Bad girls do it well

Just beyond the Tsukiishi borders on the western side. Nevermind they moved into the territory. First post for @Kuhn. She's back to harass :D @Tiberius @Izumi @Reiko + any other Shiroshika members.
Takes place the day after Reiko's attack

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 The pair had made their way toward the Shiroshikans for Valmúa's idea of a bit of fun. Indeed, this time she had not so quickly separated herself from the suncat. Her coat was covered in his musky scent. She found that the longer she stayed close to him, the more cat-like her own body language was becoming. There was something intensely natural about their wildly unnatural union. What had once been something like conquest, the fire woman felt a surreal and terrible force overtaking. With confident steps she moved on unfamiliar terrain. The vixen of Morðfjall had found her stride.
 As they neared the borders on the little empress's sad mountain, Valmúa grinned. The scent of wolves was evident. She was reminded of the ink-blotted shit cop that had protested to her one of the last times she had done this. This time, she didn't think it the best look to take a dump in front of her striped companion.
 Instead, she looked at him, mischief sharply twinkling in her gaze while she smirked. “Do you think our friends will mind?” She took a moment to move to the nearest tree and pee on it, complete with raised leg. Moving away and scratching at the ground with her back feet, she sniffed, looking for a nearby food cache she could steal a post-coital snack from.

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The tiger had somewhat of a reputation in the tundra. Now he didn't have many enimies left. So when the vixen told him that they where going to see friends he earnestly belived her, so he tailed behind her across the vast expanse if the tundra.

Still glowing from their union, they arrived at the border of the rival pack and small alarm bells started to go off in the back of his mind. When the woman, marked a nearby tree that confirmed it. Yet, Kuhn only smiled, flitting his tail, entertained by the harmless display of mischief.

The striped beast didn't know what she was playing at, or what she planned to do next, he just decided to cluelessly follow her, enthralled by her presence.
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 Valmúa had little idea of what sort of solution he and the Shiroshika had figured out. She was here to cause a disturbance, riding the high that the suncat had given her. Endorphins and a thick lacing of adrenaline pushed her onward against better judgment. Her brothers would have found such behaviour foolish. Kuhn, powerful as ever, was the courage behind her fortitude.
 She eyeballed the distance, listening closely for footsteps approaching as they had with the ink blotted one. This time, they seemed to be alone on the western steps.
 So, the firebrand crossed the thresholds that the little empress and her army of skanks had marked. She kept her head lowered, sliding into the foreign territory, following the smell of partially eaten food. As she moved, she could hear smaller creatures scatter in the under the brush. They had entered into woodland that hugged the side of the mountain. The smell of a freshwater alpine lake was close by.
 Quickly and without hesitation, Valmúa began digging at the base of a tree, throwing up moss and dirt in her wake. Inside, she pulled out what appeared to be the leg of a hare, which she promptly tossed to Kuhn. “They always leave too much. It goes to waste,” she mentioned, despite never raiding a Shiroshikan cache before. For herself, she found a weasel. There was very little meat on it, but she pulled away at it anyway.

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 All good things had to come to an end, didn't they? Their vacation was finished and it was time to go back to reality. Little did they now it was a very harsh reality that they were returning to. As it was, Gyr walked --hobbled?-- very close to Cirilla's side. Showing her fondness of the little wolf-dog. It had been a long journey back but she felt stronger for it already.

 Not that it helped that sinking feeling she felt when she caught scent of a tiger. Two tigers? No... one tiger and one wolf that was coated very heavily in that musk. Gyrfalcon frowned and then glanced at Cirilla. The trail lead straight to Shiroshikan territory. Boldly. Oh, so boldly.

 How the fuck had a tiger and a wolf gotten in without so much as an alarm from the ones within?

