SECRETS OF KIYEVKA BAY

Loup had gone into this fight anticipating that she would be on the edges of it, alone and mostly ignored. Her fighting strategy–her entire life strategy–was based on the assumption that nobody ever noticed when she needed help. Her facade of independence had been presumed real so often that even Loup had begun to believe that she'd rather go it alone. Her sense of rejection and solitude had become the norm. Now, her brain simply couldn't compute what could have changed. One involuntary cry of pain had brought her more backup than she had received in the past year. Even if they had merely wanted to prevent her from getting killed, that didn't explain the fact that they were still here. Surely both of them had seen her fight her way free before they arrived. Why hadn't they just turned around then? Why were they continuing to stand by her side, driving off the male dog and checking on her with kind words? Loup's head spun, and not all of the disorientation was from her injury.
"Are you okay? Do you want me to stay?" Lupa was asking, crouched in the bushes.
"I'm fine for now." Loup gasped. Her lungs couldn't get enough of the thick, sea-level air. Her sides itched as the blood worked its way through her fur and onto her skin. The damage, Loup supposed, was mostly in nerves and soft tissue. It made the wound excruciating, but her vision was returning to normal and she didn't think her spinal cord or any important muscles had been damaged. "Just take care of yourself." Loup hesitated, then gently touched Lupa's shoulder. "Thank you." she said. She didn't understand these acts of kindness toward her, but she appreciated them.
Loup was about to pull away when her eyes, wandering past Lupa, noticed a dark furry shape in the bushes. A dog, and a dog with a with a recently acquired wolf-tail in its mouth. The brown female snarled and lunged at it. Trying to avoid scraping her injury on the vegetation, Loup was not quite able to reach the dog. All the same her savage snap, delivered inches from its nose, was enough to make the dog let go. Loup felt Lupa shift beside her and pull free.
Loup slithered backwards and stood. Trusting Lupa to finish off the tail-biter, who looked a lot like the dog she'd been facing off earlier, Loup turned to inspect the other canines still in the fight. The group of dogs she'd originally attacked had numbered four. One–her first prey–was still sprawled out on the ground, helpless. It was bleeding at a slow pulse, but the mince-meat of its front leg had it crippled and, unable to move or tend to other injuries, it would possibly die and was certainly out of the fight. The fourth dog was back with its friends in the group near Ghost and that monstrous black newcomer, apparently feeling it was safer in company than fleeing alone. That left the two that had attacked her. The male looked like he had had just about enough. He was cringing, his reddish fur brightened by blood. The dog might have been bigger than Loup, but Chance matched him in size and was by far the fiercer. Loup was about to go reinforce her fellow wolf's already terrifying threat when she noticed the female dog. The blueish animal was crouched to Chance's right, her eyes searching for a good place to attack. She clearly felt obliged to protect her pack mate no matter what, but so did Loup. Both females leapt at the same time.
Loup had overestimated her strength. Three of her legs worked just fine to propel her into the female dog, but her left rear gave out halfway through the charge. Unsupported, she veered off course. That leg had apparently decided that it wanted to take a cat-nap in the middle of the fight, because after Loup inelegantly barreled into both dogs and Chance, it resumed working. Trying desperately not to think of what an idiot she'd just made of herself, Loup recovered and reared up to wrap her fore-legs around the shoulders of the bluish dog. Both canines slashed at each other's faces, drawing numerous small nips. For a moment Loup thought the tough dog was going to topple her, but then she spotted a gap under the relentless wall of teeth. An instant later Loup was back on all fours with her mouth wrapped around the dogs neck. She shook and shook, determined to scramble the dog's brains before she let go.

The Battle was still going on and Fenrir noticed how everyone else was fighting, he didnt know that there were so many wolves around, maybe they were setting up an ambush and the beast just ruined it... doesnt matter. The black giant was on their side... for now, if just one wolf would get in his way then the scene wouldve changed immedietly. Fenrir was back in his old demonic form, he had fun while ripping these dogs apart and that even with some company, he was allways fighting alone but this is something else once, the only bad thing is that not all dogs went for him but that is what he allways liked. The look of his enemy when they think that a few wolves would be enough to take the black beast down... even better when they realise that it was their worst idea to even step up against Fenrir.

