Bramblepoint I'm feeling pretty empty, this attitudes expensive

Any supplies Fennec had gathered together were still in the den Bronco now occupied, but rather than bother with going back for them, it had given Fennec an idea. Today, when she got to her gardens, she didn't immediately go to either. Instead she began to walk circles around the surrounding trees, feeling their roots and measuring to see which of them might be able to house something of a small den beneath it.

It didn't take long. There was a thick tree only a few paces from her garden that was hidden by thorns, and she set at it. Digging had always been somewhat relaxing and, unlike every other den she'd made, this one would only house one. The witch of the brambles needed a hideout to suit her, a place where she could hide both herbs and poisons away.

She stopped for a break and emerged, dust-ridden and parched, around early afternoon. It would take a few days maybe, but she already had plans for how it would be laid out. She'd dig out storage for her herbs.... and find stones to hide the more dangerous ones. Then she could really get to work.

This looked lonely. :)

With the winter approaching Lele felt the need to explore more of the surrounding areas. She had thought long about a particular job she could pick up to be useful to the pack - more than providing the basic necessities. Hunting came naturally to her. Storytelling, which was at the heart of this pack - not so much. She had seen a lot in her life, but the image in her mind was way more vivid than she could make her words to be. But then one person's experience could never be that of another's. There were things you simply had to see for yourself. Guardian or mercenary - neither of those two. Knowledge of nature and stars - hardly. Childcare and medical care for people - no. That left traveling and - it turned out - that this was kind of a job too. One that did not require team effort or being with people for too long. 

Lele had started by walking the banks of a river and a lake, then - having caught a fresh trail of another wolf - she had changed her initial course and entered a forest-like place. There she lost the scent for a moment, but the sound of digging and smell of upturned earth and old leaves, brought her to the culprit. A cream-coloured she-wolf, who emerged from her den just as Lele came out in the clearing. Unaware of the other's disability, she started with a more subtle canine greeting, watching the other in silence, tail wagging, waiting to be acknowledged.

Well hello!

The wannabe princess was getting tired of this life rather quickly. Stalking prey was hard, making a living from just hunting small prey was even harder. And living out in the cold without a warm den in these times were even harder! Everything about this was hard. And she hated anything that amounted to being difficult. So naturally she hated the loner life. She hadn't slept well in days because she was so damned cold all the time.

So naturally she wanted that den she was luring on. She had been watching in silence, lurking almost, the much older female digging out a den. She wanted it, needed it. It was her right to have a warm home, wasn't it? She looked the elderly female over and finally came to the conclusion she could take her.

Aaaand cue for someone to come in and ruin it. She made an internal groan as the other wagged their tail in greeting. Time for different approach then. She came forward out of the shadows and smiled as a greeting. She had watched the elderly female more intently than the other, but Makatza didn't know she was blind either. But she was the first to speak regardless. "Hello." Makatza was still young, still smaller than the others, didn't mean she couldn't behave. Sort of.

"What are your names? I am Makatza." Princess of the Glacier. Though she knew that title held little to no meaning anymore. Her father was too sick to acknowledge his own title, an usurper had likely taken the throne at this point and that was why she didn't want to return. Ever.

I appreciate it! I've been dismally slow lately but holiday times tend to bring that on <3

also 'elderly' oh my god <3 Fennec would be so flattered

Fennec was way too pre-occupied to notice, at first, when the other wolf stopped quietly nearby. Right now her main concern was the dirt under her claws, which prickled enough to hide the feeling of being watched that she probably should have gotten. In a heavily un-ladylike fashion, Fennec lifted a paw to chew at them. The only downside of digging was she'd be tasting dirt all day.

When a sound from one of them finally tipped Fennec off, her ears flicked sharply towards them, but that was the only sign that she was surprised. Internally, she swore - fuck, wolves didn't usually hang around these parts. Where'd these two come from?

Fennec. She shot back, turning in whoever had introduced herself's general direction. Makatza. She didn't recognize it, which meant this wolf was from neither the Caldera nor Brecheliant.

Well... no reason not to have a little fun, right? I'd watch your step around here. I heard a snake not too long ago, no telling where it went. It sounded poisonous. How would they take that little bit of news?

Eoran - your avatar at a first glance reminded me of a bear. :D

Lele turned to greet the other wolf, who had joined them. She was a very young girl - looks may have deceived, but the demeanor and way Makatza carried herself gave her away. It seemed she had hidden in the shadows, observing the cream-coloured wolf even before Lele had made her appearance, which made her naturally wonder, why had it been so.

It turned out that her initial object of interest was also unusual. The milky colour of the other's eyes was the second thing that drew her attention. The first indicator had been the way Fennec regarded her. As if the focus of her gaze was slightly off to the side. The third clue revealed itself just seconds later - I heard a poisonous snake - not saw, but heard.

She wondered, if Makatza too had picked up, what was odd about the female, but she was not going to voice it aloud. By a spark of amusement, she sat down and asked: "How does poisonous sound exactly?"

Haha! Make sure Makatza doesn't hear you :P

The old female she had been watching responded with her name. The other did not. Makatza wondered why the other seemed so friendly and greeted her, but never gave her own name away. Couldn't exactly be some sort of state secret. Whatever, Makatza had little to no interest in her anyway, she wanted that den. She hoped that at some point they would both leave and she could claim it for herself. Or at the very least that the stranger left. Fennec she could take down herself if she wanted to.

"I'd watch your step around here. I heard a snake not too long ago, no telling where it went. It sounded poisonous."

Makatza raised an eyebrow. Really now? She had watched her for some time and never seen nor. What heard?

