The risk had factored into her plan: the snake could launch itself at her, over the four feet of stick separating them, or it could get thoroughly pissed off by the game they played and just take its pup-snack, safe and sound in the depths of the den. Anyone trying to get it out would become a snack, too, unless they waited for the snake to start eating poor Chan.

At which point it would've been too late, and only vengeance would've remained. She wasn't sure how she felt about vengeance. It seemed fairly pointless.

So she was glad the snake was stupid enough to fall into her trap, and embarrassed by the praise. She almost dropped the stick, almost forgot what she was doing, too eager to just run away and leave the public praise behind. She was Lunette, she couldn't do a damn thing right! (Have you noticed how it's all in her head?) So why would he say it! In public!

But Chan was family. Moonshadow and Tagg, frantic and lovey-dovey and all too normal, were family. It wasn't family she had picked, it was family she had been born into, just like Chan hadn't picked a half-crazed neurotic wreck as his step-sister. Her teeth dug into the dry branch, and she jabbed the snake again, careful to not move back too fast and lose her pull on it.

She descended back into the depths of concentration, a crystalline focus sharper than anything she had ever experienced before—not even when hunting had she focused so completely.

As it was, she was so lost in the tug-o-war between her and the snake, that she didn't notice how far she'd drawn it out until Kajika descended on it. The dark wolf flashed in the corner of her eye, startling her; she dropped the stick and fell back with an undignified gasp. For a moment, he'd been the darkness on the edges of her vision, the sharp, clicking teeth, and she the snake—a powerful memory.

Then Moonshadow more or less barreled her out of the way, and she scrambled to get up, backing in behind Kajika. Tagg was left outside of the den. Lunette's ears flicked back, and she looked at her paws. The need to act was fading, and with it, her confidence.

The adrenaline was leaving her, and it made her feel sick—weak, as her limbs began to tremble. She swallowed, and did her best to control it, but as with all things, it had a mind of its own, and that was to let everyone know what a fucking mess she was. In a sense, she was thankful Kajika, large, trusty Kajika, was between her and Tagg, and thankful that Tagg was probably very pre-occupied with not being let into the den. She wasn't sure she wanted anyone else to notice the way she shivered, but with how close she stood to the dark male, he was bound to notice.

"Y-yeah..." she mumbled weakly as he praised her again, and without thinking about it, she leaned into his touch, pressing the side of her face against his cheek. When he pulled her into the embrace, part of her wanted to protest, because Tagg was there and what if Tagg saw that she needed comforting, and all kinds of things, but being held against his neck, his broad chest, feeling his pulse and his warmth and the safety of it, overpowered her anxiety for that moment. She closed her eyes, and tried to draw strength from him, to quell the trembling in her body.

Moonshadow emerged again after a while, and Lunette bowed her head, even though the words were kind and the lick gentle. "You're welcome," she responded quietly, feeling drained and confused and kind of empty. It wasn't that she had felt alive earlier, it was more.. she felt tired now. She watched dully as Moonshadow turned to Tagg, and Lunette turned her attention to Kajika. "I'll, mmh.. be around.. somewhere." She pressed her nose against his cheek, not wanting to worry him, before turning and heading towards the lake. She wanted to sleep. On a rock. In the sun.