No dog was currently up to attack the beast and so he decided to target a new dog, the fun wasnt over for him yet. That one was charging directly at two wolves of the local pack (Chance and Loup), Fenrir was quite close to them and a small sprint was needed to get to them in time. The dog was about to lunge at them but stopped immedietly when he saw that giant monster of a wolf come around the bush, you couldve clearly seen how the beast had a grin on his face, his bloodshot red eyes locked onto the scared dog who was a dwarf next to Fenrir. After a few seconds of pure fear, the dog turned around and tried to flee but the beast didnt let that happen, "Get over here!" he shouted with his powerful and deep voice, grabbing the dog's tail with his maw and pulling him back to the giant, the dog stumbled over because of the sheer strength of Fenrir. He stomped on the dog's chest with his massive weight, a whimper escaped from the dog but Fenrir kept the pressure. Such a dog cant do anything against this monster and he clearly showed that, he didnt kill when he had to, he killed whenever he wanted. The dog didnt really do anything to save his life, maybe he gave up or maybe the pressure of the beast's weight was too much, this dog wasnt worthy to fight him in his eyes and he wanted to end this as painful as possible. He didnt bite the neck, he started to crush the dog's skull when he put the bottom of its head in his maw, the dog tried to break free from the giant maw, whimping because of the pain. It didnt take and Fenrir crushed its jaw, leaving the dog in a terrifying look, after that the beast raised to his full height and let out a deep laugh. The battle was nearly over and the Beast was done killing pathetic opponents like this, this wasnt a fight, this was a slaughter for him. Either way, it didnt matter aslong as he could kill something.

(Please say if this is too "brutal" and i'll change it straight away, i dont know exactly how far i can go here ;D)

Lupa had hoped that Loup saw her kindness as genuine to her but that didn't matter now, her safety did, "I'm fine for now." she brown wolf replied to Lupa's question. Loup didn't seem fine but Lupa respected the other female so nodded in respect, "Just take care of yourself." the words Lupa feared were just spoken. I'd rather not she thought to herself through still gritted teeth from the dog biting into her tail. "Thank you." Loup added before a friendly touch of the shoulder came by, Lupa actually didn't mind this, and sign of friendlyness was welcome.

Loup made a lunge to the dog on my tail, which may have missed but the dog let go. As soon as the pressure realised Lupa span around locking eyes with her opponent. The brown female backed up and the black female crouched, ready to leap forth. This was her fight now. "You better give up a good fight." she scoffed at the dark dog, this one was thin and probably weak. Never underestimate your foes! she thought to herself, besides, what human would bring a useless dog with them? she then pondered for a split second. Lupa had an idea, "Let's test your agility, shall we." she said with a sneer.

Lupa took off up the hill, leaping up rocks before standing on one only a few metres from the ground. She managed to obtain herself another dog both looking small and feeble - both also struggling up the hill. They had a drive in them but not fight, this would be over quick, she thought so anyway. Lupa targeted the more bulky one, the original one, first. Lupa was bored of waiting for it so once it got onto the rock below her she charged it knocking it off, falling down herself too. Though it was only a couple of metres above the ground, she was alright. It did tingle a little but that's nothing! Well at least that's what she thought. Lupa then opened her maw towards its abdomen she plunged, grabbing a mouthful of flesh and fur, this one did have thick fur, more difficult than the short haired dog on the hill. She pulled back, ripping back some tissue and spilling blood on the floor. Although this wolf was not finished she turned to the older looking dog, snarling deeply. Tail raised, hackles out, fur on end, obsidian lips pulled back showing her formidable teeth this was an aggressive stance. Fed up with this dog's teasing she leapt up to the lowest rock, up one by one before the dog and she shared the ledge Lupa was originally on. "It's quite a way from here." she said with a growl before taking a slight lunge forward. The dog lurched backward, nearing the edge. The black female eventually had the dog right at the edge before lurching again and the dog fell. CRACK. Lupa didn't know what damage she had done but it seems to have at least hurt it. The dog just lay there whining.

Lupa returned to the original dog, snapping at its legs grinding her teeth on bone. Hmm... she thought before grabbing its back and pushing her teeth into it. Her once black maw now covered in blood. The dog was now her ragger, she shook it violently before dropping it to the ground and biting at its head. She was going to let it suffer in pain for now. She went off to deal with the other...

