Well isn’t this…. Quaint….

[scarlet]

September 1^st

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Lithe black paws set down all but silently among the dense undergrowth as thin, low growing branches and stems lashed like whips against rust red fur. The scents of the forest, dirt, leaf, bark, whatever that squeal had for it’s last meal, mingled together with the mild chill get settling into autumn air. It was almost enough to give you a natural high. Almost. But not quite enough.
The she-wolf slowed, long lanky limbs easing down from her mad dash to a casual trot, then to an ambling walk. Large ears twitched, angling themselves to take in any sort of sound that could signal the approach of another like herself. It did not take a genius to figure out that there were other less the normal wolves in the area. A simple circuit around the town had told her that. Whoever was here smelled like thay had a pre-established pack and Scarlet doubted they would appreciation an intrusion. Then again, a lack of appreciation often lead to a rather interesting chain of events.
The oversized wolf let out a short bark of laughter, lips curling back in heart stopping grin. It was the grin of a true predator, the sort you would imagine a shark would give a small, defenseless baby seal before snapping its jowls shut over the creatures throat. But was she anything less then a shark at the moment? Alone and irritated, itching for a good fight after her one and only companion for the last hundred or so years just up and left for Europe. She was ready to have a little tooth on claw action, a sharp tongued battle of wits. Hell, Scarlet was ready to settle for having a pack on her heals as they chased her out of the area if it could give her a good rush at this point. She wanted, no, needed confrontation at this point. She had lived a year on letters and fifteen minute phone calls for a year, she wasted live interaction.
But, the problem of Iggy arose once again. He had suggested she settle down and wait on him to return. Ha, that was an idea and a half. Settle down Scar, get a job and a house. Go get some formal schooling, you might just like it. The baldy. He must surely be going mad back in his coven if he thought she would ever settle down. She had done just fine thus far, and she saw no reason to stop her wild ways and become ‘humanized’ again. Unless, of cores, something caught her interest. Maybe this pack would prove entertaining for a spell…
She snorted, finally slowing to a stop in the dense forests and lowering her head. Damn it all, she truly was lonely. And the realization of that fact did nothing for her mood. Her legs folded under her as she sank to the forest floor, a quiet growl rumbling in her cheat. Stupid vampires and their covens, stupid werewolves and their pack instincts, stupid her and her stupid need to have some kind of interaction after a year of solitude. When had she become so weak as to need another? For years she had been something fierce, that red wolf the other packs feared because she came like a flash and left their fur on end. She never needed anyone for such a long time, and now, with Iggy gone, she actually felt… alone. For the first time since she was human.
The growl building in her chest suddenly exploded as frustration became rage for an instant. She whipped her head to the side, jaws snapping at nothing in particular, only to crunch down on the thin trunk of a sapling. Scarlet snarled, half rising to her paws and giving her head a quick, violent shake. The slender young tree gave beneath her teeth like butter, slicing as cleanly as can be expected in half.
The she-wolf stilled, glairing down at the small stump that was once the base of the saplings trunk. It was no thicker then a quarter, the wood slick and damp looking both from the water within it and her own saliva. She gave a last, low pitched growl before dropping the stick and throwing back her head. A long, eerily high pitched howl ripped its way out of Scarlet, shaking her to her very core as she forced ever scrap of her turmoil into the call. It was a challenge, an invitation for those who dared come instead of hanging back and waiting to be found. She wanted to know who held power over these lands, wanted to know if hanging around this dull little town would be worth her time. Most of all, she wanted to know who she could drive up a wall and have a bit of fun with. Maybe coming across this pack was not such a bad thing after all. She would get to see how they work, and maybe pick a few fights before moving on.
When in Rome… Cause as much havoc as possible. Right?

[Twilight Black]

She was on another lap around the town. Twilight had a companion this time, her newest pack member, a female. Sounding the call to meet, Twilight had stalked off into the forest to wait for Adrianne. The girl was new, so Twilight was eager to try her out. Besides, we all need some girl time. Twilight’s wolf lips stretched across her gums in a wry smile. Yeah, girl time, stalking through the forest in search of trespassers. Once a tom-boy, always a tom-boy. To be honest, she preferred this over sitting down, watching a movie, eating popcorn, and spilling your soul. Yes, trekking through the forest was much preferred. Her home was just starting to turn seasons; she could smell the coming autumn in the air, literally. The air had a crisp freshness to it that only came with the cooling months. Trees were adorning their fall hues, lighting up in vermilions, magentas, brilliant yellows, and carrot oranges. Ah yes, now was a good time to go wandering.

