Kova- Lucky you! You have found a half eaten elk. +Note that Kova traveled in between the bit of cleared land separating wild cherry orchard from ghastly woods and secluded springs.

Kova was wandering a lot more lately. The increased freedom his parents gave only gave the pup greater curiosity of the world outside of the pack lands. Forests in particular held his attention right now, and Kova had visited the thickets west of Blackberry fields twice now. Once by accident when he was split up from Firefly, and the second visit was taken by himself to look around more. Now Kova wanted to explore the other forests that edged his parents hunting territory.

Kova decided early morning to take the usual route through the fields. However he traveled southeast pointing himself in the direction of two separate stands of trees. From a distance one could see a deep dark scary forest hidden just to the left and behind a nicer looking orchard. Like all adventurous children, Kova decided to slip by the orchard and pass into that dark scary forest. As he traveled forward viewing plants and animals along the way, Kova began to scent the musky smell of a carcass. Wondering slightly where the food was but not overly concerned about his hunger at the moment, the young wolf continued towards the edge of ghastly woods.

Pausing at the entrance of the forest, Kova looked the trees up and down. From the outside they looked rather inviting, with large tall trees hidden behind tall bushes and saplings. Moss hung off of some trees but was not growing over everything. The dim light underneath the trees was the only thing that would give the onlooker something akin to chills if they had a superstitious heart.

Kova had been raised on stories, but not of tales about ghosts and ghouls. So he saw nothing strange or frightening about the forest as he began to walk into it.

It wasn't until the silver wolf had wandered farther into the woods that he realized how maze-like the area was. Mist was beginning to appear from the ground as it rose slowly into the air. That fog plus the dimly lit sparse undergrowth was beginning to unnerve the pup. The only good thing happening to him now was the fact that the scent of that carcass he'd noticed earlier was much stronger. The food was close by.

Only using scent to find his way through the tall creaking trees, Kova Lagina eventually found the elk carcass. The smell of another canine that Kova didn't know, a coyote, filtered through his nose. However he didn't know that their scent was exactly dangerous yet. All he knew was that the journey to the forest had made him awfully hungry. Stooping over the elk carcass and glancing around to make sure nobody else was nearby, Kova began to fill his belly. He didn't know that someone might very well be watching him form the mist.

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The predator stalking him had approached Kova silently, and when it began to growl Kova looked up startled before realizing that the predator was Firefly. Immediately settling down and relaxing, Kova grins before giving his head a quick shake to answer her question.

"No. I just found it is all."

Kova said truthfully before looking back down at the carcass. He was moderately filled by now. However, after a brief debate with himself Kova decided to fill himself completely. Lowering his silver crown and beginning to gnaw at the food once more, the Lagina wolf pup began to more slowly eat from the enormous meal. His jaws worked meticulously picking a part tendons and veins that he didn't care for before gobbling up the muscle and fat of the dead animal. Only a minute or two later and Kova was uncomfortably full as he sat back up licking his jaws clean of the mess covering them.

When he noticed Firefly staring off into the trees Kova couldn't help but grow curious. He'd seen Minka and Tokino do this before, usually when someone like a loner was scented and they were concerned about them. However he couldn't smell any other wolf other than Firefly and his own scents.

"What's wrong?"

Kova asked while sniffing the air more and concentrating. That weird canine scent was still there, but he wasn't sure what it was.

"Do you know what that smell is? It's almost like us, but isn't really..."

Turning his eyes back to the carcass where a good amount of the scent was, Kova sniffed it before looking back up to Firefly.

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Kova's questions brought Fly's attention back to the boy. She wrinkled her nose in disgust. She hated coyotes."That smell is the scent of coyote." Fly brought her brown eyes away from the trees and let them land on Kova's inquisitive stare."No..." Fly began warily,"there isn't anything wrong." Fly stressed the word to let the boy know that though something wasn't wrong, something wasn't right either."Coyotes look a little like I do, except smaller and with bigger ears." Fly didn't try to hide her disgust or judgmental tone. When she was young she had stumbled upon a coyote eating a wolf pup. The scene was horrible and had left a stain on Fly's otherwise care-free childhood. The young russet huntress wasn't afraid of very much, but if she ever had to say she was afraid of something it would be coyotes. She didn't want to scare Kova or admit to him that she herself was afraid. But as she looked at his silver face and sky blue eyes all she could think of was the face of that dead pup that the coyote had been eating. Really they did not look that much alike aside from similar fur color and blue eyes, but at the moment Fly imagined that they were identical.

