Swiftcurrent Creek alpha and omega

@Lethe -- Set for whenever you're ready for IC joining/threads, I'm just impatient for ALL THE NEW THINGS. >__>

She had lived for a long time by scavenging meals left by other predators, much like a coyote. On some level that disgusted her—that she would sink to such a level—but without the strength of a pack, she must do what she had to in order to survive. It was perhaps the decision of one young and naive to leave the safety of her birth pack; it was something the males did upon nearing their second birthday, and while it was safer for Sparrow to remain, she felt the bite of competition.

She was weary of the elder females and how they bullied, waving their tails like banners, We will have pups this year, not you, not you. Her golden eyes had narrowed at that, and she growled... an action that cost her some tufts of fur. Sparrow had, of course, felt the same stirrings all females her age did; but she was not a fool, and knew the price of breeding without the proper rank. She would not have dreamed it, and so resented the reminder the others had given unprompted. Growing restless with such treatment, she had left to start fresh like her brothers and cousins so often did.

Now, some weeks and leagues later, Sparrow trotted after a fat hare. They teased each other for a time; it lazily hopping forward, and she following as if she weren't truly hunting it. Just as quickly, Sparrow grew bored with the game and lunged towards it—and then the chase began. She lost it near the frozen banks of a creek, and only then did she realize she had encountered another's territories. Realizing her potentially fatal mistake, Sparrow circled around with her ears flat, belly close to the ground, and tail between her legs—ready to flip and expose her underside as soon as became necessary. With luck, however, she would reach the safety of neutral territory before anyone noticed her blunder.

It wasn't the first impression she had wanted to make, but it might be one she had to live with.

How does the setting of before Lethe gives her claiming howl and during her marking of borders sound? Also, sorry if I'm wrong, but I interpreted it that Sparrow was running back to the borders because she was trying to escape with no one noticing. I will edit my post if wrong! ><

Marking borders as a solitary force was trialing, and while the she-wolf held her endurance given t her only through the absolution of pleasing her gods, that did not help the stir of hunger that would rumble her stomach every so often -- Lethe stopped for almost nothing, spare to quench her thirst, and would then allow her limber form to retrace her steps over and over, her slender bodice weaving its way along the trunks of trees that would now help shroud her lands. Every so often she would mutter under her breath -- a question, though she was only met by silence. Her altercation with Jinx at Horizon Ridge borders had left her unnerved, and the golden she-wolf could not help but wonder if by refusing to submit to the Mambo, had she evoked distrust from Sos and Atka.

This thought was quickly pushed away though -- the strange musings of a wolf who had traveled alone for too long, and when the scent of another slapped her harshly in the face across borders that were marked with her scent, albeit faintly, she felt a surge of anger sweep through her.

Lethe was quick to trace the offender down -- her quick paws loped across the frozen terrain with an urgency that had not followed her for some time -- the urgency to protect her home. The wolf was a darker creature, and only when the aqua eyes of the Alpha noted the fleeing posture of a creature who only realized their mistake too late did her thoughts soften.

Clucking her tongue softly to herself as she picked up pace, hoping to catch the other on the side with agility alone, Lethe would make to cut in front of the female before lifting her figure high, her eyes unwavering as they moved carelessly over the woman's form. "Such a pretty creature," she murmured, though the kind words did not meet her eyes. "Tell me, lovely, why are you on my newly claimed lands?"

works for me (re: timeline)! and yup, sparrow was trying to escape the area before anyone noticed her trespass, so you assumed perfectly! <3

Sparrow's right ear flicked backwards at the soft noise behind her, and her heart began to flutter in panic. Torn between sinking lower to the snowy earth and propelling herself forward with a burst of speed, the yearling found herself tripping over her long legs—she met the ground suddenly, sending up a flurry of dust-like snow. She was almost certainly dead, now, and so she remained still; at least until the voice of another she-wolf cut through the air. Sparrow's ears went back, though she opened her golden eyes and lifted her head slightly. Her posture was still very much one of submission, daring not to raise herself in challenge.

Her mouth opened, then shut with a subtle click—as if she would not, or could not, speak. A heartbeat, then a second. Sparrow tried again, and when she spoke it was a whisper as soft as the rustling of leaves in a faint breeze, "Mistake." Sparrow lifted her eyes to the other's ankles, daring not to lift her head high enough to see the tall woman in all her glory, and loosed a sincere whine. It was not a pathetic noise, nor was it one of weakness; it was merely a noise that sought forgiveness for her blunder, more intimate and intricate than words.

The she-wolf was quick to remedy the situation – the beast of fury that threatened to reveal at having her home so quickly disrespected was sated only by the quick display of humility and subordination. Her eyes regarded the girl then – the youthful appearance of her, the fiery pelt that was somehow shrouded by darkness.

Lethe hummed a crooning growl in response to the single answer, beginning to trail around the girl as if playing a game of cat and mouse. Of course she wasn’t – clearly, the rogue held no real threat, but appearances needed to be kept, and the lady of the Creek was not about to show mercy upon the first soul across her lands, only to have her flee and whisper the rumors of Swiftcurrent Creek’s weakness.

No, she couldn’t have that.

Nothing else was uttered by the girl then, and withholding frustration at the waste of time and energy, Lethe allowed her rumble to escalate slightly as she paused her footwork by the stranger’s side. “You’d best remedy it then and get off these claimed lands,” she pushed gently, albeit verbally. Her eyes fell then to study the yearling’s features, only then softening as she realized her youth likely played a role in the mistake. “Unless you seek a home.”