Unfortunately humans thought so too. People were packing in as much camping experience in before the onset of winter. When immortals inhabited a town, this could be dangerous. It was a good thing Adrianne showed up when she did, because they would need to run patrols more often. Especially through those parts were humans liked to camp the most. Yup, it was a busy season for hiking equipment stores, and werewolf packs. Twilight trotted slowly around the borders of the woods circling the town, nose ready to pick up any scents that might concern her. Life was every where in the forest. It was a shame that humans’ senses were so weak. They missed out on a lot. Twilight continued meandering through the forest, Adrianne trailing behind out of sight.

Suddenly, the scent hit her. Another werewolf, a female also. A low growl rumbled through her being, anger shaking her. Another. She was getting quite annoyed with the amount of werewolves, AND vampires in her town. A high, angry howl ripped through the forest. The voice was not of any she has heard before, the trespasser. The growl intensified, and she lifted her head toward the tree canopy and the sky beyond. A low response to the howl. It was a response to the challenge, the claiming of territory, and a sign of dominance all wrapped in one. It would have taken at least five sentences to explain in human tongue. Wolf language was so much more efficient.

Now she was jogging, following the scent trail and the howl. Her head was lowered, stalking, her tail high, dominant. The scent of the female was unlike other werewolf scents. Well, she would see why it was unusual soon. Her pace was easily maintainable, but covered great distances very quickly. She soon came upon the other wolf. At first she was confused at seeing the large fox. It took her a moment to recognize the maned wolf that stood before her. Twilight raised her head high, another sign that she ruled these forests. Amber eyes stared at the other wolf, waiting for eye contact. She was a motionless statue, waiting for the other wolf’s response.

[scarlet]

Scarlet let her muzzle drop, ending her howl sharply as the returning call sounded. The sound sent shiver sensation though her fur. It was deep, resonating, commanding. She must have caught the attention of the alpha. A small, almost smug looking smirk stretched across the wolf‘s muzzle. Perfect.
The she-wolf braced herself immediately, muscles tensing as she made a slow, small circle in the undergrowth. Her ears swiveled this way and that, straining for any scrap of sound she could pick up. She refused to be caught off guard by whomever owned these lands. Excitement and anticipation was making her giddy, surging adrenaline into her veins. She was ready, she wanted this, she needed this. This alpha was in for a fight, that was a given.
It was exciting, the idea of seeing another of her own kind again. After all these years of avoiding other packs as well as she could this meeting would be quite a treat. Yes, she had run across the occasional loner like herself, and she had made contact with a few other packs, but she never stayed long. Majority of time, when it came to the pack lands she had crossed into, she only managed to get into spats with the border patrol. Those far northern wolves really meant busyness when you crossed into their lands, and she had carried the scars to prove it for a while.
Thankfully, the scars had faded, her fur grew back in, and she was no worse for wear. But still, she had to wonder what made these alphas so prestigious they hardly needed to lift a paw, or so it had seemed all those times. She knew why humans thought they were chosen in real, well, non-shifting wolves, but she had to question how her own kind chose. Eldest, most intelligent, or was it really based all on brute strength. Surely with human intellect there had to be a better system then fighting to the death or until one of the opponents back down to save their hide.
The appearance of the other wolf shook Scarlet from her train of thought, causing her to lurch forwards a step on impulse. Her tail raised in challenge, ears straining forwards towards the…the, wait. A low, irritated grown sounded from the pit of her throat as she lowered her head, lips drawing back in a snarl. This wolf, did not smell male, how could there be a female alpha? Never had there been anything mentioned in books of a female alpha. Wolf or werewolf. Nothing, nada, zip, zero. This was madness, she must be the beta, or maybe the alpha’s mate. That still made this female a high ranks right? She could still be fun…
Head lowered, eyes locked, tail raised, Scarlet advanced another few paces. She did not keep her legs stiffened, that was an idiotic thing to do. Limber muscles, relaxed but not to the point of being slow allowed for agility, not stiff limbs of stone that seized up and pulled the muscles to the point of pain. Her rust red pelt bristled, the thick, longer fur on her neck fluffing out to twice its normal size as her body lowered ever so slightly. She looked like she had gone into the typical play-bow, but there was nothing particularly playful about the direct stair or the high, dominance defying carriage of her tail.
Well, there was no changing who had just come from the brush, she thought, less then happily. Might as well get a few hits in before asking about the alpha… Scarlet let a slight frown twitch at the corners of her muzzle. It would have been oversimplified to say she was merely disappointed about not meeting the alpha male first time around, but there was still hope. She could still see how well this female fought, though the real spark of excitement had dwindled to the point of considering calling it quits. But that would look weak would it not? Simply sitting down after this wolf shows up to fight. It would make her look like a scared little pup, getting in over her head then turning tail and running. She had too much pride to even consider it. She would just have to see what the female did. If she attacked, they would fight, at least exchanging a few blows before Scarlet would stop and demand to see the alpha. If the other wolf suggested talking first, well she would have no qualms with that either. All the better to meet the head honcho with as little pre-established bodily damage as possible she guessed.

