White River Canyon

Sericea's ears perked up at her father's words, her acidic green eyes sparkling with anticipation. She loved these training sessions, the chance to test her skills and prove herself. And with the added element of surprise, it would be an even greater challenge. She scanned the group of pups, her analytical mind already whirring. Who would be the best partner? Someone quick and agile, able to keep her on her toes. Her gaze settled on her sister Ravana- quickly acknowledgining the other girl’s stare with one of her own.

Sericea crouched low, her muscles tense, ears pricked for the slightest sound. She knew Ravana would be her attacker - it wasn’t the first time it had come down to the two of them in the end. Her sister's competitive nature was as predictable as the sunrise. She breathed slowly, steadily, refusing to let her racing heart betray her outward calm. The scents of the field filled her nostrils - crushed grass, damp earth, the faint musk of her packmates. But beneath it all, a familiar wormwood note.

Sericea's fur prickled with anticipation. She could feel Ravana's presence, sense her sister's barely contained energy, ready to explode into action at any moment. The wait was excruciating, each second stretching into a small eternity.

There! The faintest whisper of paws on grass, the displacement of air. Sericea's muscles bunched and she sprang to the side with as much force as she could muster, twisting mid-leap to face her attacker. But of course, the hit wasn’t totally avoided. Sericea felt the impact as Ravana's body collided with hers, the force knocking the breath from her lungs. They tumbled together in a tangle of fur and limbs, rolling across the grass in a snarling, snapping mass. Sericea's world spun, sky and earth blurring into a dizzying kaleidoscope as she struggled to regain her footing.

"Sericea Praetor-Inferos"