Chasidy Uchiha

Chasidy stopped to fix her ponytail, hastily tugging chest-length black locks through the elastic tie. She then brushed a few burs from her muddied jeans and pulled her her cellphone, checking for the umpteenth time for reception.

"Dammit. Still no bars." The twelve-year old cursed under her breath, brushed a few burs from the sleeves of her purple shirt, and jammed the phone back into her pocket. She looked upward, squinting dark brown eyes against the glare of sun that shone beyond the leaves dancing in the canopy above. This did absolutely nothing to reorient her.

The young girl clenched her jaws and bit back the fear that churned in her gut. She'd only been out for two or three hours at this point, and it wasn't the first time she'd gotten a little lost while exploring the country side. But she'd never traveled this far north either, nor had she run out of gas on her fourwheeler.

Hawk & Crow

Thoughts of Nyx were still on his mind as the wolf patrolled through his pack's territory. He was eager to share the news with his cousin, but for now, his father sufficed as a gossip partner. With his yellow eyes gleaming in recounted happiness, Hawk went on, "...her coat really was unique. Black and white, but in a pattern I've never seen before."

Crow nodded to his son, "After our patrol this evening, why don't you go back and and see if you can find her again? You know Storm won't mind if you invite her here." He side-glanced at the other, and his gaze creased in a soft smile as he saw Hawk's tail wag at the thought.

"I was thinking of that." Before his jaws could part again, a sound caught Hawk's ears and he stopped abruptly. He cocked his head and sniffed the wind, and what he caught sent his fur raising along his back. "Smell that?"

At his side, Crow's silver hackles were coming up too. "Human." The elder wolf tilted his muzzle back and howled, alerting the pack to the potential danger. He then gasped and gave a sharp bark as Hawk proceeded down the trail, "Hawk, wait! Humans are dangerous."

But the naive Hawk only flicked a single ear back to show he'd heard his father's warning. Moving with caution, the gray lupine proceeded forward, curious to see what this two-legger was doing in their land.

Stormrunner & Others

The howl was answered in swift order by Stormrunner, who'd not been far away on his own patrol. The stormy gray alpha was approaching from the opposite direction however, and didn't see Chasidy until he'd blundered into the open and stepped squarely in the girl's path.

A look of complete and utter surprise took the young alpha, with his eyes widening in comical fashion and his mouth falling partially agape. "Two-legger!" The short woof fumbled from his jaws before his brain caught up with the situation, and a second later, he spotted Hawk approaching from the other end of the trail. A splash of silver through the leaves indicated Crow's position. His gaze blinked back to Chasidy, and the fear that had initially enveloped him now churned into something new - a need to protect his pack.

"Careful, two-legger." He rumbled these words of caution to the human in a tone that was too low for her to hear, though it matter little to a creature that couldn't understand the wolven tongue. "You're tresspassing on Aspen Grove territory." A hardened gaze replaced his wide-eyed surprise, and his tail rose high above his back.

A howl from Starscream and Darling would let the others know that they were soon on their way as well.

Chasidy Uchiha

"Seriously, come on." Chasidy raised the phone up in the air and turned, wiggling the device in an effort made more out of frustration than it was any real attempt to achieve a bar of service. Another flustered sigh was heaved as she lowered the phone in defeat and prepared to march on.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

Chasidy turned abruptly and her breath caught in her chest when she saw Crow sprinting hard in her direction. Another burst of noise had her whirling back around to the sight of a second lupine, and one that was quick to devolve into a growl and floofed tail.

"Shit!" Trying to keep both wolves in her peripheral, Chasidy stepped back, until the trunk of a birch tree stopped her. "Nice doggies, easy doggies, I'm not here to hurt anyway. I'm just lost, that's all. Niiice doggies..." Her words grew faint as panic took her, as she knew full well these were not dogs. With a tree at her back, she stuffed her phone away and slowly pulled her backpack around in front of her.

Hawk & Crow

Hawk's auds perked at the sharp sound that came from the human. He took a wary step back when she brandished the bag and drew it up in front of her, while squabbling some strange human noises. His nose quivered and he tilted his head, then raised his eyes to Stormrunner, who was attempted to warn the creature away. He added in his own growl, low and trembling, "You heard Storm, leave this terra at once. Humans are not welcome here."

