Days, weeks, months; how long had she been running? She couldn't remember honestly. All she knew was she had to run as far as she possibly could. She just had to! The fear driven her far far from home but it also had such a control on her that she was loosing all logic. One look at this wolf and one could clearly see she had not been taking care of herself for a very long time. Her rich coat was matted and covered in dirt, she was so thin for her already fragile looking body, and her eyes seemed dull, void of anything but that fear. Her only thought was to push as many miles between herself and the place she came from. But even that was not enough. He could always find her, and once he did, she'd shiver with just the mere thought.
Unknown to her, she had crossed into a claimed land. She was blind to everything. The poor girl could barely even get a decent night of sleep. She drank from any water source she might come across in her run, if only a few second before some noise startled her into a sprint. Her paranoia was extreme and was making her very reckless. The only good sense she had was keep low and small, silent and move fast, keeping to the shadows when she could.
For a moment she would pause to catch her breath, body shaking with nerves and lack of much need TLC. Icy blue orbs closed for maybe just a moment too long as her body crashed to the ground from falling asleep. But as soon as she hit the ground she scrambled back up to her paws. Head whipped around, eyes bewildered yet searching to make sure HE wasn't there. Satisfied she shook herself out before taking a unsteady step forward. With mid-day upon her, the sun was hitting down its warmth on her, trying to lull her into a sleep. But she couldn't, it wasn't safe. It was never safe.

Gwen was on patrol on the plains instead of the moor for the first time since her pups had been born. She was somewhat reluctant to be so far from them, but they only had a limited number of adult wolves in the pack to do patrols and it was only fair for her to take her share of plains patrols now that the pups were older and weren't nursing anymore. She'd given them permission to explore the moor on their own while she was gone, as long as they stayed within the wall and didn't venture over to the plains alone yet, but she wasn't entirely certain that a couple of them were entirely trustworthy quite yet so she was more than a little worried her whole patrol.

So when she scented a stranger crossing the border, she was immediately put not only on her guard, but in full protective mother mode, her hackles up and a growl already rumbling in her chest. She traced the scent further into the lands. She was moving fast, but leopard-silent like she was on a hunt so she could try to come upon the intruder unaware. When the scent became hot enough that she knew the stranger could only be a short distance ahead, hidden by the long-growing late spring grass, she swung wide to be certain that the faint breeze would not carry her scent to the intruder if it picked up at all. She dropped into a crouch and slowly crept forward.

Her crystalline eyes narrowed as she came close enough to finally begin to see who had crossed their border. A thin, grimy-looking, ill-kempt young female. Her first instinct was mistrust - surely such an unsavory looking wolf was only going to be trouble. But she shook her head, chiding herself for such an unwarrranted assumption. The girl was jumpy and nervous - as she should be, trespassing in a pack's lands - but the nervousness and fear-stink seemed to be more ingrained than that. A habit, a chronic stress, not a new thing. What was she running from?

Her swift appraisal completed, Gwen stood from her crouch and stepped out of hiding. "Stop where you are," she told the girl immediately. Her tone was firm, but could come across to a stranger as surprisingly friendly considering the circumstances. Matter-of-fact, rather than outright threatening. "You are trespassing on Celestial lands, girl."

Her pace had started to slow with exhaustion, after all she only got at most just a mere few hours or sleep the night before. One unsteady step before another. For a moment her mind wondered to memories of her mother. The woman she was named after, the woman who had meant so much to her and had been the only joy and light in her life. That was till she passed. And just that quickly her body would shiver and the fear raced down her spine of what life had been like ever since her mother had passed. A sigh parted the red and grey girls lips before it was quickly sucked in from a voice sounding right behind her.
The words had not fully registered till the girl had spun around, hackles up, body crouched down in defense and icy orbs ablazed with a new fire. A fire to live and survive. Even in the state she was in there was no deny her will to live and that very will is what gave her strength. After all HE had trained her to always be fight ready no matter what state of being she was in. As her eyes took in the other, a female and a recent mother by the looks. It was then her words finally reached her fogged brain. Trespassing? Her left ear twitched at the words but she did not removed from her defensive posture. If she was trespassing then there were others. She could be outnumbered. One howl from this wolf could bring the others after her hide. And though this woman seemed friendly, Shikoba could take no risk.
Distrust burned in her eyes but she had no right to be the one on alert and distrusting. She had crossed into a pack's lands, a very unwise move on her part. Mind was racing a mile a minute as she thought about her next action. Unwise it was to cross into their land, but was it? This pack could possibly mask her from HIM. She could rest up and rejuvenate before fleeing once more. That was if this pack wasn't hostile to her and would allowing her this brief moment of sanctuary.
Ears pulled up to a neutral position as her legs moved to settle her down on her rump, head lowered. "I....forgive me...I've been running for so long. Im so tired I did not even notice. I sincerely do apologize." She spoke softly, voice hoarse and dry. And though her gaze was submissive they were keen and sharp to any move this woman would make.
Gears had shifted currently for her but sitting here as calmly as possible was killing her. That fear that had been driving her was screaming. Every second wasted here sitting was a second closer HE could be. Her flanks would twitch and shiver, every muscle wanting to move and run, straining for it. But to run deeper into this territory could mean death for her. She could not simply just give up her life after all the running she had done so far. She couldn't, wouldn't give up now. All this fleeing was so she could have a better life, a life her mother would have wanted for her.

