Even though it was raining. Even though Lightning tore at the sky making it bleed open rain. Even though the storm chuckled at those underneath its mighty shadow. Narimé had to come to the Lagoon. Since it was closer to their pack she would be able to make more and more trips to the Lagon where she had first met him. Sloane. The young woman remembered the promise she had made to him. That she would visit the Lagoon during the night just in case he came for a visit with her.


She had not originally planned on starting those trips during this dreadful night, but the storm stired something in her. A restlessness that she had not felt before. The girl was not afraid of the storm and its lightning. The trees would do wel to hide her from most of the storms aggressivness. However that feeling that she just had to get away. She had to run again. Ever since she found out that her father had died on the slopes of Serpents Pass Narimé had been getting more and more restless. Running from home always seemed to help her feel better, but she knew leaving Willow Ridge so often was a bad thing. It was her home, right?


So now the silvery wolf sped along careful not to slip in the mud around the few willow tree's that ringed the lagoon. Her destination unkown, the young wolf struck a not so fast pace. She listened and scented around looking for a stupid animal to be out in the rain, but of course no animal was really stupid enough to be out and about in this weather. Nari sighed. She wouldn't even make this little trip a profitable one.


Light ears flicked to the side focusing on a noise. It didn't sound like thunder. Nor did the sound present itself as lightning. Flinching atthe real sound of thunder above the young she wolf changed course and began trotting towards whatever had made the noise. In an instant the yearling stopped now able to see the two wolves in front of her. One wolf was attacking another that much she could tell. With a start Narimé ran forward growling a threat to the one wolf who looked like he or she was about to pounce on another wolf form laying below.


Meaning to stop but unable to because of the mud Narimé slid barreling straight towards the more aggressive wolf. The young woman yelped being surprised by the muds slickness then regained her composure. Had she stopped the two in time? Nari finally scented the wolves. Two other females. Then stood up straight amd stared at both of them. The young woman did not want either of them attacking her, and she wasn't sure if either of them were nice. So the silvery wolf prepared herself to be attacked.

<b style="color:#FFFFFF">"speech"

   Even wise men know: intent matters little outside fiction. Tale-tellers might write a tragedy of one intention and a comedy out of another, but in the end, beneath a frothing storm, there is only the end result.


   Djinn knew: taking the chase into something like murder painted her the villain. She was villainous.


   She relished it.



   Still, when a beast lives only truth and not intention, when only the crunch of fangs in cartilage or blood pouring to the ground means truth… There is no time for courage.


   Djinn tasted fur and the warmth beneath. Her neck muscles sang with tension as one side jerked and then the other – like she might lift this small wolf up and break its back on strength alone. But then her grip tore free, the small thing sliding to the wet ground. Blood – sweet, metallic – warmed the clump of hair filling Djinn’s mouth.


   But nothing vital broke. The prey wolf skittered ‘round. Djinn bared her fangs around the grey fur in her mouth and snarled, and beyond the fall of rain moved shadows, more of them, another wolf –


   an enemy.



   Maybe they’d smell electric joy, the heated rush of pure adrenaline now flooding the black wolf’s veins. It was one half fear and one half strength, both culminating in the flex of jaws and the rough, guttural voice trembling in Djinn’s throat.


   She paused just long enough to watch the other wolf – just long enough for jaws to close on Djinn’s hind foot with lethal force. Something halfway between fury and pain tore from the black wolf’s throat, a kind of yodel. Run or fight? Run or fight?


   She couldn’t calculate her odds. Her brain wanted to tear itself to pieces, run statistics, glue back together. No time here.


   Pain traveled up her leg from the crushed foot. Wisdom spoke of yellow bones and scavengers – that no brave fate awaited wolves who chased to kill and then died rightfully. If there were two there could be more.


   She ought to run.


   She ought to remove this vice grinding against her ankle bones.



   Djinn’s teeth flashed down, still stuck through with hair. She twisted, aiming for the small wolf’s face or throat, or some part that would hurt it and force it to let go, or – if luck was with her, and it never was – strike something vital.


   Take an eye or take its breath – that would teach it a lesson about going out alone.



   But Djinn was the lesser party here, and ignorant that when they finally sprang apart, both she and the other planned to run.

Her hackles arched straight upwards after seeing the fight continue as she crouched glaring at the two females. They were both shorter than she but their ferocity made up for the lack of body mass. After a few minutes watching the fight continue Narimé began to snarl. Neither of them even seemed to notice her. What's the point of this fight anyway! They should not be fighting here! This is a place of peace! She thought of Sloane and wondered what he would do in this moment.
He would definately be trying to settle things, but unlike me he'd be a lot more forceful with it than just standing around watching.


They continued to ignore her as she watched the darker wolf on top try to yank off the other female from her leg.


I will not stand by being ignored.


Narimé began to pull up her courage. She would not just sit around. She would make them notice her. Letting in that one foe called anger Narimé blinked then stepped forward. She held her head and tail high, with hackles raised, then stepped forward and snarled as loud as she could and as intimidating as she could. Use my size to make them listen, or run.. either or would work..