Slowly, Crow advanced on the scene, moving with great care as he scented the wind and observed the human's body language. As he approached his son, drawing up along side him, he offered a low growl as well, just in case the girl hadn't gotten the hint already. "I think it's by itself, I don't smell any other two-leggers with it. And it's a young one, not fully grown." The silver wolf spared a brief glance to his alpha, "I don't think it can understand us. What do you want us to do with it?"

Stormrunner & Others

Chasidy's response confused Stormrunner. The pitch of her foreign words was too high to be aggressive, and she didn't come lunging at them with a weapon or otherwise show any sort of aggression. If she'd so much as snarled back at them, or brandished one of those terrible boomsticks his father told him about, he'd have ordered an attack in a heartbeat. But now, he was uncertain, and Crow's intel only stumped him further.

"It seems pretty harmless." Storm finally hedged, and took a few emboldened steps closer to the frightened girl, nose quivering and hackles still raised. He could smell the fear now, potent and unmistakable, "Isn't it odd to find them by themselves? Especially an adolescent?" He glanced to Crow for confirmation, not really knowing much about the two-leggers other than what his parents had told him. And even Stormrunner knew Tayzeka and Starscream were a bit... biased in their two-legger views.

In the distance, the crash of leaves and foliage announced the approach of Starscream and Darling.

Hawk & Crow

As long as his cousin was bristling, so was Hawk. He leveled the frightened girl with a hard stare, using body language since the creature didn't seem able or willing to answer them verbally. "I don't see any of those shiny weapons on it." He observed, now beginning to pad in a tight circle around her, skimming around the backside of the tree, and coming up alongside Stormrunner.

Crow's growl turned hesitant, "It's odd, yes. Occasionally some human pups do get lost, and I've heard of stories of them being raised by packs. But this one isn't a pup anymore." He caught Storm's look and allowed his growl to die away in his throat. "Hawk's right, this one doesn't have any weapons. It's harmless to us." Now he turned a questioning look back to his alpha, while one silver aud flicked in the direction of the incoming Starscream. "You know what your dad will do when he gets here."

Chasidy Uchiha

The backpack trembled in her arms, and all she could think about were those awful stories she'd read about all those people who'd been attacked and torn apart by the wolves in the Valley. And she was about to be added to that list.

With her heart in her throat, Chasidy pressed herself tighter against the tree, not caring for the sting of a branch that dug into her back. Her head whipped around, black hair flying in response when Hawk circled around behind the tree and came up along side the bold wolf. And the bold wolf itself had moved closer, its wet nose quivering as it closed the gap between them.

"Nice puppy, please don't bite, please don't bite..! Oh my god, are there more of you?!" Even her unrefined ears could hear the crash of paws on the leaf-littered ground as two more wolves approached the scene. In a frantic line of thought, a desperate idea sparked in her mind, and she reached a quivering hand into her packpack, and pulled out a bag of gummy fruits. "Y-you want a treat? Huh, how about a treat?" Her words shook as harshly as her hands as she fumbled to open the small packet of fruit-shaped gummies, and with a flick of the wrist, she tossed the package in Stormrunner's direction. Ten sugary, colorful treats sprawled across the ground in front of him.

Stormrunner & Others

A new, sharper growl sprang from Stormrunner when the snacks were tossed at him, and the action very nearly propelled him to attack the young girl. But a distinctly sweet and fruity scent stopped him, and curiosity got the better of the young alpha. It also helped that he wasn't nearly as close-minded and aggressive as his sire, and it was these differences that spared Chasidy's life... for the moment. Taking Crow's advice into reason, Storm sniffed delicately at the offered treats, while keeping an eye on the two-legger. "I know. He will want it dead, but... I also know humans are pack creatures, and killing a cub could bring more of them to us... right?"

Starscream finally came into view, rushing down a narrow trail and sprinting headlong towards the rest of the pack. Upon seeing the girl, his body language shifted and his hackles rose. With his ears pressed forward and fangs bared in all their glory, he roared towards Chasidy, "Filthy human! You will pay for stepping foot on our land!"

"Dad, stop!" Storm stepped brazenly into his sire's path, forcing the elder wolf to a halt, and earning the younger canine a grazing bite to his shoulder. Storm withstood the bite and raised his voice, using it rather than fangs to try and subdue Starscream, "Stop. This creature isn't a threat at the moment."