(Backup is on its way.)

In the distance Star could hear barks and growls, whimpers and whines. She couldn't help but feel a bit worried. Stripe still hadn't replied yet.
“Let's go help the others, the tiger can wait." She nudged Stripe a bit, then ran over to the others.

Dog corpses littered the ground. There were still a few left, but they looked weak. It seems the others had already taken down the strong ones. Star looked at her target. The dog was definitely not strong, but she wasn't either. She lunged forward at its neck, crushing its windpipe angling its head away from herself. The dog did manage a couple of scratches on her, but they didn't hurt, the adrenaline pumping through her body. She looked around and saw a new wolf. Looks like more backup.

((This is Stripe posting off Lupa's account - My tablet is broken and I forgot my login details and I can't access my email. Bear with me.))


Stripe was about to reply to Star's question when yaps, barks, snarls and growls came from around them. Dogs. As Star turned to go help Stripe also did. He was more of a hunter but still could put up a fight. Stripe saw Lupa messing about with two dogs, tricking them before leaving one to suffer. Stripe saw the opportunity and dashed toward her, trying to ignore the massive beast nearby. He charged into the dog that managed to get to its feet, although it wobbled. Once Stripe made contact he skidded to a halt, so to not bash into the rocks behind them. He opened his maw snapping his white teeth around dark legs, crushing bones in the ankle. He then raised his tail as once taught by his sister before clamping onto its neck, not letting go until the sound of a heartbeat was gone. He turned to assit his sister if she needed it, though he doubted that.

[I just gave Lupa permission to post with her own character. Please be clear that to above post is Stipe, borrowing her account. The below post is Lupa.]

Lupa heard another wolf approach as she walked toward the other dog that lay on the floor, her tail was raised and her teeth bared. She sniffed the air to see if the other animal was a dog instead but she sensed it a Stripe. She ignored him whilst she approached and fought with the dog, he was only a sidestander. The dog shook on the ground as Lupa inspected the damage - it looked like the front legs were wonky but she wasn't a healer. Lupa grabbed the dog by its leg, dragging it around. It's head probably banged on multiple objects as she pulled the thin, feeble dog around. Eventually she stopped before snapping at its ears ripping the top of one off. She looked at Stripe before delving her blood-stained maw onto its own jaw and began pushing through the bone. CRUNCH, GRIN were the only noises that you could hear. Lupa managed to probably only make an indentation on the bone but defiantly managed to inflict pain. The dog was 'screaming' at this point but she continued but went further up, more towards the head and throat. Her teeth penetrated part of its upper throat, causing probably severe pain. The dog fought back though, biting at her muzzle, drawing blood. Her tail and muzzle bled but the dogs throat began seeping blood. Lupa beconed Stripe to come over and finish the battle.

[Hi everyone! It looks like a lot of us have been able to participate in this event, but I also think we've killed most of the dogs in Europe. xD Let's start winding down and let the tiger team take over. Thank you all for participating!]

Loup opened her mouth and dropped the bluish dog. The wolf had a pounding headache and she could only imagine how the poor, whiplashed dog felt. Lifting her tail to a dominant stance–which sent a spasm of pain down her back–the brown female drew back her lips and snarled. The dog looked up at her with its bloodshot hound eyes. It clearly wanted to attack again, but surrounding the two females were the sights and sounds of dying dogs. This one had clearly seen enough fights to know when a cause was lost. The dog staggered to her feet and turned to escape the fight. Loup watched as the bluish animal left at an awkward trot, tripped, rose drunkenly, and went zig-zagging away. The wolf's snarl quieted with satisfaction.

All around her dogs were fleeing or being finished off. Loup could see Star–where had she come from?–lifting her head from a victory and surveying the rest of the pack. Lupa held a dog in a death-grip as Stripe approached, his teeth fatally close to the dog's throat. Chance's vicious growl still rumbled nearby. Further off stood that monstrous black newcomer. If she hadn't known better Loup would have thought he was a dire-wolf from ages past. As the brown female moved back to her pack she kept a close eye on him; the stranger may have helped them, but Loup was perpetually wary of large, powerful wolves. They reminded her too much of tigers and bears.

