The Sunspire Or cannibal vampire anchovies

Treason was an ember burning in the dark.  Okay.  It wasn't dark.  It was late afternoon and she was prowling around the borders with a fiery intensity that just dared anyone to wander too far over the scent line today.  Between Redshank, the group of angry wolves at the crash site, and whatever cliffnotes she'd heard from the two Tindome boys trespassing, she was in no mood to pull punches.

At all game trails and other such easy entrances to the territory, she took a moment to pee on a bush or scrape her paws across the path itself to mark it.  She would make sure there was no question.  The pack was here, it was well-defended.  There was no question.  There was also no question that Treason was totally willing to back up those promises.

The lion had been quite shooketh ever since the Tindome pair (or whatever pack they hailed from, he could not care the slightest about that as long as his own pack would continue to be better) had crossed over their well-defined borders. Though not a stranger to border work, it was not his calling to be there if there was no one to join their pack. So much was clear. Pissing and scratching was peasant work, after all, and he was a prince.

But a prince looked out for danger and would never ever like it. Everything that threatened their existence had to be killed to continue their reign on the mountain. Therefore the lion strode off to the borders as soon as he could not find Seabreeze straight away, not trembling over any rocks this time. That was when he spotted the hooded-marked female, a young yet intimidating presence. He smiled with a small huff to announce his presence, carrying his maned form ever so gracefully closer.

For her, the borders were something the leaders did, that tyrants-to-be like herself would care for.  Someone in power who didn't care to do so was either weak or lazy, and likely should be removed from their position in exchange for someone more worthy.  Sure, there might be the odd exception once in a blue moon, but for the most part it was a rule of thumb that Treason treated like the law.

The pale devil's head swept low across the ground, searching the far side of the border for signs of visitors before coming back across.  That was when the other appeared on the scene.  She'd smelled him around, but he wasn't one of the original wolves of the pack.  And the last one she knew of that had joined was that guy who was friends with Redshank.  And they all knew how that went.  She regarded him with suspicion, a predatory glance sweeping over him.  The fluffball acted like he owned the place.  Well, not quite -- it was everyday arrogance as far as she could tell.  It might be fun to shatter that later, but for now first thing's first,  Who are you?  Treason wasn't treating him like a trespasser though -- he was just some member she'd never met and thus by default didn't trust.  She was a warrior, not a fluffy noble, and she never shirked her job.

The fluffy noble smiled a charming smile befitting a Disney prince, though impressing her would prove fruitless. She seemed disinterested in him to say the least, but that had never stopped him before. He waved his tail, a peaceful sign. He didn't want any trouble now did he.

I am Goldyfox, but simply Goldy is just as excellent. He said proudly with a small hum. And you?

For a wolf calling herself Treason, it was sort of a joke that her first thought was that his name was rather odd.  Goldyfox?  And he picked Goldy as the moniker to go by?  To her, Fox sounded like the better choice.  Or just picking something else entirely.  Treason, she said, making sure to leave enough space to show that was the answer to his question, and keeping a check to see what he thought of her name.  It was those subtle games that amused her most.

You've been here, what.. Weeks, a month?  Something like that.  It was what felt like a never-ending winter, so time was harder to judge, even though the days did seem to be longer.  She was here from the start.  And to a certain point she thought that fact earned her a bit more credit than some of the others who likely hadn't proved their worth.  She'd helped with the Redshank escapade.  She'd help with the borders, and any other beasts that raised their ugly heads.

Either way, first she had to pin down what she thought of Goldy besides wondering how different he'd look if dunked in a lake.

The prince was very proud of his name and what he was known by. Though he'd rather have everyone call him Prince or Lion, Goldy had something godly about it that he didn't want to lose. It's a pleasure to meet you. He lied. Honestly, it was never a pleasure to meet him, but Treason didn't exactly scream friend-material either.

I think a few weeks is accurate? Honestly, I've lost track of time. He rumbled a sophisticated chuckle, shrugging with an air of nonchalance about it. And you? He asked then.

She bowed her head in reply, opting for the silent formalities.  The rest of her inquiries were enough words for her.  Since before it was a pack.  Traveled across the flatlands with Liffey, Rannoch and the rest.  Thus was the short version at least.  How long that actually was, she wasn't entirely sure -- there was a certain point when she stopped counting and it just became "a long time."  Plenty long enough that she'd be able to wield her seniority over people if need be, as long as they didn't jump her in rank.

Treason eyeballed him once more.  What do you do?  Hunt?  Academics?  Be a fluffy ball of fluff?  Not fighting, surely.  Unless he actually would surprise her.  If he could fight, that would mean he'd likely be an excellent spy... Nobody would suspect a thing.  He probably was into stargazing or counting the leaves on plants or some other boring thing.  It was true she was also not exactly friendly about it, more like someone making notes to know where to file some paperwork.

Ah, so that was why she felt so high. He supposed he could give her the pleasure of being a big and scawwy mountain woof by submitting to her a little. So the pack was not a pack for very long then? That was surprising, given the numbers they had. Then again, who didn't want to settle on a mountain (he didn't)? And apparently there were flatlands. Was that this big piece of nothing between them and the other mountains? Or the opposite side? Did he care?

I entertain others with my presence. He chuckled proudly. But mostly hunting. He added cheekily, a nervous paw running through his mane yet again.

Entertainment, huh?  Well, she wasn't too impressed.  There were plenty of other things that could be, should be done in the meantime.  Maybe she should just dismiss this dude and head off along her route.  After all the trespassers, she would rather continue to be careful.  Well. I'm going to continue with the patrol.  See you around.  Wow, it was almost like she tried to be nice.  Weird.  Ok, not really, it was mostly just so she could get away without being pestered too much.