five tennis balls

A day prior, Kennedy had hobbled out of the ridge's boundaries and clung to the northern border Ravensblood Forest. He continued west, keeping the ocean on his right as he stumbled along, panting and heaving every half hour or so. He had remained weak ever since the rockslide, and he showed no real signs of improving. Edy's mood remained sour, his leg continued to ache, and his relations with his pack-mates had deteriorated to the point that he did not think they would ever recover. It was all his own doing, he knew, but he no longer felt it fair to continue to drag them down.

Around Silvertip Mountain he went, his healing hind leg rarely touching the ground. He continued forward, wondering how long it would take before his body simply gave up and refused to let him keep moving. Kennedy was determined to end it somehow, someway. He was not brave enough to end his life quickly and cleanly, instead removing himself from the safety of his pack where he could always find food. If he could not survive out here, on his own, he did not deserve to survive at all. A wolf who could not contribute was useless: dead weight.

Kennedy moved into the shelter of the forest on his second day of travel. It shielded him from the torment of the hot sun, and he stopped at a small stream to drink from its water.

The dark assassin moved through the shadows as if it was a second pelt, accompanied by the marred she-wolf Erika. He invited her to explore the southern reaches of the Neverwinter Forest, mainly to get to know the emaciated black wolf, but secondly to explore the territory and better his Outrider skills. The forest was dark, sunlight barely filtering through the thick canopy, giving it an eerie feeling. The French-Canadian woman said that this was the first place of Teekon Wilds she saw, and offered to lead him around.

I travelled through zis forest for a while before I met Madame Jinx. Let me lead you through ze parts I know first.

He obliged her, since he did not know this part of Silvertip territory very well. She led him around the northern edge before heading south, deeper into the dark forest. Then, the pair of would-be Outriders found tracks. Wolf tracks. But look, at the hind paw-mark, it's faint, as if the wolf did not want to put pressure on it. He's limping. Let's follow it. He said. And so, the wolves followed it, hugging the shadows and staying downwind of the injured wolf.

The tracks became more fresh near a stream. The dark wolf paused and hid himself, seeing the black wolf lapping at a stream. He was not a loner, but a pack wolf. Ice-blue eyes gleamed with pleasure; his alpha allowed him to attack any intruders, close or on the territory....

Erika reluctantly went on an expedition with the new wolf of the pack named Kaname. She was very wary of the dark-furred wolf, since she thought she saw him before, covered with blood, laughing as he attacked a wolf. But that could have been someone else, and it was long ago. She led him through Neverwinter Forest, since she was familiar with part of its terrain. For a while, the two trotted through the dark forest, occasionally sniffing out and following trails. They noted places where prey was most plentiful, where resources could be found, et cetera. But soon they smelled another scent and found a track, a wolf's track.

A gleam in Kaname's icy eyes made her shiver. Wolf tracks. But look, at the hind paw-mark, it's faint, as if the wolf did not want to put pressure on it. He's limping. Let's follow it. he said almost gleefully. She nodded but in the back of her mind she promised not to have Kaname harm this wolf anymore. They needed to chase him off, but not kill him.

The two of them agreed to slip into the shadows to scout out this wolf's predicament before chasing him off. Both of them wore the darkness naturally, she being a Fantome, and him being of a.....questionable profession. They moved swiftly and soon found the wolf drinking at a stream. Crouching behind a bush, but in sight of her packmate, she watched the intruder.

Ever-so-gently, Kennedy moved to the ground, his belly resting on the cool surface of the creek bank. He had not heard, seen, or smelled the couple of wolves who now watched him. Edy remained blissfully unaware of their presence, taking a small pleasure in the way the wind moved the leaves around him just so. It was a wonder he had made it this far, and it would be a miracle if he didn't die on this stupid self-inflicted quest he had signed himself up for.

The dark male yawned, settling his chin between his front paws and letting his gaze soften and his eyelids droop. If anything was going to get him out here in the open, they had all the chance in the world to do it.

The ever so slightly mad assassin almost cackled with glee as the wounded male drifted into sleep. So close to another pack's territory and you are asleep in the open? And wounded?! What a fool!! he laughed to himself. If he were ever caught out in the wilds away from his pack with a serious wound, he would definitely find shelter and rest, unlike this idiot.