A dog yelped in alarm as she walked past. For a moment Loup saw it, skittering into the thick grass, then it was gone–abandoning its fellows. The first dog she had attacked was on its good paws, limping away at a painfully slow pace. Loup set her yellow gaze on it, wondering if she should put it out of its misery. She might have, except the sandy earth under her paws felt so deliciously soft. It was warm. She could hear the crashing of waves. A gentle breeze stirred her bloodied fur. The she-wolf looked around for something to do, but all her pack-mates had it well under control. I'll just get in the way. Her vision was failing again, pulsing in and out with the beats of her heart. Her hindquarters slid into a sit. I shouldn't lie down, I might get my wounds dirty. Can't risk an infection. But she was sooo comfortable. It would only be for a few minutes... Suddenly she notice a pair of eyes watching her for behind a piece of driftwood. One eye was brown, the other a greenish gray. Dog. Get up Loup! She shoved her back legs into motion and stood, tightening her jaw in a silent whimper at the agony in her back. The dog disappeared. She would have to tough it out for a little longer. At least now the end, however distant, was in sight.

[I'm back on my own tablet!]

As Lupa beconded Stripe over he beared his teeth before opening his maw and snapped it around the neck of the dog. The fight seemed to be over. His sister was fine but what about other Pack members? Star? Chance? Loup? Everyone he knew could be in danger. Stripe bounded over to Star's scent before approaching her slowly. "Lupa is injured, her muzzle and tail. I'll look around for other injuries. You are a caretaker, of course!" he said with a friendly smile.

Stripe walked off following scents, although it was difficult. So many scents! He eventually found Loup laying down before getting up again, she had an injury to the back. "A--are you okay?" he asked with a slight stutter, should he of said that?

[I agree with you, Europe is short of dogs! XD should we once done all go back to the den and speak to Koa together or in our own time?]

Lupa dropped the dead dog on the ground, her lips drew back into an evil looking smile. She looked at the black wolf who helped them earlier. Approach him. He can't be that bad, you need to keep the Pack safe, she thought to herself, But you're not the only one who cares for the Pack... what should she do? Lupa decided to first check on Loup. "Stupid dogs." she said as she walked over towards the brown female. Loup sat on the soft ground before lowering herself and then rising again, What? she thought. It didn't matter why the other female did that unless it was a danger, highly doubtful, Loup would tell others wouldn't she? Lupa shook her head and turned back to walking over to the brown female, she arrived at the scene just as Stripe did, "A--are you okay?" the black male asked Loup. Lupa touched Loup's shoulder gently with her nose instead of speaking, hopefully Loup knew what the black female meant.

"Stripe, the tiger. Will it die?" she asked kindly trying to fill the silence, after all that was their mission. Lupa had the urge to stay with Loup now, she was of course injured. Did Loup need Lupa's care though? Lupa's thoughts were all wondering as she asked questions... Calm down, one thing at a time! she thought to herself.

(( Had to finally get this post in. cx ))

The Slaugther was nearly over, a few wolves still remained but most of them died or ran off from the pack. But something wasnt right, Fenrir still wanted a little challenge, not pathetic dogs like them. This was no fighting for Fenrir, as soon as he attacked the dogs, they instantly gave up or were killed immedietly by his sheer strength, there is no fun in killing something that doesnt want fight for its life. Most of the Pack were together, looking out for eachother and still ready for some action... but Fenrir remembered something, the white female from the beginning, where was she? she mustve been around for sure.

After that, Fenrir heard snarls and barks, multiple dogs and a wolf. That must be her, the beast had no idea why he was so interested in that wolf but he just didnt see a wolf like that before, she was clearly unique. A little sprint was needed to get to the upcomming fight, Fenrir was right next to them and saw the white female, surrounded by three dogs, nipping at her whole body. It was normal to Fenrir to just sit down and watch now but not this time, this time he actually helped someone out, that might be the first time in his life.

