ESTELLA
The puppy ran.
Running made her feel alive, the rythemn of her movement comforted Estella, and made her feel like she was stronger again.
The reason Estella ran was also because she was upset, But the confusion of Blutwald was behind her now.
The young female paused, the landscape looked unfamiliar, she wasn't even sure she was in her packs territory anymore. Sudden doubt clouded her mind, and a familiar fear gripped her heart.
The female changed her posture, and her eyes widened, this couldn't be Blutwald, the smells were unfamiliar, wild and seemed terrifying to the young wolf.
She turned to look back the way she had come, her heart pounding in her chest.
RHAEGAN
Something in the brush caught Rhaegan's ear. It sounded like a rabbit, and perhaps, if he was careful and quiet, he could sneak up on the creature. Taking care of himself had become simple routine for the young wolf. Rhaegan no longer spent his days waiting for someone to come around; both him and his brother would likely have starved by now if he had. Though Rhaegan was undeniably enjoying his new-found freedom to roam, the cub missed his father more than he cared to admit.
As he closed in on his prey, a strange scent became apparent. Rhaegan grimaced, peering over the brush with flattened ears. Not a rabbit, a she-wolf! She was smaller than him, soft looking, and scared. Still a den-pup, no doubt! Growling darkly, the hunter ducked back down.
He started to turn and move on, but then hesitated. Rhaegan had never seen another cub before. Why was she out here? ...Maybe it would be a good idea to watch her for a while. Though as far as he could tell the other cub was just as alone as him, she bore the scent of many other strangers. And they might be dangerous, even if the girl wasn't. It didn't hurt to be careful.
ESTELLA
Estella began to shiver slightly, the Forrest wasn't that different and she couldn't be that far away from home, but she had never been outside Blutwald before.
This was so new and scary, the small female had been fine until she knew she was beond the boarder. If Estella was honest she wasn't wven sure what she was scared of, but nevertheless the anxiety grew.
No, She could always smell her way back.
Turning, the cub of Blutwald looked back the way she had come. She knew it was that way, but Estella second guessed herself as normal. Just to be sure she lowered her small muzzle and sniffed at the ground, smelling her own scent directing her home.
But there wa something else, her untrained nose strained and she raised her head.
Was it a wolf? Maybe, but not like any the child had smelt before, still Estella had never had any reason to distrust another of her own kind and the thought of not being alone was a welcome one.
Her fear momentarily forgotten she spoke: "Hello, is anyone around?" Hardly orginanal, but something at least.
RHAEGAN
Pushing himself flatter into the dirt, Rhaegan scowled. It was clear by now that she was alone - but why? This girl didn't seem to have any clue how to take care of herself! Barking out like that, who knew what else might hear her? She was going to get herself eaten. She was going to scare off all the prey.
Rhaegan's eyes flicked back and forth over the ground, trying to decide whether he should leave or not. Maybe he would just tell her to be quiet. They wouldn't have to actually... talk. With a petulant sigh, the cub stepped out of the brush. "Hey!" He scolded, growling in frustration. "Keep it down!"
ESTELLA
The voice was not really a friendly one, but at least someone was there.
Estella looked around to see a brown wolf emerge from a bush, and was surprised to see he too was a cub.
Something about him seemed very.. grown up, even though he only looked to be a little older than herself.
And he was apparently angry at her. Her eyes lowered to ground, "Oh I'm so sorry" The small female whispered, her ears folded back. This was not the first impression she desired to give a potential friend. Her gaze slid back up to the male's face, and her ears flicked fowrd once more, curious. Where was his family? Estella didn't think anyone else was near and she hadn't smelt anything either.
"Is something wrong? You look like you are strong, why are you worried?"
RHAEGAN
With a fractious scowl, Rhaegan sniffed at her. Did she really think he looked strong? "'m not worried." The cub growled proudly, sitting down as if to prove his point. His ears curled back as he looked down on her through narrow eyes. "But you should be." Unlike him, the little she-wolf stank of fear and submission. What was a pup like her doing out here all alone?"There are coyotes out here, they'll eat you if you make too much noise."
That should be enough of a warning, right? She would go back the way she came, and become someone else's problem. Rae got to his feet and turned back toward the brush, eager to return to his business.
ESTELLA
Estella remained standing; this new wolf and his scrutinizing red gaze was making her feel uncomfortable.
Her eyebrows rose when he told her she should be worried. She was worried. She was worried quite often, and as far as she knew that wouldn’t change.
