Morningside Cuesta summer flame

Hope its OK if I just throw her straight at you guys.

The river wound its way west, and with it went the wolf. She slunk along with her nose down, scouring the soil for scents, and occasionally pausing by the water to drink or stare out at the fish. The summer heat was minimal here; nothing like the retreat where she had once lived, nor as temperate as her natal bay. It was alright, she supposed. Nothing so special. After a pause to gather her bearings, the bear-like woman continued her patrol of the riverside and nothing really caught her fancy - it was all very boring, very quiet, very... passive. The birds were singing an idyllic song from their treetop abodes, and sometimes she thought she could hear bugs hissing or frogs croaking - but upon moving to intercept them (either because of pure curiosity or her indomnitable hunger) the grizzled woman would be met with nothingness. The passage of time was slow and somber; this was not the style Damascus was accustomed to, which could've been why she was so egregiously bored out of her skull. If something interesting didn't happen soon, she'd likely lose her mind to the lackluster summer day.

After the talk with Grayday, Sunspot had turned immediately to begin a hunt. Their last kill was being picked over very quickly, and though there was plently of prey around and it was still far from winter, the Huntress had already begun to worry how they were going to get by. Her brother had spoken only of a brief repreive while Khoe waited to bring his children into the world, but things seemed so tense already, and she felt stretched thinner than she had been in a long time.

The chase, for once, did nothing to alleviate this tension; she was alone, and the pressure to perform weighed down her normally very fleet paws. The doe was getting further and further away, was already splashing through the river to escape her. So intent was she to capture the meal that she did not even bother looking at the wolf standing on the opposite bank. All she knew was that help had arrived, and that she might have a chance at this after all.

"Getitgetitgetit!" she chanted as she continued to rocket toward her quarry, hoping that the other wolf would be able to head off and slow down their prey.

It seemed as if Damascus would get her wish.
The thought of retreating had just started to take root within her mind, but was quickly interrupted when someone began to shout. There was a decidedly raucous level of noise from across the river, and from her standpoint she could witness a fleeing doe charging for safety from a feral figure; surprise was hardly a hindrance to Damascus, who reacted with an instant ferality, a natural inclination to give chase - and even while the stranger was shouting, she was pulling herself out of whatever stupor had begun to settle across her, and charged on after the doe.

Despite being a large beast, and still boasting a summer coat, Damascus moved with quite a bit of ease across the riverside. She was powerful. Her gait might've been a bit short, but each stride thrust her over quite a distance, and she positively barrelled through the foliage in the manner of a hungry bear. Truthfully, her parents had remarked in moments prior that she must've been a bear in a past life; Damascus was almost entirely ursine upon first glance.

However, as she ploughed after the doe, she knew she wasn't going to reach it. The creature was lithe and fast. It knew the trails of this foreign place, where to turn, where the forest collided in to routes impassible for such a large creature. It made a nimble turn and veered off course - its direction seemingly random - and it took time for Damascus to compensate.

The stranger - and by now, Sunspot's nose had told her that it was a stranger - was quick to act, charging after the doe even as the Huntress felt her strength and speed returning to her. Now that she didn't feel quite so hopeless, the doe seemed to move much more slowly, to act much more stupidly. In fact, when the stranger charged and the doe switched directions, Sunspot found herself in just the right place.

"Yesyesyesyes!" she cried. With a few furious leaps and bounds, the woman's body punched into the doe's side, where she immediately began to rip and tear.

The doe shuddered from the impact, but didn't fall. Once again, she tried to switch directions, this time turning back toward the river. As if that'll stop us! the Huntress thought, falling away as the doe managed to shake her off. But it didn't matter. She was between a river and two wolves, and Sunspot would not be letting her get away. The woman surged forward to snap at the doe's haunch, leaving a painful, bloody puncture wound and receiving a hard kick in return. It hurt, but she shook herself off and followed doggedly after the now-injured doe, her eyes sliding toward her unexpected hunting partner as she did.

The beat of the doe's frantic leaping steps seemed to thrum through each of her own, matching the pace of her heart as Damascus charged after her target. The grass parted wherever she lunged, and the trees seemed to sway out of her way as she took her own strides and bounds; beside her came the wolf-shape of the initial pursuer, and she heralded both of their efforts with a stream of gleeful chanting. All that Damascus could think was, this is more like it!

When the doe veered away from her, it was in to the waiting teeth of the other wolf. The stranger was a shimmering flash of copper and gold. There was the sound of a collision, the sudden scent of blood, and Damascus found herself fully invested. The target changed course again - heading towards the river in desperation - and the bear-woman knew that their success hinged upon stopping the creature from entering the water. At least in her own mind, as she wasn't the best of swimmers.