"Lets balance the fight, shall we?" he shouted out loud with his wrathful, deep voice and charged towards the three dogs, the dogs knew that he would charge, his shout was clearly loud enough to draw some attention. Nevertheless, Fenrir didnt need to sneak nor did he know how to do that, he is like a ram and will knock everything over in his way. Two of the three dogs went for Fenrir, the third stayed and kept attacking the female. Well, they never learn... Again they simply charged at the beast, head to head. You cant really win against the beast with blunt strength, you cant win in his own game. But before they reached Fenrir, they split up and surrounded the beast, one of them actually attacked the back leg of him and managed to make him bleed, Fenrir stayed emotionless for a few seconds, after that he started to grin and rammed his massive shoulder in the dogs ribs who fell down like a tree, finally a bit fun. Its not that the wound wasnt that strong, it was the fact that Fenrir doesnt care about such thing as "Pain", He wont feel pain but his body can still be crushed like any other body, just not as easy. The beast wanted to end the life of that wolf but the other dog came up from behind and literally landed on Fenrir's back, biting the beast in the neck. The dog's maw wasnt strong enough to do anything lethal to the beast but the attempt was quite good, a normal dog or wolf would probably be hurt pretty bad. Fenrir managed to grab the right front leg of the dog with his powerful maw and pulled him down his back, crushing on the ground next to the other dog. Fenrir was bleeding but it was nothing lethal and for him it was just another flesh wound, nothing else, a pathetic little wound. Now he had both dogs lying infront of him, still alive but completely out of action, the third dog was still on the white female, just a few feet away.

[@Lupa: I vote that we all go back together because it was a joint effort in the first place. However, we can see what the others have to say.]

Loup lifted her eyes from the place where the dog had been. Apparently it had decided she was too strong to be worth attacking, but Loup doubted it was right. Her body, relieved of adrenaline, was beginning to sense the toll of fighting and–for now–a brisk breeze would have been enough to knock her off her paws. Stripe and Lupa must have seen what the dog did not, because they were both headed toward her. As much as Loup wanted to be cared about, she hated always being weak. The thought of being inferior to other's abilities stung her like salt on raw flesh. Why couldn't she escape a fight unscathed, healthy and ready to offer service to those who needed her? Why wasn't she smarter and faster than a dumb dog? Why did anybody keep her around when she was always the receiver of help and never the giver? And worst of all, the only thing in the world she wanted was the care and sympathy she was too humiliated to ask for.

"A--are you okay?" a timid voice asked.

Loup looked at Stripe. The very question I was asking myself. she thought wearily. Physically, she was hurting and would take a long time to heal. Emotionally, she felt far weaker than her injury made her. So was she okay? No. But then again, when was she? So perhaps being "okay" could be interpreted is being "normal", and her "normal" was "no". Loup grimaced. Thinking like that encouraged self-pity, and self-pity led to more weakness and misery. Better just to ignore it and stick with the cold, hard facts.

"I'll live." she said.

A gentle touch startled her–Lupa, offering silent support. Drawing energy from the kind gesture, Loup braced herself and gave her body a harsh shake. Sand and flecks of blood whipped themselves off her fur. It hurt her back, but it also got her blood flowing again. Feeling a little better, the brown wolf twitched her ears to hear about the tiger. Had Stripe and Star even had time to find it yet?

Suddenly, a commotion erupted from further down the shore. Ghost! How could I have forgotten about her? Loup whipped around. To her immense frustration and concern, Loup couldn't tell what was going on. The albino normally stuck out like a sore thumb but now there were too many dogs and too much movement. Was that the huge black wolf? Yes, it was. He was biting something pale–was it a dog or Ghost? Whining with worry, Loup decided she had to go and help. There was only one problem: her legs felt strange, as if she were standing on whicker poles and not bone. Seemingly much lighter and less flexible than normal, they wobbled with the subtle shifts of her weight. The peculiar feeling unnerved her. Unlike the pain in her back, she couldn't point to the cause of her weakness. It was all she could do withhold her disturbance: it could be anything and everything. Lay off she chastised herself It's not as bad as you're making it out to be. The brown wolf tried to take a step, but it was like walking with stilts. Her paw, ankle and elbow just wouldn't stay aligned. Panting, Loup gave up and stood with her front legs splayed wide for balance. Damn. Trying not to fall, she craned her neck and strained her senses. Loup promised herself that if Ghost didn't come out of this okay she would personally chew off all four of the strange wolf's legs.

[Good plan!]

Lupa could see that Loup physically was not okay and mentality she looked unhappy. Did this wolf not like sympathy? Did this wolf think they always had help and never gave? Whatever Loup thought of herself Lupa knew she was helpful and kind, without her Lupa wouldn't fit in!

