Rhyme felled the medium sized sheep with a final bleat of the desperate animal. The rest of its little herd had long scattered, this one unable to decide if it should have gone left or right. Rhyme had taken advantage of the animal’s indecision to feed the hungry mouths he helped to make. Shaye and Tana both would do well to partake in the fat sheep, and its thick curly hide would do well to help insulate their dens during the harshness of winter. He wasn’t about to let any of his pups freeze to death.

He looked down at the fresh kill, feeling accomplished for the day, though he knew it was far from over. He’d done his best to double up on patrols, and he found himself hunting more often. He didn’t have any time for himself anymore, but he hadn’t complained. Being busy kept him from relying on alcohol to soothe his mind. He also wasn’t about to get in anymore trouble with everything he had on his plate already.

Being so busy he hadn’t talked to Shaye much since the day she’d revealed he’d gotten her pregnant. However, she was never far from his mind. Despite the hardship and how much it hurt, he felt himself growing excited for the next generation to enter Abaven. Rhyme was lost in his thoughts, and already Imperia and Solitude had descended on the carcass. He didn’t see the danger sneaking up on him and the birds.

""

wc: 250

She had started to build over the entrance of her den with riverstones, as Epitaph had suggested to her. It wasn’t easy going, but she was getting there. Her den was starting to look like something that could stand babies. Her shelves had been moved higher in the enlarged den, so not little paws would be able to touch the things she stored there. As she dragged another stone to her den, a squawk caught her attention, and she looked up to see Winter, dancing through the air. “Come” the bird instructed, and was already turning and flying away. Shaye shook her head at the birds lack of manners, and looped after her. She found herself being led to the edge of the territory, and would first see Rhyme dragging the corpse of his recent kill into Abaven lands. He wasn’t paying any attention to what was going on behind him, and only a stray glance would alert the Alpha. “Rhyme!” she barked, charging at a faster pace, approaching the corpse and covering his back when a coyote had thought him worthy of sneaking up on. She snapped her teeth at the creature, it would hardly be her first coyote kill. Now however, she had some extra weight on her, and other lives to care about. She found herself not worrying about that as much as she should have as she snapped her teeth at the scavenger. It yelped and backed up, joining ranks with its pack, who stood on the outside of the pack borders, eyeing the prey ,and definitely weighing up the benefit of crossing the scent marker to take what Rhyme had brought down. Shaye’s protective nature had kicked in and she took a battle stance behind Rhyme, growling in warning, how dare these creatures think they could hurt what was hers. Thi was Abaven and they had signed their death warrants. "speech"

Words: 323

His thoughts were quickly interrupted as Shaye’s voice rang over the flat area at the edge of Abaven. The old dried grasses hid the pack from his view as he had been distracted, but he became suddenly aware of the danger they were in. Suddenly Shaye was at his side, warning of one of the more bold members. Rhyme gave her a grateful look as she warned it away, but quickly the two of them would become surrounded. Rhyme couldn’t tell how many of them there were, but they were hungry enough to threaten two very large wolves for their kill. Even going so far as crossing their obvious border.

Rhyme felt his hackles raise as he pulled his lips back to expose his teeth. He wouldn’t allow Shaye to be hurt, and he wasn’t about to give up his kill either. He had many mouths to think of, and this would do them well during the cold nights. He let out a warning growl, loud and deep from within his chest. He forgot all about the turmoil that occupied his thoughts and focused solely on protecting Shaye and the valuable kill.

Of course just a show wasn’t going to cause the coyote pack to back down. He stood close to Shaye, the both of them standing over the sheep. She stood facing South and he faced North. His ravens did their best to assault the stray members of the pack, at least two of them wouldn’t have an eye by the end of the day and he would argue many of them wouldn’t have their lives. He balanced his weight over all four paws as he flagged his tail and bent his knees. This wasn’t the first time they had taken on impressive opponents together.

Two came at his right side, he reacted in tune, snapping at the closer one’s face, tasting blood, as he sought to crush the second one’s muzzle. The first managed only a few scratches on its face while the second crumpled to the ground with a quickly cut off yelp. The first managed to sink its teeth into his left shoulder on its way past and back to the safety of the pack. Rhyme growled in pain as he returned to his place and watched for the next opponent. Keeping his eyes on the ones in front of him and the ones threatening Shaye.

