I found it. It's mine (Claiming)
07-06-2022, 10:48 PM
Aryn had been a very good pack member every moment of every day since she'd fled during the Long Night and been caught for the transgression. She'd worked hard to hone her skills, left the pack lands only under supervision, and while opportunities had come and gone to slander the alpha who had scarred her, she had managed to shoulder her pain silently and with grace. She did not intend to ever break a rule of Habari's again, until this day when her dik-dik arrived to share with her the knowledge of the brewing fight in the east.
She had hardly even gotten to know Corbie, but already she considered the woman one of her dearest friends. Armed with the knowledge that the kindly livestock tender had begun to refute a claim upon Abaven's land, Aryn broke out from the border at a sprint. It was a dangerous move, and one was ambiguous enough that she could not anticipate the retaliatory actions of Recluse for it. Whether it would be seen as treason or acceptable innocent interest, Aryn did not know, but it was something she'd have to deal with later for better or for worse.
Already spectators had begun to gather, the majority of them falling upon Kotori's side of the challenge. Aryn's ears pulled back tight against her skull as she idled momentarily in no-man's land, warring with the understanding that Habari would likely stand behind the Fatalis man over the stranger who had challenged him. If Recluse showed up to watch, Aryn assumed she would be expected to be found supporting the bloodline of their near-ally.
Taking in a deep breath to steady herself, she loped hurriedly to her place behind Corbie. After their last meeting, to not put her support behind her friend would be disloyal. Her heart hammered hard beneath her scarred chest, her gaze fixed upon the grasses to avoid meeting any spectators gaze. While she did not know a single other wolf who had gathered personally (and they likely did not know her either), she couldn't help but feel like she was committing treason with every breath.