in the rendezvous on account of all the wolves who came and went, including curious outsiders who snuck up to the borders here and there only to depart before a sentry found them.

Alyx was busily investigating such unfamiliar scents when the sound of scuffling paws and crumbling earth drew her attention away from the ground beneath her nose. Woah—how had she not seen that strange black-and-tan wolf before now? Alyx stood on her tippy toes to get a better look at Blackheart. She might've passed for a small, skinny wolf if not for her whip-thin tail and the way her ears framed the sides of her face, which made the little Redhawk blink hard, convinced she was seeing things.

Hey! she called out, trotting merrily toward Blackheart, you're real funny lookin', you know that? How come you— but before she could finish the thought, two and two finally came together as she realized that this weird wolf was hauling something up from one of their caches. Maybe Blackheart was a Firebird, too, but Alyx couldn't remember seeing her around, and a perfunctory sniff of the air betrayed no familiarity in that scent, either. Hey! That's our food! she declared, puffing up with indignation.

But even compared to a doberman, Alyx was still puny and presented almost no real threat.