A small body with short, stubby legs and big ears began growing into a taller, slimmer wolf. The past few months Malia and her siblings had been quickly developing, showing signs of the adults they would become over time. Some may say that this change would placate a fiery temper or curiosity, but not so for the Thorben daughter. Her mischievousness encouraged her to still venture further than ever before, yet she admitted to herself that she would still stay in reach of her parents since that adventure in Redweed Rise. So many wolves in one place and so much tension made even the pup feel uncomfortable, and it was a feeling she did not like.


Malia now wandered aimlessly away from the den. She enjoyed the freedom of stopping to smell any plant or rock she wished to, and spent the afternoon chasing after bugs and butterflies that passed. Rain was still falling, soaking the fluffy pup to the skin, but she had learned to ignore the cold when she wanted to focus on something else. Sometimes she burrowed herself into a hollowed out tree and watched the rain fall as her fur dried, and then she would take a quick nap before awaking. All thoughts of her siblings and parents had disappeared from her mind and it was like she was the only wolf in the world. Only her growing hunger caused her game to come to a pause for a little while at least.


Her brown eyes caught sight of a particularly tasty looking acorn by a large oak tree. The Thorben girl wandered towards it and bent over, taking it between her lips and cracking down firmly. Its outer shell broke apart and she continued to chew until swallowing. The nut left her unsatisfied and looking around for more food possibilities. But all she could see were wet, slimy plants and rocks that were wholly unappetizing.


While pondering her predicament a particularly haughty looking crow seated itself on the branch above. It cawed down at her derisively, and Malia automatically looked upwards with a curious expression. She inspected the black-feathered bird that cocked its head to the side and peered down with beady eyes, fluffing its feathers before letting out another shriek. It was on one of the lower branches and its tail hung down. Maybe... just maybe... Malia made up her mind and crept closer until she was sitting directly underneath the bird. Seating herself down, she remained silent. With a sudden burst of energy she leaped upwards and tried to bite down on one of the tail feathers. The crow cawed wildly and flew away out of her reach to a higher branch. The small pup lost her balance and tumbled into the wet grass. When she lifted her head back, she now saw three crows. Was she seeing triple?


They sat side by side, looking at her with various states of... anger? Could birds even feel emotions? Malia sniffed, partly because of her own embarrassment and also because of her own rage. The three of the crows cawed, and then were joined by another, and then another. All in all there were five, fidgeting on a thick branch and peering down at her. Then, all at once, they were upon her. They flew down towards her, claws outstretched. The pup let out a cry of alarm and then was buried beneath beak and feathers. "Speech"

Malia could feel sharp beaks digging into her skin, and as she yelped and scratched, black wings covered her vision. Pain filled her small body as she rolled back and forth on the ground. All the while, a loud cawing emerged from the birds beaks and they attacked her skin with sharp claws. The girl was half expecting them to grab her by the tail and carry her away into the distance. Now the Thorben daughter began yelling for her mother, father, anyone that could save her. Suddenly she heard a racket coming from somewhere close by, and the flurry of wings flapped loudly as they flew away to all directions. Her vision cleared and she could make out the familiar form of her brother Yuka, who was her savior and currently fighting against a different crow. The female followed his lead, rolling off the ground despite her injuries, and turned to the last remaining one and leaping out at it with a snarl, taking revenge for the pain it caused her.


Her small paws landed on one of its wings and scratched, her sharp little teeth trying to dig into the bird's skin. It squawked loudly and attempted to take flight, but the little girl hung on as best as she could. The bird began dragging her across the ground in an attempt to escape from its angry attacker, but Malia dug her claws into the dirt and let out another fierce (ish) growl. Its other feathers flapped in her face, its feet clawing as well and soon she felt like she could not hold on any longer. Her jaws let go and the bird awkwardly shot upwards at the loss of weight, into the sky. As it righted itself, the girl's brown gaze noticed with satisfaction that its wing was fluffed at an awkward angle. Hopefully it's broken. That crow deserves it, she thought to herself with a huff.


