@Gent

Clear, sunny mornings were one of those simple things in life that Raela just adored. Usually, she did not rise so early, but today the golden light had been warm and welcoming; at least much more so than in days past. It was an invigorating reminder that the cold of winter could not last forever. Indeed, the wolf's own personal winter seemed to be passing as well. Today, when Raela rose to her feet there was no shooting pain from her pads or dull ache in her bones. Her summer coat was beginning to grow in; replacing the horrible dirty fluff that had clung to her when she entered the lore. Sure, it was itchy, but at least now she didn't look like a mangy coyote. The girls muscles were building again; hardened by her long journey, but still not quite what they could be. She had met friendly wolves in this new home of hers, and all things accounted for life was going better for the girl than it ever had.

With her recovery nearing completion, Raela had gone from sleeping constantly and eating up caches to feeling the need to replace what she had taken from her generous new family. Soon, there would be pups to care for, and they had an injured member to feed as well. The russet girl couldn't eat up their food in good conscience anymore. Time to be productive. Her breakfast snack had consisted of a vole and a less-than-vigilant chipmunk, which would serve to sate her hunger for a little while. She moved east, slipping through the spiny bushes like a cat. The woman's well-trained ears swiveled like radars, working to complement her focused yellow gaze. Just as she neared the treeline, the dark, stubby form of a groundhog came into view. She froze, and ducked behind a blackberry bush while another caught her eye. The sentry seemed to look straight at her but couldn't make out exactly what was hiding there. The animal's eyes lingered on her for too long. The wolf had been spotted.

With a shrill whistle the little creature sounded the alarm. Both of them bolted for the trees as Raela came barreling forward. She'd have to be quick. Her attention shifted to a third groundhog, who'd emerged upon hearing the call. It had been a little closer than the others. With a few good strides the much lankier predator had reached her target, but her teeth caught only air as the little marmots scurried out of reach into the branches of the nearest oak. With her paws against the tree, Rae made a couple futile hops before dropping back to the earth. They were perfectly safe from her up there. She let out a low growl of frustration in between huffs of air. A sharp, deadly stare lingered between the two animals before the wolf turned to leave. She would be back, this wasn't over yet. 

There was no way she could pass up a tree full of those jucy overgrown squirrels. A swift, excited trot brought her quickly out of their sight. She'd have just a little while before they'd descend to find a helper. Nose to the wind, she discovered that someone was actually relatively close by. She didn't know who, but they didn't smell like an outsider. With a nervous flick of her ears, the girl picked up her pace, breaking into a lope and dodging thorns. Soon enough, the dark, imposing form was visible in the fields. It wasn't Astraeus - How many big dark males are there around here? she thought, suddenly remembering the large man from the pack meeting. Raela's pulse quickened; what if he wasn't as friendly as Aeus? A short bark forced itself from her maw as she attempted to flag down the formidably sized stranger, and a waving tail would signify her good intentions. 

The male's smile and respectful nod did much to calm her nerves. Not a single aggressive move was made. His great size still made her shiver inside, but as the wolf approached, it was clear that he too was in a decent mood. Her eyes found a spot in the distance to glance at periodically as she spoke; eye contact was hard with strangers, especially big male strangers. ”Well, there's a few groundhogs taking refuge in a tree just over there.” The woman used her orange striped muzzle to indicate direction. She would leave out the part about her failed hunt. ”Could you give me a paw with them? I didn't want to risk loosing any.” She tried to make her speech as nonchalant as possible. Three big woodchucks was enough to refill a cache though, and make a decent lunch. She doubted the man would refuse such easy prey. Well, relatively easy. All would go to hell once you got within their range. Those rascals have claws and teeth, and boy do they know how to use 'em, she thought as she waited for his answer. With the two of them, it was very unlikely any would escape.

That is if they got back in time. She would wait for his answer before offering a curt  smile and a ”This way,” and starting off at a brisk trot for the old oak. Her glinting orbs managed to locate the group of them; just now beginning to descend from their hiding place. Raela halted abruptly, sinking into the bushes. She was sure the man would notice them if he hadn't already; if only because of her sudden crouch. On slender legs she circled, trying to position herself on the far-side behind the tree. If she could cut off their escape, they'd have a much easier time catching the little varmints. If her partner was a smart man, he'd quickly pick up on her maneuvering. Slowly, carefully, she moved from bush to bush, pausing each time their eyes crossed over her. They hadn't noticed yet...  

Her comrade seemed to catch on quickly, just as she'd hoped. Their silent approach took some time, but the girl was unperturbed. It would all be worth it soon. Finally, with her russet fur buried in the bushes and grass, Gent made his move. The animal's sudden cries punctuated their calculated ambush, no doubt creating enough noise to warn off prey for some distance around. It didn't matter though, their fate was sealed. Her flashy orbs flicked away from the dark man as one of the targets rushed her way. Raela leaped from her cover, scaring the daylights out of the already frightened little critter. It swiftly changed direction, causing her to miss the second of her deadly lunges today. Her paws struck empty ground as it sped away. The girl pivoted roughly, launching once again in it's direction. 