Pulling at the last dredges of her agility, Damascus increased her tempo and vaulted after the doe, hoping to cut it off before it entered the river. If it did, she'd be stuck - but maybe her companion would have better luck? Either way the thing was done-for; they would run it down on land, or let it drown itself in the river and drag its body out later.

Let me know if I shoud change anything!

It was easy, after that. She and the stranger were a match enough for the bleeding doe. Sunspot bit again - here, there - and pulled and snapped and worried at heels. Soon enough, they'd separated her from the river, and though the Huntress has hoped to down the doe on her side of the bank, at least there would be food at all.

The doe could no longer run for long. Now she was turned toward them, a steely glint in her eyes, daring them to come closer and finish her off.

"She'll fall on her own," panted the creamy woman, pressing her belly to the ground several dozen yards away from the weak but challenging doe. "We tore her up enough for it." She turned to look at her companion, relief and curiousity writ across her face. "I'm Sunspot, by the way. Thanks for jumping in."

It was not often that Damascus took pity on her prey. This wasn't so different, although she did look upon the doe and muse to herself about being in a similar predicament. If the doe was meant to fight back, it would be well equipped. The natural order required that the weak bowed to the strong, and in this life-or-death race, the doe would lose out. She did not pity the creature, then, but wondered what it would be like if the roles were reversed. She paced just beyond where her companion rested as she was eager to get things over with, and then stopped, letting the idle thoughts slip from her mind. It mattered little. A wolf did not care for the opinions of sheep, and all that.

Damascus, she responded finally, her ears pivoting to catch the sound of Sunspot's voice. The run had been exhilarating. It was the most thrilling thing to happen to the woman since her exodus from her old home - and with much better company. They could wait out the doe; both the predators knew this, and likely the doe would come to the same conclusion soon. So Damascus stood in wait, tense, eager, but in good spirits. She resisted the urge to begin panting despite needing the oxygen, trying to uphold an appearance of strength before this new ally. It was a good hunt - er, a good run I guess. Where did you come from?

A grey-flecked tail washed in emphatic agreement. It'd been a good run, and it was about to be a good hunt, just as soon as the stupid deer keeled over and died already. In the meantime, though, she could simply be glad for the good company. The woman had, after all, turned the tides on an otherwise fruitless day.

"From over the river," she replied, featuring vaguely in that direction. "My pack is a little short on member right now, so I guess the borders aren't marked as well as they could be."

Her voice was sheepish, apologetic. Sunspot wasn't pleased by the way things were going, and she was pretty embarrassed that Damascus had been right there and still hadn't been able to tell she was staring into claimed lands. They had kids to think about, after all! The woman gave a tired huff and then immediately regretted it, wincing in apparent pain. "Damnit. I think I cracked a rib or something."

She stood and stretched, testing the injury. Nothing life-threatening, at least. "She didnt get you, did she?" Sunspot asked, looking toward her new companion with concern.

Across the river? No wonder she hadn't been aware of other wolves - Damascus avoided water as much as she was able, and had only traced a route along the river because she had been sick of staring at trees and over foothills. In hindsight she should've done her due diligence and kept herself informed; had this been any other wolf from any other pack, maybe things would've been different. Thankfully things had worked out this time.

Hearing of her new friend's injury made her briefly ignore the doe; they began to stretch out and inspect themselves, and so Damascus gave some cursory glances, but inevitably shrugged. I didn't get close enough, she explained, then set her sights back on the deer as it struggled. It was bleeding from multiple points and beginning to sway, yet tried not to remove its own gaze from the two waiting wolves.

Damascus tensed as she watched, but then gave Sunspot another look - as if asking permission to jump in and end the doe. It was, technically, Sunspot's kill. If she was too injured then Damascus would take the glory, but first she'd have to make sure it was alright. Seeing the glance, the doe made a strange little noise - a strangled sound, almost like a death wrattle - and suddenly bolted for the water.

The huntress kept her gaze trained on Damascas a moment longer, but was eventually satisfied that she'd not been hurt. She turned her attention back toward the doe just in time to see it trying to escape. "Shit!" she said sharply, startled and unamused. She was on her paws without remembering that she'd stood, her paws already flying her toward the fleeing form. "Killitkillitkillit!" she shouted to Damascus, her slightly stiff movments causing her to fear the doe would escape.

The doe was almost to the water when Sunspot reached it, latching onto its ankle and yanking back with all her might. Weakened, the doe fell onto the bank, nose nearly touching water. But she wasn't dead yet, and as soon as she'd fallen, the doe was struggling back to its hooves, intent on escaping even as the current turned bright red beside it.