"I'll live." the brown wolf said. 'Whatever dog did this to you deserves to die. On my paw I'd do it myself.' Lupa thought to herself. "If you want it I can offer you assistance like you did for me?" the black female asked kindly with a respectful nod toward the Elder. Lupa knew Loup had authority and that she was in charge, although that is something Lupa thought she'd never have at least someone she trusted was in this position.

Yaps and barks came from a distance, Loup seemed to hear them too as she tried to walk over. Lupa walked alongside her and put her [This is Lupa's muzzle] muzzle below her chest balancing her. [Referring to Loup by using 'her']
"Relax. Please, don't injure yourself more, rest." she said with a worried look, that's all Lupa wanted, to ensure the safety of her pack mates. "Either me or Stripe can see what's going on. Please, don't push yourself." Lupa had a serious look at the same time, Loup may have authority but there was no way Lupa would let the wolf get off that easily.

"Lupa is injured, her muzzle and tail. I'll look around for other injuries. You are a caretaker, of course!"
Star looked at Stripe as he informed her, but then he was off again, heading towards Loup.

It looked as if Lupa was headed Loup's direction too. Star looked around for the others, then decided to also head that way. Still scanning for dogs. She heard a noise and looked over at a dog, she looked over at Loup who had also noticed it. But when she looked back at the dog it was gone.

She continued walking towards the others. She then heard growls, both from wolves and dogs. She saw Loup stagger and being a caretaker decided to help.
"You go, I'll watch Loup." Star told Stripe and Lupa.

The female caretaker had arrived. "You go, I'll watch Loup." she [Star] said. Lupa lifted her head and took in a deep breath before speaking, "Thank you, Star. Look after yourself and Loup." And without another word the black wolf was gone. Off towards the sounds of scrapping and the site of a huge black wolf ragging a white canine. If that was Ghost then Lupa would attack, no matter what injuries she'd sustain.

Lupa approached the area seeing that the black wolf was actually helping Ghost. Seeing at the moment it was under control she turned and gave Loup and Star a reassuring look before lowering her body in the bushes ready to pounce if the huge beast turned on her Elder. One thought raced through he mind. That wolf was fighting hard but was it going to turn on Ghost? Why bother helping if you would turn? Lupa saw two dogs were attacking him but one had the albino female as its target. Lupa circled around to it before gently whispering under her breath (enough for Ghost to hear) "Would you like my assistance?"

Lupa knew she wasn't always needed but wanted to help.

Loup's lips pulled back in an involuntary grimace. The feeling of Lupa's steadying touch was startling; more contact than Loup had received in a long time. Under any other circumstances she would have rejected the black female with a nasty snap, but in her vulnerable state Loup understood that it would be foolish. She needed help. But what if they take advantage of me? part of her wondered. Loup's weakness scared her and, like any frightened animal, the fear made her defensive. Still, there was no cause to be looking for fights where there weren't any. These wolves had been nothing but good to her and she–as Loup forcefully told herself–had no reason to believe they would change.

Unless she was too feeble and became a burden... Or they ran short on food... Or she slowed them down... Stop it Loup! She might not have; if it hadn't been for a shift in the conversation.

"You go, I'll watch Loup." Star was saying. Loup looked around, yanked out of her self-indulgent thoughts. Lupa's lulling words, which the wounded female had been vaguely aware of, had now ceased. Apparently some plan had been made to deal with the Ghost situation.

"Thank you, Star. Look after yourself and Loup." Lupa turned and dashed off. Surprised and starting to feel guilty about her defensive thoughts toward Lupa, Loup watched her with concern.

"Be careful!" Loup barked, but she wasn't sure if the black she-wolf heard her. At any rate, Lupa did take care not to get herself mixed up in the fight prematurely. She visibly slowed as she neared the action, seemed to evaluate it, then turned around and looked back at the group of wolves she'd left behind. The reassuring glance delivered, Lupa slunk into the bushes and out of sight. Loup breathed a sigh of relief.

