Moonstone Quarry All the world will be your enemy

@Osprey perhaps?

A recent turn of events had pushed Pallas north, back towards the region where she had first met the white wolf named Aria. In a careful trot she picked her way through the quarry, her tail bobbing behind her and a faint twinge of soreness affecting her gait behind. She elected to take a break at the brim of one particularly large pool, and with great care she lowered her frame to the water to lap gently at the surface.

Osprey was annoyed - first there had been a stupid argument with Dante (the reasons she had forgotten) and later on the anger had simply grown and spread like wildfire, until she could not take it anymore and simply charged through the forest, crossed borders and went in the wilds. The idea was to put as much distance between her and the rest of the folk as possible. They did not have to see her like this. 

Moonstone quarry was one of the places she had passed through during her journeys but had never cared to actually stop and explore it. Now that she was here and it was a perfectly good opportunity to change that, she was too angry to notice it. Until at one point she was walking too close to one of the pools, her foot slipped and she ended up falling in the water. "Great!" she said spitting out water and sitting up. 

The fact that she was not alone had not yet been registered.

The she-wolf had been enjoying the cool stream against her tongue until she heard the angry exclamation of a wolf not too far away. She jerked her head upright and little driblets fell from her mouth; with a cant of her head she bespotted the wolf who had involuntarily taken a dunk in the water. She was amused, but did not display it. Instead she simply stared at the silvery wolf, wondering if her eyes were working properly.

"Shit," Osprey sweared getting out of the pool and beginning to shiver. With the inconsistent spring and pregnancy that probably did a lot to mess with her system, much of her winter coat had already been shed, leaving her vulnerable to the cold. She shook the coat to rid herself off the most water, then sat down once again, beginning to lick her paws and sides to rid of the last remnants of the water. And she would have continued doing so, had she not felt the gaze of another nearby. 

Her head shot up and she glared at the wolf in the distance and snarled. It was bad enough that she had embarrassed herself, now there was an audience.

Pallas watched quietly as the wolf pulled herself from the pool and shook, sending small droplets splattering on the smooth flowstone beneath her feet. Pallas' ears pricked forward and she thought she detected a snarl. What? Her expression grew offended: this thing was snarling at her? Her hackles rose instantly and she whirled to face the wolf, stifflegged with her tail raised and her upper lip curled into a derisive growl. She wasn't about to attack this silvery female, but she wasn't about to tolerate any attitude either.

Osprey's brow creased, taking notice of the other's response and she was proud enough to not take the attitude lying down. "Someone's sensitive," she said quietly, getting to her feet and taking a dominant stance - tail raised high and fur bristlened along her back. The effect would have been more imposing had it not been for her roundish proportions around the middle. Had she not been that angry already, she would have been smarter than just letting out another snarl and looking the other in the eye.

Pallas was outraged this wolf would growl at her when she had just been enjoying a drink. Every part of her posture was cut into one of authoritative confidence: with pride she raised her muzzle above Osprey's (or tried to) and her tail flagged over her angled hips in a dominate gesture of superiority. Pallas had yet to step forward and suggest violence, but it seemed the pregnant female was willing to do that for her. With a growl she met Osprey's stare dead on, her lips quivering in a menacing snarl that suggested 'submit or be attacked'. It seemed a petty thing to be fighting when it was the other wolf that was in a foul mood, but Pallas had never been one to step down from a fight -- even if it emanated for no reason.

What was this scoundrel thinking - that she owned the world? Osprey didn't back off, her menacing, teethy smile just got wider, baring her fangs at the other and a loud growl resonating in her throat. She did not want to fight, because that was a foolish thing for both of them to do - they were in the middle of nowhere after all - she just wanted the other to back off and go away. Or die, if she wished so. Now, it seemed that clouds above her head was becoming darker and there was thunder beginning to rumble. "Bugger off," she told, taking a step backwards, but keeping her gazed fixed at the female.

