It was the curiosity that drove him forward into the abandoned territory. Not that he cared to discover why its previously residing pack chose to leave it behind, but more to investigate if anything of interest had been forgotten or hidden in the sudden exodus. But as he entered the wood, and began his self-guided tour of the place, it was the peculiar forest that called to him most of all. Petrified wood that stuck out of the ground like bones, adorned in cords of lifeless vines. He supposed there was a kind of allure to it if ominous was your thing.

However, he wasn't left alone to admire the scenery for very long. Just as he had noticed a peculiar amethyst glow in the distance, the sudden chorus of yipping cries indicative of coyotes forced his attention. Apparently, he wasn't the only one to come to see if there was anything worth scavenging. It was difficult to tell how many there were just by the sound of it, but he did have a pretty good feeling that they were drawing closer.

Aresenn wouldn't run. He didn't fear death. Perhaps that was courageous, or mostly just stupid. Either way, he would tense his muscles where stood to defend himself, hackles rising on in as he waited for his first challengers to arrive.
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The red-streaked girl knew she shouldn’t have left the lands of the Pirates, but with the events lately she was feeling more and more frustrated and time away from those frustrations would be a good thing, right? Sure, why not. Maybe it would help… It had to help. Maybe she should actually work on her so-called skills. After all, it was her lack of skills that had denied her the opportunity to go along with the raid party, wasn’t it? Rivin’s lips twisted into a snarl. Of course they were. She hadn’t fought anything, hadn’t learned squat about the flowers and herbs that caught her attention when she was newly out of the den. What skills did she even really have to consider herself worthy of walking alongside the other pirates? While others like Calico Jack had been training, fighting, she had been staring out at the ocean and screaming her frustrations into the air. Pyralias had shown her a better way to redirect that anger… and yet… A bitter feeling rose within her. Who could she blame, except herself? Sure her father hadn’t tried teaching them anything, but was she not responsible for her own development? At least to a point? Deep within the girl Rivin could feel her negative emotions twisting and churning. Sure she had started to at the very least learn some basics, but it had taken her meeting and teaming up with two others, creatures of other species rather than her own, to do so. They weren’t bad though. They were both males, a bobcat by the name of Lark and a wolverine by the name of Feng. They had been helping her get started. But that wasn’t enough. While she was just now getting the hang of the basics of fighting the other kids were off on a raid or having a yearling party. A party she couldn’t even go to because she was just a pup still. As Rivin stalked through the unfamiliar lands her companions trailed after her. Feng had been the one to suggest her defensive accessory, some wraps for her legs, as well as bring her the dagger she had. She was starting to look the part of a formidable opponent… but she still needed the experience to back it up. But outside her companions where could she find it? Could she get her pack members to teach her? To fight with her? She briefly considered her brothers. Diablo had been just as distant as her father as of late and Aresenn… hmm… well, maybe that wasn’t such a bad idea? She wasn’t incredibly close to him, like a sister probably should have been, but she didn’t hate him. She felt protective over him too; he was her brother after all. Her kin. Actually… Rivin drew in through her nose and realized she could smell Aresenn’s scent. Had she been subconsciously following him out this way? She blinked, lifting her gaze to take in the sight of the ghostly white trees. Her ears twitched, and, somewhere up ahead, she could hear the call of coyotes. Rivin bristled a little. If she was following Aresenn’s trail, and there were coyotes nearby… would they dare attack her brother? Another growl bubbled up from Rivin’s chest as she drew her dagger and raced forward. If there were beasts coming, then she would be there to meet them. Wordlessly Feng and Lark followed her though it was clear Feng was more eager for the pending battle. Rivin caught the sight of Aresenn just as the first of the coyotes emerged from the trees. She didn’t stop, didn’t call out to her brother; not that she could with the dagger in her maw. If he wanted to stand and fight the coyotes then she would join him. The small creatures looked hungry, and Rivin, remembering the lesson Pyralis shared with her, had no intention of holding anything back as she charged at a pair that sought to meet her in the middle. Coming from either side of the pup Feng and Lark charged in as well, as Rivin lunged alongside the first coyote, slashing at its side with her dagger, the bobcat and wolverine met with the second. The bobcat wrapped his forelegs around the coyote in a claw-filled bear hug as the wolverine went for one of the smaller canine’s legs. If they thought they had hoped for an easy meal they were going to be sorely mistaken. If any of them walked away alive at the end of this at all. ------------------------------------------------ Words: 758 Total Word Count: 980 / 1,500 "Talk," 'Think.'

As the first of the coyotes broke through the undergrowth, it all became real. He didn't bother trying to size them all up- he thought that would be a mistake, and he didn't have much room for fault here. Instead, his hardened amber gaze fell on the one that led the assault. Aresenn grit his teeth, flexing his toes into the ground. He would make his own advance, but not quite yet. Why should he wear himself out in a sprint to meet tooth and fang. The fur along his neck and spine stood to attention, as his lip curled. His tail curled over his back in display- a banner of war as he waited until the last waning seconds before launching himself forward. But just as he kicked off with his back legs, he was taken by surprise by the presence of his sister and her companions coming to help fight off the small predators.

Honestly, he was struck with an array of emotions. Uncertainty for one. Not in his sister or himself, really. Just of the whole situation. He was thankful for the help, proud of the fact that it was his own kin there to fight at his side. Yet, at the same time, the stakes had suddenly increased. It was no longer his own life that he used to gamble, but his sister's as well. And that brought forth a hatred so bitter from somewhere deep within his core- one that he had never felt before.  「You'll be the death of her, worthless coward.」 Something hissed in the back of his mind. Almost like a voice separate from his own, but it came from within all the same.

The momentary lapse in attention was swiftly met with a consequence. The first coyote was on him before he could gather himself. Teeth sinking in the flesh just before his shoulder. Aresenn narrowed his eyes as the stinging sensation of pain radiated from the first attack- however, he simply wouldn't be stopped. Channeling the rage from within, he took his own hold at the side of his opponent's neck. Sinking into his hold with a bite force much more powerful than the smaller canine. It seems they had made a mistake in their judgment. They thought that he would be alone. But in all fairness, so had he.

As a result of pain, the coyote released his hold and redirected another blow towards Aresenn's face. But as soon as he felt the jaws of the coyote fall off the hold in his shoulder, the young Praetor used the entirety of his body weight to force the coyote to the ground. He released his own grip as he pinned the wretched creatures to the dirt. And in the violent struggle, Aresenn managed to take purchase into the other canine's throat, and with as much force as he could manage, he ripped and tore at flesh to the symphony of another creature's vicious end. The coyote's life essence washed over him- staining his lips and chest. But in the moment, it didn't matter.

It wasn't until he recognized that the continued screams were no longer coming from his victim, but his sister's. With the sudden frantic need to ensure Rivin's safety, his amber gaze immediately sought her out from the carnage.  
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