hardly sportsmanlike

[Phoenix]

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Can we backdate this a day to the 17th? There was a familiar tang in the air, one that triggered memories of violence. It took Phoenix a while to identify it at first, but he did know that the wolf the scent belonged to meant trouble. Fortunately for his friend, the alpha of Storm had a keen memory, and it didn’t take long for him to dredge the file from the folders in his memory. He remembered quite vividly the day, not long after becoming Gamma, finding two wolves intent on killing a then-member of his pack. That had instantly made them his enemies, and he’d ruthlessly (and less than honorably) fought to defend his pack mate. It was something Phoenix never came to regret. But if those enemies were back, then Skoll had to be warned. One had lost a leg in the battle… but there was a new scent accompanying Glaesring’s. Before the memory fully played out in Phoenix’s head his spine had already ordered his legs to move, almost like a reflex. Adrenaline filled his veins as he ran as Phoenix considered the possibility that they might find Skoll before he did. For only the second or third time in his life Phoenix attempted to shift as he ran, from wolf to seccui. Even if the older wolf was no longer a member of Storm, he still fell under Phoenix’s umbrella of protection, being one of his closest friends. This was especially true now, after their last… encounter, when Phoenix had inadvertently violated his mind and rifled though his memories. Only a true friend would be able to look past as huge and unorthodox a faux paus as that. His worst fears were confirmed as the scents grew stronger along the trail Phoenix followed. It was a smart move not having one permanent sleeping place, since it made it harder for Skoll’s enemies to track him down… but it also made it harder for his friends to find him as well, especially when it was a matter of life and death and Phoenix didn’t’ have all day to look for him leisurely. Desparate, Phoenix did something that screamed against every instinct: he stopped in his tracks and began to calm himself. He wanted to run, to tear the entire valley apart to find his friend, but that would be inefficient. The massive male forced his breathing to steady, then shut his eyes and began to focus. Extending his mind outwards, he began searching in more than one direction at once, something that would have been impossible to do keeping within his corporeal body. It took all his mental will to extend his mind farther than he ever had before, and it almost wasn’t enough. But he and Skoll had a connection from their previous bonding, and his friend’s duress screamed out at him. Gasping, Phoenix forced his eyes to open and recalled his mind back into his body. He felt exhausted now, both mentally and physically, but he pressed on, running faster than he had before. As he closed the distance he shifted again to two legs. That cost him even more time but he knew he couldn’t face Graelthrim again any other way. A furious roar escaped his dark muzzle as he saw the axe swinging down. Time slowed. Phoenix began to favor one side as he ran, tackling himself into the other wolf and the two wolves and the axe went flying safely away from Skoll. Phoenix grabbed the steel end of the axe and attempted to yank the weapon away from his foe, but Graelthrim’s grasp somehow remained tight on the other end. At a momentary stalemate, Phoenix took a moment to assess his foe for anything new since their last tango. “Didn’t you learn your lesson th’last time around?” he asked, smirking sickly. Even Phoenix had a dark, ruthless side, but it only came out when he saw a friend in danger. “I hope y’weren’t plannin’ on havin’ pups someday.” he almost got a sense of satisfaction from the hateful glare Graelthrim gave him before the stalemate was over and the two began wrestling on the ground, struggling for control of the axe.

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