I'm gonna marry her anyway

OOC: This is actually Lower Arrow Lake but that option didn't exist. >_>
Also this thread is in timeline limbo, but we'll say it's after Jinx's thread with Lecter.

IC: She hadn't washed her coat. Not since the shaman had touched her so intimately, and she would be hard-pressed to ever wash it again, that she might retain him there in the weave of her pale fur. She wore his musk and the stench of his blood with an awestruck reverence, and found herself consumed with it at times. She had been awakened, made a woman, and now it was all that she could even think about. He populated her mind in her waking hours, and his name was on her lips in the dead of night, when dreams took over and she was brought back to that moment, again and again and again...

Nevertheless, she had to maintain the semblance of a working wolf, and so Jinx had struck out from Horizon Ridge that morning, forcing down the images and thoughts that capered in her mind. She walked for an eternity, across the wide flatlands and over the mountain pass, and down the other side... So long that evening was swiftly approaching by the time she stopped for the day. Akhlut wouldn't miss her, if he even noticed she was gone, which Jinx somewhat doubted... But perhaps this would be the time he realized she spent long periods of time away from the pack's territory. She didn't worry about it.

She settled herself at the edge of a lake, whose origin was in the mountain. The falls that fed this one were wide and thunderous, suggesting a great volume of water at the top... Likely twice as large as this lake, since this one wound away into a creek. Little did Jinx know that that creek was where Lethe had set up her home, on the command of the Gods. She flopped down on the rocky shore, thrusting her snout down over her forearms and ignoring a hungry gnawing in her stomach that reminded her she hadn't eaten that day. Her injuries ached, she noticed; she had been so wrapped up in travelling that she hadn't noticed.

Her eyes slide shut, but almost instantly the feverish look in Lecter's eyes was burning in her memory, and she popped them open again, seeking reprieve from the memory. She chose instead to survey her surroundings, but remained prone, exhausted, but unwilling to wake in the middle of the night again with the desire to seek out her beloved mentor.

Fox stretched and yawned, awakening from a midday nap that had caught her a bit off-guard. She was currently in her home land (or whatever it was), and was trying to figure out what to do with the rest of her day. Her stomach growled, but she growled right back at it. Hunting wasn't something she planned on doing right now, so she put in a rain check for that order. She could always eat later. Besides, she now lived in the comfort of a pack, and as long as she refilled it when she was done, she could take from the group's caches. Such was the leisurely way of being part of a unit.

Instead of eating (which is really what she should have done), Fox made her way up the creek. Or was it down the creek? She supposed it didn't really matter. She was following it the same way she had a couple days prior when she had met Fat Idiot. It seemed to be some kind of magnetic field for wolves. Actually, this whole region seemed pretty wolf-heavy. More so than the other places she'd wandered through before arriving in Swiftcurrent Creek. It was nearing nightfall before Fox's meandering path actually made it to the lake, and she sniffed its shores. Nothing terribly interesting there.

Still, she continued along the shore, figuring that she would run into somebody or something sooner or later. About twenty minutes into her shoreline walk, she spotted a bright white figure in the distance. Fox stopped abruptly, craned her neck forward, and let out a short, quiet howl to the stranger as a form of greeting. There were enough cuckoos in these parts, and she wanted to make sure she had plenty of lead time should she need to make a run for it.

Jinx's eyes found movement on the edge of the visible lake long before she heard its owner call, but such was the nature of sight versus sound. The speck of movement piqued her interest and she lifted her head off her paws to watch. Within five or so minutes, the speck had noticed her too, and the resonating call of the wolf bounced off the mountain face at Jinx's rear. The call was for her, albeit nonspecifically, and she answered by lifting herself to her feet and prowling with her head hung cautiously toward the source.

The closer she got, the more confused she became. What had sounded so much like a wolf appeared to be nothing more than a small coyote. Jinx's steps faltered as she drew within speaking range, and when she ground to a halt it was with evident confusion lighting her eyes. What manner of creature was this, that spoke the language of wolf but bore the body of an inferior canine?