As Darling now sprinted cautiously forward to join her packmates, she soon slowed and came to a faltering stop a few feet back.

Hawk & Crow

Hawk flinched at the sudden motion made by the human and backed up his cousin's snarl with a deeper one of his own. His muscles had been taut and ready to go, but Stormrunner held off again on attacking. And the strange two-legger made no other threatening movements, only continuing its warbling noises. "Was that... a defense mechanism? Wait, are these edible?" The scent caught his attention, and his nose was soon on the ground, analyzing a red gummy in the rough shape of a strawberry that had landed near his paw. A tongue flicked out, and was met by a mix of sweet and sour. A second later, he'd hoovered up the treat and swallowed it, "They are edible."

Starscream had entered the scene now, roaring forward to join the pack, only to be stopped short by his son. Hawk wisely went silent at this point, letting Storm talk to his father. His eyes, though, began to rove the ground, trying to locate the rest of the fallen goodies, in between cautious glances at the human.

Crow didn't react to the treats, but he did have more advice for both the alphas, young and old. "That's a possibility, yes. I've heard tales of humans responding with vengeance to slain kin, and killing a cub would probably bring more here." He made sure to say this loud enough for Starscream to hear, "As for these things..." Now his emerald eyes fell to the gummies scattered about, and a note of uncertainty came to his vocals, "Some two-leggers are known to be kind to us, and offer food. I've.. ever seen anything like this before. The cub seems more scared than anything."

Chasidy Uchiha

She managed to muffle a scream when the old wolf came barreling towards her with death written clearly in its eyes. To her astonishment, it was stopped by the younger wolf who'd been growling at her the most, and while yet another wolf emerged from the surrounding forest, none of them moved closer to attack.

With trembling legs, Cassidy sank down to the ground and hugged the backpack more tightly in front of her. "You like that? W-want some more?" She spoke now to the young wolf with the darker gray coat and yellow eyes, the first one to snatch up one of the gummy treats. With hands shaking as badly as her legs, Chasidy reached into the backpack again, pulling out a second packet of fruit snacks. She tore this open and tossed a gummy directly for Hawk, and the another at Stormrunner, hoping this would pacify the two wolves that seemed most dominate in the group.

Stormrunner & Others

"Are you out of your mind?!" Starscream shot back at his son, "You have to kill this thing! Look at what they did to your mother and I!" In his shaggy summer coat, the tracking collar that Star wore stood out like a sore thumb on the old wolf's neck. "To be an alpha, you have to be tough, and-" As he tried to shove his way past his son and lunge again at the teenager, Stormrunner again intervened.

"Dad!" He shoulder-checked his sire and snapped at his muzzle, once more bringing a halt to Starscream's would-be rampage. "We aren't going to kill this one. It has no boomsticks, and it's as scrawny as a fawn. It can't hurt us." He turned sideways, using his body as a shield as he stepped back and forced Starscream back with him. "Everyone, back away from the two-legger."

Starscream's snarled didn't abate, but he physically couldn't compete with his son. "You're making a mistake, Storm. This one may not be dangerous, but its pack will be. And you can bet they'll come here next."

Darling, who was already a healthy distance behind the rest of the pack, sat down where she was. She was happy to let the human go, hoping that her young brother was correct.

Hawk & Crow

Hawk's attention was split between his cousin and the human. While his dusty harks were mostly tuned into Storm and Star's argument, all other senses had been diverted to the human and its ongoing warbling and shaking. Its fear permeated the air, and he couldn't help but envision this gangly little creature as a helpless fawn. Well, a fawn that dispensed some amazing, flavorful... berries?

"Starscream holds a good point." Crow, meanwhile, focused on being the voice of rationale and reason. Ignoring the gummies that were being newly dispersed, he turned and plodded several yards back from the girl on his alpha's command. "It's possible that this one could rally hunters if we let it live." Green eyes flickered from Chasidy to Stormrunner, "It's impossible to tell what will happen, but these are things you have to consider when dealing with humans."

"Or..." Hawk intervened, snatching a purple-hued gummy from the ground after Chasidy tossed it his way. "...we could keep it around? It looks too scrawny to offer much in the way of meat, but it is giving us these berries."

Chasidy Uchiha

An involuntary yelp escaped the girl when the collared wolf made a rush at her. She threw her arms in front of her face and ducked back further against the tree. In her terror, she never felt the sharper sting of the branch ripping her shirt and puncturing her skin beneath, but then that paled in comparison to what she thought was coming next.

