Kyna had returned from a morning of seeking – nothing too far or too fierce – and settled down in the familiar den for a midday nap. It was not unusual for the young girl to seek some peace after one of her adventures, which were becoming more and more frequent. Fear had given way underneath the fierce desire to know, to understand why Aponi left, and to figure out if the woman was coming back, or if she lay like Aesire somewhere. At least her father had taken care of Wren’s mother after she passed – for all the girl knew, her own dam lay abandoned somewhere. Such a thought twisted her heart and urged her onwards when instincts otherwise told her no.

Today was as fruitless as the last, and the day before that, and the week before that. Though disappointed, the agouti princess had little trouble dropping off into sleep, tucked neatly in a honey roll as she dreamed gently beneath the cool earth. A few hours into the afternoon and she woke, the rays of sunshine tickling her eyes before she decided to emerge, complete with a long stretch and a mighty yawn. With each day that past, she looked a little more like her father, mirroring mannerisms unconsciously as she tried to find a place to fit among the wolves of Silent Moon Plateau, and among the family Argyris, something she’d not done while her mother was still watching over her. Blood is thicker than water, her mother used to say, but the bromide stung now more than the woman was gone, leaving only her cliché and half a family she did not know. There were brothers and sisters, and while she’d met them in passing, she knew little more than their names. It was something she wished to change, though perhaps such an aspiration would have to wait for another time. There was something foul on the air.

There was something even more wicked afoot.

Sniffing the air again, the young wolf reared up on her hind legs to try and inhale the scent deeper, though to little avail. It was pungent and equally as familiar as it was strange, causing her brows to furrow as she set to her single-minded task of uncovering the mystery. Shoulders slung low, Kyna glided forward in a graceful, easy gait, covering the ground in large strides when she realized she was headed towards the pack’s cache. She was about to stop and scold herself for being so foolish – one of her packmates was probably helping themselves to a meal or making a contribution – until she caught sight of something squat and brown digging into the earth. It only took a moment to realize the animals were too squat to be wolves. Thieves! she realized with dismay, hackles raising like a golden aura as an unfamiliar growl rolled forward. It took the youth a moment to realize that was her voice, so deep and so low as it promised the kiss of violence to the wretched thieves taking whatever they pleased from her pack and her family. Like a whip, her tail cracked behind her in a furious motion, instinct taking over where a lack of training and a lack of practical experience left off. Ears swept back against her skull protectively as she curled her delicate lip, baring a row of mismatched teeth – large adult incisors growing in next to the few remaining milk teeth. All the same, a bite would hurt as she reinforced her throat, lowering her body towards in the ground.

Slinking forward, the girl gave a sharp bark, finally grabbing the attention of one wolverine. Her mate only glanced over his shoulder as he chewed before turning back to whatever prize he was currently enjoying, growing fat on meat he’d not won himself. The female, however, answered Kyna’s growl with one of her own. There was nothing canine about the sound, but the girl understood the lack of fear all the same. We’re starvin’, here, the wolverine seemed to say, as if that excused the criminal act. With another grunt, she moved to turn, not terribly concerned with just one cub when the princess snarled right back. “And you’ll starve again, until you learn the meaning of the law!” the Argyris hissed, orange eyes glowing like brimstone and hellfire. Never had she felt such a righteous anger, often more prone to empathy, even sympathy, than she was arguments, or heaven forbid, a physical confrontation. All the same, she set her jaw and moved forward several more inches, snapping her teeth just hairs away from the wolverine.

The female sensed the pup was not willing to commit and used it to her advantage, springing forward and swinging with sharp claws. Taken by surprise, the wolf could not backpedal fast enough to avoid the rake against her muzzle. For the second time in her life, Kyna tasted the sharp copper sting of her own blood, eyes growing wide as her opponent turning its back and returned to its coveted feast. She was left in her shock, three red lines across the left side of her delicate muzzle as she blinked. It was only a warning, she understood vaguely, but all the same it could have taken out an eye. The trickle of fear was overridden by a stabbing anger, lips curling back once more as she rounded on the wolverine. Quite aware that she could not handle both these bandits at once, the girl lifted her nose the sky and put out an urgent call for any Silent Moon Plateau in the nearby area.

