Bearclaw Valley let the light in

i fell off terrible hard with him, feel free to be cranky at him @Ancelin @Ameline

it had been one coyote.

then as he had chased it down away from the collection of homes in the valley, it had become a few more. nothing that a pack would have been scared of but it was not great from the view point of one man.

he had been tended to by a kind place beyond — insisted on paying debts so they would not find him for them later.

now he returned and knew that there might be debts here to pay.

so he was here, prepared to grovel and explain. prepared to be turned away too for knowing he had failed so soon into swearing himself to them.

his call for them was an apologetic one.

Ameline sunned herself on the sentry stone, ears flicked forward. The silence was welcomed, after many days and nights of chatter and squeals. She insisted that she return to her duties, even if only for short periods during the day, returning to relieve her husband and Athalia of babysitting duty. 

She eyed the wolf as he approach, his features familiar and yet changed. Her eyes narrowed, and she waited until he had come close enough to the edge of the border before she even bothered to stand. 

Her tail raised as she towered from her perch. You think it’th a good idea to come back here aftuh you ditched on uth? She asked with a growl.

she had every right and so he pressed himself lower, even when she was perched up there.

you were there once, you were meant to stay there.

he wondered if his mind would be meaner than she would be.

it wasn't...it wasn't like that. ditch made it sound like he had somewhere else he wanted to be, but he had nowhere else. except here.

waylaid by coyotes, but i wanted to come back. i did come back. i didn't ditch.

The man cowered, and his anxiety revealed itself in his speech. She had known he was a fearful creature, one who pledged allegiance in hopes he might be spared the rod of repercussions. 

Defiantly, almost, he croaked out about his return. It was then that Ameline crouched and leapt from the boulder, and landed on the ground before him, sending little grasshoppers and moths into flight around her. 

Surprisingly, her expression was fairly neutral. 

You chathed off a pack of coyoteth? She asked calmly, for clarification.

tired. goldspun. perhaps a traitor.
as ameline passed her judgement from high throne, ancelin's indigo eyes flickered into relief amid the shadows to the man's left.
they needed hunters. but he was not here to beg or to offer a second chance for the want of teeth. 
and so, as athens cowered, ancelin slowly curved from the brush, cutting off the other's retreat as his mate landed lithely upon the fertile ground.
the melonii eyes lifted to ameline. whatever his queen decreed, the rex would enforce.

it was one in the valley. when i drove it far enough there were more.

they were not alone. the shadows expelled another strong form. his heart thundered and thought of coyotes all over again. but this would be much worse.

kind strangers helped me after. i paid back any debt they might have wanted — he did not cry or beg outright, but the soft wibble of a tired voice said he knew he sat at the mercy of a queen. i wanted to come back without anyone trying to ask anything of me, of here, later.

he wondered if only one look from her to her mate might be the end for him.

the might of the bear's claw loomed ominously via stone walls all around them.

In her peripheral vision, she saw her mate emerge from the grasses past the man’s flank. Pride, savage and wild in nature, swelled within her. Temptation called her now to deal swift and unjust punishment simply because they had the power and half a reason to do so. 

She tamed it- for now. 

Athens claimed that coyotes had come into the valley; yet another instance of their borders being breached, alongside the day Athalia had been attacked by some grotesque beast that had also managed to enter the valley. 

She thought of the secret access way- she would have to investigate it later to see if any rogue scents lingered in its depths. 

He prattled on about his saviours, a topic which was of no interest to her, though she was glad that the pack would not be held accountable for any debt he owed. He improved his status for having been thoughtful in that way. 

We are grateful that the threat wath eliminated, she hoped to imply that they would not only forgive, but encourage him to deal punishment to trespassers in the future. 

She began to circle him; a flick of her tail invited her husband to join in the slow prowl. 

We heard no call for athithtanthe…She said. Which meanth that yuh potht wath left open… She glanced to Ancelin. He had risen to aid their daughter when the intruder had attacked her. There was no way to know who was responsible for allowing the dog past their boundaries, and so deep into their territory- but it had found a weakness, and had capitalized on it.

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ancelin obeyed, a delighted automaton. tail to nosetip they encircled athens, ensorceled him with the promise of a ripped throat and a shallow grave if he turned a single toe out of line now.
it seemed his queen forgave, or at least gave its appearance. ancelin did not, but spoke nothing against ameline's decree. 
he wanted some proof of loyalty. some show of blood shed or scars received on behalf of the bearclaws. he saw them; there was evidence before ancelin, and yet he wanted to reject because he had not seen.
athens could have received those wounds anywhere.
ancelin wanted to see a dead coyote.
after all, if such a pack lurked, the girls were in danger. and if this pack truly existed, athens would have no problem earning his way back in with proof. after all, he was back. "coyotes respond to symbols. death. their heads rotting on the borders, that sort of thing," he said with casual control, alluding, alluding.

he felt smothered and panic crept around within him like a snake in grass.

this had been the right choice. this had been the right choice.

his gut, clenching. he had brought back no proof other than his body and now...now it seemed he must go hunt it down.

o-of course. his tail pressed up against his underside and his body stayed closed to the earth. i can get symbols. i'll get them.

he did not know how, he did not know if he'd survive. but he'd try anything at this point and that was abundantly clear.

Her mate made an interesting suggestion; she nodded in agreement. Let the skulls of trespassers fend away others, and create an even more impressive sight out of their valley’s entrance. 

Two. Ameline amended. She shrugged. If Y’wanna bring more…knock yuh-thelf out. But- She said, Yuh bettuh be quick about it. She said, with a click of her teeth. With that, she withdrew, content with the terms they had come to agree upon.

it would be so. ancelin lifted his chin to signal that he too was done, eyeing athens once with a hard look as ameline turned away.
"i know you can do this," he chose to say. to encourage.
the rex was gone then with his queen.