Porcupine Ridge For a mother, a brother and me

Oh I couldn't resist... ^_^;

They were here first, his wolves and him. They had chosen the ridge, and had laid the marks that would encircle their claim of it. Their scent and their howls told all that passed by that this was their home, and that they would protect it. But as much as the invisible line was meant to kept others out, it also kept the black wolf in. He had chosen it, and he held himself to the same standard that he held others. One one paw, he promised to harm to any who crossed his territory uninvited, but on the other paw, he promised them safe passage if they kept outside of it.

It was because of this law that their neighbors were permitted, albeit begrudgingly, to exist beside them. It was because of this law he forbade his wolves to harm them unless they trespassed. He thought himself patient, tolerant, and more than fair, so as he watched what happened from a rise on the ridge, he was immediately beset by fury. Perhaps he had seen it wrong; but it looked to him that his faithful beta had refreshed their line, and then that some wolf from the other pack had marked over it. There was nary a buffer for a wolf to pass through between the two borders, but there were two distinct lines separated by a paw at least.

Or there had been, until now.

It was with a thunderous howl to alert his packmates and rally them to him that he charged down the mountain side. Ears pinned forward, lips pulled back into a snarl, tail arched severely over his spine and bottlebrushed... the black wolf was nothing short of a spectacle of aggression and power as he barrelled down upon his neighbor, skidding to a snow-scattering halt mere inches from her face. His snarl was all that was terrible in that moment, and his eyes sought to bore into her own.

And yet, his toes held his line, and he did not pass it.  

@Capriccio @Jhala @Terich-mir @Anwyl @Romulus @Vuk @Illea @Diane