Jade Fern Grove we're doing just fine

The ghostly form swooped out from the shadowy recesses of the woods and around the intervening tree trunks with surprising swiftness and grace, though the ghostliness aspect was somewhat spoiled by the dry crackle of the leaves beneath her shining white paws. Talos was a little taken aback, and then even more so as the other's reply came with merciless directness and zero hesitation.

Talos physically leaned back a little from the flash of teeth and the bizarre noise that accompanied them—"ilorrwraughnannerpogwash" what?! Not a single syllable of the growly pseudoword she'd struggled to catch made sense—not that Talos had much of a leg to stand on in accusing anyone else of unintelligibility, but still. Her silvery eyes were as wide and round as the full moon. Her brow scrunched together, and her open mouth worked silently for a moment before at last she managed a slightly-garbled: W-what?

Talos stared at her bone-white elder for a long moment, trying to figure out if it might be brain damage or something or perhaps even deliberate obtuseness on the other's part, trying to throw her off her guard. Talos had never heard any language anything like this one, after all... and the notion that this might be some sort of deliberate ploy snapped her back on her guard, though still somewhat shaken. (It had shaken her right out of her absorption in her own problems, at least, however—her stinging foot, for one, was now entirely forgotten about, though half-hanging folornly in the air still as she stood there trying to make sense of this stranger.) Her voice was at a somewhat lower register and modulated by some measure of returning rationality, but still rather unreasonably peevish as she demanded in irritation: Issat suppos'ta mean somethin' t'me?! 'Cause ih don'!

On some level Talos was aware she was already out of her league, here—but she stubbornly didn't want to just back down. Particularly if this creature might be here to test their borders or her mettle. Talos wasn't sure she wanted to rejoin her pack anytime soon, but really, it was a matter of principle as she informed the other that, Yer rai' near Swif'curren's bor'ers y'know, 'n' we don' let jus' any stranger go wanderin' 'cross! She scuffed her back legs behind her a little, one after the other, almost as if she had just marked one of those aforementioned borders. So there. Yeah, that'd show her...right? Talos did keep herself warily back just out of bite-range just in case this somewhat intimidating old lady got any further bright ideas, though. She did not wanna go running home to Mommy with a big new bitemark on her...particularly since Talos was very doubtful that at the moment there would indeed be a Mommy sitting there to be running home to. The reminder made her want to tear up as her throat tried to close, but the youngster tried to fight the feeling back by clinging grimly to her anger, despite it burning itself down now to more of a sullen spark. Nonetheless she was almost pouting now as she gazed at the would-be intruder. Her first real confrontation and defense of the packlands here, and it didn't seem to be going nearly as well as she'd've liked...why wasn't this stranger more impressed, dangit?!