Word Count → 380
The smell of cooking meat filtered through the air and into Neela's nostrils, causing the canines ears to twitch in its direction like a bee towards nectar. Neela hadn’t realised that she was even hungry before now and glanced down mournfully at the second largest pouch by her hip, containing salted meat for eating when on journeys. Enough to keep hunger away but not much in the taste department.
Idly Neela started to make her way over towards the source of the smell, wondering if she could trade some of her excess supplies, god knows she had far more fishing hooks than any sane canine could need after she had raided the storeroom of an old fishing store in Westville. That seemed like it might be a fair trade; equipment for catching food for some food.
Mulling this over Neela strode towards the camp, her mood considerably improved by the delicious smell. However when the camp came into sight Neela froze, her teeth baring and a low growl emanating from her muzzle. There were two canines and a wagon palced near a fire, and it was the dog tending the meat that had caught her attention. More specifically the blonde dog tending the meat.
Neela's mind instantly raced to the odd object that she carried in one of her back pouches, a clump of blonde fur, still stained with Kiara's blood that she had recovered from the site of the white wolves attack. Neela had taken the attack very badly; while she didn’t know Kiara much the younger wolves innocent behaviour, coupled with the fact that Kiara was only two months off of her own son's age, had Neela chomping at the bit to find her attacker. For a moment Neela's instainct were screaming at her to attack the stranger, if for no reason than sharing the description of the attacker, but she quickly clamped down on those instincts.
Ichika no Hoen was built on peace and tolerance, attacking some poor canine just because they had strayed near Ichikan borders and had blonde fur was not acceptable behaviour. Forcing herself to calm down Neela called out ahead of herself, her voice echoing through the trees as she descended a slope down to where the wagon was parked, "'Ello down there!"
