Exploration into Danger

The last few days had been so exciting for Pestilence. There were so many Ashen wolves to properly meet now that the little pup was getting older and no longer remained a teeny tiny bundle of fur. She had excitedly lapped Wolfpaw Lake, intruded in the dens in Cryer's Ravine. The world was theirs to explore, for Pesto and her siblings were to be Gods. She wasn't sure exactly how it made her feel, for if what her father said was true then it was him and his ancestors that carried the divine blood and not her mother. How could that be possible? Her mother was the most amazing, beautiful, elegant she-wolf Pestilence had ever met - if her and her sister's were Gods, it wasn't fair that her mother was deemed a mere mortal.

Her exploration had taken her to the far ends of the ravine, where dens began to smell less and less like Klein wolves and more of old and stale predator markings. Pestilence knew that Deathbelle, Sirius and the rest of the pack worked hard to ensure the old creatures who called these dens their home were dead and gone, but it still made her uneasy to smell the heavy scent of cougar, lynx and jackal.

She continued forward, poking her head into one of the smaller holes in the dirt. This den looked to be perfect size for pups, enough that her and her siblings could easily convert it into a clubhouse worthy of Klein gods. The best part was it didn't seem like the massive heads of her family could possibly fit inside, so Pestilence could hide in there when she was in trouble and nobody could ever get her out. She squeezed forward further, body trembling in excitement at what she might find at the end of the tunnel.

As she moved deeper, the scents grew stronger, harsher, and... less stale. Her ears perked worriedly, and she considered retreating. How could she, though? She was a mighty Klein godling and gods didn't run from anything. Plus, the tunnel was not wide enough for the pup to turn around in. It was either backing out the way she came in, or making it to the end where hopefully the den would enlarge.

She could see the walls becoming larger and larger as she moved, knowing now that she was right. There was a more suitable living area deep in the tunnel, and Pestilence was going to claim it as her own. She was nearly at the end, her nose poking out into a wide open space when she heard a small 'mew' from deeper within. Her body tensed and she skittered backwards a small distance. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her nose.

A yelp tore from her muzzle and she snapped out at the thing that had torn her nose. It only made the thing angrier, and faced with the options Pestilence was not pleased in the slightest. Surely backing out of the long tunnel would take too much time and leave her eyes, nose and ears open for attack with little room for retaliation. Her only other choice was to move further into the den so she could turn around. Be brave, you're a Klein! She told herself. Closing her eyes to protect them, she scurried further and into the open space.

She of course, could not do this while unable to see. She opened her eyes once she felt safe enough, and was met by three tiny bundles of kitten and one angry momma cat. Pestilence couldn't identify the species, but the mother was not too much bigger then Pesto herself. The cat hissed and fluffed itself, warning her off her cubs. Pestilence's ears flattened and she did her best to make herself small and nonthreatening. It was too late, however. The mother wanted nothing more to defend her children and no amount of submission would get Pesto out of here without a fight.

The small Klein ran in, biting and snapping at the cat's face. She felt her teeth enclose around the bulk of the cat's head, and the thing screamed shrilly as it's eye was gouged by the pup's teeth. She did not have enough jaw strength to crunch the skull, but hopefully her maim to the thing's eyes would give her an opportunity to retreat safely.

Pestilence leaped away from the cat, scurrying back to the tunnel entrance and forcing her head inside. If the cat followed her she'd be in danger of taking some claws to the butt and feet, but thankfully her head was now safe. She crawled as fast as she could, chest heaving with the effort and eventually made it out into the light. The small pup took a moment to pause, pant and recover from her experience before a yowl came from inside the den and she took off running. "MOM. DAD." She cried, high-tailing it home.

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