Snow, snow and more snow! Will this cold ever end? The almost-yearling faintly remembered a time when the thicket was not covered in the stuff, but it seemed a distant dream these days. Her mother kept saying spring was in the air, but Flair didn't see it, everything was as cold and dead as before. Perhaps it was the weird illness she had caught, the one that made her smell funny and act all strange. Oddly enough no one seemed to worry about it, nothing like when dad had been ill and they couldn't even see him. The red girl shook her head, snorting and kicking at the snow; Nothing makes sense around here!

In an effort to work through some of her penned up frustrations, the girl had set out beyond territory, patrolling as her brother would call it; Sheesh! It was a technique she'd used before, nothing blew off steam like a brisk trot through the thicket. Of course, usually she didn't run into anyone. The Woodlands were secluded, and loners at their borders, or anywhere near them, were a rarity. Never the less, the youngster's jog was halted by an unfamiliar scent mixed with the whirling snow. She paused, raising her snout into the wind, nostrils flaring. Her skills at tracking might be feeble, but she knew the smell of wolf, and this was a stranger too!

Giving her coat a quick shake, the pup spun, following the scent with perked ears and narrowed eyes. It took a while before she made out the silhouette among the snow and bramble, but finally she noticed the figure, standing eerily still as the wind pushed and pulled at her from all sides. Flair cocked her head, flicking one ear back and then forwards again, curiosity and antagonism mixed on her face; What the hell? Then suddenly, the stranger started moving, as if nothing had happened, a small sound falling from her dark lips. Unable to hold her tongue, and knowing her fiery coat was not exactly good camouflage among the white and brown, Flair called after her: "Oi, what're you doin' here?!" Not even the smallest hint of politeness in her voice.

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Flair snickered at the woman's reaction, flicking her ears again as she turned to face her. She looked strange, her black and white fur reminiscent of Enia's, though more mottled with grey. And her eyes were even darker blue than Cináed and Miccah's, so that you couldn't really tell the pupil from the iris. Flair wasn't one to scare easily, but she did find something creepy about the strange woman, especially when her shocked expression morphed into a thin smile. Her honeyed comment got a quick response from the pup, who stuck out her tongue and made a rude face; You're one to talk, lady! And as if echoing her thoughts, a rugged voice suddenly sounded, prompting a reaction not unlike she had in the stranger, moments earlier.

Jerking her head sideways, Flair narrowed her eyes slightly at the old man, one ear flattening backwards. He was still mostly a stranger, even if he had technically joined the pack, and she wasn't sure what to think of him. But the way he spoke to the intrusive lady made the youngster's lips twitch I a half smirk. Her own gaze returned to the wench, ears again flipped forwards and tail flicked above hip-level, unabashed. "Tha's not what I asked," she barked, quickly followed up by Vasu's own question, and she didn't hesitate to jump on board; "Yeah, that!" Had she still been alone, she might have acted with a bit more caution – or maybe not, she had yet to be truly burned by her brash manner – but with the pack mate emboldening her, she felt even more assured in her approach; "You're close enough! Not like this thicket's got a lot'a other stuff going on." She narrowed her eyes; I should know!

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The laugh felt jarring to her ears, something truly wrong in its false tone. Whether the strange woman was really amused, or just generally insane, Flair couldn't tell, and neither did she care; The condescending tone was clear enough. It made a low growl rumble in her chest, teeth baring. It would seem the witch mistook them for honorable guardians, touting laws of conduct as if this would make them back off; What an idiot! This wasn't about authority, it was about force, and she was outnumbered. But clearly not smart enough to realize her disadvantage.

The derisive comment drew a full snarl from the pups lips, amber eyes watching closely as she snuck closer; I'll show you my place, Bitch! This stranger was certifiably crazy, no doubt about it. The whipping winds and icy, sharp snowflakes only seemed to rile her up further, and despite warnings from both Flair and the adult, she continued her arrogant display, the smile on her face just as false as her laughter. That next remark finally did it for the temperamental youth, eyes widening in fury as her remaining semblance of self-control snapped. With a roar, she hurled herself forwards, moments after Vasu did the same, though his attack seemed a lot more controlled, probably owing to his vastly larger experience. The stout pup was more used to acting 'target', waiting for an adversary to come at her and then biting back. Aim and regulation were not her strong suite.

So as the dark man's teeth closed around the wench's muzzle, pushing her off balance, Flair's charge veered off the moving target. Trying to change her course, the pup slammed her paws into the snow, skidding through the wet cover before stumbling into the grabbling adults. Rather than knock down the woman, as she had hoped, it seemed Flair's attempted attack might end up freeing her from Vasu's hold. Though, lying tail up in a  drift, she couldn't tell exactly how much damage she'd ended up doing.

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