She was unfamiliar with red wolves and their size constraints, and so she called out in a silky voice, "what are you, midget coyote, that sings the song of wolf?" For surely Jinx had even seen coyotes larger than she, but not by much... Still, it brought a smile to her lips to refer to her as midget, since she must be some form of wolf after all, or so Jinx thought.

Fox knew she was small, but for some reason everybody just had to remind her of it. It was like going around and shouting, "The sky is blue! The sky is blue!" But the fact that the stranger dared to call her a filthy coyote was just too damn much. Fox's lip curled involuntarily, immediately after the strange female had insulted her. She was no coyote, and she would not have some random bitch insulting her for absolutely no reason. This was one of the few interactions Fox had actually started out correctly, and this white beast had to go and muck it all up.

"Fuck you," she spat back, "You only pick on those smaller than yourself? Or maybe you have some kind of complex. Y'know, like you never feel tough enough, so you have to make sure you only provoke ones you think you can pick off easily." Not that Fox considered her one of those. In fact, Fox considered herself speedy and quick, even though she lacked the muscle of some of her larger brethren. She simply had a different skillset compared to most.

The response she got wasn't what she'd been expecting. Jinx had expected an explanation of some sort, but what she got was a mouthful of sheer butthurt. Her ears swivelled to cup toward the back of her head as confusion replaced curiosity; what the hell was her problem? The Kesuk had asked a question, not flung insults (though it could be said that Jinx was quite dense for not realizing how offensive her question really was).

"Temper, temper," she chided, not in the slightest goaded by the other's incorrect conclusions. She knew she was a Warrior Princess, and knew she could out-speed many opponents and outwit them until she won. She needn't confirm it to the runty coyote-wolf by responding to the taunts. "Didn't your mother tell you about the big bad wolf, coyote? Wolves always win, you know." She wore as creepy grin as she said this, and though her verbal response had probably left much to be desired in terms of negative reaction, there was a confrontational fire in her stomach.

Yielding to it, she took a step forward, with the intent of crowding the coyote. Toying with it. Wolves and coyotes had a common body language; they understood one another. This made coyotes great fun to play with, to the detriment of the poor coyote. Jinx would make of Fox what a wolf made of a coyote: a plaything, and potentially dinner, if she stepped further out of line.

fox is a real potty-mouth. <__<

In reality, it was really Fox that had the complex. Her smallness caused her to make up for it with a giant dose of bitch. And not in the "female canine" sort of way. The Nu put on her disgusted face when the stranger spoke of how she should have known about how powerful wolves were or whatever. "Duh, fuckface. I am a wolf," she replied nonchalantly before the white wolf stepped toward her.

And when the larger female did step toward her, Fox flashed her teeth in warning. She was not afraid (stupidly so) of this big bad, and she was giving clear signs that getting closer was definitely not okay with her. The hair on her spine had ruffled, and her tail twitched in annoyance at the other's crowding of her personal space.

OOC: Jinx is delighted with Fox, even though she's not acting like it. ^_^ This is how she makes friends, kekeke.

IC: The coyote claimed to be a wolf. Even if Fox hadn't used vulgar language to do so, Jinx's cheeks would have puffed with suppressed laughter nonetheless. It wasn't that Jinx didn't believe the small-framed female—already the scent of Lethe diffused through the space between them, most certainly the most recent and overwhelming aroma the short agouti wolf wore, and with it the distinct smell of her species. Jinx could tell now this bitch (the female dog sort, of course) was a wolf, indeed, despite appearing every inch a coyote.

That didn't mean Jinx had to reveal what she knew, though. It was a lot more fun to play.

When Fox displayed her teeth in an ambivalence display, Jinx bared her own in a wolfish smile, rife with mischief. "Shoooow me," she crooned, taking that one extra step to make herself sorry. "Show me you truly are a wolf that deceives mine eyes with the costume of coyote."

i guess i can go ahead and start writing, since we've done some of these actions already...
spar thread · fox's attack was a success (roll: 8), and jinx's dodge was a glance (roll: 3).