When teeth failed to close around her, despite the rise in snarling, Chasidy peeked her eyes open and dared to look between her scrawny arms. To her great astonishment and relief, the collard wolf was being herded back by the bolder one, and the silver-coated one was trotting away too. The fawn and sable wolf in the background had sat down. The only one that remained near her was the yellow-eyed wolf that had been eating the gummies.

Chasidy shakily swept a few strands of hair from her face and reassessed her situation. Were they letting her go? Whatever was happening, Chasdiy knew she had to make a decision. The girl took a sharp breath and slowly unfolded her legs, standing up with the backpack being clutched tightly in front of her, a flimsy shield against whatever the pack might try and throw at her. "I-I'm sorry, I don't have any more. Be a g-good pup, okay? Be n-nice?" This was said to the yellow eyed wolf as she began to skirt ever so slowly around the tree, with branches creaking and snapping as she tried to force herself past them. Step by step, Chasidy began to move backwards, heading down the trail she'd initially come up on...

Stormrunners & Others

Internally, the young wolf was struggling with his decision, feeling the weight of responsibility settled uncomfortably over his proverbial back; what if he was making the wrong decision in letting this human go? What if, like Crow said, it would come back with more humans that carried boomsticks or paw traps? Was his father right? Or did Hawk have a good idea?

On the outside, Stormrunner had expanded his hackles, bristling his fur until it stood like a mantel over his shoulders and back, making him appear larger than his sire. On the outside, he composed himself as a wolf who was entirely confident in his choice, and despite his inward anxiety, he let none of that show on the exterior. "We let it go. Maybe a show of good faith will be returned, and the humans will stop bothering us here." To Hawk, he turned with a gentler face, "We can't keep it, or its pack will come looking for it."

"Ridiculous." Was all Starscream could mutter under his growling breath, though at least he'd tilted his ears back and had grudgingly conceded to his son's will. He let his snarls continue to spill forth, and his furious orbs followed Chasidy's every movement, making sure the girl knew full well how he felt. "You're lucky, two-legger." He spat at the retreating form, "You'd be crow chow if I'd caught you alone."

Crow & Hawk

"I can follow the human to the edge of our lands, to make sure it leaves." Crow offered, after Stormrunner had made his decision. He continued to watch the young creature, scuttling awkwardly backwards with that strange bag held in front of her, but doubted at this point that it was any threat to the pack.

Hawk was a little disappointed, though he hadn't honestly expected Storm to accept his proposal. Oh well, it had been worth a shot. When Chasidy threw no more food his way, the wolf turned back to his cousin with a new offer, "I can scout about for signs of humans?"

Stormrunners & Others

"I'd appreciate that Crow, please do." The alpha settled into his decision and finalized it with a nod to Crow. Had his father asked the same thing, Stormrunner would have promptly denied it, knowing the outcome would be a very dead human and a potential horde of two-leggers coming after them. When Hawk's question came next, Storm turned to his cousin, "That's a sound idea too. If you do come across anything, let me know straight away." His sharp gaze jumped to Cassidy as he watched the creature continue her frightened scuttle into the woods, and when she continued to move away without brandishing any weapons, Storm felt marginally better about the whole ordeal.

Starsream's gaze was infinitely more hostile than his son's. They burrowed into the girl, scarcely blinking, and remained fixed with venom upon her until she'd moved far enough away that that the trees and undergrowth finally broke the contact. "You shouldn't be so lenient, Storm." Those pale orbs jumped accusingly to the young alpha, "You're young and naive, and you need to learn to make tough decisions."

The wolf sighed, enduring his sire's snarls without returning any of his own, "I think the easier decision would have been to kill it. But what if human's aren't so-"

"That's the naivety talking again." Starscream interrupted with a scoff, "While you have Crow babysitting that predator, I'll secure our boarders and make sure we're actually safe." The ex-alpha didn't want for his son to disagree or not. With a tail cricked in annoyance, the old wolf stalked away from the group.

"For what it's worth..." Darling's voice rose quietly from where she'd been sitting this whole time, "I think you handled that well. I don't know how I feel about humans, but grandma always said there were good ones out there."

Storm smiled faintly, "Thanks, sis." And to himself, 'I hope this was one of the good ones she was talking about.'