Waterlily

Waterlily had followed her mate past the eastern boarders of their pack, where they had to cross north of Pike's Lake and navigate the cold waters of Requiems River, before making it to the lightly forested lands of their neighboring pack.

The wolfess paused at the border, letting her sensitive nose work over the various scent messages that lingered here. There was an alpha pair, one of which bore a scent somewhat familiar to Blackout - an older relative of his? The male was unfamiliar, as were the four other wolves that lived here. A Two more females and two more males. And then... was that a dog?

Lepiota

A Gray and tan form hurtled through the trees ahead, advancing rapidly in Waterlily’s direction. Pearl-white paws carried the frantic female with fleet, sure strides, bringing Lepiota within a dozen feet of the other before she realized the stranger was there. The wolfess skid to a halt with her fur bristled and a snarl twisting her features.

“Who are you?“ She panted sharply, her sides heaving from the exertion of a long run. Her left ear hung at an angle, in sharp contrast to its twin that stood tall and alert on the right side. A smattering of fresh blood and the stench of gunpowder suggested a bullet was to blame for this maiming, and gave reason for Lepiota’s mad dash through the forest.

Waterlily

Lily began to backpedal immediately, fearing that she'd accidentally strayed over the boarder and offended this female. Her fur bristled defensively, but her ears went back in submission when Lepiota finally came to a hasty stop before her.

That's when she noticed the blood. And the accompanying smell that made her nose curl. Water lily quickly put two and two together.

"Waterlily." She answered while her fear of being attacked by this wolfess shifted to the terror of being shot by a human. "Of the Aspen Grove pack. We came to secure an alliance, but... did humans do that to you?"

Lepiota

Lepiota looked back over her shoulder when Waterlily mentioned humans. Hatred burned in her almond eyes brought a low snarl to her words. "Yes, those bastards..."

The wolf turned back to Lily, determination set ridged into her gaze, "If you want to secure this alliance, I need you to help me distract the human's hounds. My brothers are still in there, and it won't be long before those hunters find their trail."

*Humans*

"This way!" Came the eager bay of a king hound. Not too far off, in the direction that Lepiota had just run from, the sound of snapping branches and rustling leaves could be faintly heard. Further from there, deeper in the territory, the excited bays of two other hounds rolled ominously through the flowered forest.

Waterlily

Her eyes went wide at Lepiota's demand. She took a step back, hinting at her response before her jaws ever parted to confirm it. "They have hounds and boomsticks, we can't possible go back into that." Waterlily took another step back and began to turn, ready to flee. The sound of the approaching hound and the chorus of their commrades sent chills down her spine. "We have to run. Come with me, to the Aspen Grove! We can use the river to break our scent trail."

Lepiota

Lepiota's attention snapped back to the hound that was closing in. Another snarl reverberated through her, but this time it wasn't just for her animosity against the humans. There was a touch of frustration to it as she side-glanced at Waterlily. "I'm not leaving my brothers and fleeing like a coward!" There was a brief moment where her brown eyes squared up on Lily, then turned away. Before the she-wolf leaped away to continue luring the dog away, she offered a curt growl, "We need allies that can help out, not ones that turn and run."

*Hunters*

It wasn't long before the hound burst into view. Nearly 152 pounds, long of leg, and with her powerful jaws hung agape and ready to fill with the flesh of wolf. A glint of sunlight caught against her neck, and a sharp eye might spot the ring of spikes jutting through the dog's dense fur.

With another deep, excited bark, the hound caught sight of her quarry and put on a burst of speed to catch up with Lepiota...

Waterlily

She recoiled at the emergence of the hound. She'd never seen a dog as large as this one, nor one so confident in their pursuit of a wolf. "I'll let our alpha know what's going on - I'll be back, I swear!" Waterlily promised this as she was already in mid-leap, sprinting back away from the border and fleeing from the rampaging hound.

Lepiota

Lepi's untainted ear had swiveled back to hear Lily's parting words before turning its focus on the thumping paws of the hound. She calculated its strides and timed her own. Pushing Waterlily out of her mind as a cowardice enemy, Lepiota thought only of her brothers as she feigned exhaustion to let the mongrel catch up to her. She let her tongue fly from the side of her mouth, uttered a pitiful whine to showcase false desperation. And when she felt the time was right, the wolfess suddenly turned and tucked her shoulder down, bracing for impact...