[Twilight Black]

Twilight calmly stared at the new female, even as she lurched forward slightly. If she was in human form, one eye brow would be raised. Though rage bubbled up inside her at the dominant display on her land, she didn’t react. Oh how she wanted to give that wolf a lashing. She and the other female were close in size, the other being taller but slimmer, Twilight being shorter but more muscular. It was an even match, for now. Adrianne should be arriving soon. Twilight didn’t know how much fighting experience the girl had, but she could only help if this came to a fight. And they would fight if they needed to. On her terms though, not from a foolish provoking.

While still motionless, Twilight took the time to observe the other wolf more carefully. Twilight had never seen a maned wolf before, and this was probably the closest thing to one that she would ever see. She knew they were native to South America, and Twilight wondered if this female was too. The long black legs looked perfect for running swiftly through grasslands. This would be a helpful advantage to her pack. But by the way this female was acting, she probably wasn’t interesting in joining a pack.

As the female paced forward, Twilight’s hackles raised, lip pulled up over her teeth, exposing wicked canines. Eyes were fixated on the other wolfs. The meaning was clear. Keep your distance. Though the gesture looked very aggressive, it didn’t have much aggressive energy behind it. Merely a warning. Twilight would be patient with this female, but only for so long before she taught her why she was in charge of these lands. If the female backed off, Twilight would too. If the female was willing to talk, and not fight, Twilight would be willing to also. As they faced off, Twilight studied the eyes of the female. Frustration and rage surged behind them, the energy rushing forth. Twilight’s own eyes turned curious now. What had this wolf been through? Twilight waited for the female’s reaction. Would there be a fight? Or would it end here, both showing their place.

[scarlet]

A sly grin made its way across Scarlet’s muzzle at the other wolf’s warning. It was aggressive looking, like the female meant busyness, but nothing more. There was no energy behind the look, nothing to strike up the right kind of fear that would make this fight worth starting. Then again, she had never been one for obeying warnings.
She inched forwards, body held low, ready to spring, tail held high, a final sing that this was no surrender. She would rather eat a poisoned rat then submit to any wolf who marched up to her with their snout in the air. Maybe it was in her genetics to be a loner, from what she had read her kind, or the sort of kind she resembled most, never formed packs like other wolves. They did at times share a large territory, but they rarely met aside from during the mating season or if there was a large food source. Then again, she had characteristics that did not match with her species. She could howl and her legs were more muscled then a normal Maned wolf’s would be, making them faster and more agile then they should have been naturally. But those two traits might have only been effected by the fact that she was a werewolf, not a normal wolf at all.
Well, it was something to ponder on late at night when you fun out of books, right?
Giving herself a mental shake to dislodge that train of thought, Scarlet refocused on the situation and the wolf in front of her. Dark chocolate and gold flecked eyes skimmed over the female quickly before resettling on the other’s eyes. She looked well muscled, healthy, a good opponent, but the look in her eyes was giving Scarlet second thoughts. The female looked curious, not agitated. But curious about what? Herself? That was the most probably answer, but why? There should be no thinking involved with this, no curiosity. If the female meant to fight her, she would need to focus more. Being distracted by wonder would be her down fall. Although, at the moment, Scarlet had little plans for violence. She was being given an opportunity to save her strength for the Alpha male.
Her lips pealed back suddenly, that shark’s grin pulling her muzzle and giving a slightly maddened look to her eyes as she shot forwards suddenly, leaping right for the other wolf. A deep-throated single bark ripped its way out of Scarlet as she charged, making a fleeting snap at the female, but being sure to catch nothing but air, she veered suddenly away and towards a tree. With a last flick of her tail she launched herself at the tree, body changing quickly from wolf to human as she caught the lowest branch and pulled herself up. She swayed slightly, changing so quickly and while in motion was a rather disorientating and nauseating experience. She made no move to climb any high or sit up from the branch for a long moment as she both caught her stomach in her mouth and allowed for the rest of her change to finish.
After a moment, once her fur had vanished, joints reconnected properly, and limbs shortened to their appropriate length, Scarlet sat upright, a leery grin on her face. The expression of those who saw her shift was always an entertaining one. Changing from a tall, dangerous looking South American wolf into a short, willowy limbed and boney pail skinned girl with faint scars up and down her sides always caused interesting looks. “Scare you, puppy?” She asked, her voice cool and sweet, with a very faint trace of a French accent playing over the words. She actually had no way of knowing if this female was older then her. She could well have been another three hundred years her senior. But she had to get her kicks in somewhere, right? She had let the female off without so much as a nip, so a little insult, hardly a taunt, could not be less then expected from her anyways.