 Not only that, some bitch had scent-marked their territory. Normally, Gyrfalcon wasn't so quick to anger... but a combination of only having three legs and the audacity of someone to just barge into their territory without a care in the world after doing so was jarring. "Who the hell..?" She looked at Cirilla again and then muttered. "If things get screwy, you go for help and I'll distract whoever it is." Because out of the pair of them Cirilla was faster and she was more expendable when it came right down to it. But hell, if she were going to die by a tiger and some bitch then she would do so gladly.

 What a way to go.

 She continued onward and saw some unknown stranger digging up one of the caches. Gyrfalcon's fur fluffed up and she growled with a raised tail. "HEY! What do you think you're doing?! Buzz off!" She looked at the tiger, realizing just how big such a beast was. Definitely terrifying but, well, she wasn't going to back down in their territory. And hey, if she died, so what? At least it would give them enough time to rally the pack. Maybe her guts would make them just run off? Especially since they could call reinforcements.

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^^Their date and/or vacation had concluded and it was time to make that hike back home, into the harsh, cruel reality that awaited for them which began with a strange creature that looked like Cirilla but wasn’t, followed by another canine that she’d never seen before, and that didn’t smell of Shiroshika.

She couldn’t care for the wolf, but the creature had orange fur and stripes, just as she did! There were some key differences, but Cirilla couldn’t take her eyes off him. Were they related? Being adopted herself, and never knowing her parents, or her true family, Cirilla couldn’t help but to stare in awe.

And then, of course, came Butterfly’s temper, reeling her back in. Gyr barked at the other with sharp aggression, and Cirilla wasn’t sure what to do. Sure, the other female was pissin’ on their turf, and stealing what looked like the leg of a hare, but were those things really that bad? Perhaps she had to pee, and couldn’t hold it in, and perhaps she was just hungry?

“You shouldn’t let it bother you. If they have ill intentions, you’re only letting them win by showing them that they’re bothering you.. ” Cirilla whined gently, though she was still distracted by the presence of the tiger that she took a few curious steps into his direction with the tilt of her head and wag of her tail.

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Bit by bit, she pressed him.  The woman tossed a small hare's leg to his feet.  Staring at it in dismay, he really didn't want to scavenge and scrounge for such a petty reward.  A little dirty piece of flesh like this was hardly worth his time, and it would wound his pride to eat it.  

Lowering his head below his shoulders he looked at Valmua for reassurance, a conflicted on what he was supposed to do. Luckily the striped cat didn't have to make the decision.  His head snapped back around to the sound of alarm, they had been spotted. Arching his back, the cat let loose a threatening rumble, as he took a step back towards Valmua.  They never should have come here.  

Holding a defensive posture, he looked at the two who had come to stop them.  He had met neither of them before, one with a missing leg and another curious orange... wolf? So far they didn't seem to attack, only one seemed aggressive.  But, the tiger didn't care to be surrounded, checking behind him.
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 She had pushed him, and perhaps it had been too far. Valmúa was altogether quite relaxed about the entire thing. It was a big, fat dare. She was under no impression that they were not going to meet at least a touch of resistance, but it was the principal. Danger was fun.
 So, when they were met with a hobbling gimp and what looked like a dog, she almost burst into laughter. Instead, an amused smile came over her while she chewed at the weasel in her mouth. Raising her brow, she dropped the chewed up mustelid. “Oh, is this yours?” She rolled the dead critter over with her foot.
 The fire woman could see the discomfort of her companion, so she remained relaxed, waving her tail in a friendly gesture toward the dog, who seemed completely unperturbed by the whole thing. “I thought it be helpful to clean this up. It is old,” she explained, not bothering to invent any type of real excuse or story why she was there.
 Eying each, she took stock of the two Shiroshikans. Valmúa was a warrior — she could easily best the three-limbed one in battle, she thought. The other seemed not to even be bothered by their presence at all. Backing up closer to Kuhn, she subtly brushed her tail against him as she wagged it, keeping him close and trying to calm him; they were in no danger, as she saw it.