Gent's anguished screech snapped her attention around along with her head. Panting slightly, she watched as Gent thrashed around like a bull - oh the tables had turned. They often did with groundhogs, as Rae had been quick to discover in her travels. She usually only went after them when they were alone, and she was sure of success. She would have laughed at how clearly Gent was demonstrating why that was the better idea, if she didn't know he was in such pain. She hesitated, torn between helping the man and chasing down her own catch. The little monster was heading for its burrow now, but all Rae knew was it was getting away. Gent made a flying leap, crashing into the ground in a last-ditch effort to get the little bastard off. She groaned to herself, taking note of the other's direction. They could track it down again without too much trouble. Groundhogs were not distance runners.

The woman changed course, her pumping legs rushing to the man's side at once. The tough little creature seemed intent on staying atop his new mount, and Gent's rolling only managed to dislodge it a bit. With a protective growl and a vengeful click of her teeth, Raela caught the pig at the haunches; locking her sharp teeth around the base of it's tail and hind in between one of Gent's less-than-graceful bounds. She immediately thought to pull back and free her pack mate of his burden, and it happily obliged. The groundhog buckled, twisting around sharply and clamping it's teeth into the side of her face; forgetting all about it's big black foe. She shrieked as the pain seared hot and deep. A nice little gash she'd get from this one. 

Now free of the wolf's jaws it tumbled to the ground, seemingly uninterested in hanging on this time. Raela shook her head as if it would ease the pain. Her yellow eyes flashed open again, now bent on revenge. The woodchuck scrambled, trying to regain it's footing and make a run for it, but she wasn't about to let that happen. With a roaring growl, the female's fangs found flesh again, this time behind its shoulder blades. Another horrid and ear-piercing cry erupted from it's maw as her head shook violently, and a final flailing kick of it's claws caught her skin. She reluctantly relinquished her prey with an irritated grunt. The marmot seemed to know it was in trouble now as blood seeped slowly from the wounds she'd made. It turned on the two of them, baring it's teeth and claws in a last attempt to secure its survival. 

Luckily, Gent stepped up to the plate just as she recoiled. He was on the creature in the blink of an eye. Rae watched, feeling a slight trickle of blood run down the long fur on her cheek. It was a spot she could not lick, and so could not clean. She'd wait and let it scab over before cleaning off in the water later. Right now they had one final problem. Rae's pink tongue graced the tip of her muzzle, the metallic taste of iron settling behind her tonsils. Her observant yellow eyes located two things of note. First, Gent had clearly already dispatched the first of the three rascals. It's corpse lay motionless by the tree. Second, a clump of ebony hair rested just inches away in the grass. With a worried glance she found that Gent's back had indeed been marred by the animal's teeth. The tawny girl gazed on, panting here and there, as her partner finally ended the woodchuck's valiant fight. 

His exhausted words were met with a breathless nod of agreement. She met his orbs, chuckling a little as he made his demand clear. A wide grin parted her lips as she looked back to their kill. ”Sure was a brave one, I'll give him that. Don't worry about it.” With another lick of her blood tinged muzzle, the woman looked off into the distance, now remembering the final target. She sighed, lowering her head as her breath began to return. In a weary but determined voice, she spoke again. ”The last one ran off. It went that way.” She began to take a few slow steps forward to ensure the dark man would follow. ”Couldn't have gotten far.” 

Without further ceremony she put her nose to the ground. She feared it had already run up into another tree; though it was not like they couldn't use the time to rest. She just wanted to get this over with. In a few short steps she picked up some semblance of a trail. Deciding it better to approach slowly, she moved at a comfortable walk, using her ruddy-colored ears to assist locating the varmint. Just this last little bugger and we can have some lunch. Her mind repeated as they slunk through the field.

And she had been worried it was hiding in a tree. No, that would have been too easy. The scent trail led them straight to a burrow hidden in the grass. Gent expressed his frustration, and Rae's thoughts did the same. Taking on a burrowed woodchuck was no simple feat. They were miles more vicious when cornered – and the two of them were already scraped up. She held back as Gent started to dig, thinking for a moment that maybe it would be better if they just left. They had the other two after all. The appearance of it's nasty little face in the darkness of the entrance quickly broke that train of thought. It made a threatening lunge toward Gent's digging paws, but had no intention of landing it. Like lightning it lurched back inside, still clicking it's teeth viciously. Raela's ears pricked forward aggressively. Time to end this.

She set about helping Gent with the dirt, trying to open the little hideaway just enough to make the next step in her plan all the easier. She'd get bitten again for sure, but if everything went well that would be the last time for today. Gent certainly didn't need any more wounds, and so the woman plunged her head into the hole, careful to pull back just in time to avoid its responding attack. The two began to seesaw, each dodging the others' move. She began to get impatient, and growls worked their way out of her chest. As predicted, the determined little varmint matched her aggression, unwittingly becoming more and more reckless with its attempts to catch the soft skin of the predator.

Gritting her teeth, Raela seized the opportunity. Her cream colored paw whipped out, the perfect lure for the little bastard's sharp teeth. In a rage it caught skin just above her ankle, holding on a bit too long as she recoiled in pain. Her eyes watered but her jaw remained shut. At least her leg was much less sensitive than her face. Instantly the creature realized his predicament; he now sat exposed in the soft dirt just outside. Rae guessed that Gent would be on it in milliseconds, but she had one final way of ensuring success. Now that her leg was free, the girl struck out with the swiftness and precision of a hawk. 

Her teeth made purchase on its spine. All the woman's weight was thrust down, pinning her prey to the earth. It screeched, trying desperately to twist around, but Rae forced it to be still with everything she had. It wouldn't matter, Gent would see this and know exactly what to do. She pressed her teeth in harder, Oh no. You're not getting away again.