Silvertip Mountain the strong conquer all

<style type="text/css">q {font:13px Georgia; color:#BA6D00;}</style>Urination complete, Jinx rose and turned to survey her chosen spot with her nose, satisfied that Tonravik's scent no longer bathed it. Good. She was unworthy anyhow. She suspected the woman had crawled back to her mother, whoever her mother was. Had it been known it was Siku, Jinx would have snickered at the image. She had no doubt the brutal former Kesuk would rip her daughter limb from limb for failing the Tartok line. Tartok, Jinx believed, was not as strong and incredible as others thought it was... But that was largely because Jinx despised Siku and all she stood for, had found Tonravik unimpressive, and was wholly of the belief that the Kesuks ruled more land than Tartok's wolves did. Silvertip proved that even Tartok, with its military way of life, was not everlasting.

Thoughts drifted away as instinct took over, for coming up the mountainside was another wolf. Jinx turned stiffly perpendicular, eyeing her from her peripherals with only one liquid gold eye, in the event Amekaze approached in an unfriendly manner. But the female, who had the look and leanness of a ranger taken to wild pursuits (perhaps Jinx assumed it from the way her fur seemed to tangle in long, untamed strands about her nape, or how her flesh peeled away from a scar at the point where chest met armpit) paused with an air of neutrality, and Jinx's tension was let go.

She remained on guard, but the stiffness melted from her so that she stood neutral as well, with ears alertly pushed forward but tail drooped comfortable. Her expression was stony, as always, but not uninviting. Rather, she turned to face her new companion head-on, finding that the wind did not favour her for picking up the other's scent and so affiliation could not be determined, and said, once, a wolf who claimed herself mighty stood on this mountain, and behaved like it was hers. A smirk. I would not call her mighty any longer. Or ever, she quietly thought, but kept it to herself.