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 Oh, man, that tiger. Both of them, actually. Gyr was absolutely certain she couldn't take a halfgrown pup let alone a full-grown wolf and her pet tiger. That's what she thought when the beast stepped closer to the trespasser. They were far too comfortable with each other. Not just friendship but there was something there with that heady musk.

 One of her ears twitched back towards Cirilla. Sweet, sweet Cirilla. "It's not that it bothers me," It did. They were trespassing and being nuisances. Clearly they knew this place was claimed. "It's the principle that they're trespassing. We're in a pack, you can't just let things like this go. It sets a bad precedent." Or something like that. Now she was just parroting what her father had told her before when they'd been tasked with chasing off rogues. If you didn't how a strong front then they would keep coming back again and again to steal. It wasn't as if they had waited on the border and asked to enter, they just came in to do what they pleased. Not to mention the urine marking.

 So all-in-all. "We let them win if we do nothing."

 Granted, she didn't really want to fight. She hadn't been a fighter before her accident, let alone now. Her eyes flicked to the tiger then back to the wolf. "Thanks. But we don't need help with cleaning our food caches. If you're so hungry and starving you're more than welcome to ask for our scraps at the border." She could let it go but she wouldn't be nice about it. Not anymore. "So how about you just take what you have and go." There, a way out, gracefully. She would still tell Reiko about this but they could all leave without further conflict. See, Cirilla? She was trying.

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^^It was going to be Gyr’s aggressive temper and attitude that ruined them, Cirilla realized, if she wasn’t going to get them both killed right here and right now. “Will it, though?” Cirilla asked softly, shaking her head. “Had Reiko approached me with such aggression, when she found me, in her territory, trespassing like this couple, we wouldn’t be here right now because I would have never joined Shiroshika.” Cirilla said softly, with a firm voice, and an edge.

“So please explain this bad precedent, because I’m clearly too dumb to understand.” Cirilla demanded, eyes narrowing towards her own packmate with raised brows. “This… this is not the type of example that Reiko has set for us. I-I thought we had… a good time. Don’t let them ruin it. ” Ah, but it was too late for that, wasn’t it?

The laughter of the other and her provoking words were not helping, and Cirilla just sighed. She would be rubbing her forehead had she been human. “Let her be. She isn’t harming anyone. Don't give us a bad name by becoming the villain and playing into her - ” Cirilla turned to glare at the other, laughing wolf - “antics. You're better than this, and so are we.”

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First her convenient injury disappearance, then the smell of that guy hanging around, she yelled at her, and now of course she was fighting for her life. Life had been nothing but a rollercoaster lately as the young princess tried to keep the recent events in line. Once more her mother's duties fell to her, even with her brother's return their fate was in their own paws. Of course, as soon as things might just be ok something else horrible had to happen, that's how it always went, right?

It almost made her want to run, but what good would that do? Trouble only followed and then she'd be alone. She just got Haruki back too, she couldn't leave him and she couldn't ask him to leave their mother. She just...she just needed some space to think. @Sachiko had been at her side when she heard the news...something that wasn't much of a surprise given how close they were in the past. Even now she trailed her as she headed for the borders.

“I'm sorry, I know I said all that stuff and I'm not serious about it I just...it's a lot.” Hotaru sighed, tilting her head over to look to her friend, “Thank you...for staying though. For following in the first place really.” She had duties she couldn't run from...but at least their borders were usually calm enough for her to clear her mind...even with a crazed mauler on the loose. A simple patrol would be too easy though, wouldn't it?

The duo hadn't even made it to the borders when she heard the commotion in the distance, the smell of something else on the wind. “What's that—” She had frozen in place at the stench, it was unpleasant but not unfamiliar. Similar in nature to Rainier actually. There was only one other she knew of like her...adopted...sister? though she had never seen him herself. The princess waited little for her friend to reply, quick on her feet to find the source that was already deep in their territory. It was there that she found the trespassers as well as their own. “What's the meaning of this?!”