*Hunters*

Branches and sapplings whipped past the hound as she flew across the ground, steadily gaining on her target. She was nearly upon her when the wolf who looked to be on the verge of collapse suddenly stopped and spun about, offering the dog little time to react. She yelped in surprise as she collided with her prey, sending herself and Lepiota tumbling to the ground....

Lepiota

Lepiota winced under the impact, but she'd been ready for it, unlike the hound. After a brief tumble, the wolf was up and moving with murderous intent for the dog, hoping to catch her by the foreleg and mangle it.

*Hound*

The world tumbled around her two or three times before the hound came to a step. She was just blinking the stars from her eyes when Lepiota pounced, and before she could step the wolf, Lepi had sunk her teeth into her foreleg.

A sharp snarl rather than a yelp exploded from the hound and she reared up from the mess of leaves and earth she'd rolled through. She shifted her weight forward and drover her teeth for the side of the wolf's neck, but her wounded leg buckled and her fangs merely skimmed a few shallow groves in Lepiota's skin...

Lepiota

Lepiota felt a rush of satisfaction when her enemy buckled. She released the limb and danced back with a chuckling growl, taking the hit from the hound with little care. "Where are your masters now?" She taunted, and without wasting a moment more, sprinted a tight circle around the hound to snap at her lower back leg. If she could hobble another limb, this deadly hound would be rendered helpless.

*Hound*

She turned and lashed out, but again her foreleg buckled, and she was left with a mere tuft of gray and white fur between her jaws. The hound's snarls turned sharp, then broke into a ringing bark for help when she felt Lepiota snag her hind limb and score a second crippling wound. With a mix of fear and fury, she snapped back at the wolf's taunting chuckles, "Laugh now while you can, best! Once the rest of your pack has been killed by my master, you'll be next." Unable to move with any sort of speed or agility now, all the hound could do was offer defensive bites if Lepiota was foolish enough to get close to her face.

Lepiota

The vague sting of fur being ripped out was all but ignored by Lepiota. The wolf hadn't even paused to hear what her enemy was saying as her paws continued to dance and bring her circling like a whirlwind around the dog's other side. There, she snapped at her flank, wanting a third taste of her enemy's blood.

*Hound*

Lepiota's tactic was working, as the hound couldn't quite wheel around fast enough to stave off the wolf's yearning fangs. She sent another shrill, pleading bark out, then lunged desperately for Lepiota for a second time after her haunch was torn open. Yet again, her foreleg couldn't handle the hound's impressive weight and quick maneuver, and she not only missed latching onto Lepi, but collapsed in the brush.

The deep rumble of a human's voice echoed out from some distance away, and fainter yet, the thump of horse hooves...

Lepiota

A cinnamon and tan aud pivoted to the man's bellowing vocals and a primal fear twisted in the wolf's gut. Not so much for herself, no... she felt animosity. But as the hound's taunts replayed in her mind, Lepi was reminded of the urgent need to finish off this hound so she could circle back to her family.

With those thoughts in mind and no time to waste with leering taunts, Lepiota seized her opportunity to plunge down on the fallen dog and grab the back of the neck, just past where she saw that spiked collar...

*Hound*

The hound struggled and tried to wrench her neck aside, but Lepiota was far too fast for her now. She cursed and tossed her dial side to side and thrashed her body about, but that only caused her to collapse a second time, rather than throw the wolf off as she'd hoped. And once she was down, that was it. With a little more effort, Lepiota fractured the neck and the hound went silent.

The man was less silent as he rode closer to the scene, with a second voice calling somewhere much deeper in the woods...

Lepiota

Lepiota had clung on for the ride and bit down hard. All the while her good ear kept tabs on the man's advancements, and she was preparing to flee if the two legger dew close enough. Thankfully for her, the hound's own struggling aided Lepi's efforts and she felt the mutt go limp beneath her with a rewarding crack. Lepiota released the corpse and licked her lips. She spent only a moment or two listening to the humans, trying her best to memorize their locations, then she was slipping quietly into the underbrush. After seeking out a nearby stream to mask her scent, the wolfess began to double back into the heart of the territory to find her siblings.