Tiredness made her limbs ache and her lungs burn, and every now and again a stiff gust of wind would make her writhe and shrivel but she could not simply give up. She was the pack's scout, and second-in-command. As such, she could not abandon her duties to the pack, not in their hour of dire need. They needed to establish their borders, as the pack which was claiming the woodlands as their own. The other packs, if there were any in the area, wouldn't have known that Nomad's Pass had move there. Most packs wouldn't have even known about them before the move- they were in a much more open, accessible place now and as such, the borders needed to be well marked.

She used every means as possible to establish clear borders, marking with her scent using urine as well as scratching trees and using scent glands on her face. Leaving scratch marks on the ground was useless at this time of year- so trees and shrubs were the target of the most of her abuse, having bark and branches stripped away to show that this was claimed land.

It shouldn't have surprised her to come across one of their straggling stowaways. She recognized this female from when they'd first left the mountain- she'd been too close to the pack's territory then, and she was too close to it now. She could see how thin, weary and injured the woman was. She'd be absolutely no help to them at this state- she'd only want food and shelter, and wouldn't be of any help to the pack...Unless she herself died and became a meal. Sage toyed momentarily with the thought of killing her- it could be considered an act of mercy, based simply on the state the woman was in now, and the fact that she'd likely die within the next day or two if she wasn't taken care of. Had the times been better, she might've hoped that the pack could do something for her...But not now. They were weak and hungry enough as it was, without someone who could contribute nothing and only pull more resources away from the pack if she joined them.

The only rational decision seemed to be expulsion.

So Sagacity advanced toward her, ears forward and body held low, like a predator stalking prey. Her eyes were tired but glistened, nonetheless, with a fearless light. "These are our lands now!" She said, with a harsh growl, and began to pick up her pace to close the gap and chase her off.

Look Out!

There is a family of deer nearby. Hunt Opportunity

The woman wilted visibly as soon as Sagacity made her advance, which was a good thing- it appeased Sage to see that the woman was frightened and that she was willing to leave- but instead of simply shutting her trap and taking off with her tail between her legs, she called out a plea. It didn't cause Sagacity to halt in the slightest- she didn't care what this woman had to say to Crowe- she could say it when she was a respectful distance from the borders. Part of her, however, stored the memory of this woman...Crowe knew her. And she'd followed them all the way. This could be trouble- how had she found out about the pack? Had Crowe told her? This would be something she would have to discuss with Naira- once she'd chased this woman far enough away.

She began to run, but she was a small wolf and as injured and weak as she was, there was no way she could outrun Sagacity, who covered ground with the speed of an otter in water. She was uninjured and not nearly as starved as Frost, so while the girl could surely shake a leg, she was in no condition to outrun the silver dagger.

She chased her until the show began to become thicker and she was closer to the orchard. She let out a loud, aggressive growl to tell her that this was not a place she could come back to, and at that moment, when she inhaled, she too caught the scent of deer. Perfect. It was exactly what the pack needed, and what she'd been told to search for. Inhaling more to get a better scent of the herd's whereabouts, she pinpointed its direction which, regrettably, was still in the area where the strange female was. Still within the forest which was in the process of being claimed. So without restraint, Sagacity let loose a wild an victorious call, to summon her packmates to the first hunt in their new homelands- and simultaneously to strike fear in the white female's heart.

If she even tried to hunt on their new lands, she'd become the appetizer.

Food. Glorious Food.

Mercy had found a new spurt of strength and energy when he heard his mother's call. She'd not been gone long when she'd called out, summoning the pack to a hunt. Tired and hungry, Mercy's muscles worked on some fuel he didn't know he had when he took off through the snow to find out where she was, as she'd been marking along the borders and he'd taken some time to rest. Nothing could have spoiled his mood now- his mother had found something for them to hunt, and gauging by the fact that she'd called the pack, not just one or two wolves, it was something substantial. They needed it- they were all in rough shape after the move and would need something to help replenish their strength.

Sagacity's tracks were easy enough to follow, but he noticed that there had been a marked increase in her speed at one point...And he felt somewhat alarmed. Moving off at a trot toward prey was one thing, but judging by the set of sparse tracks she left behind, she'd really taken off after something- or someone. Her tracks merged with the tracks of another wolf, and it became obvious by the droplets of blood in the snow that the wolf she'd been chasing had been bleeding. Mercy redoubled his speed, anger rising in his chest- this was their first trespasser, and he sincerely hoped that this wolf didn't ruin their hunt- the tone in his mother's voice had been dangerous enough.

When he found her, he could still see the other wolf not far off. He was panting by the time he reached his mother's side, as she'd slowed to a trot- still somewhat in pursuit of the female wolf, who'd gone in the direction of the deer by chance. "Isn't she the one that was following us?" Mercy asked between pants, eyeing the female cautiously. Was she going to be allowed to hunt with them, the same way Veronika had been allowed? That had been the way she'd proved herself...Was this female going to do the same thing? But by the way his mother had obviously given chase, he reminded himself that it was probably nothing of the sort; his mother was still incredibly tense, so he assumed that this stranger was not welcome on their hunt.

She continued to pursue the female, albeit at a slower pace now that she was being driven away quite willingly. Her son managed to catch up to her side at that point, and to his question she answered with a low growl. She knew her son was more inclined to show pity for other wolves, but Sagacity had lived long enough to feel no regret in pushing a weakling away from their pack- and even considering her as a meal. They were soon joined by Mapplethorpe, who seemed no more impressed with the lame, cream coloured female and an order was given- kill her if she came too close. For now, she was still on the run, but with Sagacity's health on her side as well as four sound legs, she was able to put on a burst of speed which would bring her close enough to slide to a stop and herald the limping female's depature with a snarl.

"If you ever come back, I'll kill you." She straightened, tail raising above her back in a display of superiority and a show of confident strength. There was no way this female would ever win a fight between the two of them- and Sagacity took Mapplethorpe's order seriously. This female was nothing but a problem, and Sage didn't care who she was, and who she knew- the word had been given and she would obey. The next time she saw Frost on their territory, she would not stop to question her, but would kill her in a heartbeat.

She returned with her comrades, sparing a short glance over her shoulder to make sure that Frost hadn't decided to tail after her. She nodded to Mapplethorpe, whose attention had become piqued by the deer- Mercy as well. Sagacity, her breaths coming in soft pants, lowered her body to the ground to conserve strength for a moment while they lay in wait and observed.

It was with horror that Mercy glanced to his mother when Mapplethorpe spoke those words to her. He looked toward the disappearing form of the beige female and, had he not been so tired already, he might've tried to stop his mother as she bolted a short distance toward the female in a final show of intimidation. Kill her? Would his mother really do such a thing? But when he looked to Mapplethorpe, he understood. That female was weak, and she'd be trouble. His mother listened to her alphas and obeyed them, no matter what the order was. It was a turning point in Mercy's young life, to see the darkness which existed within wolves, and the lengths at which they would have to go to survive.

Mapplethorpe drew his attention to the herd of deer they were tracking and though he found it somewhat hard to concentrate, the deer made it much easier, and gave themselves away. With the leaves having been long since stripped from the branches, they would rely now on bark and branches, nibbling whatever buds they could from the trees, and with the wood dry and frozen, it gave them away. His ears perked, one turning to the side when his mother rejoined them after having chased the female off for the last time. He took a step forward, before he too lowered himself to the ground, eyes focused and muscles tensed, like a border collie awaiting its master's command. A bit of saliva rolled from the curled end of his tongue and he licked his lips to try and keep his apetite at bay- hopefully, if they were successful, he wouldn't have to wait much longer.