Sabre walked out into the sunlight, leaving the Drooping Willows and stepping out into the open. The ground was dry here, but he could tell that it would become marshy soon. There were cattails poking up above the grass in the distance, along with other plants that preferred the damp marsh to the forest. He could smell water, too, though it hadn't rained for a while. Sabre wasn't sure he wanted to get his paws wet, so he hovered on the edge of the marsh.


As the sun began to warm his dark fur he stretched, then winced in pain as the wound on his side complained. He had forgotten about it and those two males that he had met in the forest. Anger burned in his eyes as he stopped stretching to avoid tearing the wound open again. It was already healing, anyways, and hadn't bled much. The area was just tender.


If it weren't for Rainuh then he might be seeking revenge against those two wolves.


In his youth he had been strong and didn't avoid fighting. Now that he had a mate he needed to be more careful, but something in his mind made him want to get back at the two males. If only he had allies or he could get one of the two alone. Then he would risk injury to take out his anger on them.


He needed to find allies in this land. He needed to start a pack so that he could have a family to support any pups that he brought into the world with Rainuh. After pacing for several minutes, Sabre sat down, his shoulders hunched in anger and his eyes narrowed as he stared out at the marsh.


What was he supposed to do now?

Sabre heard Rainuh's approach from behind. As she took her place beside him he lowered his head and nudged her cheek gently. "Hey," he said softly with a smile. He failed to mention his fight with the two males from several days ago, hoping that she wouldn't notice the wound or the strange smells and yet knowing that she would. He wasn't so sure that he wanted to tell her about that strange encounter.


He was about to speak again when something caught his attention when the wind began to blow in their direction. At first he caught just a hint of the smell, but then it came in stronger. Almost immediately his posture changed from a relaxed (though tense) pose to one of dominance. His ears pricked forward and he raised his head up high. Within moments he was on his feet, his tail held high.


Clearly Sabre saw himself as an alpha, though he wasn't leader of a pack just yet.


Taking another deep breath, he examined the scent more clearly. It was female and fresh. He had to struggle to suppress a sigh of relief when he knew the gender. He was sick of males right now. However, he did not relax. Whoever was out there in the marsh was a possible thread. With his deep voice he ordered, "Show yourself." Yes, he knew she was there. There was no hiding now.

Sabre kept his dominant stance, moving closer to Rainuh until his fur brushed against hers, clearly protective of his mate. As the female stepped out of the marsh he looked her over. She was quite large, her fur a mottled tawny. He wasn't sure what to make of her just yet, but it was clear that she wasn't submissive or afraid. He wasn't going to be pushing this wolf around any time soon. However, she didn't appear like an immediate threat either. And, as she hadn't threatened him or insulted him in any way, he wasn't about to start swearing at her.


"You're just passing through?" he questioned in an even voice. His posture showed that he wouldn't back down from a challenge, but it wasn't threatening. He also had no intention of ordering her to leave. Clearly she was a loner, and any loners right now may be of some use to him.


"We're not looking for a fight," he added. That was the last thing he wanted right now; he was still sore from the shallow wound on his side, even if it was halfway healed by now.

Sabre relaxed quite a bit once he was certain the female wasn't a threat to him or his mate. He still kept his dominant stance, but he relaxed it enough that he looked more like a dominant loner than a wolf who thought he was a leader. "We don't own this place," he said dismissively, in an attempt to dispel any worries she might have about trespassing. Not until he and Rainuh formed a pack and claimed a territory would they worry about trespassing.


"I'm Sabretache - Sabre for short," he said, introducing himself before nodding to Rainuh. "This is my mate, Rainuh." His gold eyes never left the tawny female, just in case she turned out to be more of a threat than she appeared. However, he was certain that she wasn't about to attack two wolves who would most likely fight back.


"Somethings pulling at you?" he repeated for clarification. "Is there anything we can do to help?"