Over the Hills

The coal jet black fur of Faith, a 3 year old Druid Loner, shown proudly as the wind blew. She stood atop the cliffs of Comador Valley and gave a deep howl. Watching the grass whistle below her and her pads outstretched, she smiled.

In the distance a wolf howled, alarming a large creature hidden the shadows of the forest. The howl was close by, and it could only mean one thing: a loner. A Perfect challenge for a female Slough warrior.

And with that, the wolf whisked off in the direction of the mysterious howl.

Faith was excited today. She loved when everything blew in the wind, and especially when all the movement of the trees and grass made it easier to trick rabbits into being dinner. This is exactly what she was after.

Faith charged down from the cliff, stumbled a little, and bounded onto the soft, tickling, grass. Her eyes widened with excitement as she sniffed the breeze. She smelled something .. something that wasn't her. What could it be? She was curious and was desperate to see.

She began to walk in the direction of the scent, giving off short grunts as she padded the soft grass.

The strange wolf finally emerged from the shadows, sniffing the air for scents of the loner. She was large, and had pure white coat that had blotches of black on the end of her tail, and all over her back legs. The sun reflected brightly on her radiant, ice blue eyes. She soon began picking up a scent, and continued her dash in the direction the scent was coming from. It wouldn't be long until she meet the loner she was tracking down.

She could smell the scent getting stronger. She could also hear footsteps getting closer to her. This wasn't a family of rabbits .. it had a steady beat. Was it an elk? No. Elk usually travel in herds .. What could possibly be coming toward her?

Faith took it as a threat and stood her ground, growling. She watch very closely at the land around her. She gave 2 small barks as a warning and bared her teeth. She most certainly didn't want to fight, but didn't want to get a surprise attack coming for her and end up in a bloody mess. She did exactly as she was raised to do, she no weakness. So Faith continued to growl.

The strange wolf, most commonly known as Ink, finally reached her target: the Druid Loner.

Ink flicked an ear, studying the odd wolf behind, from a distance. It was growling no stop, and showed no signs of letting up. Ink knew this type of wolf. All defense and no offense- Most certainly not a challenge. Yet, something compelled her not to attack the loner. Was she growing soft? Or did she just not feel like fighting today? Never the less, Ink let out a small bark to get the loner's attention in a non-violent manner.

Hearing the bark, Faith raised her head and perked her ears. She slightly stopped growling to see a patch of fur in the grass.

"Who are you?" Faith said in a firm voice. She wanted to take no chances of fights, and was unsure of what this patch of fur might do. Even though this was true, she took a step closer, wanting to see it's face.

Faith cocked her head to the side as she tried to analyze it, while still on high alert, ready to pounce at anytime.

Ink approached the loner cautiously, than spoke out calmly. "I am Ink, a warrior of the Slough Pack.". Ink paused for a minute, than continued. "Who might you be, strange loner?"

As she approached, the fur started to talk and Faith realized it was another wolf!

As the wolf, Ink, told her that they were a member of a pack, Faith was afraid. She thought she was being ambushed and took a step back. Even though she was afraid, she had to be sure.

"Before I tell you anything, what are your intentions? I've lived on this land for too long to be pushed out by a pack."

Ink told the loner why she was there. "I simply want to know why you are on Slough territory." Ink flicked an ear. This was probably going to be a long talk, and the pack hunt could start at any minute.

"Slough territory?!" Faith exclaimed with a grunt. "This has been my territory for 2 years! I am a Druid outsider by the name of Faith. I was exiled on account of murder within the pack. So I live here. I have marked this place up, and I know that your Pack smell my markings. I will not stand down, for my land to be taken like everything else!"

Faith noticed that Ink stood perfectly still, calm. No growls, no grunts, no anger whatsoever. At the site of this, Faith calmed herself. She could tell that the wolf didn't come to fight. But still, Faith was not ok with the sudden changes.

Ink was a bit confused. Surely this loner had heard about the "Great Territory Change"? It was the biggest talk of the century!

"Well, Faith, all the packs came together not so long ago, and decided to change the territories, as the needs of each pack no longer fit where they lived. This territory now belongs to the Slough Pack, sadly. If you wish to remain here, I could always take you back to talk with our leader. She can work something out." Ink said, hoping Faith would decide to come back with her.

Not only would she not miss the Pack Hunt, Faith may get to remain living in her territory, if the Leader decided it would be okay.

Faith looked down for a moment, a little guilty of how she came off. But then her ears perked as she heard she might be able to stay, and even live in a pack again! She was still skeptical about trusting the wolf, but she agreed.

"I would like that. Please, lead me to your Alpha's. ... And by the way, I'm sorry to come off so aggressively. I had been taught to hold my ground no matter what, since I was banned from the Druid Pack. Ever since, I had to defend and hunt for myself. So, thank you."

Faith wagged her tail slightly to show she was willing to trust Ink.

"Alright." Ink said happily. "Please follow me. Going back to the camp tends to get a bit... confusing, if you haven't done it before." With that, Ink bounded off in the direction of camp, into the maze of trees. She looked back to see if Faith was following her.

Faith could barely keep up with Ink, but she somehow managed to follow. Faith followed her swift movements. It was obvious she knew her routes well. Faith began to speed up, getting close to Ink's side, but then slipped. She shook it off with a slight smile and dashed back to Inks side.

Ink noticed that Faith was falling behind a bit, so she slowed her pace down a bit. Suddenly she could smell a bunch of other wolves. Ink knew that the camp was close by. She was excited to be back, yet she was still worried how the pack would react to the stranger she had with her.

As Faith ran, the air began to moisten. She could smell other wolves pelts and the scent markings of the Alpha Male and Female. This put a knot in the back of Faith's throat. She was afraid she may not be accepted. Against everything, she wanted to be accepted. She wasn't going to lose her home.

"Toughen up Faith! Show them you have some purpose in living! Impress them! Anything to stay here! Stop your quivering and get a back bone!" she told herself.

((Oh goodness Teetee I promise Ink is not dead! xD))

Ink was glad that she and the new wolf weren't fighting anymore. "It's fine, all wolves know to protect themselves and they're territory."
After what a few more minutes of racing through the forest, Ink began to scent the markers placed around camp. Ink turned to her companion and barked "We're almost there!"

Faith's body began to shiver with excitement. She didn't know how the group would react, but she was ready as she swiftly dodged a large limb of a tree that could've tripped her.

"How do you think it will go?" Faith said.

Ink slowed down a bit after hearing Ink's question. It floated in her mind, almost haunting her.
"Well, uh, I'm sure it will go well- our pack leader is a noble, open-hearted warrior." She barked, than thought gravely to herself 'Providing she's the one leading the pack today and not... him.'