Pallas kept her stance, her fur starting to puff out in the manner of some offended owl. Even her soft hazel eyes seemed to develop a flint-like hardness as the silver agouti continued to challenge her. She would not bugger off -- not when she had been there first: her lower lip curled back in a sneer that announced she had no intention of obeying the other's command. "Want to put a hole in that belly?" She asked darkly, her tail still fixed upright. She did not advance yet, for the other woman had taken a step backwards. That to Pallas was a small victory, albeit a pathetic one. "I was here first. Take your anger out on someone else." With that Pallas bullishly stood her ground, for that was exactly the type of obstinate and insufferable fool that she was.

"You think you are the only one here with teeth and jaws?" Osprey replied voice full of disdain and for a moment the very idea of taking a good chunk out of this person seemed very tempting, but she stayed, where she was and did not move. Stupid - maybe, but now she was pissed off by the other majorly. "There is plenty of space - go and leave me alone," brat - she added in her mind.

Pallas was not humbled by this irate, inflated manatee of a wolf. Her thoughts grew inflammatory, insulting -- but luckily for Osprey, Pallas lacked a certain crucial component in any expert insulter's invective: the art of articulation. Yeah, Pallas was about as articulate as a rock.

Her posture remained unchanged, though she took a step forward assertively. "I was here first, she-cow. Unless you make me, I'm staying." She reinforced, unwilling to abandon her post by the moon-shaped pool. The water was cool and delicious and she liked it and as far as she was concerned, this silver heifer could go drown herself.

"Have you looked at your reflection lately, you blonde frog?" Osprey snapped right back at the stranger, whose next words made their argument seem like two children making fuss out of nothing. In fact they were - which meant that some things never changed with the age. Then she simply lied down (another foolish thing, probably) and looked away. "I ain't moving either - screw you!" she announced. As strong as the other appeared to be, even she would have difficulties pushing cows around.

This thread has me laughing... In a good way! I guess the title was appropriate!

Pallas couldn't believe her ears. And in the next moment, she couldn't believe her eyes. Like a whelp the thing flung herself to the ground in a tantrum - was that type of force safe for the babies in her belly? Pallas' expression was one of resentment and incredulity balled together. A blonde frog? Pallas tilted her head slyly to look at her reflection in the water, just to confirm she was neither. Her ears remained ahead in outrage and she took a few large, bounding steps towards the sudden-toddler. "Fine. I'll make you."

With the corner of her eye Osprey saw that the other went over to check her reflection in the water. She huffed at the sight of this and felt a tiny bit smug for her achieving to push at least one stone from underneath the other's footing. The blonde lass was a girl somewhere inside. A bit insecure. 

"Will you?" Osprey quirked an eyebrow at the other's statement, but did not grace her with another glance, looking pointedly ahead of her, swaying her tail from one side to the other in a cat-like annoyed manner. "Good luck with that."

ooc: this is getting silly, but that's why I love it. :D

Pallas didn't really have a plan, but if it came to it, she supposed she'd have to use force. All the same Osprey remained unmoving, her tail twitching like a lion's. A fat, useless' lion's. Pallas cut her a cold glare and continued her approach, stalking forth at a leisurely let purposeful pace. If Osprey didn't rise, Pallas supposed she would have to attack her.. At least she could strike "beat up a pregnant lady" off of her bucket list...

Well that one was very persistant... Osprey measured her opponent with a calm icy gaze, as it drew nearer, determined to shoo her away from the spot she was lying on. Had it been an argument about a food - she would have understood. Now it was a simple battle of "you go away - no, you go away" and none of them seemed to go for being the smarter person and back off, end this. Since it had proven before that the words were her best weapons, she shot another insult in the stranger's direction: "Pray, how thick exactly is your skull? Which part of - Leave. Me. Alone. You did not understand?"

