Mystic

The small clicking clack of unused claws on concrete could be heard in looming night. The sun had disappeared over the horizons merely a second before, the sky fading into an inky black as the dotting of stars came out in the darkness of the unlit riverbank. The tall concrete dens smelled of old blood and a strange metallic particle, but across the long, flat stone, the scent and sound of running water. A streak of white (almost grey in the starlight) tore across the road and down the riverbank towards the flowing liquid.

With ears laid back and legs a bit shaky, the canine gorged herself on the cool water for a good few seconds, lapping at it like she had been in the desert. Letting the excess drip from her muzzle after she was done, the small wolf finally got a look at herself through the stilling surface. Her usual white coat was spotted with places of grey and black and a tell tale yellow tag was easily noticeable in the reflection. She frowned at it, taking a paw to scratch in that spot to knock it off but having no luck. The white one huffed out before letting out a small defeated whine at her predicament.

Switchblade

Paws muddy from the filth-infested mud at the dump, Switchblade padded along the river at a leisurely pace. Surely there would be other canines here. Switch was on a mission: recruit as many members as she could for the Boneyard, a fight club that resided at the dump.

Acute, pinkish-purple eyes caught a figure on the other side of the river. She noticed the yellow tag. Was this an escapee? Surely, a wolf that escaped captivity had the strength to face opponents. The coywolf let out a bark. "Hey, you lost?" Her voice was saccharine; whether her friendliness was a ruse or not would be difficult to determine. To add to the display of empathy, her tail wagged slowly.

Shadow Star

-Hey, you lost?-

The honey-sweet voice broke through the haze of Shadow's light slumber, pulling him from his dreams and dragging him haphazardly to his paws before he fully realized where those vocals came from. "Uhh, sortta." He mumbled tiredly in response, his words so quiet it would be a surprise if anyone even heard him. Especially since he was over a dozen yards away, standing up from a cluster of tall grasses that had previously obscured him.

Shadow Star froze then, realizing that it was now dark, and no longer sunny as it had been when he first curled up for a nap. And that voice wasn't aimed at him, but a pale-coated canine a little ways down the river, with a bright yellow tag flashing against her fur. The young wolfdog blinked and looked around, remembering that yes, he still was lost, but he wasn't going to admit that to anyone. Instead, he kept his curious gaze on these two females, quietly assessing them before he'd make the decision to approach or not. Judging by the anxious wiggle of his tail though, he was about three seconds from leaving his grassy hideout and prancing right over to introduce himself.

Mystic

Splashing at her reflection with a hanging paw, the small luesictic wolf barely noticed the larger that was staring at her from across the flowing water. When the bark was let out, it did just as she expected and caught Mystic attention immediately. Just... maybe too immediately. With a paw raised to create more waves in the liquid, the appendage straightened in fear and anticipation, instinct moving her to throw her body weight back onto all fours.

Before she could even process the words that were said to her, the loose bank where she planted her one paw crumbled underneath the waves, throwing her entire balance sideways and... straight into the deep center of the flow with a yelp. It wasn't a strong river, per say, but the shock of the cold night water and her already tired and weak limbs made the small female struggle against it, flailing and paddling to try and get back onto the dry bank.

Switchblade

The pale coywolf's gaze was fixed on Mystic. Sensing fear in the stranger, she lowered her posture to seem less threatening. Her ear swiveled at the sound of another. She spared a passing glance at Shadow Star and stiffened a bit. Was this a trap? She had become paranoid over the years, days of a fragile and often deadly power struggle in the Valley, where letting one's guard down was a quick way to end up in the grave. But after a few tense moments, Switch eased up. Glancing between Mystic and Shadow Star, the coywolf saw an opportunity to recruit them. "Y'know, I have plenty of food to spare in my territory. You're both welcome to visit and grab a--" SPLASH. Switch was cut off at Mystic's sudden plunge into the river. Somehow, her instinct to protect activated for a complete stranger and she leapt in after the small wolf. The cold water was a shock and led Switch to take an involuntary sharp breath in. Thankfully, her head was above the surface, saving her from inhaling a mouthful of water. She made her way towards Mystic, but it would be hard to grab hold of her with her flailing. "Don't be afraid; I'm going to bring you to shore" she assured. A final pleading gaze was sent towards Shadow Star, as if to ask him to aid in the rescue.

Shadow Star

When those unique eyes of Switchblade flickered towards his nesting spot and briefly locked onto his own, Shadow's tall, dark ears flattened back instinctively. At the same time, his wagging tail picked up its pace, so that it was now beating merrily against the tall grasses around him, causing them to bob and bounce about under the repeated strikes. "...hi!" He blurted out, eager to prove that he was friendly, and happy to see a new face. Slowly, his storm-gray auds were inching back up, listening to this stranger's proposal, only for it to be cut off by that splash.