Deciding she might as well take advantage of the lull, Loup turned to Star and Stripe. Their attention was focused in the direction of the fight. It made Loup hesitate and her question died on her tongue. She was enough of a bother without interrupting them. She twitched her nose, sorting through the scents of their journey. Strongest was the smell of the dogs and the pack, but Loup could also detect the faint, rancid smell of the tiger. Curiosity filled her. It didn't smell like they'd gotten very close at all, but surely some news was better than none. At least they would know where to find it if the pack had to look deeper. Loup's misbehaving legs ached at the thought, but she knew that tracking down the tiger once again would likely be necessary. Unless they'd managed to discover something? Her mind was too tired to think anymore. She was on the verge of not even caring. Sighing with exhaustion, she looked back up towards the fight.

Lupa had walked off, reassuring them all. Stripe looked towards the brown female who seemed to be thinking. Maybe she was thinking about Lupa's actions? It didn't matter to him.

"Loup," Stripe said as he turned to face her. "The tiger seems to be well alone and unable to move as of now. I think Star may know more about if it's going to die or not." Stripe hoped that his help his pack members. He then turned to Star, "What do you think, Star?"

Stripe wrote:Lupa had walked off, reassuring them all. Stripe looked towards the brown female who seemed to be thinking. Maybe she was thinking about Lupa's actions? It didn't matter to him.

"Loup," Stripe said as he turned to face her. "The tiger seems to be well alone and unable to move as of now. I think Star may know more about if it's going to die or not." Stripe hoped that his help his pack members. He then turned to Star, "What do you think, Star?"

Stripe, posts should be at least 100 words.

[Sorry, I didn't know if it was.]

(( There are plenty of word count tools on the web, including: https://wordcounter.net ))

"What do you think, Star?" Star shifted her gaze over at Stripe. With all the fighting she nearly forgot about the tiger.
"I think it should die soon, it looked very weak."

She looked across the beach, and saw the sun starting to set. It streaked the sky with reds, pinks and oranges. She looked over at Ghost, who was staring into the new wolf's eyes. So romantic.

She cleared the thought out of her mind and looked over at Loup. She fought very bravely, everyone did. Star was honored to be in this pack.
"We can tend everyone's wounds, then we can check on the tiger."

[Hi everyone! Just a news flash; we are going to check out the tiger one more time then return to Koa as a group. I had some questions about that so I wanted to clear it up. : ) ]

The brown female had her eyes fixed in the distance. Her mind was still elsewhere–at least partly–but her eyes were occupied with the goings-on of Ghost's vicinity. Loup couldn't tell what was going on. It sounded like the fight had ended, but the reek of blood emanated from their direction. The she-wolf's black nose twitched. Abruptly something in the corner of her eye moved and Loup jumped, her lips drawing back to bite. Oh, it was only Stripe.

"Loup,"the male turned to make eye contact. "The tiger seems to be well alone and unable to move as of now. I think Star may know more about if it's going to die or not. What do you think, Star?" now he looked over at the pale caretaker. Loup followed his gaze, one ear swiveling in her direction while the other remained on the fight.

"I think it should die soon, it looked very weak." Loup felt the fur on her ruff–bristling with agitation–start to flatten. A dead tiger was the only kind of tiger she liked. She opened her mouth to ask a question, got so far as "Did y–" and cut herself off again. This time, however, it wasn't out of shyness. Loup had noticed the same thing as Star. Ghost: standing stock still and staring into the eyes of the black stranger with a funny expression on her face. The albino was soaked with blood, but the look in her eyes was not that if an injured wolf. Quite the contrary, in fact. Before Loup could gain comprehension of the strange scene Star brought the brown female's attention back to the matter at hand.

"We can tend everyone's wounds, then we can check on the tiger." Star was saying. Huh? Oh, right. Loup blinked and looked back at her companion. Loup had been impressed by Star's joining of the fight, but she felt an even greater respect at the ability the caretaker had to balance the mission with the faults of a disjointed pack. Without Star they probably would have killed each other or given up a long time ago.

"Good idea." Loup said. "I think I'm the only seriously wounded one, so we should be able to get a move on quickly. And I'm not that bad, either. I can keep up." she glanced uncertainly at the other she-wolf. Star may have been a caretaker, but Loup still felt guilty about receiving help. "All we have to do now is get that" –she angled her ears– "sorted out."

Easing herself painfully onto her belly, Loup lay like a sphinx. As long as she stayed balanced her injury would be kept well away from the sand and, with the protection of two pack-mates, she needn't worry about dogs. The brown female, however, kept her head up. She needed to be strong, and she also wanted to see the events taking place around Ghost.

