I always feel like somebody's watching meeee...

It was amazing here, the air was fragrant with grapes and grass. Owls called to one another in the night, other creatures had already bedded down. Night birds sang in the light of the waxing gibbous moon, swooping between vines to get any ripened grapes they could find. Atreyu's cat-like paws hushed themselves against the carpet of grass, her dappled form helping to hide her a bit in the speckled light that filtered through the vines that choked out the trees. Hunting a thicket large enough for her to bed down in for the night, those holographic eyes scanned around her surroundings. Nothing seemed out of sorts, but she could swear someone was watching her in the shadows. Maybe she was only being paranoid, she had already escaped the worst. It didn't take her very long to spot a rather sizable thicket of vines and briars, slipping into the makeshift den with care not to disturb the plants lest they turn on her.

To the observer, Atreyu simply disappeared into the shadows. Not far away from Atreyu, the predatory female lay in wait. Before she could relax, Atreyu felt a need to ensure there was no one around, that feeling of being watched just did not go away. Her instincts were yelling at her to fight whatever it was that dared follow her. Was it an assassin sent to finish off the stragglers from the Judilan massacre? Those unique eyes couldn't catch anything in the deep shadows cast by the bright night, but in her bones, she could feel it.

"Who goes there? I know you're out there!" She said confidently, but the stranger kept herself hidden from view. Deciding this place wasn't safe enough to go to sleep in, Atreyu abandoned her thicket den, choosing to find her way out of the grapevines. Following along the predatory wolf was so focused on Atreyu, that she didn't see the stick in her path. The echo of the stick snapping bounced off the trees and made all of the nightlife go silent. Immediately, Atreyu swung around to try and deduce where the echo had come from. Claws flexed into the ground as she looked around, watching for a shifting shadow and listening for any sounds of steps. Now she knew she was being followed, the female in the shadows knew she would have to confront Atreyu. The assassin waited a few moments longer before attacking, watching as Atreyu stood with ears swiveling on high alert. Not daring to move, the wolf watched her while licking her lips.

Atreyu saw no movement, but she could sense the stare of a predator on her. She wouldn't back down, Atreyu would meet this threat head-on if she had to. It wouldn't be long before the creature showed her face, Atreyu's hackles raised as she could hear paws approaching but couldn't see where those paw steps were coming from. All at once the peace of the night was shattered. A roar was given from the darkly pelted female, who pounced on Atreyu from the right, giving the spotted queenling little time to respond. Toppling over onto her left side, Atreyu rolled over to get to her paws quickly, rolling with the blow of the female, who followed her tackle with a series of snaps aimed at Atreyu's face. Atreyu parried the female's teeth with her own open maw, her teeth aimed at the left eye of her attacker. No way would she let someone attack her and get away with it scar-free.

The blow she aimed at the predatory wolf's eye was meant to drive her off, and the wolf played right into her paws, backing away to save her sight. Atreyu pursued her, not willing to let it go that she had been attacked yet again. Bowling into the dark woman, Atreyu gave a roar of her own, letting all of her grievous anger out on the stranger. Claws out she swiped at the stranger's face, landing her blow in long ribbons across the woman's cheek. Her teeth aimed to lay open the side of the woman's neck, grabbing hold and pulling back to tear the skin from the muscle. The woman screamed and fought back but Atreyu felt almost nothing. The burn of the other's claws was distant at best, each bite to her chest ignored as she pulled back and peeled the skin from her attacker.

Letting herself fall to blind fury and grief, Atreyu did not truly care if her assailant survived the encounter or not. All she knew was that her life was in danger and she would not stand for it. She tucks her head into her neck just as the other wolf comes for her throat, the blow landing over her muzzle instead. Flicking her head to shrug the stranger off of her, Atreyu aims to ram her shoulder into the wolf's right side, then comes down on her throat for a killing blow. Atreyu hated the feel of the other struggling against her for air, but she dared not let go. This wolf could run back to the demon king and tell him where she is. If she had any hopes of finding her siblings and pack mates, this wolf had to die...

Open your wings, Evil Angel!
'Thinking.' || "Talking." || 'Hearing.'
Word count: 876 words