It was the worst thing that could've happened. First the deer bolted; then Sunspot, injured though she might've been, charged after it. Damascus followed without hesitation, at least initially. When the doe went for the river and Sunspot caught up enough to grapple with one leg, Damascus hung back on the bank. She only paused for a heartbeat - a tense moment where she weighed her fear of the water against her need and hunger, and the strength of her ego - and then dove after the creature. She collided with the doe's haunch and in her haste, powered by momentary indecision and the anxiety brought upon her by the dampening of her limbs, Damascus bit down hard and held firm.

"No, no - kill the neck!" Sunspot laughed, though she didn't give the woman a chance to follow her directions. With a jaunty spring, the woman leapt over the doe's writhing body and landed neatly on her side. The angle made it awkward to try and kill the beast through strangulation, so Sunspot opted to try for exsanguination instead. Happy growls escaped her as she bit and shredded and tore at the doe's neck, painting her own body bright red in the process.

Eventually, the doe was still, and Sunspot leapt away with a loud whoop of triumph.

"That was a close one!" she said, prancing around the carcass to rid herself of the excess energy adreneline had provided her. "C'mon - let's go let everyone know where it is!"

With that, she trotted along the riverside, heading toward the steeper banks where a tree had grown crookedly across the water.

She couldn't adjust in time to be of real use. The deer did bleed, and scream, and soon enough it was torn asunder by Sunspot, who took to hollering triumphantly. When the creature's body went limp Damascus released her grip, finding a way towards Sunspot while leering with suspicion towards the water. As soon as she was on dry land again she step-flicked her paws in the manner of a cat - unaccustomed to the wetness and disliking it greatly. What Sunspot said - about others - held Damascus' attention.

And, not being a creature prone to introspection, she asked outright: How many others? And loped after the golden girl at a precautionary speed, enjoying the company (and still quite riled with adrenaline) but wary of this potential pack.

"Uhh..." Sunspot had to do a quick count in her head - she'd never really thought about how many of them there were. Only that there were not enough. "Six adults and two kids, I think. But only me, Sylvas, and my brother really hunt these days - plus my niece and nephew, but they're still young." (She'd come to see Kieran as her nephew, since he and Dawn were the same age. It was difficult to remember they were from two different litters, sometimes.)

The woman slowed to a trot, allowing Damascus time to catch up. Besides, her side was starting to twinge again. "We've been doing really good, considering," she added, "but my brother just told me and Syl that we'd have to handle the hunting until his mate gave birth. She's tiny, and he reckon's she's gonna rip right open one of these days."

She'd stopped completely now, and was looking at Damascus as though seeing her for the first time. "Are you looking for a place to stay?" she asked, hoping the answer would be yes.

Expecting a glib response, Damascus was taken by some surprise when she was given a full verbal break-down of the ranks. Beings such as this Sunspot, who were to-the-point, made life easier. She could appreciate that. It was nearing the height of summer (the solstice was just around the corner), so the herds would be migrating to places with ventilation and water to keep cool and alive; this was the perfect place to live during such times, or so Damascus thought. It was only right, then, that she find a suitable home for herself here.

The offer was met with a raise of her tail, a wag, and not a single thought to her previous experience with pack wolves. Although her natal pack had always been a tough but beloved place, when Damascus had set out to prove her worth and become an alpha in her own right, things hadn't lasted very long. She was still sore from her failure. This offer was for more than just a home - it was for a fresh start.

If you think you can use me, she responded with some haste, and a little bit of exuberance where before there was only stern friendliness. Are all of your hunts this much fun?

Do you want me to bring in Grayday, or should we archive this?

Sunspot let out a huff of laughter. "Of course we can use you!" she exclaimed, hopping a bit in an attempted to quell her excitement. "You can be my new hunting partner! And we can have fun whenever we want!"

She hurried off again, tail whipping haphazardly as she delved into Morningside's land. She was sure her brother wouldn't mind, seeing as how they needed all the help they could get, and besides, Sunspot would watch her and make sure she didn't eat the kids or anything crazy like that.

"C'mon, I'll introduce you to my niece. She's fun to hunt with, too!"

We can archive here! :D

It was good to feel needed again, and useful. To think she had considered returning the way she had come! Had the doe not come careening out of nowhere, Damascus would've missed her chance. Was it the only option? No. But so far Sunspot had made a good plea; the pack needed bodies and Damascus, eager to be used for something, would happily oblige. If things didn't fit, then she'd go her own way again - no harm done. In the interim, she could test her mettle against the resident beasts and have fun doing it.

Alright, she acquiesced, tail raised and wagging triumphantly behind her as she followed her new friend. The potential for ruin was there, always. If Damascus had learned anything after her previous (and quite recent) failing, it was that there were always two sides to everything - and maybe her failure had led her here, to this moment, to Sunspot and her family. Her new family. But she wouldn't think too deeply on it, and was much more interested in finding her way to the heart of the territory - eager to meet the others.