Rising Sun Valley Frostflame Ridge

The inevitable impact wasn't painful, though the stranger reacted as if whipped in the face. She dropped and squirmed, which elicited an entirely instinctual response from Junior. The juvenile arched her neck, her large ears bending forward. Her tail stiffened and raised. She made no aggressive overtures, though her eyes grew flinty.

"Hungry enough to eat dirt?" the youth questioned incredulously. "I can't help you," she added, taking a step backward as if fearing the odd she-wolf might lick her toes next. Her nose wrinkled and she made no effort to mask her repulsion.

She could have just turned and went on her way then, though she found herself glad for some company, even if it was strange. "Are you from a pack?" she questioned. Even as the words left her lips, a thought came to her and she added, "I'm from the pack nearby. Did you smell it? My name," she continued with only the slightest pause, "is Dagger. What's yours?"

The lie made her heart suddenly thump faster in her chest. If this stranger was part of that pack, she could call Junior's bluff. The youngster had a feeling this was no pack wolf, though if she declared herself a member of its ranks, Junior was prepared to reel out more fibs. In fact, she looked forward to it. She'd only just gotten started but already making up alternative identities was fun.