Jinx moved closer, instead of heeding her warning snap, and Fox didn't pause a second before lashing out at the white lady. While Fox would never start a physical fight, she was never opposed to letting somebody else make the first move. If anybody had asked her, she would have stated that Jinx had indeed started this. Fox had given her every chance to back away, and yet the other female had gone right in and overstepped her bounds. The sweet sensation of contact with her teeth upon the stranger was exhilarating, and it only made the tiny creature want more.

But of course that would not last forever. Fox knew better than to let herself sit still for too long, so her teeth upon Jinx only stayed there for a moment. She was not about to fight to the death, just teach her a lesson about getting too close for comfort. Of course, Fox never considered the possibility that she might not come out on top.

OOC: This post describes several rounds in the dice rolls.

IC: Like a coiled rattlesnake, the coyote-wolf closed the distance between them and sounded the drums of war with impact: Jinx felt the white hot lance of teeth at the side of her face, but thankfully it was not as bad as it could have been. Her eye was spared, and adrenaline forced out any of the pain that might have otherwise impaired her. The sly little coyote wolf was fast, and was already making a pass at her tail... But Jinx was also fast, and she lashed out with a furious speed, making heavy impact with the other female's nape.

Fox went down under Jinx's weight, pulling painfully on her tail as she did so, for the little weasel wolf had managed to get a firmer grip than she had expected. In hopes of knocking the rusty female off her feet for good, Jinx wound herself up for a booty bump, only for the wily bitch to leap over her in a spectacular show of gymnastics. She whirled her head around with a frustrated growl just in time to see Fox making for her exposed forepaw, and like an awkward stallion she reared it out of reach and slashed her jaws viciously in the direction of the other female's snout, aiming to grip it and force submission from her.

yay, finally some time to reply to things. also, this describes the remainder of the fight. :)

With the white female all over her (and Fox doing the same), it was almost hard to keep track of whose fur was whose. Jinx almost immediately shoved her to the ground (although Fox had tried so hard to avoid her), and she felt that a lot. The young Nu was well-aware of the bruises that were going to form once this fight was over. But she would have time to lick her wounds later. Now was the time for beating (or losing to) her opponent. She aimed for the white string of fur that was her opponent's tail, then she was leaping over the large white wolf, avoiding some attack or another.

When the other female attempted to sink her teeth into Fox's eyes, the girl jerked her head back and closed her eyes tight. Thankfully, no damage was done there. However, a second later, she felt the hot searing pain of Jinx's teeth sinking into her scalp. She yelped in pain, but did not let that stop her from attacking right back. The rush of adrenaline allowed her to grab the other girl's scruff, and she grabbed ahold of it with all her might. She did not think that her opponent could last much longer, although Fox knew that she was testing her own limits, too.

They wrestled in a tangle of limbs and tails and fur, loud and raucous as wolves most often were in their struggle to determine who was best. In the end, it was the tiny Fox who won, her teeth sinking tightly into the fur and skin of Jinx's nape. Cuffed like this, she knew she had lost; her legs faltered and she snapped out a harsh, "peace!" as her ears went back to end the fighting. Although the only nobility Jinx possessed was that of a warrior—one who could admit when she was bested, although more often she would avoid being beaten by running—she blamed her loss not on the agouti wolf's prowess, but on her own aches and pains and weaknesses from fighting Peregrine mere weeks prior. Her pride would not permit her to call it fair combat, lest that pride be bruised by her recent bad luck.

"You fight well, little wolf," was all she allowed by way of acknowledgement. Her tongue swept over her lips, tasting the blood that trickled from the wound on her face; macabre, perhaps, but regular behaviour for a wolf. At least in one way or another Jinx acknowledged that Foxwas a wolf and not a coyote, which she had known even before goading her into fighting. It was confirmed: wolves always won, although if she thought of that for even a moment she would wonder why, if it were true, she had not won.