<b style="color:#FFFFFF">"Hey Bitches! STOP THIS SHIT NOW!" First she nipped near Aniu's nose as a warning. After that Narimé snarled faking a lunge to Djinn's haunches; using her height she looked down on the two dark wolves. She hoped they would get the message before she had to get involved. Of course there was no way she could take on two wolves at once. Nari knew this. She would have to wait and pick a side. Even then her chances were poor. She had no real experience fighting, just play fights with her siblings a long time ago.


I may have to just wait and see what happens... She suddenly wished that she had a packmate with her. As much as she didn't like Remy the young wolf would not mind the harsh second if she were here now.

   Battle rarely knows the dry click of logical progression. Time stops; breath hangs suspended and then all things race to finish. Djinn knew this.


   Still, in the moment – certain facts escaped her.



   One: the strange wolf stood for neither Djinn nor Djinn’s prey.


   Two: the prey wolf wanted little more than running.


   Three: this third wolf, unknown, was not cowed by madness.


   Ordinarily such courage bred approval in Djinn’s mind but here – the black wolf wanted chase! Follow! Grey streaked away from black and Djinn snarled, teeth clamping on air, only air.


   And then –


   strange weight against Djinn’s side - an enemy?



   She barely heard the words (”stop!” among others) but she felt the warmth of flesh, the brush of fur. Reaction twisted then to catch the threat and Djinn leapt hard away, hackles fierce up.


   “Identify yourself!” around the flash of yellowed fangs. The dull pain in her ankle promised to intensify. Flesh would remember where the mind did not. And this… intruder? Who was this?



   A quick flicker of yellow eyes and Djinn glanced after the first enemy, but only rain and shadows and the harsh crack of fierce light answered. Gone. Damnably gone, robbed by this other. It stood tall, Djinn thought – too tall. Not an alpha? Not some displaced queen looking for someone small to step on?


   If it was – it found wrong. Djinn too stood stiff, tail up and teeth reflecting bitter rain. The dead glow of these hollow eyes promised that height would not save idiots from thrashing teeth and hardened muscle.


   “Explain,” demanded Djinn, unmoving, “your purpose here.”

Things happened very quickly after the girl asserted herself. Number one the wolf that was getting beat on fled faster than Nari had ever seen a wolf run. The second thing that happened was that the attacker turned their full attention to Narimé which frankly scared the shit out of her. However Narimé held her stance not backing down. She had gotten herself into this mess and now she had to get herself out. No one was here to help her, not that pack, not her father, and not her protector Sloane.


<b style="color:#FFFFFF">"My name is Narimé Lagina of Willow Ridge pack." She held her gaze with Djiin. She couldn't believe what she was doing right now. All the girl felt was a strange feeling electrifying every nerve of her body. Adrenaline had kicked in and this was Narimé's first time feeling it.


The other wolf took a stance like hers and each wolf sized the other up. Narimé could almost look through the other womans pale gaze. Her eyes reminded Nari of the moon and how it was sometimes a pale yellow in color. The womans coat was a coal balck but her frame was that of a fighter even if she was not the tallest of wolves. The younger woman wondered just how seasoned this wolf was and guessed that she'd had plenty of fighting experience. Caution was the word to use here.


The silvery wolf could kill. She knew how to kill, how to use that need for blood to grip and tear at her prey. She knew that she could fight. However fighting a wolf was much different than fighting a deer. The young huntress could still use her need for blood to hel her fight off the other wolf if she had to. Narimé decided then that she would not back down even if a fight occured. Her thoughts turned again to Sloane. How they had spent the night at this beautiful place. Even with thunder rumbling over her head this place was special to Nari.It was not a place of war, but of love.


<b style="color:#FFFFFF">"I did not come to continue your fight. I came to end it, and so I have. I don't know either of you, but there is no pack land here. This is no place to fight over especially for a loner like yourself.." Nari noted now that the wolf in front of her had no pack scent. So why was she fighting with the other? She still did not know the anser to this, and probably would never find out. However Nari thought that loners would know better than to get into fights. She knew that if you are injured as a loner there is almost no chance of catching food. Surely this loner had known the risk of fighting? With an upturned head Narimé continued to glare down at the darker female. However she moved her tail to a more neutral position and waited.


The air was thick with electricity from both the storm and the tense stand off between the wolves. Nari would not back down. This land was her "happy place" and she would not allow fighting. However she was not going to get into a fight either.


<b style="color:#FFFFFF">"I am not leaving. I came here to find a friend of mine. So I don't know what you are going to do. However I suggest getting out of the rain like I'm going to do."With a sigh Narimé waited for something to happen she was staying here for the night and probably for another day or two waiting for her friend. If Djiin wanted to continue tracking that other female she might as well do it away from Iridescent Lagoon because Nari wasn't moving from this place.