It took a great deal of effort not to tense, to keep her own hackles down and her eyes simply fixed patiently on the girl when she spun abruptly in clear readiness for a fight. Gwen just waited, watching with composure, until the girl finally calmed and spoke. She tilted her head slightly, continuing to appraise the girl while she weighed her words. "What are you running from?" she asked finally, after a moment of silence. The girl had continued to twitch and shudder with a fear that was clearly not, or at least, not entirely, caused by being caught trespassing. She had the brief thought that the girl could use something to eat, half-starved as she was, but she wasn't going to leave a trespasser alone long enough to hunt and she thought it possible the girl might bolt if she howled for a pack member, regardless of the reason.

She would sit there restlessly; the urge to move again, to run and nagging at her. But she knew better than to go farther into a pack's territory. Unless she wanted a death wish, which for a brief second it was tempting. A blink of her eyes and that thought was gone. The words of the other woman made her physically flinch as if she was struck. She had never thought anyone would ask her that right away. Her mind was racing a mile a minute as she tried to think of something. There was no way she could tell her the truth, it wasn't safe. Her sitting here wasn't safe! Panic tightened her chest as her breathing became short and fast.
Pure panic seized her causing her next actions to not having any forethought to them. She scrambled up, head whipping around before she darted forwards, attempting to begin running. It wasn't safe, she couldn't risk anyone else's well being. But she would not go far as her body gave way. She crashed into a heap, a groan of desperation leaving her lips. "I...cant...just....no.." she muttered with eyes closed. Tears swelled up and began to roll down her face.

The girl panicked at her question, tried to run but, clearly exhausted beyond her body's capabilities, came crashing down to sob on the ground. Gwen had tensed to run after her, still not entirely certain the trespasser was harmless, but relaxed again when the girl dropped. She hesitated, but two long strides took her to the girl's side and Gwen dropped down to curl around her. She ran her tongue soothingly over the girl's ears a moment. "Now you listen to me. Nothing that's chasing you can get you here," she said firmly. "This is Celestial. It would hardly be the first time we have repelled dangerous invaders, and it would certainly not be the last. My name is Gwenevere Adravendi, secondary alpha of Celestial, and I am a warrior - you have my guarantee that nothing, not wolf nor beast nor monster, can get past me to harm anyone in these borders."

She had not noticed the other woman move to her side till she felt the caress of her tongue. At first her body tensed up, her breath stilled for just a moment. She was not used to such gestures from anyone. Well only that from her mother. It was an odd sensation but it had its calming effect on her. Her sobs quieted, her breathing evened out and her body slowly loosened up.
She would be skeptical of the woman's words but briefly pondered them over. Could it be possible? Could this place really be her safe haven? Logically from the outside stand point it could work. But she knew HIM, she would not underestimate him ever. And then it dawned on her, was this woman saying she could in fact stay here? Frosty eyes turned to her in wonder. But she didn't even know her. Was she really willing to give an open invitation to a stranger? Brows creased slightly in thought. If that was the case, she'd silently vowed to put all she had to provide for this women. She didn't know the pack, so she couldn't say she give her all to them, but she could to this woman. Not to mention she was a secondary alpha? Whatever that meant. Either way it seemed this woman held a high rank. The girl bowed her head slightly in respect and gratitude. " I..um...I am, my name is Shikoba Amestandes Th-....um Koba, you can call me Koba" She replied softly, purposely cutting off her last name. No she would not carry that name, she wanted no connection to HIM. No instead she would carry on her maiden name in honor of her mother and her side of the family.

The girl slowly relaxed beneath the soothing ministrations, enough to finally give real thought to what Gwen had been saying. Whatever she was scared of, it had terrified her to the point of mindlessness, so it was good she'd finally calmed down enough for thought. That amount of fear and stress sustained for too long could kill you, and from the looks of the girl not much longer and it would have. The girl finally gave her name. Gwen didn't miss the way she'd begun to say something, stopped, and covered it with a stuttered change, but she didn't say anything about it. She was going to push her hard enough without being concerned about what she'd been about to say.

"Koba," she began gently. "You need to tell me what you're running from. What are you afraid of?"