Trying to reign in her fear, Fly explained to the teen what he needed to know about coyotes. She did this partially because she knew he would appreciate the new knowledge, but also because she needed to remind herself that there wasn't anything to be afraid of."Most wolves could easily take a coyote one on one so there really isn't much to be afraid of. They usually just eat food that's been left behind which is probably why this one is lingering around here." Fly eyed the elk carcass pointedly, seeing that very little of it was left after Kova gobbled it up. With a heavy sigh, Fly relaxed. There wasn't much food left here so the coyote should move on very soon. He wouldn't attack Kova now that Fly was here. Still, Fly couldn't shake the nervous feeling that made her want to leave this place and head closer to home."Well if you've filled yourself enough.." Fly nudged the boy's stomach with her nose in a teasing manner. He would probably have a stomach ache later, she thought humorously."We can head back home unless there was something else you came out here for." Fly hoped that Kova would be content to go home now that his stomach was full, but the boy always seemed to want to wander and Fly doubted he would be content to leave just yet. Confident that the coyote wouldn't stick around much longer, she decided it was safe to stay out here a little longer if that is what her prince wanted to do.

"Speech"

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Kova snorted blowing the smell of coyote through his nose sharply before angling his gray ears towards Firefly in order to listen better. He wondered if Firefly was telling the truth because her words did not match the way her body had reacted to the strange scent of canine. The young prince tried to imagine what a coyote would look like from Firefly's description of one. He imagined her with a thinner, shorter, and sleeker build; then added big ears on top of that image. They looked a little goofy to him, but Kova wasn't sure whether he would want to see one up close just to know what it looked like. At least not until his friend went into more detail on what kind of danger coyotes were to him. Then Kova relaxed allowing his tail to wag while a devilish grin appeared on his muzzle.

It might be fun to try and chase one of them around. He thought quietly while looking around for the source of the scent. Neither of them had seen the creature yet.

Then Fly turned and poked at his belly while suggesting that they go home. Kova gave her an indignant snort before whining pleadingly to her.

"Awww. Can't we go and chase it? It'll be fun!"

Kova whined low as he stood up and stretched his legs. Not only did he not want to leave the forest, but he wanted to see the coyote at least once before leaving. Only if she lets me though... The sad thought passed through his mind as Kova looked up at her with drooping puppy dog eyes.

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Fly frowned uneasily at the teen's question. She really should have seen that coming. Her mother had always chased them off, so Fly supposed that now it was her job to chase them away. She had to protect her pack. Fear still kept Fly from giving the boy an answer but as she looked into his blue eyes, wide with excitement and pleading, she knew what she had to do. If she didn't chase the wretched beast away it might become more confident and might come closer and closer to their territory. Kova was wondering farther and farther from home. With that combination a horrible scenario played out in Fly's mind. The young boy, who she had grown to love like her own brother, out exploring the woods and that nasty coyote taking him by surprise. Blood splayed everywhere and somehow the wile coyote began to win the fight and sink its teeth into Kova's neck. Fly shook her russet head, trying to dislodge the horrible vision and expel those thoughts from her mind.

With a new perspective, Fly realized she needed to make sure this coyote knew it was not allowed around here. She would rather give Kova permission to chase the despicable thing now while she was here to back him up, rather than him trying to chase one on his own. Or worse, the coyote sticking around and waiting to catch Kova all alone. Fly knew that it was rare for a coyote to attack a wolf pup, especially one as old as Kova. She also knew that Kova was probably already capable of fending off the wiry canine. But she needed to know for sure or else her mind would never be at ease. She needed to see the coyote chased off and she needed Kova to be the one to do it so that she could be sure he was capable of taking care of himself. The russet woman took a deep breath.

"Yeah, actually that is a good idea, my prince." Fly conceded giving him a weak smile.

"Why don't you take the lead. I'll follow your orders for now. You might just be alpha one day so why not start practicing now?"

Fly's playful mood began to reemerge at the idea of a hunt with Kova. She tried to forget that this was a coyote they were going to track down and confront. Her instinct to make Kova safe outweighed her fear of the coyote. In a way, her need to protect him had made her fear turn into anger. She just hoped that the fear didn't return when she came face to face with the coyote.

"Speech"

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He waited, maybe a little too impatiently with claws digging up the earth, until Firefly gave him her answer. A wicked grin sliced through his long muzzle as Kova's tail curled upwards in delight. Her next words prodded the youths ego as he gave her a curt nod then lifted himself proudly much like his father often did when trying to prove a point or after winning an argument. Then the young wolf put his nose to the ground and smelled the strange coyote scent. It was so weird smelling. His paws began moving underneath him allowing Kova to start searching for the trail of the wily critter. His tail was high but loose as it wagged slowly in the air showing that he was actually having fun despite the serious expression on his face.

The gangling pup began to lead the pair of Thorn wolves away from the carcass. He concentrated on the smell of the odd canine hoping to be able to spot it or even confront the creature. He was confident about this situation because Firefly was there to back him. If she had not been there Kova probably would have left the coyote to do whatever it pleased. The boy wasn't scared or worried at all as they drew closer and closer to the coyotes resting place.