[Phoenix]

Along the eastern most edge of the forest, Phoenix was chomping down on a recent stag kill. Blood running over his lips and down his neck, dripping onto the ground. He had just finished the back straps when he heard the howl of a werewolf. The intensity behind it was clearly a challenge, or at least an angry and distraught outburst. And the fact that it wasn't Twilights mad him curious. He didn't really know any of the new wolves calls but surely they wouldn't be foolish enough to cry for a challenge. Not when Twilight was making rounds. Nix swallowed the mouthful, ah the feeling of warm raw meat sliding down his throat, not much could beat it when eating as a wolf. With school having started back up, and Phoenix having to put up with all of the stress of the hypocrites, still had a lot of energy left after slaughtering the animal and felt up to a challenge. This would be a bit new for him. Nix had never actually gotten a chance to channel his anger into something that would for once fight back. He exhaled slowly, then inhaled as much air as possible and howled loud and long so the challenger would know that one had accepted it. Robbins, sparrow, finches and numerous other birds took flight to the sudden disturbance. Nix left his kill in the open and walked several yards away from in and sat behind a tree and some brush...waiting.

[Twilight Black]

Twilight’s growling stopped as the female prepared herself to spring. She readied herself for the attack. A strategy was forming in her mind. Pivot to the right, so she misses me. Then shift weight back for power to lunge. Keep center of balance low for balance… The calm, but very fleeting thoughts ran through her mind while the female was distracted by her thoughts. Twilight smiled inwardly at the females refocus. The females eyes wandered over Twilight, sizing her up. Then the female lunged. Twilight readied herself for the female. Blinking in surprise when she realized that the female undershot her distance, Twilight cocked her head. The female veered wildly away, leaping into a tree half-formed. Twilight sat down to wait for the changing female.

Suddenly a familiar howl ripped across the land. Twilight huffed slightly, a wolf sigh. Phoenix. Shoulda known he would want a fight. Twilight shook her head resignedly, and lifted her head to the sky. A long, higher pitched howl floated eerily up. It was the call to meet. The rest of the pack, all two of them, would start heading her way now. Twilight didn’t know how Phoenix would react to the strange, challenging female. She hoped he would behave himself, but one never knew with Phoenix. He would just have to trust her to keep their pack lands safe. Besides, he knew what he had coming if he disobeyed her.

With pack matters taken care of, Twilight focused on changing her body. She grimaced at the thought of being naked around a stranger, but she shrugged it off. Twilight cast one glance up at the female, to make sure she wouldn’t take advantage of her in her vulnerable state. With sickening crunches, bones and joints began snapping back into something more human. Muscle mass shrunk, making her weak with her too-large skeleton. Forearms rushed back to their normal length, her hunched back showing skin through the rapidly decreasing fur. Shaking her head rapidly, her maw shrunk back into her face, human features smoothly working their way in to the wolf face. The transformation took less than ten seconds, but it would seem like a lifetime to anyone who wasn’t used to such a ghoulish transformation.

After finishing, Twilight stood up, stark naked, to face the female in the tree. Though a normal transformation was a startling thing, seeing two opposites in the same being was confusing. In some odd way, it fit the girl though. A maned wolf seemed fit her personality. A wry, slightly mocking smile formed on her now human features.

”Hardly wolf. Sorry to disappoint. Now, what business to you have being on my land?” Twilight’s voice was calm, almost unconcerned, getting right to the chase. Twilight wasn’t often fond of wasting words, and she would not waste them on this haughty female now. She continued to stare the female in the eye, even though the female was higher up than Twilight.

[scarlet]

Scarlet arched a brow, her attention shifting from the female to the new voice’s howl suddenly. She did not bother to refocused as quickly as she would have on the ground. For the moment, she considered her fragile human form safe, up in a tree, with the female below her. Nothing to fear, unless the other could pull off the same high speed shifting and scramble up the tree as she had. Then there may be some issues.

Her gaze swept back to the female, her lips curling back into an agitated snarl at the return call. Did she have to do that so close to the base of the tree? Even in this form with its dull senses the return call was still loud. Although, from what she could pick up with these deafened ears, the howl was a call to meet, so she supposed she almost owed the female gratitude. She was after all bringing the party to them.