"Where did you train?" she would query if permitted to rise, upon which she would slink a few feet forward to re-establish distance between them.

It took every ounce of willpower for Fox to back away, but she did. The little red wolf knew that she had won this round, and she was quite pleased with herself. She was even more pleased with the big white wolf complimented her skills. Being only a yearling, Fox had no reason to be better than anybody at all. She, too, had been a little bit blown away by the fact that she had just bested this much larger (and at least somewhat older) female.

"Train?" she asked, curious about the question, "I trained nowhere. Just simple scraps against my siblings." She assumed that this meant that the larger female had trained somewhere, which made her feel all the more awesome. If her ego had been large before, it was now a thousand times larger. The yearling couldn't help but feel a swell of overwhelming pride fill her chest.

She was unaware what the compliment was doing to her young rival's ego; she said it because Fox deserved it. If some telepathy had been possible, she might have known, and revoked it. Still, it stung her pride a little to know that Fox hadn't trained anywhere but in her whelping den with her littermates. Jinx had been Nutaaq's pupil, and already saw two losses in the Wilds. She could not suffer a third loss, lest it leave a permanent bruise upon her ego, and remind her of her incompetence.

"My siblings were not fighters," she revealed, giving no further details on her training. "My brothers were both tools to our Gods. My sister, though, was arrogant enough to fight... But also fat. She did not succeed with tooth or claw, but with her ass." By which Jinx meant Kaskae sat on losers and won by default. She had done it all throughout their youth, and coupled with her cunning use of Jinx's young naivety, had been her biggest rival. The slighter Kesuk would not dispute her sister's ability to fight now... But in the beginning, Naga had won arguments not with skill, but with her greedy big piggy butt.

Realizing that she had trailed off and not picked up the conversation again, Jinx returned her attention to Fox. There was a stinging reminder in the youth's proud expression that the ashen wolf had just lost a fight, and ought to be departing soon. Her memories swam with images of Kaskae: Kaskae warning her that dark shadows from the sea would eat her. Kaskae threatening to squish her into the earth for losing track of a butterfly they both coveted. Kaskae's rippling snarl clashing with lightning the night they fought for Nanuq's rank... The night her sister's complete arrogance took off for receiving the same reward despite doing half the work Jinx had in their childhood...

It was only now that Jinx noticed her distaste for her sister had grown in her absence. Feeling the sickening taste of acrid disapproval rising like bile in her throat, she made a tch sound and said, "you may go now. I will not bother you further." She would tend her wounds here at the side of the lake, with the expectation that Fox would not press her company. The Kesuk had lost herself in her mind again, where she hadn't retreated for a long time... Sharing that state of mind, that return to youthful jealousy, with Fox was certain to sour both their moods. Resigned to the belief that the Swiftcurrent Creek female would leave, Jinx turned to the water, intending to dip into it and soak her injured cheek.

Fox had not expected for the other female to reveal any of her history. It was strange... but not unsettling. When the other female spoke of gods, Fox cocked her head a few degrees. She did not inquire further into the loser's past nor what her family had been like. It was not important to the Nu. She did not care for the past, and she very rarely cared for the future. To her, the present was the most important thing to worry about.

The white female trailed off, leaving a gap of silence between them. Fox was still breathing roughly, though she knew it was only a matter of time before she was back to normal. When the other wolf told her to fuck off (in so many words), Fox obliged. She'd gotten her fill of victory, and now she'd be off to seek more.

Thanks for the thread!

Her ears twisted back to observe the smaller wolf's retreat, and when she decided Fox was distant enough, her head followed. The ruddy woman presumably made her way back up the creek, toward the wetlands to the north. Jinx watched a while, but after a lingering moment, turned back to the water. She lacked hands to splash it on her face, so cleaning was inefficient, but even so she lowered her stinging cheek to its surface. Her other injuries were superficial, some simple scrapes and bruises that would take little time to heal. The Kesuk gave those little mind; her primary concern was her torn cheek.