The puppy's ears dropped back slightly at the mention of Coyotes. She had never seen one of those before, but if they could eat wolf pups that definitely was something she wanted to avoid.
She wanted to ask the cub more, where was his pack, where was this place, and why was he alone? -But he was already turning away.
"Hey," Estella was conscious to keep her voice down, "Thank you for warning me about the coyotes. I didn’t know they were around here..." Estella knew he may not have even heard her thanks, but what mattered is that she had at least said something.
The pup realized she didn't know this red-eyed wolf's name, and immediately felt slightly bad she hadn't introduced herself, but he was already gone.
Now she was alone again, the pup turned back to the direction she had come and began padding down the path home.
The girl's mind was occupied, so when she heard the sound her ears shot up and then flattened almost just as fast.
He was right, there were coyotes.
The strange canine moved quickly, but Estella reeled on the spot and darted away. The thunder of the ground under her feet was nothing compared to her racing heart, she did not knew how many Coyotes there were, all she knew was she had to run, now. For her age and size, she could run fast, but she didn't know if it was fast enough to outrun what followed her.
She realized with a jolt she was not the only one who may be in danger, and that she was running in the direction the other pup had taken. “Run! Coyote!” She gasped as she saw the male and passed him, but even then she didn’t slow down.
RHAEGAN
If he'd heard her thanks, Rhaegan did not feel the need to acknowledge it. Meeting this stranger did not strike him as particularly meaningful in any way, and why should it? There were many strangers in this wood. Thoughts of the skittish she-wolf left his mind as he sniffed out a promising rabbit trail. At least, until she came flying past him screaming"Coyote!"
He didn't waste time questioning it, in the blink of an eye Rhae had fallen in step beside her. The high-pitched yipping of the mangy creature set his teeth to grinding. It was very close. Simply outrunning it might not be an option if their pursuant were hungry.
It occurred to the male that all he really had to do was outrun the little she-wolf. And after all, wouldn't he be right to do so? She'd brought the slobbering beasts on herself, with that senseless wailing! She'd led them to him! Ears flattened, Rhaegan looked toward the left, ten more strides, and then a sharp break into the brush. The coyote wouldn't even notice one of its targets had escaped! All he had to do was abandon the other cub to her fate. All he had to do... Now!
And the moment passed. "Aaargh!" Growling in frustration, Rhaegan berated himself for his weakness. He was going to get himself killed right alongside the stupid girl! "Come on!" He barked, veering toward an abandoned badger's den he'd found a while back. If they were quick, it would be the perfect shelter. The entrance was only just big enough for a wolf cub to fit, and much too small for their follower to pursue them into. It had a back entrance too, one they might be able to get through and away before the coyote figured it out.
ESTELLA
Estell allowed her stride to match the brown male as he caught up to her. The anxiety and fear she felt made her heart flutter and her vision began to blur slightly, her breathing heavy and her mind becoming fuzzy. The she-wolf struggled against the panic for a moment, then all at once she broke through with a rush of adrenalin and her mind cleared. Running was her release and now it could be what saved her.
From the wolf beside her Est sensed a slight change, and her green eyes flickered to the side. It only took a moment for her to realize what the red-eyed pup intended.
What would normally have cut her to the core was lessened by the situation and the state of clarity in the females mind. He planned to leave her to face the coyotes alone, and although he had lost her trust she did not wish harm on him.
“Come on!” He barked, but how could she know this was not a trick? She raced along beside him but when she reached the burrow the girl instead leapt over it and bolted onwards.
Wishing him well, Est now focused entirely on speed, forcing her body to run faster than ever before. It was good that she ran so often, otherwise it was unlikely a wolf her age could have lasted this long. Even so, she could hear the creature -or creatures right behind her and she knew speed alone may not be enough.
Ahead she saw a gnarled twisted mass; thick vines and roots that had once covered a massive fallen tree which had rotted away, leaving nothing but hollow spaces and grass between the mess of stems. She dove inside and pressed through the stems, crouching and hoping the thick outer structure would be enough between the small she wolf and her enemies.
The coyote paws scrabbled at the outside, one reached in far enough to rake across her flank and Est gasped and recoiled. The tip of a pointed muzzle forced through a small gap and without hesitation instinct prompted the puppy to bite it as hard as she could. Blood spurted from the tender black nose and the enemy withdrew with a yelp.
Est waited in suspense, at any moment expecting another attempted attack but nothing happened. Her breathing grew less labored as she caught her breath, Surely she had not scared them off? She had only bitten one, where were the others? Estella’s eyes widened as she thought of the Cub with the red eyes. Leaping from her safe haven, she had to go back and see if he was okay!