“Well now, I’m rather popular already, aren’t I?” Her grin was back in an instant, pulling tight at the corners of her mouth as she watched the female shift. She took particular pleasure at the look of displeasure the other had, snickering a bit to herself. If she was so uncomfortable with shifting maybe she was still a pappy. Oh that would be a real hoot. An alpha female, as Scarlet presumed thus far, who was no more then a pup. Maybe this pack was not as big as she had first suspected. A small frown tweaked down the corners of her mouth at that though. What a disappointment that would be, having all those different scents around the fringes of this pack’s territory be nothing more then creatures passing though. Even the reoccurring scents that went deep into the territory from what she had found might have been creatures simply making their way thought the town. Well, that was one way to put a damper on the mood. Ugh.

She gave a small questioning sound, her attention, more slowly this time, shifting from her thoughts to the female. She noted absently that she had been staring at, or more correctly through, the female below her. She took a moment to refocus, brushing the rather depressing thoughts of having stumbled upon a pack of puppies away and to glance over the female’s human form. It was not much of a mood lifter. One side of her lips twitched, pulling back into a small snarl. As always, the female was taller then Scarlet herself. Why, oh why had she been cursed so? To forever be tiny and almost undeveloped in comparison to these freakishly tall females of today’s generation. She blamed her older genetics, and the steroids in meat that humans were feeding their pups now a days. That could not be good for their health at all, and yet it produced these taller, curvier creatures that never ceased to tick the smaller girl off.

“Busyness? Why would I be interested in something so formal and boring? No, I’m here purely for the entertainment of crossing pack boundaries again. And maybe to use a phone,” she replied, keeping the idea of sticking around for a while to herself until a bit later. She had yet to see if these wolves would be worth her time, although she certainly had enough of that to waste lately. “However, if you wouldn’t mind letting me though to see your alpha, I would truly love to get in a quick fight with him.” She paused, debating for a moment with herself before swinging down from the tree. She landed lightly, poised to run if this female had any intensions of attacking still. It was doubtful, or at least in her mind, considering they had both shifted and there would be little point in having a cat fight in human form. A small, wry smirk crossed her features at the poor humor she found in the expression.

Now that she was on the same level as the other female, it was easier to see just how small Scarlet was. She looked much younger then she truly was, appearing to be a small sixteen year old instead of her rightful age of eighteen, for the last two-handed or so years that is. Her body looked delicate almost fragile, as if hugging her to tightly would snap the poor thing in half. Her muscles were wiry and corded, all but to impossible to detect on her slender frame. Ashy brown hair hung in wavy tangles down past her shoulder blades looking dull and in need to a good wash and brush. It had obviously been a while since it had been cut, the ends ragged and fringe(bangs) grown out to the point that it would completely cover her fine featured face if not pushed out of the way every few minutes.

However, for as human as her appearance was, there was something off about her. It was in the way her muscled twitched beneath her dirt dusted skin, in her posture, the way honey gold eyes locked onto the female’s in an unwavering stair. She appeared too wild, too feral to be completely human. In every movement, every breath and pull of skin over muscle over bone, her life story was portrayed. A century or more as a wolf, living wild to the point she had forgotten her original language and social customs. After living like that there was no going back, she had never been able to go back to being completely human.

Even when her fir shrank away and she walked on two legs there were remnants of her wolf self in her appearance. The slightest point to her ears, the way light reflected in her eyes, how her teeth looked almost to sharp, to animalistic to belong in a human mouth. She had paid for her mistake of straying to far from society as a wolf dearly; lousing her ability to attain that seamless reentrance into the human world as she had processed once upon a time. It had been worse when she had only began to shift again, her skin remaining the color of her fur and joints that never quite bent the right way, but even so she had never fully recovered. Like the faint scars that littered her sides from previous quarrels, her wolf self had left small scars in her human form for those with keen enough eyes to pick up.

A small frown slid into place on her features as Scarlet glanced over the female once more. Her brow furrowed, one slender fingered hand reaching up to fiddle with the single thing she wore. A long skinny brad of leather cords, frayed in places, tied back together in others. It hung down to just below her chest, leaving room for when she shifted, with a ring, her wedding ring to be exact, dangling from it. “How old are you anyways, pup?” She asked the question subtly, slipping it into the conversation as if it belonged there and it was not a totally unrelated fact. She could not help but wonder, considering this female’s age might in turn determine whether she had found a pack of wolves, or pups playing pretend.