Did she just say heard? Makatza took a second look at the old woman and noticed the same things the stranger had. Her gaze was not directly at them, just slightly off them but in their general direction. And they were milky white. She was blind.

Well then this only made things easier for Makatza in the long game. She looked toward the stranger who sat down and asked their question. Makatza looked at her carefully, noticed she was average in size and rather lanky to look at. Makatza knew then she probably had a chance, but fighting both at once? Didn't seem like a smart choice even if the old lady was blind. She could still give off a bite.

Oh what to do.

She decided to remain standing, watching and looking between the two females then the façade slowly crumbled. "Fennec was it?" She slowly stepped sideways around to the side of Fennec, knowing she could hear her, that was okay. "I don't like when adults lie to me." She pinned her ears down but kept her tone light, playful. She didn't want to give anything away, not until the grand ending.

"You have something I want." She didn't look away from her, instead she came closer, making sure Fennec could hear her steps coming toward her. She didn't look at the stranger who had no name but spoke to her anyway. "And you stay out of this." She stopped a feet away from Fennec and readied her body to jump. She could do this, she got this. She needed it to survive.

Survival of the fittest after all. And Fennec was an old lady, she could go ahead and give that den away to the youngster.

She just smirked when one of the strangers asked what poisonous sounded like. They were quick, apparently, but she didn't feel the need to clarify or justify. The trick to lying was to never let on you had anything to prove. Completely unaware that Makatza had been present previously, she was committed to at least leaving the threat out there as a hanging spectre for them both. Her other garden was shared, but this den and the plants near it were dangerous enough to warrant a lingering reputation.

The other girl, however, accused her outright of lying. Fennec didn't react at first, but then she heard her move, circling around. That got her fur prickling... circling like that could mean a number of things, and one of those was that she was looking for an opening. Fennec shifted defensively, curling around and lowering her head slightly, ears now trained with vivid focus on Makatza.

Before she could reply, the younger wolf came out with it. The fuck do I have? she thought, but there wasn't exactly time to ask. She heard the push in the autumn leaves and her lips drew up into a snarl, though she did not loose any sound. She could never afford to drown out her opponent.

Her first move was to lunge sideways, trying to avoid the brunt of Makatza's lunge. She couldn't afford to be knocked off of her feet so early in, but she wasn't about to hold her punches either. She didn't know this other wolf well enough to care if she injured her, not when she bit first. Snakelike, she snapped in the area that Makatza's movements placed her, hoping to connect and tear before darting away. Judging a new opponent's movements was hard, but as long as she gave herself space, she could hopefully learn.

I rolled an 18 for Fenn to dodge that XD she's lucky she rolled well, I always put her at a bit of a disadvantage. I'm down to handle this fight however you want to, though!

Lele had expected to have good fun, but the situation took an entirely unexpected turn, when the youngster proved herself to be bold and rude. She smirked in response to Makatza's request to stay out of the potential fight - the scrawny brat had guts. Unlucky for her - this stranger had a great distaste for violent bullies and...

"Well..." she walked up to both of them and, if there was enough distance she would squeeze herself between the both, "...my pack happens to be an ally of this one's. So - I am obliged by law to take her side. Unless you want to test your strength and skills against two sets of jaws, I say - bugger off, Alice, to whichever Wonderland you have emerged from."  Lele said this calmly, looking the young wolf in the eyes.

I dunno if you guys are okay with me picking this up? I know a lot has happened since we started this thread, but I really wanna finish it. If you don't want to, just let me know<3

The old blind lady moved out of the way and Makatza hit empty air. She screeched in horror over missing a fucking blind lady, how could she miss? She was about to scream and yell, curse at her, but instead she felt fangs from the old lady. Makatza instinctually reacted by pulling backward as Fennec's fangs snapped her nose. It. HURT

She screeched like a banshee and fell backward has blood emerged from her nose. The other who was supposed to stay out of it, came in between the two and said something, but Makatza was screaming on top of her lungs to hear a word of what was said. "You, You - YOU BIT ME! YOU BITCH!" Makatza scrambled around and wiped the few drops of blood off her nose, lunged again directly into Ukulele she would by force try and push her away, use he force and weight to push off the woman.

She was small fry, she was NOT a part of this. Makatza opened her fangs and tried to grasp for Fennec, get a hold of her neck or shoulder and shake it in pure frustration.

She wasn't a cold blooded killer, but she was not a pushover. She wanted the old lady to give in, to fall over and die or plead for forgiveness for shedding the princess' blood.

I'm fine with it! I could use it as a trade thread <3

I rolled under 10 twice XD so this gets triggered

Fennec just grinned wickedly as Makatza screamed at her. She'd tasted blood and knew she'd left some kind of mark, but she wasn't about to get cocky based on that. Despite her expression, her head was lowered and everything was focused on reading the girl's movements and predicting where she'd go. The screaming made it both easier and harder for different reasons.

But this time, she wasn't able to avoid the attack. She'd thought that Makatza was going for Ukelele and shifted to help out, but instead, the girl's teeth sank into her shoulder. Fuck.

Fennec was knocked off balance and fell under her. As she gasped in a breath, she felt a spasm of pain in her chest. She couldn't draw a full breath and barely noticed Makatza's teeth anymore, panicking a bit at the familiar sensation.

Rolled a hit for Lele!

The youngster was not interested in the old and wise lady talking, she barged in Lele as a bulldozer, hitting her hard in the neck, making her step to the side and cough, until the uncomfortable feeling subsided and she was able to breathe again. 

By that time the furious yearling had knocked the blind one down and was towering over her. Lele did not wish to get in a full-blown fight, just to distract the she-wolf enough for Fennec to scramble away. Therefore she attacked the young wolf's rear end, aiming to either grab hard and pull on the tail or hind-leg.