Grouse Thicket calling the inquisition

They were Tartok all right — able to traverse with stealth and speed despite their number, as if knowing some incredible secret that gave them some prowess. Ikkuma knew their type; she did not know where they were specifically but there was the sensation of being watched, something that was more common to prey animals and something that made her fur spike. She did not like it.

Her pacing eventually ceased and she stood there, her attention focused on her surroundings, when she thought she saw the movement of a shadow. A darkly coated wolf was creeping through, silent and deadly, as she had predicted. It was a large one — reminding her of her mother at first glance, which caused her stomach to flutter, but this stranger was larger and younger. These aspects set of more alarm bells too, but those she could handle.

After a few seconds of staring and tracing the stranger's path, Ikkuma decided she wasn't going to just stand there being useless—she wasn't the type to back down and she wasn't going to give in to her apprehension. A part of her wondered if her siblings were here too, but she didn't dwell on that as she took off after the shadow, a flickering flame following step-for-step.