[Phoenix]

Phoenix was disappointed when he heard Twilights call to meet. This meant several things. One: He likely wouldn't get to fight. Two: It was likely that Twi had already confronted the challenger or the challenger would meet with Twilight soon as well. And three: This meant that Nix would have to leave what's left of his kill behind which was risky in case a human came across the bloody sight. He decided to compromise. He first tore off one of the hind legs of the deer, dug a quick hole, threw what was left of the kill in the hole and cover what couldn't fit in the hole with early fallen leaves. Nix picked up the leg and headed west giving the leg a little extra squeeze as he trotted along so to blood would flow over his jowls. He started to pick up Twilight's scent and dropped the leg on the ground, slowed down and crouched slightly. Phoenix also picked up the scent of two other females. He had been informed of one joining the pack but hadn't met her yet, and so he figured that the other one must have been the challenger. This was quite odd because usually only the males challenged each other usually for land, leadership, or mating rights. Females usually didn't challenge he figured because they had no reason to challenge, just defend. Or so he thought. Nevertheless, Nix got back into the fighting mode. Remembering all the times he'd been tormented and pushed around. Twilight, with another wolf behind her he presumed to be Adrianne, and the other female cowering in the tree. His fur standing on end and teeth bearing, he dared enter Twilight's presence acting as the alpha. He barked saying he was here, accepting the challenge in person.

[Twilight Black]

Twilight chuckled darkly at the female’s comment.

”Yes. It seems that you are. Now, whether that’s a good thing or not… that’s the question.” Twilight replied as one eye brow rose. Her voice and manner remained calm, though none could question that she held authority. Her ‘vibes’, as Twilight called it, let everyone know who was alpha here. Twilight continued watching the female intently. She still wasn’t sure that the girl wouldn’t jump down and attack her. From what Twilight knew about this female so far, she would do something like that.

”Well, I assume this is something that you do often then? Ask for trouble from unknown packs? I’m surprised you’re still alive. The wolves you fought were probably more wolf than human; we’re always able to outsmart them. ” Twilight stretched to almost her full height, easing the tension out of her tense muscles, giving the air of total comfort. If the other female was on level ground with Twilight, she would no doubt tower over the female. Twilight yawned to hide a smile at the picture. However, Twilight supposed it wouldn’t daunt the female. The girl had spunk, she had to admit. It was also amusing at times, though if she ever got in a serious fight with her in wolf form, it would be no laughing matter.

”I have a home you are welcome to stay at, I doubt you would fit in else were.” Though the female did annoy her a bit, Twilight was always the first to welcome in other werewolves to her home.

Her whole body stiffened as the female asked for the alpha. She didn’t get a chance to tell the female that she was the leader of this land, female or not. Nix, in all his wolfen glory burst through the underbrush, his fur tense spikes and all teeth. This immediately annoyed Twilight. She whipped around to face Nix, forgetting in her fury that she wore no clothes. An unnatural snarl ripped through Twilight’s chest. The sound was similar to that of a chainsaw starting up. Twilight tensed all of her muscles, ready to spring upon her pack member. Twilight didn’t tolerate her members stepping out of rank, challenging her in a way that only wolves could fully understand.

If Twilight had been in wolf form, her hackles would have been raised, teeth bared, ears pricked forward menacingly. The sight of her alone would have been enough warning to put her pack members in their proper place. Hopefully it would be enough to calm Nix this time. Punishing him would force her to put all of her attention on Nix, and that could be dangerous, for even a few moments.

”I am alpha here.’ The growl was low in her throat, and she spoke to both Nix and the female.

[scarlet]

A mildly surprised look flicked across Scarlet’s features at the comment before being replaced with a leery smile. The female’s words held an odd sting to them she was guessing was unintentional, but insulting all the same. “Have more confidence in strangers she-wolf,” she said, a taunting note in her voice as she waved a hand limply in the other’s direction. “You make it sound like I’m a cub killer or something, here to eat up your pack before your eyes.”

She winced internally at the thought of dealing an unneeded deathblow. Memories sprang to life in her minds eye, dancing about and replying that night long ago… Scarlet swallowed sharply as bile rose in her throat, leaving its hot, bitter taste on the back of her tongue. No. No never again. She would not kill another of her kind again. It was a sin, and despite being less then human, and already damned for taking the life of another, the girl still feared for her soul. That was, if she still had one. She had been in many a debate over that aspect of immortality with Iggy, but after the first few decades or so they had agreed to disagree.

