Tori had been captivated by the scarlet and emerald that splattered across the untouched snow, bouncing around as the crystalized water reflected the colors of the sky above, seeming to take her on a trail and journey… and she was eager to find out what was at the end of it. Despite her typical nature, she was quite explorative and curious, always looking to grow… a redeeming quality, she supposed. She knew many were not fond of her constant need for attention and to be the biggest and loudest voice in the room… to command the respect she felt that she deserved.

That took her right towards the herd of deer that had lingered around the edge of the territory… something she had never really considered as a threat. She had not observed a pack hunt… and there was the fact that she ate deer… that meant that they were nothing to be feared, she had logicked. And so she matched towards them, jaws snapping in irritation… until she realized. No, that was it… hunting the deer. Her parents said that deer were too big for one wolf to hunt but that was really just a challenge, right?

It had been clear that the stains of the light reflecting against the snow-covered ground were merely a sign… a promise of what was to come. Her tail lashed from side to side in an aggravated manner as she felt her heart begin to thump in her chest, weighing her options to a degree even though she had really already made up her mind on what she was going to do. She was going to take that which she felt which she was owed… and thus, she was going to take that deer’s life.

She heard her cousin’s voice behind her, her nose twitching as she turned her head to glance at him for a moment at his question. She would not clarify because it seemed obvious to her and if he could not see it then he’d figure it out in a few moments when she made her action. She settled for only a moment before she went charging full force towards where the herd was located, eyes locked on them with a hungry intent..

Her parents were going to be so impressed with her prowess when she dragged a deer back all by herself! She had little doubt that her father would praise her, offer to be a peon that brought her food. Yes, this is what she needed to do to claim the more metaphysical. She could easily claim the physical dimensions of space, but claiming and conquering places in others hearts? That was much harder.

The deer noticed the lone and rather small wolf charging at them, an male irritated and rather aggressive in his own right chuffing as he prepared to challenge her with his antlers ands trong legs.

It was merely who Torianna was as a wolf… the more she grew, the more she felt a general disdain for authority. With her parents, it was simply. She could wrap them around her little finger, though it did not stop the occasional scolding… but others? Eros? No, there was little respect to be had. She didn’t have anything against him, just the power dynamic that he could exert over her especially as she grew closer and closer to becoming a yearling and joining the adult ranks. Perhaps that was another reason she chose to dive off towards the stag.

But then it turned… and Tori felt something she had never experienced before… something she loathed and despised with every fiber of her being when others showed it: fear. There was fear as her cousin dove in, saving the day by throwing her off course as she began to skid to a halt which caused her to tumble over to the side.

It would work to his advantage as well, the herd turning and taking off, seeing the opportunity to get away, and the stag following it as he looked out after his own. There was frustration when she finally recovered and shook herself free. “I had that!” There was a frustration that carried in her tone but it lacked it’s usual abrupt rudeness that had become a part of her being.

Instead, it was more vulnerable… because deep down she knew she did not have it.

A doe? She hadn’t wanted a doe! She’d wanted a buck! An intense frown formed on her features as she huffed in a childish irritation. He stated they only hunted deer in packs. “I know! That’s why I was going to take it down alone! To prove I was the best!” It was slightly different from her usual tone, and more akin to her sister Euna’s perpetual whining. “Maybe then dad will stop yelling at me for going to close to the border and mom will stop scolding me for trying to fight!” She wanted to be the best. That ambition burned deep, and even now as some part of her brain recognized the danger she put herself in, she wanted to be the best.

One day, like Eros and Viorel, she would be a leader. Her brows furrowed in confusion. “Why can’t we take one down by ourselves? Why is there no strategy for it? It doesn’t mean it’s impossible, it just means it hasn’t been done yet!” She would challenge, pushing back against the ideas that he was presenting. While largely physical, it was not her only way of proving her superiority… that she deserved to rule. Normally, it was with her parents.

But in their absence, that mental challenge came to Eros instead.

Finally, there were answers. They were not entirely pleasing, and they were not the answers she was hoping for… but there was a part of her that understood there was a strength in numbers solely from her own experience. If her siblings were all together, she’d never go after one of them because they had each other. It was a language she did speak. It was a language she did understand. If she spent her time trying to prove that she could take down this deer herself, she would lose time that could be used for bending others to her will… something she had found herself struggling with.

A frown formed on her features. “That’s really dumb. Adults aren’t all that.” She stated, finding herself annoyed that she was being limited by her size, especially knowing that some of her siblings were already growing to be bigger than her, and that she would likely be adopting her mother’s smaller stature despite her burly nature as someone who always wanted attention…

But then there was a small smile, a conspiratorial grin as she looked to her brother cousin and her tail began to wag furiously from side to side in excitement. “Really? You mean it?!?” She would ask, already seeing the optics… the leader was choosing her to be an apprentice! Oh, this would be good! So good! “I want to fight… and I want to be good.”