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Whhht! What was that?! Orin's gradated locks whipped the air when her head jerked up at the sound, golden eyes narrowing with suspicion. The sound was quiet, stealthy, but was proceeded by the dampened clopping of hooves in snow. She froze mid step, one foot deep in the snow whilst the other was partially raised. Someone else was out here, and she had a sneaking suspicion it wasn't one of her pack.
Whoever was there hadn't breached d'Arte's borders just yet; it was Orin who wandered outside of Skye's marked territory, but someone hunting so close to d'Arte was almost as offensive as someone hunting within d'Arte. The familiar sound of the arrow and it whizzed through the air told her that whoever it was was probably alone, and alone told her that they were possibly a loner. Her feet steadied on the ground, eyes trained in the direction of the sounds as the summation processed in nearly an instant. All was not well in Cercatori d'Arte, and certainly not with Orin. There was a killer on the loose and she had reason to suspect that he was lurking around their borders. Her blood ran cold as she thought about Liam and his father, the snake within her own pack.
“Liam...” her voice was a guttural growl as her fists clenched tight – one tightening around the arch of wood – and she bolted toward the sound. Her movements were stiff and jerky at first, but as she moved she became graceful and fluid. Moving in the armor Mars had tailored for her was easy, and she knew these woods well. As she sprinted over the snowy terrain she raised the hunting bow that she had been out practicing with and pulled an arrow from the quiver. The blind woman, Hotaru, had gifted her with the bow and she had been determined to become proficient with the weapon ever since. She slipped the arrow into place but continued to run with the head angled down until something caught her eye, and she slid to a stop, two deep ravines dug in the snow by her feet. Luckily, the soft snow muffled the sounds she made.
She caught a flash of brown. It had to be him! If she could catch Liam out here so close to d'Arte she could prove to her family that she wasn't crazy. Liam and Taliesin really were in cahoots, and they were planning an attack on her pack! Narrowing her eyes for a better gaze, she peered through rough branches, sure that the bit of fur she saw swiftly retreating was the murderer. He must have seen her, he was getting away!
Not one to waste an opportunity, Orin focused down the length of the shaft and pulled back on her bow. She breathed out evenly, trying to steady her gaze and then whhht!!! the arrow was loose, zipping towards the target at top speed.
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