As the scent became fresher and fresher, Kova's tail beat the air faster with each step forward. It wasn't until he spotted the creature that his body stopped altogether. One front leg was raised along with his tail as it now draped stiffly over his back. The "pointing" position relayed the message to Firefly that the creature was hiding in the bushes ten feet in front of them. Though Kova wasn't sure if it was awake, dead, or sleeping. The ginger and red fur of the creature was speckled in light gray guard hairs. Yet Kova could see its head or rear end for the undergrowth impaired his view.

A higher pitched growl began to bubble through the bushes at the wolves. Obviously the coyote was awake now, but what would it do?

"Speech"

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Kova's devilish grin made Fly smile. Seeing him take on the role of leader so effortlessly made her proud. She had known from the moment she met him that the boy would one day grow up to be a man and when that happened he would be a wonderful leader. She would be honored to serve under him. If I am still around when that happens, Fly thought wryly. Fly sighed as the responsibility of one day having to go search for her mother and brother weighed down on her. As usual, she let the thought briefly occupy her attention before pushing it to the back burner and focusing on the here-and-now.

Kova. And her. Hunting a coyote.

Fly couldn't help but shiver at the thought of coming face to face with the pest. And then it was happening: Kova took on a pointing position to let her know that he had found it and a high pitched growl sounded from the bushes. Instinctively, Fly's lips curled back, revealing all of her sharp teeth, teeth that had ripped and tore through the skin of many an unlucky animal that became her prey. With a vicious snarl that seemed an impossible match to her normal bell-like voice, Fly let this coyote know that it would be no different if it dared to growl at her prince again. The russet huntress took a step forward to come up to Kova's side, all the while letting a throaty growl pour from her open jaw. Russet ears erect and angled toward the bush, tail lifted almost perpendicular to her body, and muscles tensed ready to jump in the way to protect Kova, everything about Fly's posture let this new threat know that she was ready for a fight. Kova was in the lead and out of respect she would wait for his word to go after the beast. But if the coyote attacked first...that was a different story.

"Speech"

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Kova paused as the sound of another snarl penetrated the air. His eyes glanced to Firefly as she warned the other creature not to get any closer. Kova looked back to the coyote and let out his own young snarl. His voice was still that of a pup, so the snarl wasn't horribly menacing like Fly's was right now, but one day maybe it might become deeper; perhaps more like his fathers smooth tenor.

Kova steps forward and snaps his jaws threateningly while eyeballing the coyote. The slim creature warily backs out of its bush into the open to face the two wolves. It's amber eyes dart back and forth between Kova and Firefly before the rust pelted canine turns and darts off into the undergrowth. Kova sprints forward enjoying the chase and pushes the coyote further from the area. His tail was high in the air and although it did not wag in happiness right now, his toothy grin clearly conveyed the boys glee. The coyote yelped as Kova nearly nips its tail then puts on a burst of speed to outrace the pup. Kova didn't have the stamina the full grown female coyote had. So she was able to pull away form the lad as they rocketed towards the outer edges of the ghastly forest.

As Kova begins to slow down tired from the chase, his blue orbs spot the bright landscape past the trees. I'm not lost anymore! He thought gleefully as the child spotted the familiar stretch of cherry trees to the left and the massive field beyond it. That was the direction he had first come into this place.

"Speech"

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Fly rooted herself to the ground, resisting every instinct to launch herself at the offensive pest growling at her prince, until her whole body felt like a rubber band stretched to capacity. The coyote backed out of its bush and into the open and stared down the two wolves warily before turning tail and darting away. Kova launched himself forward and Fly shot forward, rubber band released. She could easily have outrun Kova and probably the coyote too, but she paced herself so that she stayed close behind him, merely back up as he chased away the intruder. He almost nipped its tail, but sadly it was just out of reach and managed to get away uninjured.

The chase brought the wolves to the outskirts of the ghastly woods, but at that point the coyote pulled ahead of Kova and the boy slowed. Fly matched her pace to his and proportionally drew to a halt as he did. As they came to a stop she looked ahead to see the blackberry fields and cherry orchard straight ahead, and into that field was their home. Fly glanced over at Kova and was happy to see the silvery prince with a devilish grin and bright blue eyes. He was thrilled that they had managed to chase away the coyote and Fly was thrilled that she had decided to let him now that she could see how happy he was.

Inspired by the boy's excitement, Fly gave a playful bark before nudging him and trotting a few paces ahead of him."I'll race you home. Last one there is a wily coyote!" The last part she called over her shoulder seeing as she had already started loping off towards home. Not needed to make sure that Kova would follow--she knew the boy would not say no to a playful race--Fly picked up her speed and let her legs burn through the ground beneath her paws.

--exit--

"Speech"

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