follow my feet [hawkeye]

2
the monster in me

The sound of a babbling river was always a calming noise to Ridley. It was one of the only things that was strong enough to overcome the loud rumble in her gut that meant she needed food. Throughout almost the entire summer, the female had slept the night away beside some kind of noisy body of water. The nights where she could find no such comfort often meant falling asleep to the unwelcome symphony of growls that erupted from her gut with ugly dissonance. With her nerves on end, seeing as she had walked into a pack's territory and had no idea how she would be received, it was nice to have the noise around once again.

Even so, the river's gushing might have been the reason Ridley never heard the approach of the strange wolf before it was too late.
"I am Hawkeye, Alpha of Blacktail Deer Plateau. Are you feeling okay?" the voice caused the ashen female's heart to leap in her chest. She'd just been standing, watching her reflection waver on the water's surface. As most of her senses had been preoccupied with the river, it was not surprising that Ridley hadn't known of her visitor's arrival. Shifting her gaze towards Hawkeye, taking in the sight of the opaque female before her, Ridley felt slightly intimidated. There was no denying that the wolf held a regal air about her, and apparently it was for a reason, seeing as the new female had introduced herself under the title of 'Alpha'. Even so, to Ridley, there was nothing more appealing, nothing more enticing than a female in charge. It was intriguing, almost exciting, to be in the presence of the very wolf she had intended to find: a leader of a group that could possibly offer her solace for awhile.

"Greetings," Ridley allowed a wide smile to part her muzzle, "Name's Ridley." It was a lazy grin, one that seemingly asked for understanding. She raised her head and straightened her stand, attempting to look better off than she was. For a moment, Ridley couldn't help but be distracted by the two's significant differences displayed through their reflections in the water. Standing beside the well-fed, muscular female before her, Ridley knew it was going to be a hard sell that she was of any worth to the pack leader before her. But she was going to try her damnedest.

"I've been better," the female admitted with another sheepish grin, "How about yourself?" She couldn't help but ask the stranger, even if it appeared that the beautiful, night-colored female was not one for small talk. In fact, Ridley could have sworn that Hawkeye looked irritated by the sound of her own voice when she had spoken, but then again, maybe it was just her own imagination.