Pallas was not a wolf to be shaken off easily; as she drew closer, so did her tenacity. Osprey was lying down, and this to Pallas was an advantage she could not even have prayed for. Osprey's digging words were met only with a silent, deadly determination and with one final stride she shifted her weight backwards and leapt towards the foolhardy girl. Her teeth sought to grab whatever they could - neck, back, scruff -- that was, if Osprey did not move. It was a half-hearted attempt to cow the woman and force her to leave: but if Osprey had risen of her own accord and backed off, she would be met with a somewhat baleful stare.

Osprey reacted a tad bit too late and the other managed to catch her by the scruff. She froze for a moment, making a quick decision between fighting back and free or submitting and eventually choosing neither. Nothing had happened yet and things could/would definitely go worse. Not many options to choose. Therefore she sighed, flicked an ear and half-turned her head (as much as it was possible to do in the current situation) and with her tail wagging she  asked innocently: "Now what - are you going to carry me?"

Osprey: http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_v24HZnm8kXI/TH...n-mule.jpg

Pallas had expected something for her sudden advancement. Fur, teeth, maybe even a counter-strike. But she hadn't expected nothing. Her teeth fell around skin with.. no resistance? With a growl Pallas hooked on (or tried to) and would attempt to drag Osprey -- quite literally. But she had intention of dragging Osprey off: see, her mind didn't work that way. With a mighty heave she hoped to tip the she-cow over and send her for her second 'unplanned' water-dunk.

ooc: bullseye! :D

When the other female still refused to give up (or let go for that matter), Osprey did the trick all kids learn early, when they want to get something they won't get otherwise. She went limp - that's how you win battles! And all things considered this was the first time in two months, when pregnancy was doing her a favor. She let herself enjoy being a heavy boulder for a bit and then said: "I admire your effort of trying to skin me alive, but I do believe that there are other, more efficient methods. So, perhaps, you will let go of me and I will show you?"

The blubber-wolf beneath her was limp. Great, Pallas thought between a grit of her teeth. With a snarl she tried to heave Missy-Melodramatics over, trying once again to send her unceremoniously into the pool. Call it an early baptismal for those wretched babes in her stomach. If that didn't work, Pallas would stoop to Ospreys level: she would let go of the wolf and pivot her business end towards Osprey and conduct business upon her (AKA peei-time) -- the intent was both offensive and clear. And extremely, extremely juvenile.

"No, skinning lessons, I guess," Osprey concluded, when her attempts to talk the other out of silly actions did not work. However, something made the white curse change her mind, she let go and turned her other end to her. "Charming, but no thank you," the elder took the moment of freedom to scoot away from her assaulter, putting a little safe distance between them. 

"So, this was effing stupid," she told with a big yawn and shook her head once. "But I am not grumpy anymore. Thank you for that at least," and just because she had this childish inclination to prove that she had still won the argument, added, "even if you were useless for anything else."

Pallas bent her spine, a warm flush of urine trickling from her hunched form onto the flat stone below. Gingerly she lifted her paws as the pool spread, and with a scoot tried to sit exactly where Osprey had been moments prior. She kept an eye out for the trickling spread of the puddle of her own making: it was a small, childish victory, but a victory she could claim as her own. Osprey continued to speak and Pallas regarded her silently, an asinine grin spread across her features as she gloated. #Winning #ByeFelicia

"All this mess for this?" Osprey asked incredulously watching, how the white she-wolf shamelessly peed a figurative ocean, where she had been lying. "Man, if you needed to pee so badly, you should have told me this before!" she said this in a tone an adult talks to his three-year old that has just wetted it's pants in the middle of a shoping-aisle. "I mean, no one should be denied his or hers basic rights to pee," she looked up and smiled sincerely at the wolf, as if apologizing for the mess.

Pallas watched the small puddle, keeping it in the corner of her eyes as she shifted. With a grunt she lifted a leg and started to lick her thigh contently, the asinine and smug smirk still plain as day across her muzzle. Osprey's insistent chirping was met only with a flick of her ear, for unlike Osprey, Pallas lacked the ingenuity and drive required for diatribe. She rose stiffly with her tail heightened, and with one last smug sneer slipped into the watery pool that Osprey had fell in prior.