“Thieves!” she cried, hoping that would be more than enough to get the attention of any adults. Even a yearling would do, Kyna thought, as long as they had more bulk and some experience when it came to a scuffle. But she couldn’t wait, she knew, or the caches would be depleted before anyone had even arrived at all. Darting forward, bared teeth snatched at a leg, tugging the wolverine backwards. This time, she leapt backwards before angry razors could dig into her face and a snarl answered an angry hiss. “Leave!”

Kyna was not sure whether she was relieved or worried by her friend’s appearance. As much as she didn’t want to be forced to face these renegades on her own, the youth did not like the idea of dragging one of her only friends into danger’s reach. The slash across her muzzle was enough to indicate that these wolverines would not be quite so easy to deter, hungry enough to face down a pack of wolves to fill their empty bellies. That’s all you can say for the life of the poor, it’s a struggle, it’s a war, and there’s nothing that anyone’s giving, much less the youngest of the Argyris lineage. Growling again, she shuffled sideways to Wren’s side, hoping to intimidate the pair of pirates with their numbers.

Unfortunately, two pups frightened the overgrown weasels little more than did one, and even as she flattened her ears and slunk forwards, the two animals continued to gorge themselves on whatever pieces of the cache they could reach. If she didn’t act quickly, the stores would be empty for anyone who really needed the meal -- @Phineas had taught her it was good manners to refill what one took from the communal stashes, but it was ridiculous to think these cruel creatures would even consider leaving scraps for their unwilling hosts.

“We have to do something,” she hissed breathlessly, rivulets spilling down the princess’ muzzle and across her face. The pain was temporarily dampened by the heightened levels of adrenaline, shyness cast aside by fear and anger. This was a threat, this was an insult, and as the only wolf here she felt obligated to do something.

Where was her father? She needed her father, the only parent that hadn’t abandoned her yet. She needed help, no matter how earnest her effort was, and no matter how loyal Wren was – they were in trouble, and the girl was not so blind as to think they stood a reasonable chance against such well-armed creatures.

Fortunately, her call hadn’t gone totally unheeded, for her uncle (and her father’s beta) appeared soon after her friend. While she did not know the man well, any presence of an adult was much appreciated, and a brief, thankful whine was offered. Erebos wasted no time at all, lunging forward at the defensive partner, and the girl’s ears flexed back instinctively. As the wolverine whirled about, hind leg caught in a strong jaw, she saw her chance. Razor-like claws swung for the beta’s chest and the lithe girl darted in, finally using slenderness and speed to her advantage. Little teeth grabbed at the animal’s neck, scoring a decent wound before she fell right back, unwilling to feel the burn of claws against her skin once more. Her tail lashed wildly as frantic eyes went about, trying to keep track of everyone and everything – finally, the greedier wolverine in the pair seemed to get himself involved, now that his partner was fully distracted by the adult wolf. With a menacing growl, it extracted itself from the cache and glanced between the pups and his partner and crime – deciding Erebos too much of a threat, rounding on the children instead, hoping to run them off with a short charge.

Together, they would prevail.

Where Erebos held the first of the thieves, the princess had landed her blow. She was not the fierce warrior the older man was, nor was she the cunning strategist her mother had become, but the blond was no hapless damsel waiting to be saved. Once she’d left a wound upon the wolverine still held fiercely in her uncle’s grip, the white wolf finished the job, tearing into flesh and stealing the life right out of the animal. But she could not allow herself to relax yet, not with the drip of blood still falling from her muzzle, a keen memory of what sharp claws could do.

@Wren was facing off with the smaller of the pair – perhaps it had realized it had made a poor decision, now that its comrade had paid the ultimate price. But they could not let this one escape, either, or more would come and this battle would become the beginning of a war. Erebos surged forward to catch the second of their enemies, distracting it as it hissed and snapped, demanding its freedom. One brief look was spared for her friend before Kyna slithered forward again with all the speed and grace of a viper, learning quickly from the dispatch of their first foe. Sharp teeth took a bloody bite from the animal’s throat before she dodged away again, leaving room for Wren to finish the job.