Fox in the hen house

[Tatiana Carrow]

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Tatiana couldn't say she was any more adventurous or brave than before. The buildings still made her nervous, and the thought that should would have to communicate further with the strange wolves was equally nerve wracking. So she did what any normal creature would - she sought out familiarity. The snow was layered upon the ground and very little of it danced in the air, so travel was easy enough. Tatiana made her way from the edge of the Northern borders towards the buildings, and made sure to keep out of the way of everyone. There were wolves wandering around in the snow, most of them ignoring her, while others turned to give a curious glance - making the girl speed up momentarily, until she was in the shade of another building. A wave of smells hit her as she approached the wooden structure; sounds that reminded her of wild beasts stirred a sense of wonder in her heart, and that small flame of familiarity was lit. It would be strange if the wolves kept deer in this building - but seeing as this entire situation was strange to her, the wolf shrugged off the growing alienation and decided to explore.

She would be brave now, even if it meant encountering the strange creatures. As she turned the corner and found a nice wide doorway, realization hit her as to what the sounds and smells were - horses. Of course! The wolf that had invited her to stay had been riding one, so why was it such a surprise that they would have a barricade to hold them in? She slipped past the stalls, sniffing at the floor or at the doors, hearing their snorts and grunts, or the crunch of their food being eaten. A few had their heads lolling out of the stall, and took an interest in her own new smell. Tatiana would have smirked at that, if wolves had the ability; her tail bobbed back and forth a few times instead as she watched the horse's nose flare, tempting her closer. As she took a step the creature tensed up and withdrew it's face, bonking it's jaw against the door as it retreated to the back of the stall with a loud shriek. The sound rocketed through the air and bounced off the walls, spooking the little red wolf - forcing her to continue on her way, tail tucked low.

If she wasn't careful, the horses would pick up on the strange newcomer in their home, and begin reacting. Thankfully the curious steed who had recoiled had not set off a recurring effect - none of the others seemed interested in the little red wolf as she pranced around, inspecting them. They simply ignored her, flicking an ear or rummaging through their feeding buckets. Perhaps Tatiana should escape before any more chaos was brought to light? Still, it was comforting to know she was not the only wild creature in this strange place. Even if these ones had been domesticated... Somewhat.