There was something wrong. It lurked just at the edge of awareness. More than enough to distract, but hardly anything to chase after. There was no scent on the cold still air and she found no ominous tracks during the day's hunt. Forbiddingly, she found very few tracks. Every trail that she followed lead to an animal deep in it's den. They were hiding from something. Her unease had grown with every hour, expecting the formless sense of danger to materialize before her. It never did and she finally gave up the hunt, jittery with nerved by the time she made it back to her own den.

The usual comfort her den was not there that evening. She paced, waiting for an imaginary shoe to drop. The wind still held no clues and the night was just as quiet as the day had been. But that was no reassurance, it was too quiet. Her pacing became searching, pale legs churning though snow for something to do. In the stillness it was the breeze of her own movements that ruffled her pelt. One by one each pack-mate was spied, then left in safety. None were beyond the border. Far from reassured and goal-less now, she trudged back to the cool hollow of her den.

Her nose hovered just over the floor of her den, about to drop down and loss herself in hazy nightmares when she heard something. Someone running. Common enough, if not for the days quietness. Her uneasiness, having never really left, exploded at the sound of someone running. Tail stiff, she followed the rapid footfalls in the dark. She rushed towards the borders and as the frigid air rushed into her face she could smell cougar.

There wasn't really a plan. As she approached she could see flashes of a black wolf and the cat facing each other through trees. It was distracted and Iopah took advantage of her unexpected arrival. All of her 96 pounds hit the cougars shoulders. The impact knocked the cat sideways and the woman snapped wildly, hoping to cause damage before flinging herself to safety. As she pulled away and towards Miccah the feline reached out and left a thin line of red down her side. A soft growl left her lips as a single drop fell into the snow.