The dark male had woken early that morning, warm and cozy, his frame wrapped around the ivory form of his mate. He had lifted his head, olive eyes scanning the immense room of den; a few others were here, still sleeping. He had left then, making sure not to wake Titania, and had stolen away to patrol; he wanted to have all knowledge of the land this day, for he sensed something was amiss. He had scouted then, the areas he knew best first, and after several hours found himself exiting the forest and his territory.
He was hungry, and had been hot on the trail of a deer or two, until their scent had faded away. Frustrated and now farther away from the den then he had intended, Zalen sighed in frustration. About to turn back, he heard a faint sound in the distance, of hooves. This took his attention, for a small pony might make a good meal, and he could bring the others back to the carcass later on. Slipping back into the brush Zalen became as a shadow and began to stalk. The smell of horse became stronger the closer he came to its source, and soon the trickling of a small stream came to his ears. Finally, through the scrub he saw his prey, but his hopes for a meal were immediately dashed away.
Atop of the horse sat a Luperci female, a coyote no less. Zalen immediately went into defense mode, crouching low, hackles raised. What was she doing here? A growl rose in his throat but he quelled it; perhaps she would be on her way soon. But after several moments of watching her this did not seem the case, and so he decided to be proactive and see what she was doing here.
Slowly he crept out of the brush, bringing himself to his full height, his hackles raised to give his Lupus body more substance; he approached her slowly, his side turned slightly to her. His was not a stance of aggression, but he was being extremely cautious, Coyote, you are close to my lands, is there a reason you linger here? He said it calmly, with no hint of malice, though he harbored it deep in his heart. He would have to test and see if this was a blood thirsty beast or maybe just a lone straggler; he hoped for the latter.
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