She quirked a brow at the female’s questions. “Define often. I mostly skirted territories up until a little less then a century ago, so none of those fights had been my fault directly. The rest, however, are debatable. ” She flashed the female a skeptical look and snorted. “I resent that comment potently, she-wolf. And as for those wolves I’ve fought with, they would eat you alive; or at least make you run off with your tail between your legs yelping like a scared pup.” It was strange, feeling almost insulted by the comment about her former opponents being easily outsmarted. She assumed it might be because she had been a feral herself at one point, and still was feral even now to a certain degree, but there was more to the feeling she could not quite put her finger on. She shrugged it off, swallowing the indignation of being called ‘easily outsmarted’, however unintentional it was. She would dwell on it later.

Scarlet brightened instantly at the offer of a place to stay, expression animated enough that one could almost see her ears pricking forwards in interest. She could use that place to stay, at least for a while. Send a few letters, make a phone call or two, maybe rest up and see how things ran in a pack. But despite the pleasant ideas the offer brought to mind the second part of the comment left a bit of a burse on her ego. “And what makes you think I couldn’t fit in?” She demanded sharply, lips curling back to show a flash of teeth as she advanced towards the female. A low growl, like thunder brewing in the clouds, began in the pit of her throat; even without fur she seemed to bristle, anger flaring hot and sudden at the stab to her pride. That finished it, she was staying in this town and proving how well she could fit in. Challenge excepted, end of discussion.

She whipped around, startled, as the new wolf broke though the undergrowth and barked his acceptance to her earlier challenge. Her growl suddenly exploded, ripping its way out of her throat, making her whole body shake with the force of the sound. It was lower then the other female’s, more resonating and deep, thunder against the sound of a chainsaw, but in no way less threatening.
Scarlet vaguely noticed the other female reaction, noting her obvious dominance over this wolf in the back of her mind. She ignored the other female's words, hardly registering that she had spoken. He had responded to her challenge, who was this female to deny her a fight?

Her body hunched forwards as she lurched into motion, shifting on the run as she sprang at the new wolf. It was a stupid, dangerous move, making her gate rushed and uneven as her legs lengthened and she drooped onto all fours. Her fur sprouted, already bristling as she shifted quickly from human to wolf, fighting down the nausea such swift changes brought once again. It was not as bad as last time thankfully, it never was when going from human to wolf. It took barely six seconds to shift as she leapt, aiming snapping jaws for the male wolf.

[Twilight Black]

Twilight’s returning smile wasn’t leery like the females. The other female was obviously sensitive, and she probably took offence to them. She chuckled nonchalantly, trying to ease comfort into the situation.

”That was not my meaning at all. But being on strangers lands and being popular doesn’t usually go well. But you never can tell about someone.” Twilight pointed out, leaning forward slightly. The last sentence was a joke, and she chuckled good-naturedly at it. The female’s tone was taunting, but Twilight ignored it. It took more than a few taunts to seriously provoke her.

”Ha. Please don’t take my comments as offending. People do have a habit of taking my bluntness as insult.” Twilight chuckled, waving a hand at the female’s indignant tone. Twilight didn’t like to waste words. Trying to make her words less blunt, beating around the bush and all that took up time. She didn’t like to waste time either. True, bluntness didn’t make friends easily, but it sure beat trying to figure out different ways to say the same thing. Filtering ones’ thoughts took time, time that would be of better use then trying to get someone to like you.

As Scarlet brightened, Twilight smiled again. She sincerely hoped that the female would take up her offer for a place to stay. It would probably annoy the heck out of her, having the female in the house, but no matter. If she was under Twilight’s roof, Twilight could keep better track of Scarlet. Twilight had a very strict rule about hunting near the town. It was just too dangerous for the humans here if immortals were hunting close by. Twilight shuddered mentally at the thought of any humans getting to close while any immortals were hunting. Especially now that even more people were flocking into the woods for last minute camping trips. As Scarlet took her words the wrong way again, Twilight sighed patiently.

”Once again, taking what I say too personally. I meant no harm by it, but honestly, the humans would know something’s not quite right with you. It’s a small town; people notice anything that doesn’t fit perfectly.” Twilight said, tilting the head to the side slightly. The girl had such a sensitive ego. It would get rather annoying. Good thing Twilight was patient.

It used to amaze Twilight how canines could go from wagging tails happily at each other, to lunging out at each other, sparking a fight. Now that she was older, and had a stronger connection with canines, she understood it completely. When Scarlet accepted the fight, Twilight leaped toward Nix. Mid-leap she shifted, matching the other female’s speed, though hers was slightly smoother, being mid-flight through the air. Twilight would land directly in front of Nix, and by the time she got there, Scarlet would be there too. A collision was inevitable.

