Tensions were running high in Oak Tree Bend. With the arrival of the first breaths of warm air, everything had started t awakening for spring, including the adult wolves all throughout the Lore. Nalda wondered though, if she would even have noticed, had it not been for Aponi. Now and then, she would feel a strange tingle in her skin, especially around Ari or the other male yearling. But it was a minor annoyance, nothing more. She wasn't interested in acting on it, the puppies that might result in was enough of a deterrent. And then of course, on those rare occasions where her natural curiosity poked at these new sensations, spurring her to explore them further, there was Aponi. The woman sparred no chance to demonstrate her authority, snarling and snapping, and generally making life miserable for anyone who came near her; So overdramatic! She wasn't an idiot! It wasn't like she was gonna go against pack mandate and end up ousted with a litter of pups on her paws. The thought alone made her shudder. Of course, she didn't know what things had been like last year.

So she tried to avoid her aunt as much as possible, as well as the boys giving her those weird feelings, which left her on her own most of the time. Now that was nothing new, but for some reason it was driving her up the wall these days! She'd agreed to come here hoping to find some connection with her remaining family, but instead she'd found half of them gone and the other half, apparently, too threatened by her to be interested in bonding. Hopefully things would get better once this mess of a season was over and the queen had seen that her niece didn't plan on challenging her rule. Until then she would try and keep out of her way, spending her time getting to know the territory and surrounding lands.

Today she'd been west, working on fine-tuning her mental map of the area between the Bend and the mountain. She'd been up before the sun and now, when it shone high in the sky, she found herself longing to rest and bask in it, as she'd always loved. Already, she had a favorite sun spot, a particular rock within the pack borders that soaked up the heat just as her Pine's spot had. It was with a smile on her face that she headed there now, already feeling drowsy under the afternoon sun. However her mood was soured when she arrived at the place and found it already occupied, and by Ember of all wolves. Stopping dead in her tracks, Nalda narrowed her eyes and glared at back of her pale figure, lounging so pleasantly on her rock. It would seem she needed to find a different place for her nap, much to her dismay, and she couldn't keep a small, annoyed grunt from escaped her throat at the thought. The day had otherwise looked so promising.

Word count: 500

Her gaze did not even have time to wander, before the pale girl awoke to fix her with a surly look of her own. That self-important little cretin even had the nerve to bare her teeth, the snarl making Nalda's hackles prickle. Her own tail lifted in mirror of the other's, lips curling back in derisive sneer. "Oh get'over y'self!" She said, narrowing her eyes and wrinkling her nose at the girl. It was one thing for a female leader to assert her dominance this time of year, but no way Nalda was gonna take it from this little bitch. Her hackles rose as she sauntered towards the other yearling, an expression of pure distain on her face; "I ain't gon'take y'rock, so calm y'ass."

She continued to walk, casually, intend on passing right by the girl and continuing into the territory. She had no interest in bickering with Ember, there were much better uses of her time. Still, she offered the age-mate another flash of her teeth, tail twitching above her back, showing her rightful place. So far they'd been able to largely avoid each other, but if this was gonna become a regular thing, she might as well get things straight right away; You're BELOW me!

Word count: 208

A breath passed between the two, a moment's calm as they assessed one another, silently battling for dominance. Then everything happened in swift succession. Clearly not intend on backing down, Ember jumped from the rock, blocking any further path for the slightly older yearling. A vicious snarl instantly erupted from her in response, eyes glinting at the challenge; Oh you did NOT! But it appeared she had, in fact, the Reinir left no doubt about her intentions, spitting a pathetic challenge; Having apparently grown some semblance of spine while she was off doing whatever. It was almost amusing; Almost..! The dominance display struck a nerve in Nalda however, she hadn't concerned herself much with rank in the Pines, and upon first joining Oak Tree Bend, she'd thought she might go on like that. After all, the wolves generally socialized casually, with no need to reflect hierarchy. Or avoided each other, as the case with the two girls had mostly been. But the season had left everyone on edge, and while getting shoved around by Aponi was something her niece could do nothing about, she would not take that kind of attitude from anyone else, especially Ember.

The irate blonde was defensively curled, clearly prepared for a fight. Well if that was what she wanted, she would get it! Nalda curled her lips in another sneer, ears flipped forwards in show of aggression. "We'll see'bout that!" She drawled. Then, without further notice she lowered her head, folding down her ears, and charged the other yearling. With her chin protected from an easy muzzle grab, the dark female would have to go with another way of showing her dominance over her age-mate. So she thrust out her shoulder, aiming to ram Ember's and nock her over; Bringing her down where she belongs! No sound accompanied the attack, no waste of breath or advance warning, just the lunge, teeth bared in a silent snarl.

Word count: 321

She hit her mark with a jolt that reverberated throughout her body, the clash of body against body giving an audible clang that seemed loud enough to be heard throughout the forest. Yet the paler girl remained firmly planted were she stood, her taller build seeming to outmatch Nalda's more compact bulk. The russet yearling gritted her teeth, suppressing a snarl of anger, not wanting to waste the breath. This fight was not just a simple spat to her, she intended to exert her position over the other yearling once and for all, put her in her place to avoid any confrontations like this in the future. But her initial plan for an easy victory had been thwarted, and it was instantly clear that she would not be able to push Ember over from this position.

Instead she'd put herself at risk for a counter attack, the paler wolf using the advantage of her height to strike out at her. Nalda quickly ducked, in turn using her smaller stature to escape, backing up half a step on bend elbows. Then she hurried to strike back, pushing herself off the ground, onto her hind legs, to come down at the opponent with the added force of her weight behind the blow; I will knock you down! And she would stay down, if she knew what was best for her! Ears pinned and teeth barred, the dark girl aimed at the lighter's shoulder, the same one she'd already struck once, paws held side by side for a powerful push. And this time she didn't hold back her snarl.

Word count: 266