Gone Tomorrow

Under the fading winter sun, Corinna stood breathing in the fresh air. A few birds had returned, and their singing helped to brighten the day. But their presence did not brighten the task ahead of her. She was in no mood to deal with lone wolves along her borders, not today. She was tired of them. Simply put. She was happy with the way her family was. But winter was cruel, and those that survived had lived long enough to know that another winter alone was not in the cards. So it was no surprise that they were flocking to her borders like moths to a flame. That hardly meant they were wanted, though.

So as it were, the howl, when it came, was not surprising. She was highly tempted to just ignore it, and continue about her day. But if she did not show up, other wolves of her pack would, and Cori wouldn't dare waste their time. Grunting in mild irritation, the hormonal female altered her direction towards the origin of the caller. No hurry to her pace, she took her sweet time, pausing several times along the way to further reinforce her borders. This time of year, more than ever, she was not inclined to be sympathetic to trespassers, and she would not buy the excuse that her borders were not clearly marked.

Green eyes glaring daggers at the lone female, Corinna took her in. She was small, almost scrawny in Cori's opinion. Gray in color, like most of the wolves that had plagued the Swift River borders lately. "Corinna Tainn. What is it you want?" Though not unkind, her voice was direct, and it was clear that she was in no mood to waste time here. She figured that the lone wolf was here to ask for acceptance, in which case this shouldn't take too long. Otherwise, well, no, she couldn't remember the last time a wolf had come for purely a social call. And given her irritable mood as of late, she wasn't sure she wanted them to.

Gone Tomorrow

The other's body was quick to assume a submissive posture, which eased Corinna's mood somewhat. Even so, she wanted to do nothing more than mark her border one more time and then leave. But that was not what she was obligated to do. It was a burden that she had assumed and she would fulfill all of her obligations, regardless of how she personally felt about them. But even listening to the female, it was all she could do to prevent herself from rolling her green eyes. It seemed that every wolf was a marvelous, and for once, she just wanted somebody to admit that they had some type of flaw.

Despite her wishes, though, she had to deal with what she had been given. Pointedly looking over the smaller female, she breathed in quietly. "Very well. I suppose we will have to see how good of a hunter you are. We'll be having a pack gathering shortly. I expect you to be there." There was more warmth to her words than there had been before, but by accepting Finn into the pack, Corinna was hardly extending instant friendship. Stepping forward, she approached the newly accepted River wolf. Walking in a circle around her, she let her scent waft over the other, letting the scent of Swift River cling to the newcomer's fur. Coming around to her front, Cori stood in front of her. Leaning forward, she moved to muzzle grab the subordinate, biting down firmly, though not enough to hurt. Stepping back, she nodded her head in the direction of the pack den. "Follow me." Turning, the she-wolf began to make her way towards the interior of the territory, pausing only to check to see if the subordinate was following.