In all the excitement she had forgotten about her brother's presence. The 6-month-old turned to him now, a newfound respect in her eyes. No longer was he the little brother that stayed back, scared of everything but his mother's embrace. He had saved her,, Malia was almost certain that it had been from a very dangerous situation, too. Realizing what look she must be giving her brother, she covered it up with her natural sarcasm as she sat her rump on the ground. "Took you long enough," she grumbled. "Speech"

"I don't need a healer. I'm fine," Malia replied with a huff, bounding past her brother all the same. The pecks were still stinging, and if they were let out in the air too long infection could set in. The Thorben girl would never give her brother the satisfaction of knowing he was right, for once, so instead she walked alongside him and even in front while searching for Simae. The pup did not voice any more objections to his plan and mulled over the events in silence. Who knew birds could be such jerks? The girl didn't know why it would get all up in a huff... she only tried to eat it, right?


Every now and again Yuka would turn to look at her as if making sure she was alright. This infuriated Malia to no end, and by the third time she could not help but lash out in anger. "I can take care of myself, I don't need you to keep checking up on me." Anger flashed in her eyes and she moved her gaze forward, watching her feet instead of meeting the gaze of Yuka. If she did, he would certainly see the lie that was sitting there. She did need him, and when she needed someone most only minutes prior he was the one that showed himself. Grumbling, she sat on the ground and waited for Yuka to call for Simae. She certainly would not be the one to do it.

"Speech"

Simaea heard the call for the healer, what scared her was that it was Yuka's voice. A much older wolf wouldn't have warranted such haste, but this was one of the children and thus would not be left for more than a moment. The dark healer pelted through the trees aimed for the call, paying no heed to anything that whipped her pelt or scratched at it. She was in full "get there now" mode. The healer almost made a tunnel through all the brush as she raced to her destination. Her eyes grew wider with every step, what if the pups were hurt, or one had passed, or worse they were both being attacked! She pushed herself to what felt like her absolute limit, all for the sake of crow attack.

She should have known, the moment she arrived and scented no massive blood loss, only the strong scent of crow and possibly some lingering fear. Simaea visibly relaxed and started to scent both pups in turn Yuka was fine, Malia however had been the object of the attack. "Hold still Malia otherwise this will hurt" Simaea ordered the pup so that she could clean the wounds. She gave the Thorben girl a look that told her if she resisted then she would be held down and forced to be still. After all Simaea was pack healer and thus had authority when in this type of situation no matter who it was she was dealing with. Simaea prepared to set to work hoping to gain cooperation from both pups.

Silence continued between them, Malia watching the surrounding forest and shifting her weight uncomfortably as the stinging began to get to her. She avoided her brother's eyes at all costs, not wishing him to see the gratitude that lay deep within her heart. By now he probably thought of her as weak- she couldn't even fight off a few crows!- but she would never admit to it, preferring to suffer the shame without words or looks passed. Time seemed to stretch, minutes feeling like hours, as they waited for the pack healer to arrive. Malia huffed to herself, feeling impatient. What was taking Simae so long!? The amber-eyed girl was just about to suggest that they forget about it when the brown female came rushing through the bushes, eyes wide as if looking for some bloody, violent scene. Her body released tension after a few moments and then the healer moved towards Malia and began inspecting her.


At the healer's touch Malia flinched and tried to squirm away, but the clear threat in Simae's words made her purpose clear. The pup sighed in defeat and her ears flicked in embarrassment as she looked upwards and met the gaze of Yuka. She couldn't help but snort in amusement at the situation they'd got themselves in as Simae went about her duties, poking and prodding. Seeing Yuka's serious face made everything seem funnier, and soon the light chortle turned into a full laugh, her giggles intermittent with winces as Simae cleaned her wounds. What was so funny? Malia didn't even know anymore. Maybe she was just going crazy. "Speech"