Redhawk Caldera I always thought I'd go out Butch and Sundance style.

Now that the interlopers were gone (save for some leave-behinds), the borders were quiet once more, her patrols regaining their expected dullness. The young guardian didn't usually mind the repetition, though she invited @Orca to accompany her today to keep herself from going numb with the monotonous tedium of circling endlessly.

"So have you talked to her at all?" Towhee was saying to her sister (about their other sister, Wildfire) when she saw a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye and snapped to attention.

how is it 26F in glacier national park today!!

She had diverged from the group again, feeling a little restless. It was uncomfortable being in limbo -- not quite a pack yet, striving to become one -- but Earthsea was a master of compartmentalization (or as some might call it, repression) and she was still convinced everything would turn out fantastically. Still, to ease her anxiety, she had decided to explore inland.

Breaking out of a tangled forest, she saw a lake sprawling out before her. It was only autumn, but it was cold already, and as she sprinted toward the waters edge for a drink the she-wolf was disappointed to see the shallows already beginning to freeze over.

"Stand behind me," Towhee barked at Orca, who threw her a bit of a look before complying with the order. The guardian glared at the figure in the middle distance, running right toward Lake Rodney. She knew it wasn't part of their territory, yet she didn't have much patience or tolerance for wolves traipsing around in the lands just beyond the caldera.

But she didn't advance. Towhee stood her ground, head lifted, ears pricked and tail arching stiffly behind her. She signed for her sister to do the same, then continued glaring daggers at the unwelcome she-wolf presumably in search of a drink.

Earthsea figured she was far enough away from any pack territory (and, honestly, couldn't really smell anything that indicated one), so paid little mind to her surroundings as she crept toward the shallows, ice cracking beneath her toes. She was trying to angle to get a drink without submerging herself in icy water, or worse yet, falling into deep water she wouldn't be able to find her way out of. Belatedly, she realized a better plan would be to find a river— something with a current, less likely to fully freeze this early in the season— and eventually swung away from the large-bodied lake.

In the distance, she saw two wolves, one of which was posturing rather aggressively. Undeterred, and perhaps boldened by said distance, she loosed a jolly, "HULLOOOOO!"

*liberally controls Kim's toon*

11/17: I'm smacking a conclusion on this. :)

If the stranger felt the weight of Towhee's intolerant gaze, she didn't show it. As soon as she noticed the pack wolves, she opened her mouth and shouted something. The guardian immediately turned to Orca, who translated: "She's saying 'hello!'" Towhee frowned and faced the unfamiliar she-wolf again, noting her amiable body language.

The mercenary opened her mouth to call back when a sharp nudge from Orca silenced her. "We should play nice, it's not like she's in the territory," she said slowly, causing Towhee's eyes to narrow in disapproval. "But, I mean, it's your call; you're the guardian," the black-and-white wolf added, sensing Towhee's ire.

Facing forward yet again, Towhee shouted (comically loudly), "You shouldn't drink that. It's tainted." She smirked a bit, entertained by her own joke. "And we're taints too. Turn back now before you catch the disease," she finished ominously, unaware of her Freudian slip.

When the she-wolf showed no sign of heeding the warning—and, in fact, attempted to move closer and engage them with a few more bubbly greetings—Towhee snarled. The smile on the stranger's face faltered. Behind Towhee's back, Orca made an apologetic face and then a gentle shooing motion. Picking up on the hints (both blatant and subtle), she turned, leaving the sisters to pick up their earlier conversation about Wildfire and finish their joint patrol.