They Have Hunger In Their Eyes

Sitting still was difficult. Dusk had more energy than any wolf rightly should and she was constantly moving to try and burn that energy. The girl wasn't just hyper, her mind worked constantly too. She was smart but often her thoughts ran at a faster pace than they should and she was left with many questions and a muddled mind. Running was one of the few things that gave the obsidian child a break from the constant rambling within her skull. So run, she did.

Today Dusk was out in the grove. She'd been here before, but this place hadn't been explored as thoroughly as the lands closer to home simply due to its proximity. The weather seemed alright today so the young wolf ventured out early. She'd been napping beneath one of the many bushes, her belly full of freshly caught rabbit, when the piercing scream ripped her from slumber. Dusk rocketed to her feet, cracking her head hard on an overhanging branch. Stars flared within her vision and she grimaced, teeth flashing, before stepping forward away from the murderous bush. She hadn't imagined the sound, right?

The wind blew away from the girl, preventing any telling scents from giving her an idea as to what might be happening. She stood still, ears straining for any kind of sound and she thought the far off snarl of a coyote met her dark ears. A moment later, the sound of a young pup crying for help rent the air. Nope. She hadn't been imagining it.

In an instant, Dusk was running. The many shrubs and bushes grabbed at the girl's lengthening coat like claws, but she didn't let them stop her. Someone needed help and she wouldn't make them wait. Bursting into the clearing, the living shadow allowed her burning fire opal eyes to scan those before her. Pace never waning, the girl's brain added everything up and she was ready. A sidestep altered her course and Dusk ran headlong at one of the skinny coyotes. Her maw opened and was soon filled with blood and fur as she attacked the beast closest to Caladia. Dusk was the bigger of the two pups by a lot and she posed more of a threat to the trio of coyotes than small Caladia. They were already rethinking their plan, ears tucked and  postures demure. When their cohort was attacked though, they made up their mind to save it and came forward, intent on rescue.

Dusk couldn't protect Caladia against the other two if her attention was on only one, so the girl released her captive, the coyote falling to the ground before skittering to its paws and joining its brethren. The trio snapped and snarled, stalking closer. The ebony youngster showed her own teeth, her thick coat bristling. Stiff legged, she took a step towards them, proving that she wasn't afraid of their pomp and blustering. ""Caladia, are you okay?" She waited for the pup to answer before nodding. ""I need you to run, okay? Find my dad." Dusk snarled, leaping forward towards the coyotes, catching their full attention as her cousin ran from the grove and back towards home.

Now, Dusk remembered her conversation with her father. Don't be reckless, he told her. She wasn't being reckless this time. In having Caladia run first, she was giving the girl's smaller legs a head start. Holding the attackers off would be easy and she was pretty positive that she could do so without being injured. She wasn't attacking. Simply defending. The coyotes tried to sneak around and cage her in, but Dusk wouldn't have it. She had no problem delivering bites here and there. She rushed them periodically, keeping their attention well. All the while she was counting. Within her mind, she reached three hundred. That should have been ample time for her younger cousin to be out of range and hopefully closer to finding aid.

With an audible snap of her powerful jaws, Dusk leaped towards the coyotes, bowling two of them over while the third tucked its tail and got out of the way. She hit them hard, but never stopped. The wind worked with her now and she could smell Caladia's scent on the wind. Dusk followed the girl's trail just to make sure that she was making it safe. As she ran, Dusk could hear the brush crackling behind her as the coyotes gave chase. Not only that... it seemed that the calls of panic from the trio had attracted more. Three coyotes turned into six and that was way too many for Dusk to handle at once. As she ran, the girl released a choked howl, calling for help just as her cousin had.

As she ran, Dusk felt teeth snap the end of her long, trailing tail. The girl released a yip of alarm and leaped ahead, tucking her tail for a moment. A second coyote slammed into her side, knocking her off of her paws and the girl went rolling on the ground. Her shoulder hurt and she could feel the sting of a wound. Perhaps she'd cut it on a rock. She couldn't remember being bitten. Knowing this area since it was so close to the border, Dusk faced her attackers but backed up slowly, paws finding the worn trail that would take her to the clearing and the border. Once the area around her was clear and she could see all six attackers, the girl set her defenses.  Hopefully someone would come soon. Until then, she'd do what she could to protect herself.



"Dusk Carpathius"