Without even needing that pleading look from Switchblade, Shadow Star was vaulting from his nest and tearing across the bank, towards Mystic's location. He'd once been on the receiving end of a water rescue as a pup, and knew what kind of panic it could induce. "Don't worry friend, we'll get you out!" The adolescent barked, a moment before vaulting into the dark, cold waters with little more than a briefly scrunched face for the stinging discomfort the chilly liquid brought him. He reached for any bit of fur or flesh he could grab, be it an ear, scruff, tail, or other loose bit of Mystic he could nab between her panicked flailing. And then he lurched back, paddling and kicking, trying to drag her back to shore along side Switchblade...

Mystic

In the initial panic of her being submerged into the dark liquid had her gasping, the cold forcing a yelp from her before she instinctively tried to take a breath. Which, of course, she immediately regretted. The cold fluid poured down the wrong pipe and her eyes went wide as her paws flailed for the surface, desperate for a relief from the shock. The noises of the two bodies hitting the river was drowned out against the current rushing past her ears. But the feeling of teeth finding scruff was hard to miss, and she felt the first canine pull her head over water, a sputtering and gargling breath coming from Mystic.

Another set of teeth finds hold in one of her tails and, despite her waving paws, the small wolf found herself being dragged against the current. The feeling of soft mud and dirt being dragged through her fur was the first signal she got that they were heading towards *land*. Her legs kicked against the foothills, weakly helping in getting herself out of the flow and onto relatively moist land. Stumbling against her own mud slicked paws, the thick coat of her arctic heritage pulled her downward to lay on her side. Ears pressed against her head and hacking up any water still in her lungs, it took a minute for the young one to notice her two rescuers still near.

Once she had processed that there were indeed two larger creatures right by her, the Baffin wolf jumped up, stumbling slightly with her paws so full of mud. "Wh-Who are you!? St-Stay away!" She took a couple steps back, tails dipping between her hind legs as her eyes adjusted from the dark water to the slightly lit riverbank. "I-I dont want any trouble..." Although she did not notice it through the adrenaline in her veins, Mystic's entire body was starting to shiver, the cold night air making her soaked coat more cold then it should have been.

Switchblade

With aid from Shadow Star, Switch began pulling Mystic towards the shore. She clawed her way up the bank and released her gentle hold on the much smaller creature. "Easy there--" When Mystic began to panic, Switch stepped back, silently motioning for Shadow Star to do the same - although surely, he was on the same page. "My name's Switchblade. I live not far from here." Her eyes sized up the diminutive wolf, feeling instant pity over her apparent starving state, and a pang of guilt for her thought of inviting Mystic and Shadow Star into what was essentially a never-ending fight club. Her mouth suddenly felt dry and her heart sank into her stomach. But if she went home without new blood, she was sure the pack would entertain the idea of overthrowing her and exiling Maple for vouching for her. She gulped, as if to clear a vile taste from her mouth. "...I have food in my home. Food and shelter. You're both welcome to stay for a while." She tilted her head, the wet ruff of fur on her chest and neck parting, revealing a mess of scars on and around her throat, some old, some raw and only just beginning to heal. It was clear she experienced frequent attacks and lived to tell the tale - or to keep it silent.

Shadow Star

Shadow's first instinct, upon dragging the sodden Mystic back to dry land, was to swoop in and begin administering some cheerful licks, or perhaps to sit down beside her until she'd caught her breath and could stand again. It's what Ataji would have done after all, and his brother always knew the right thing to do. But for Mystic, the panic was just beginning, and the little wolf wasn't down long before she'd scrambled back up and voiced her pleas to the pair.

Back went Shadow's tall ears, with one forepaw pulled uncertainly up into the air as the tiny stranger recoiled from their help and - wait - what was up with that tail? Shadow blinked and cocked his head, but she'd already tucked the appendage between her legs. "It's okay miss, we.." Catching the glance from Switchblade, the young wolfdog took a few steps back and fell silent, letting the other speak.

Dark amber eyes fell upon Switchblade now, for just a moment when she offered assistance. It brought some life to his own tail, and it wagged a few times, scattering drops of water to and fro. "That's really nice of you, miss. Erm, Switchblade, right?" And that's when he noticed the scars that her body bore. Some of them old and dull with time, and others... not so much. Back went his ears again, but his eyes remained wide in awe as his naive mind wandered over the source of those old battle wounds. 'I bet she's fought a ton of bears. That's badass!' And his tail waved again, this time with excitement before the shivering frame of Mystic caught in his peripheral and his heart twinge with sympathy. His appendage waved a little slower now, and he took a mincing, slow step backwards, "It's okay, we're not gonna hurt you. My name's Shadow Star. What's yours?" Shadow took this moment to shake his coat and adopt a smile, "You look cold, come up off that bank and shake off, then we can follow Switchblade to some food. That'll make you feel better!"