RHAEGAN
He bolted into the hideaway, squeezing deeper into the dirt tunnel until he heard the sound of the coyote pounding overhead. Rhaegan held his breath, listening as the creature's pawsteps faded away. He let out a heavy sigh of relief, and it took him a moment of harried panting to realize that the little she-wolf had not followed.
Had she kept running? Where did she think she would go? Stupid, stupid girl! He'd tried to help her and she'd been too stupid to listen! Crap! No wonder the coyote had run past the burrow so quickly. Rhaegan poked his head out of the bolt hole, sniffing the air and listening for anything. It was all quiet. Maybe the girl got away. Or maybe she got eaten.
Crawling out and shaking the dust from his fur, the brown cub hopped to the top of the hill, ears pricked forward as he surveyed the area. Empty. Crap. Rhaegan sat down with a huff. He felt he should have been relieved to be out of harms way. But instead all the cub felt was an irritation. More at himself than the girl. He should have been paying more attention. What if Aleksey had been the one following him? The runt was the only family left to Rhaegan, and the thought of losing Alek as easily as he'd lost the girl stung worse than bees. He'd have to do better next time.
A sharp rustling caught Rhae's attention. Then he heard the sniffling yammers of a coyote. The red-eyed cub spun, finding himself less than a meter from not one, but two, of the scraggly beasts. There was no blood on their lips, but one had a nasty scratch on it's nose. Could the female have escaped?
Rhaegan's mind raced as he tried to think of a way out. He couldn't get back down to the bolt hole before they would be on him; that wasn't an option. Bristling up and growling like a wolverine, the little cub tried to back away slowly. They circled around from separate angles, trying to cut off any hope of a retreat.
ESTELLA
Estella’s eyes narrowed at the strange sound of a coyote up ahead, then a rumbling growl. Her sprint turned to a careful walk, and she made her movements quieter. The pup had only recently began her training within the pack and luckily for her stalking and quiet movements were fresh in her mind, they was the first thing she was being taught and she was grateful for the little she did know.
Her inexperienced but quiet steps brought her through some long grass, and Est remained in cover while she took in the scene before her. Oddly she felt no fear in this moment, but a steady welling up of determination and purpose. Est was the daughter of a leader, and a leader cared for their pack, this boy was not her pack, but was it not right to do what you could to help others, to make this world a better place? If you did nothing to better the world she had come to believe your short life would be wasted, and the thought of leaving the small brown male to his fate did not even enter her mind.
What could she do though? Options were limited, and she hadn’t really had any lessons in fighting at all. She knew from somewhere that most predators wouldn’t attack something they thought would put up a decent fight, preferring to find easier prey with less risk. Maybe if the two pups could show how hard they would fight the coyotes would decide to go away. But it seemed a long shot, and just jumping in now seemed reckless, Est wished she had more time to think up a strategy.
She took a small step forward, muscles tensing, when she felt something strange brush by her paw. Green eyes looked down at the tail feather she had felt and then across at the dead Pheasant bird that lay beside her. She didn’t know why it was dead, but it had probably only died recently. Easier prey…
Leaping now, the small she wolf sprung to her acquaintance’s side, her growl rumbling through the bird she held in her mouth. Crushing it in her jaws, she felt the blood began to drip down and it’s sent fill the air around them, her eyes never left the coyotes.
In a swift movement she dropped the carcass and backed away, her gaze held the coyotes with an intensity. She would fight if it came to it, but the puppy hoped they took the bait, the substitute meal. If they did the pups could run, and Est only hoped the dirty brown male would understand what she was doing and run with it too.
RHAEGAN
Motion out of the corner of his eyes caught Rhaegan's attention. He turned just in time to see the she-pup launch herself into the center of the kill ring, like some half-wit suicidal... wait. There was a bird in her mouth, where had she caught that!? Why had she brought ithere!? The coyotes would rip the cubs apart even more viciously for such a prize! She'd sealed their fate! This wasn't the way Rhae felt like dying!
He almost spared a condescending remark, until she dropped the broken pheasant and started backing away. Looking back at the coyotes, Rhaegan saw a new uncertainty behind their movements. Was she... was she luring their attention? It might work. But what if if the mangy dogs decided to wolf pups would make a fine desert. Backing up a little more slowly than the female, Rhaegan lifted his head and howled for his father.
Ivan wouldn't come. But the coyotes needn't know that. They chattered nervously, ears pricked and eyes turning in all directions.
