Noble stopped at the same time as Rico. She was well familiar with all these routes by now. Certainly the incident yesterday had put that knowledge to the ultimate test. The rocky, over-grown path under her feet had already been appraised by the yearling. It was the route she preferred, a decision made once she'd noticed how infrequently the Silent Moon Plateau used it. Black ears swung forward and the girl froze, gold eyes wide as she stared in the direction of that soft rustle.

Was someone there? A black ear swung back to the border's far behind her, confused by conflicting information. Her feet shifted in the dirt as she berated herself. She'd been so careful to keep track of all the Plateau wolves. There shouldn't have been any in this direction! How had she overlooked one of them? The only reason she stayed in the area was because she'd been able to keep track of their locations and avoid them! Noble didn't know any swear words, but her jaws ground together as the yearling left the path and tried to sneak around Rico through the sparse evergreen forest.

The wind was not on her side and the other was being damnablely quiet now. And, try as she might, Noble didn't know the land quite well enough to travel through the inclines and avoid sight entirely. She was cresting a slight rise under the pine trees, black form crouched as low as long legs would allow, when the yearling went over a patch of loose gravel. A fragment of granite went skittering down the incline. Noble stared after it for a moment, ears folding abashedly, and then looked in the opposite to catch sight of the very wolf she'd been hoping to avoid. Noble didn't even wait for him to make eye-contact before spinning away. Loose gravel continued to slide underfoot as she scrambled upwards and hopefully away.

The shock of suddenly being pursued did not allow any of the panic to fade. Even the quietness was unnerving. Rico's snarl and rapid footfalls were just barely audible over the sound of her own gasps and the skittering of shale underfoot. He was just loud enough for Noble to know he was there, how fast or how far behind was unknown. The girl didn't even dare to look back, she didn't want to see the face of the unknown beast. It wasn't even so much 'running to' as it was simply getting away. Trying to, at least. The yearling pelted up the incline, in her panic not noticing how loose the gravel was becoming.

Like the Barreda male, Noble did not make a sound either. There was no point in calling for help. The nearby pack would never aid the thief and Desideria long gone by now. The sun beat down and her tongue dragged. Dark feet flung themselves forward in a fast tempo, coasting over the gravel till, finally, she stepped wrong. A left foreleg came down on a loose piece of gravel and Noble fell hard.

The skinny, black shoulder gouged into sharp stones, but Noble hissed in surprise more than pain. The girl spun, grinding stones farther in, to watch Rico's approach. Ears flattened to her skull and she tucked her tail to cover her belly. Her lips pulled back in an expression that had nothing to do with aggression. Noble was terrified. Even more than she hated being chased, Noble hated the feeling of being unable to prevent this awful thing from happening. Her head swerved to follow him as the male might move, eyes narrow slit that still managed to show the whites. It was hard to speak through the heart pounding in her throat, but Noble hissed up at him. "Pack wolf! Don't you dare touch me!" Her teeth bared to snap at any part that might come close.

The shaking, frenetic fear of her own death had been too much to allow the Lagina yearling to rise from where she had fallen. She remained on the stony ground, spinning on the point of her shoulder to keep Rico in her view. Her dark flanks heaved, both from the wild race she'd just lost and what she expected to be coming next. It wasn't the prospect of pain that made her lips pull back tight from ivory teeth. It was defiance and anger at her fate. She'd tried so hard, given up so much. All she'd wanted was to survive, to live some sort of life, and she was hysterical to see the end approaching. All her effort had been for nothing.

When Rico snarled at her she held nothing back in return, lunging forward to flash teeth at any part. If her fate was sealed she was going to be damn sure to ruin his. She glared back as he spoke down to her, entirely too caught up in the tense moment to focus on the words. She was expecting the slash of teeth, not mere words.

The snap of his jaws was enough to send her over the edge. She thrust away with hind feet, slicing a bony shoulder on the ground in her desperation to get away. The momentum was enough. Once moving, Noble managed to climb to her feet in one great effort. She stumbled away, oblivious to forming droplets of blood and which direction she moved in. "You lie! You chased me!" God, where was she right now? The yearling cast a shaken glance along the mountain side, relieved to find it was just the two wolves. "Packs always chase me."

Noble squinted. Wasn't that the ridge that lead down the slope? Trying not to seem like she was considering the best escape route, Noble swept a quick glance over with the guise of lapping the drying blood from her shoulder. Her ears flicked in his direction as burnished gold eyes scoured the landscape. It was hard to say what got her attention more: being called 'madam' or referring to the pack guards as cowardly. "They run from you?" She blurted out. If it was a lie, it was a very intriguing one. "How'ya make 'em do that?"

"They always get after me when I try an—" Her mouth clamped shut.

Even if he wasn't a pack wolf that might be something she shouldn't share. Noble had enough pride to know it was a degrading way of life. "I'm Noble." She supplied quickly, hoping Rico would be distracted by the irony and forget what had nearly slipped loose. When he stepped back she stepped away, ears folding back defensively. If he meant no harm, he'd better act it. She looked east as his mentioned a twin. What she wouldn't give to have her brother around, but would @Kova sink so well to this way of life?

Her tail hesitantly lifted from its tucked position when his stance shifted. The ridge was just over there (she was nearly sure it was the same) and she should be able to get away quickly if this was a false show on his part. "Maybe..." -her words were hedged, an ingratiating smile appearing- "could you teach me how to scare other wolves away?" Yes, Noble was always needing something from other wolves. Despite her height and determination, she hadn't learned how to stand her ground -let along take it in a harrowing situation. She was sick of being the one running.