After taking a few trips off the mountain Revon had begun to realize how much she adored the fresh mountain air and openness of the rocky terrain. For most of her life all she had ever known was the rock, but after dipping into the forests below she could not imagine living in such a covered place. Sure, there were meadows and other open-y places to explore, but it wasn’t the same. Nothing would compare to the Heights as far as she was concerned. Her mother had been born of the mountains too and after leaving for a short stint she returned to reclaim the land as her own. While her father had not been born on the mountain like her or her mother, he had adjusted to his new terrain quickly and moved with the grace of a mountain goat.

The plateau was not far from the lands her parents had claimed as their own, which meant she frequented the place often. She had slipped away from the small pack with ease, for her frame was still small enough to tuck between cracks in the rock. Their few numbers made it easy for Revon to disappear without an adult noticing, for they were all busy prepping for the winter and seldom noticed her little excursions. Or they did and just didn’t say anything. Either way it worked in the scarlet Archer’s favour.

As she made her way to the plateau a foreign scent slapped against her nostrils, causing her pace to slow and the fur on the back of her neck to stand. The stranger did not smell of one of the neighbouring packs (although she had not encountered many of them). A frown creased her lips as she stepped forward, her tangerine eyes narrowing as she searched for the origin for the smell.

The stranger looked strikingly similar to her father, but there were more blemishes in her fur, whereas her father was pure obsidian. Her nose twitched. What was this wolf doing so close to the borders? Was she aware of how close she was? Her head fell to the side as she pulled herself into a boulder several tail-lengths away from the loner. “Whaddya doin’ here?” She called out boldly, her legs tense; ready to run if need be.

Being bold was a dangerous trait. Especially when it involved loners. She was not afraid to push buttons with her packmates, or disregard them entirely. Strangers, however, intrigued the scarlet cub. More than they should have. She also wanted to do her part in recruiting others. Who could resist a cute, inquisitive puppy?

Apparently this chick, who did not seem thrilled on having company.

The girl’s head fell to the side as the loner clapped back with a sharp response, her words like daggers being tossed through the air. Okay. So that was not what she had been expecting. Clearly the loner was not in the mood to be bothered. But Revon had other plans. She was still a safe distance away from the shadow, which meant she could flee at any given moment with a good head start. Plus she had mountain legs, which meant she would be able to maneuver over the stone with ease. Much quicker than the silver-eyed female, that was for sure. The odds, for now, were in her favour. She could work with that.

“Ca-chuh-rooo?” She repeated, her head falling to the side as her brows narrowed darkly. “Wha’s that mean?” The scarlet Archer was fascinated by the foreign word, for it was nothing she had heard before. And it rolled off the stranger’s tongue with ease. Much smoother than Revon’s feeble, butchered attempt. She also understood that the dark loner was drinking, as it was painfully obvious, but that still didn’t explain what she was actually doing her. Surely she did not climb the mountain just for a drink of water.

She knew she was being annoying but that did not deter the little fox. No, it was fuelling her. The ebony loner was giving her precisely what she wanted. A reaction. A lopsided smirk tugged on her dark lips as she studied the silver-eyed female, her hindquarters remaining firmly planted to the stone as her tail folded neatly atop her paws. “Maybe you’re talking to yourself,” she retorted quickly, a single brow arched as she tipped her head to the side. Being lippy wasn’t necessarily a good idea, considering the difference in their size, but she was not far from home. Within shouting distance if needed. A hop, skip and a jump away from the Aurora borders. From mom and dad. The tip of her tail twitched, her nose pointed toward the dark loner as she turned around, flipping her off via her tail.

Rude.

She exhaled sharply out of her nose, her fiery gaze fixated on the strange loner. Despite her growing frustration, and the female’s dismissive tone, the Archer remained where she was. Go home, she said. Go home?! Another snort—this time out of amusement rather than irritation. “I am home.” Dummy. “You go home.” Revon did not know where the sudden burst of bravery came from, but her paws remained rooted. She could not flee now—not after speaking so boldly to the scrawny loner. The little princess would have to stand her ground. This sharp-tongued wolf was awfully close to the Aurora borders, and her parents wouldn’t like that. Not unless the ebony wolf intended on joining their small pack. 

The ebony wolf continued to grow annoyed with the scarlet fox. Perfect. Her lips fell into a thin, straight line as she observed the loner, the dark tip of her tail twitching. Perhaps if she kept annoying the silver-eyed wolf she would turn away from the borders and disappear into the mountain. Away from Aurora. She didn’t think her parents would want such a sharp-tongued wolf lurking so close to their borders or joining their ranks. Revon was doing them a favour, really.

Bullshit? That was a new word to add to the fox’s vocabulary. While the loner was dreadfully annoying Revon was learning new things from her. “Nah,” the girl answered quickly, her maw canted to the side: “You’re bullshit.” That was much bolder than she had expected, but it was too late to retrieve the words. They hung, suspended, in the air between them. Despite the sudden panic that pumped through her veins the scarlet Archer remained as clam as possible, her fiery gaze never once wavering from the loner’s dark figure.

“I was here first,” she grumbled in response, a single brow raised. She had to bite her tongue from saying anything else. Just because they were close to her parents’ borders did not mean the stranger wouldn’t be above attacking the girl, or pup-napping her. She wasn’t interested in losing an ear or her tail—not this early on in life.