Hiding a smirk, he turned to Erika and nodded towards the sleeping wolf. Knowing the black she-wolf would follow, he went as fast he could go without making too much of a noise and approached the wolf. The dark assassin stood where he would be the first wolf the sleeping one would see. Smiling cruelly, he prodded the wolf roughly with his paw and crooned mockingly: "Wakey, waaakeeyy..."

Erika's piercing yellow eyes regarded the pack wolf coolly. He did not smell of Blacktail Deer the pack closest to Silvertip, or Swiftcurrent, their unofficial enemy (well, all other wolves or packs were their enemies). That meant that there was a fourth pack in Teekon Wilds, somewhere nearby, close enough to be travelled to but far enough so that their paths rarely crossed. It made the foreign woman wonder why he would be so far away from his pack, and with a bad leg. But she was not here to ask questions, and nor did she like to ask them anyway.

In the corner of her eyes, she saw Kaname nod the signal to move forward. Mimicking her packmate, she crept quietly but swiftly to the sleeping wolf. She stood behind him to cut off escape, though she doubted he would get far. She looked down at the sleeping wolf; he was large, with a black coat and silver tufts scattered about. His back leg, though healing, was broken and there were wounds throughout his body. The marred wolf gazed at them quizzically for a brief moment before her packmate spoke mockingly at the sleeping giant.

Wakey, waaakeeyy.... The two words sent shivers down her spine. Kaname always frightened her in some way, be it his icy eyes and glare, or his cold, calculating demeanor. But this sadistic mocking was the icing on the cake. She looked at him warily, but put aside her fear to focus on the main problem: this intruder.

The prodding shook Kennedy from his sleep, and he snarled out of instinct. It was not just one, but two wolves hovering over him, and he growled lowly at them. Just because he was sick of the way things were did not meant that he would allow himself to go without a fight. It just wasn't his style. He had way too much moaning and complaining to do before he rolled over and showed his throat to anybody who would end it.

“Fuck off,” he warned, his hackles raising and making him look bigger than he actually was.

He waited a few moments but soon the wolf awoke. He snorted contemptuously as the wolf woke up and snarled at them to fuck off. Kaname laughed at the male's reaction. "Oh really?" The assassin bared his fangs in a not too friendly smile at the wolf. "I would like to ask you the same thing..." he snarled kindly at the injured wolf.

Erika did not have to wait long for the injured wolf to wake. But the way he did was definitely cranky. Fuck off... he growled at them both. Kaname had laughed and "smiled" at the wolf in that insane way of his, half threatening and trying to creep out the injured giant. Erika only stood tall and tried to look larger, something almost impossible with her skeletal frame. "You are tresspassing on Silvertip Mountain territory. Either you leave, or we chase you out." she growled.

Kennedy opened his mouth to correct the male, to tell him that he had not asked anything at all. The old wolf had demanded that they "fuck off." It was not a question at all. But before he could respond, the girl had the balls to say this was Silvertip Mountain. “Oh really?” he asked, “Funny, ‘cause I didn’t smell a goddamn thing, and I’m pretty sure my nose isn’t broken.” Okay, so that probably wasn't the best response, but Kennedy couldn't help but point out her mistake.

He had come across no scent markers, so there was no chance that he was trespassing. Besides, this was no mountain, this was clearly a forest. How could she be so dull?

Oh, jeez I wrote that wrong. XD "I would like to ask you the same thing" I really meant "I would like to tell you the same thing".

"You are on our buffer zone. It is still a part of Silvertip territory." he said calmly, in contrast to the wolf's clearly annoyed tone. He didn't blame him for saying that really. The buffer zone was not marked in the same way that the main territory was. Nevertheless, Jinx ordered them to attack intruders and those nearby the border. "And the mountain is over there." he gestured to where part of the mountain's trunk grew from the earth. "I guess you were right. Your nose might not be broken, but your eyes are."

She opened her mouth to snarl back at his insult, but was interupted by Kaname. She decided to stay back and let the Eta do all the talking despite her anger. The dark furred wolf was much more intimidating than she was. What intruder would be afraid of a wolf with her ribs sticking out of her pelt?