""

wc: 400

It felt oddly satisfying to be back in the familiar motion of taking on an impressive enemy with Rhyme at her side. It pushed aside the heartbreak, the drama, the events that had happened between them. It put things right in the world again, reminded her of how things had been. Her heart beat steadily in her chest, and well she was weary she was not afraid. She trusted deeply in the man beside her, and knew that her back was safe. As Solitude and imperia dived from the sky to take shoots at the coyotes, Winter would join in. the three worked together in an impressive flock, harrying and distracting from the sky. She was surprised at how many coyotes there where, and the sheer audacity of them. It was clear that they had been experiencing a leen winter, a fact that worried Shaye. Would her pack be experiencing the same threat later in the cool months? She pushed the thought aside, the greater concern what was here and now, in front of her. She could hear Rhyme snapping behind her and knew he engaged the enemy. Two went at Shaye as her ears perked backwards, listening to what was behind her. She was ready however, knowing the sneaky tactics of a coyote pack. She swiped at one with her paw, keeping it at a distance from her. The second she snapped at, just grazing the fur on its head as it ducked to the side. A thids she hadn’t seen speed quickly to her side, scoring a swipe at her belly, which they had already seen as her weakness. She felt the sharpness of claws, the stickiness of blood. She lost her head. She roared her anger, seeing red as she charged at the one who had dared threaten her pups. She toppled it with a swipe of her paws and landed on it with a furry of teeth, ripping and tearing before she felt another coyote’s teeth latch around her hind paw and tug, yelping excitdely at the wolf they had seperated from Rhyme’s side. Winter was suddenly there, screeching as she scored a hit on this coyotes eye, through it didn’t give up the fight. Shaye would have gone for it, but another of the pack was already heading her way, her throat it’s clear target. She tucked her chin and swiped at it, a deadly grow in her throat. "speech"

Words: 406

He was far more concerned about Shaye than the dead sheep at his feet. At first the slate alpha didn’t notice Shaye being driven further from him as another Coyote came out of nowhere and latched onto the thick fur of his neck. He shook it off, snapping at its hind end as it made retreat and his blue and lavender gaze fell onto Shaye and the coyote that went for her belly. She raged more than he did and the vermin was quickly dealt with. Of course, it wasn’t the only one. Rhyme saw the last going for Shaye’s throat and he didn’t even think as he acted.

Rhyme bowled over one that had been going for him, not even seeing the creature as it rolled under his thundering paws. Winter screamed and his own ravens continued their assault as Rhyme reached Shaye’s side. She snapped at the small canid before Rhyme consumed the beast in his jaws. He took it by the throat and shook it with all his might. It’s life was quickly removed from its body but Rhyme was consumed by emotion. The large male continued his shaking as blood poured from the animals body and coated him and the white snow around them. Already three coyotes lay dead, and the pack could be seen beginning their reevaluation of the situation. Many more could die, or they could continue on and seek out a different source of food.

""

wc: 240

And suddenly, Rhyme was there. He attacked with the ferocity of a momma bear, trampling one almost without care, and rending the one that threatened her with his teeth, giving her the change to turn and snap at the coyote that had clung to her hind leg. She crushed the side of its face, ruining an eye as it fell to the ground in pain from its wounds. She gave another angry shout, a rumbling deep in her throat, blood on her jaws, and a touch of insanity in her eyes. Rhyme was just as caught in his emotions, a bloody force of nature. The coyotes realised that they actually had somewhere else to be, and they were very late. They tore out of there like bats out of hell, and Shaye gave another growl at their fleeing form, before killing the one they had left injured near her feet. She was feeling rather merciless right at this moment. With the threat gone, and a reminder set into their hearts why they should never cross the borders of wolves, Shaye would take a seat and look at the worst of her injury. The one on her belly had left a large gash, and she knew it would be healing with a scar. She began to lick it clean, a soft rumble in her throat as she worried over her puppies. She did not believe it was deep enough to cause them any worry, but it did set to heart that she couldn’t be as reckless as she once had. "speech"

Words: 259

The pair of alphas quickly stomped out any fight left in the over zealous pack. The two of them had protected their kill and the pack’s borders. Rhyme dropped the lifeless carcass in a heap at his feet, his breathing heavy as the adrenaline rushed through him. He was ready for another attack, but all he saw was the cowards fleeing. He heaved a sigh of relief as he found his gaze turning back to Shaye, worry filling him. She shouldn’t have been so close to the border to begin with, though if he hadn’t been so worried about their unborn children he might have scolded her.

He was quick to catch the gash on her flank and he felt his heart flutter with anxiety. The mixture of the emotion with his adrenaline wore on him. He whined softly, coming over to stand near her, not even noticing the blood pouring from the joint of his right arm. "You’re hurt." Was all he could manage at first with his mottled brain. "Are they.. alright?" He asked, just barely avoiding the word ‘our’ as he spoke about the pups growing in her womb. "Come on, I’ll get you back to the den and patch you up." He forgot the strain on their relationship, he was too focused on making sure she was whole.

""

wc: 230