"Don't run." The he-wolf whispered to his accomplice. They needed to back slowly out of sight, while their attackers were distracted. Maybe, just maybe, this would actually work!
ESTELLA
When the brown male howled Estella suppressed a shudder, she found his howl to be unsettling. It was a calling sound, perhaps the brown male did have family nearby, although she wondered if this was a good thing?
Estella heard the boy whisper to not run and part of her -the braver part pumping with adrenaline- wanted to tell him of course she wouldn't run! As if she would devise a plan and then ruin it so quickly, did he think she was stupid?!
But she didn't trust herself to speak, and instead simply nodded in understanding, her eyes remaining locked on the two coyotes as the cubs continued to back away.
The two coyotes looked uncomfortable, the howl had definitely made them think twice, and she could see their eyes flickering between the cubs and the bird carcass.
She could feel the longer grass behind them, if they continued to back away the grass was tall enough to hide them from view. She felt the stems brushing her side now, a few more steps and they would be out of sight.
One of the coyotes -the one Est had not bitten- took a step forward. Weather it intended to take the bird or go after the cubs was not clear, but the small female cub found herself freezing in place.
She took another step back, and became aware of a rumbling sound. The Blutwald pup felt a degree of surprise when she realized the deep growling was her own, a sound unbidden escaping her jaws.
With that she took her last step back and grass stems obscured her view of the enemy.
She looked to Rhaegan now, had this really worked? She took a few steady steps back just to be sure, she expected at any moment to hear the sound of the monsters approaching. The puppy almost cringed at a sharp snapping sound, it sounded like the crunching of bones. She really wanted to run now.
RHAEGAN
Supplying a growl of his own, Rhaegan backed up with her, the two walking in tandem back towards the concealing grass. He hesitated as they disappeared from view, only relaxing once he heard the coyotes tear into the bird. He blinked and looked over at the she-pup, a rare smile crossing his features. He had to admit he was surprised her plan had worked. It was something he'd need to remember for the future - a useful trick.
Rhaegan wanted to know more about the girl. Her name at least, since he'd never asked. Motioning for her to follow, he sprang away from the sound of the feasting mongrels. Maybe this time she would actually follow him.
ESTELLA
Without hesitation, Est bounded after the boy. She felt relief washing over her, and her steps felt light, They were alive! She smiled over at her companion, they had worked together and even if they hadn't defeated the coyotes she still felt they had won a good victory.
For a second she paused, hesitating, the small female felt unease and distrust creeping back into her young mind. She shook out her fur, shaking away the unease as if it was water clinging to her coat and smiled again. Something told her she was safe, at least for now.
Looking at the male now Est realized she knew nothing about him at all, but she was curious. She hadn't met a wolf like him before. Again she wondered where the wolf he had called to was, did she dare to ask the young male and risk breaking the peace? No, probably not a good idea.
"Gee, coyotes are much less intelligent than I thought." She said simply, allowing herself a small grin.
RHAEGAN
"They're stupid." Rhaegan replied haughtily, though their encounter had been much closer than the cub would've liked. Leading the way, he padded to a small mossy outcrop and sat down in the shade. It was sheltered and quiet, and they weren't likely to be seen on the off chance that the coyotes wanted a second course.
Staring at the girl longer than would be considered polite - to a wolf that understood such a concept, at least - Rhae tried to puzzle out where she had come from and why. She was smart, but flighty, and he didn't want to startle her into running away again. "What's your name?" He asked finally.
ESTELLA
Estella followed Rhaegan without question, she felt like he knew his way around this strange outside world and she was still buzzing from their escape. Looking around at the mossy outcrop she smiled, she thought it was a very beautiful place.
With unease she realized the other cub had been staring at her for a while now, and was grateful when he broke the silence. "My name is Estella." The thought of giving a fake name so others didn't recognize her as daughter of Stallion and Winema didn't even cross her mind, she was honest about these things. Why wouldn't she be?
"What are you called?" She had other questions she wanted to ask him, but for now she would limit herself to this simple one.
RHAEGAN
"Estella..." He tried, finding he liked the sound. He nodded seriously. "That's a good name." He had hoped rather vaguely that maybe she would've said "Polaris", and been his sister that Ivan said Stallion stole away. But that had been an unrealistic expectation anyway, so the little brown he-wolf wasn't too disappointed. Sitting up straight, like the prince he knew he was, the cub announced proudly, "I'm Rhaegan."
Original skin by SimplySilent | BG from MiriStock