[scarlet]

“Tch, you’re preaching to the choir, wolf,” Scarlet replied, a wiry, slightly skewed, grin replacing her smile as she chuckled. There was little warmth in the laugh, making it sound strangely hallow as her eyes cut off to one side for a moment. “Yes, strangers do tend to cause trouble, don’t they,” she mused, more to herself then anything as her mind wandered down the dark, shadow path of memory. None of her memories were particularly pleasant anymore, everything before going feral save for a select few moments not carried dark stains. Betrayal, death, murder, each horrid in their own right but even more potent when mixed together. Her grin slowly melted into a grimace as she was swept up in the undertow of her own thoughts. She stilled for a long moment, her entire body becoming ridged then lax as she resurfaced.

She frowned slightly, eyes shifting back to the female’s suddenly. They were dull, vacant looking for a moment before sparking back to life, the golden honey color once again becoming warm and lustrous. She had completely missed what the other had said, but assumed it had been more about how she had taken what the female had said the wrong way. She mentally shrugged, assuming she did not really need to respond to that and instead focusing on the more interesting topic of a place to stay.

Her lip twitch a bit, pulling one corner back in a slightly disgusted look. “Small towns sound conceded,” she muttered, snorting a bit at the idea that a town could be conceded before smiling in a more relaxed fashion. “Well then, I’ve got quite the interesting hurdle to jump then.” It was a rather un-ceremonial announcement, but clear on her meaning. She was staying, like it or not, and the confident, almost smugly pleased look in her eyes made it very clear that there was almost nothing that could stop her. Her smile split, widening into a Cheshire grin that was, to say the least, rather creepy with her too sharp teeth and feral disposition. She had quite the way to go before looking even mildly ‘normal’ within this town, never mind quelling her still wild personality.

Scarlet did not take any notice of the other female, that is until she moved in front of her target, but by then it was too late. She was swept up in the exhilaration of the impending fight, the fury that came with the attack. Even if she had been able to stop and avoid the female it was doubtful that she would have. Instead she sprang, her front paws just lifting off the ground as she bunched her muscles and kicked off, giving herself the extra momentum that sent her the last half a foot or so. The jump was pointless, it was far too late to clear the she-wolf in her path, but that had never been her intensions. She was looking to bowl the female over, or at least unsteady her so Scarlet could get at the male.

[Twilight Black]

Twilight had planned on the female barreling into her. Her teeth were bared, and all the fur along her back was raised in stiff prickles. Scarlett’s fury would add even more force behind the hit. Twilight was ready though. She would not be bowled over. So many things ran through her head in the few seconds that it took for Scarlett to ram into her. Some fight training, some other memories that included fighting were included in this train of thought. As Scarlett jumped, Twilight crouched down far enough that the front part of the she-wolf’s body would fly over her. Down in her crouched position, Twilight would be able to spring upwards into the female’s underbelly. Hopefully this would send Scarlett in the opposite direction that she was leaping, knock the breath out of her, and surprise her.

As Scarlett’s upper half flew over Twilight, Twilight sprang upward. All her weight, and all her strength was thrust into the leap upwards. Hopefully it would be enough force to throw Scarlett backwards. The jump caught the female right below the ribs. A loud crashing sound echoed through the forest as the two werewolves slammed together. Neither was harmed, though the breath might be driven from Scarlett’s lungs, and Twilight might have a bruise on her shoulder from the impact.

[scarlet]

Scarlet felt the impact before registering what was happen. The air left her lungs in a low ‘uff’ as she was tossed back, the force of the other female’s hit sending her light weight body a touch farther into the air then would have been expected. She took this to her advantage.

The moment the mild pain registered, Scarlet’s mind was engaged as instinct and logic wrestled for dominance. Her body jerked in the air as she tried to flip herself over before hitting the ground. She only managed to turn onto her side before hitting the undergrowth with a muffled thud, but that was enough of a head start. She was back on her feet a heartbeat later, whirling around to face the female. Lips curled back over healthy pink gums, her jaws parting slightly as sharp white teeth glistened menacingly in the leaf filtered light. A low, rumbling growl made its way out of her throat, tail, fluffed out to twice its size by now, held high in challenge as her body lowered slightly.

She stood for a moment, unwavering gaze fixed on the female’s face. For a split second it looked as if she were about to back down, her tail lowering ever so slightly before she lunged. She was smarter about her attack this time, keeping her body lower to the ground as she rushed Twilight. She kept her aim as vague as possible, ready to turn and change her cores at the moments notice, as she attacked, jaws snapping at the other’s shoulder with enough force to easily latch on and break the skin.