{ Sorry for not replying sooner - I'm just going to bring Chance to the current time. }

Chance's chest heaved slightly, the male dog he had challenged was far more ready to fight than Chance had anticipated. However, a calm and steady mindset is how Chance had the advantage. The dog had shakily attempted to land blows at him, his jaws always snapped short of Chance's fur. The dog merely fought back in fear for his life, and Chance was able to recognize this. The tan wolf chuckled at the memory, for he was now standing with Loup and Star. He was listening, but also remembering the look the dog gave him as Chance showed him mercy before it scrambled away. He couldn't help but get lost in his thoughts, life wasn't all about killing and winning. That dog would definitely think twice the next time it encountered wolves- Chance taught him a lesson. However, he also couldn't help but grimace at the memory of the massive black new-commer tearing into the dogs as if they were breakfast.

Speaking of which... Chance's eyes shifted over to where he had last seen the massive wolf. The fur around his maw wrinkled in a smile, surely he wasn't witnessing what he thought he was. Ghost was locking eyes with the beast, and if he didn't know better, he might have saw a twinkle in her eyes. Loup's voice was like a whip snapping at Chance's attention span , and the male quickly turned his head back to the two females. "Alright then, sounds like a plan." He agreed, his head cocked as Loup took on a position he hadn't seen a wolf do before. "How is that comfortable?" He asked with a slight grin, pale eyes flashing over her crimson stained coat. "You and Lupa combined are more stubborn than me- and that is saying something. If you need someone to hang back with you, I wouldn't mind." He offered lightly. The uneasiness, or not being used to being treated kindly if you will, was more obvious in Loup than it was in Lupa. Both females struggled with wanting to prove their worth, or not admitting when they needed time to rest and recover. Chance understood however, he himself had pushed through his own injury, but the male wanted the idea to be known. These wolves were now a pack, and packs looked out for one another. He wanted to be the one to make it known that it was okay to admit when you were in pain, or any other situation you would not normally admit in fear for your life. He wagged his tail slightly, maybe some day, hopefully soon, these wolves around him could learn how to let go and trust one another, because the day that happened- they would really be a force worth reckoning with.

[Nice, thanks Loup.
For some reason I only just received Loup's post, Chance's was there but not Loup's for me...]

Lupa stayed low in the bushes as he large brute finished his two attacks and the white albino struck the animals arteries. Blood sprayed on her face which seemed to startle her then she took a breather before the dog began to limp away, Ghost left it probably because it'd die itself anyway and there was no harm in that. "Thanks..." she [Ghost] said in what seemed like an awkward tone. 'She seems okay,' Lupa thought to herself, afterall if the brute wanted to take Ghost down he'd of done it already. This wolf seemed to be, in Lupa's eyes, a non-thread- but she knew letting down her guard would be a big mistake.

Eventually the black female revealed herself from the undergrowth, brown eyes looking at the dead dogs and both of the wolves. Lupa knew how much they needed to get a move on so she spoke in a kind, yet informative tone, "Loup is injured and talking about checking out the tiger again." She still ignored the brute for now but then decided better of it, afterall he had helped Ghost. "Thank you," she said looking towards the dark wolf, "you really helped back there." Lupa then trotted back over to where Loup was, looking back every-so-often to make sure Ghost was still okay.

" All we have to do now is get that." she [Loup] said as Lupa approached, "sorted out" Confused, Lupa sped up her pace, arriving just as Loup began to carefully place herself on the floor, seeming to almost watch every limb into position [?]. "You and Lupa combined are more stubborn than me- and that is saying something." Chance said. Lupa could agree, she knew how stubborn she was but she had always been stubborn. 'I doubt anyone here is as stubborn as me....' Lupa said silently to herself as she came closer.

Once she arrived at the area Lupa opened her mouth to speak after listening to the conversation on the way there. "If you don't mind me asking," Lupa spoke as she stood almost in front of Loup, "what is the plan?" Lupa wondered whether they'd need to go get another look or go back. Lupa then thought back to the fire. 'I don't think the fire is still going, its been a few days and its doubtful.' she thought to herself. Fires generally burn for a few days but not this long, plus there was now not any smoke coming from the area.