Whatever you're sellin, I'm not buyin

Before Jasper could adjust course and make herself scarce, the stranger appeared like a wraith from between the willows... Or Jasper had just severely let her guard down, but the pale coat wasn't doing the other wolf any favors. Her soft voice might as well have been a crack of thunder for all that Jasper flinched, never mind that 'Afternoon' was perfectly polite... The more rational voice between her ears scoffed as Jasper tried to swallow down the cotton suddenly lodged in her throat.

She did her best to shake off that instinctive ick and turned her head towards the voice with a tight smile. Catching sight of the stranger she tacked on a nod, too. "Afternoon," Jasper rasped, coughed, felt her skin begin to burn beneath her pelt, heated by chagrin. She cleared her throat. "Ah, apologies. You startled me a bit."

There, that was sort of normal, right? Passable at least? How hard could it fucking be?! Jasper quickly turned her head to the side, pricking her ears as if a sound caught her attention, just briefly enough to squeeze her eyes shut. What a mess. She let a stilling breath slip quietly between her lips. She was far from home, and maybe getting used to things like this would take her farther yet. She could do with reminding herself of that more often.

Of course, as the breeze snaked between them Jasper caught a fresh wave of the older shewolf's scent, along with other wolves and the unmistakable amalgamation of 'Pack.' Panic trilled fresh and sharp through her veins. Whipping her head back around, eyes wide, Jasper choked out, "I-I'm sorry. I haven't trailed onto packland, have I? I didn't mean anything by it, I swear-" She began to backpedal, two stumbling steps to add some more distance between them. Shit, shit, shit.

Jasper's ears and eyes swiveled from side to side, looking for wherever the stranger's companions would surely be hiding, with little more holding her there other than not knowing which direction was the best way to run.

"Talk" "Listen" Think