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[sfont=Abhaya Libre]^^

Of course she would lend an ear for Hotaru. Things always seemed so tough for the royal family, especially the first child children since day one. Even now she remembered all the fights that the adults had, how tense things were and as she got older... thinking of those days, it became less confusing to her and more concerning as to what they didn't know had occurred. As far as Sachiko knew, she was the twins' friend and that is what she would do. Be a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on when things got tough. “There's nothing else I would have rather done!” As heavy as everything was, she would remain bubbly for their sake. At least around Hotaru.

Seeing their mother in a familiar state... was shocking. Almost as if history was doomed to repeat itself or maybe it was some kind of preview as to what was to come. Sachiko couldn't make heads or tails of it, but would keep it to herself until things were clearer.

And things just kept piling on. The girls smelled something strange on the wind, and it wasn't their resident tiger Rainier... but someone else. This one had a musky male scent to it that made her nostrils sting, as well as someone else who wasn't one of them. “Rainier's friend?” She was hopeful, though it didn't feel plausible.

Hotaru was quick to run off and Sachiko followed her tail closely behind. While the princess addressed the situation, the crimson girl took a look around assessing what was happening... two strangers, and two who looked somewhat familiar - at least familiar enough to know they were a part of the same pack, just away for a while. 

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Once again, Kuhn looked over his shoulder, checking for any lurkers behind him.  Living a solitary life, he couldn't afford an crippling injury. It seemed there was no-one there to ham string them.  Not necessarily afraid of the fight with wolves themselves, Kuhn was still more or less apprehensive, knowing what the aftermath would be.   His companion gave him a reassuring gesture as if to ask for his trust.  She seemed in control.   

After the re-assurance, he posture reflected his new comfort, taking a step back forward, and rolling his shoulders back revealing his true size without any slouch. Luckily, it seemed that the fluffy wolf like thing was speaking some sense, and nothing bad needed to come from this. Crossing half in front of Valmua laterally, he pressed his side against her as if to suggest that they take their leave.  The cat watched another slender wolf  show up for this spectacle, figuring if they kept this up there would become a number of wolves that the tiger could not handle.
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 The purpose of their visit was multifaceted, but none knew the inner workings of the firebrand's toxic mind. The first was to see how far she could push Kuhn before he relented to his own will. She wanted to see if he'd have a bit of fun fucking with these morons, but thus far it seemed that only she was enjoying herself.
 The second point was also entirely selfish; she was testing the strength of Shiroshika. The easiest way to tell what their general numbers and health was, was to poke them as hard as possible and see what the response was. At first, it had seemed dim, which she enjoyed. However, it didn't take long for more of the empress's little army to crawl out of the woodwork like ants to rotten fruit.
 The third was to piss on someone else's stuff, because that was always a fun way to spend time.
 The dog expressed all sorts of things, but Valmúa wasn't fully listening. Instead, she was sensing Kuhn's desire to leave. He stood, seemingly protectively, in front of her. She stood with him, but did not challenge the group. Now, they were outnumbered and outgunned. Now she could see the extent of the pack. But where was the empress and her moronic oaf?
 “Humble apologies,” she said smoothly, addressing the group. “It seemed you were in need of a cleaner, but I was mistaken. Speaking of Empress Reiko, where is she?” She took a hazarded step backward, noting where they had come in and thinking they would do well in a sprint, perhaps forgetting that Kuhn was not built for a long chase.

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She could hear Cirilla's reluctance, her eagerness to end this peacefully. Inside Gyr there was that kinder girl wanting to give the benefit of the doubt. However, her father's words flashed in her mind. The recent event with Vera. It all played inside, reminding her what happened when you were too soft. Too trusting.

Yet... Cirilla's big heart. Her kindness. Not ti mention the fact she didn't want to disappoint her. She was so innocent...

"Yes," She sighed quietly, "But I'm sure you weren't deliberately being a pain." Oh yes, she could see that this bitch was poking them. Cir was just better at not being bothered by. Perhaps Gyr would have just found it amusing a month or so ago.

But was it worth dying over? Even the tiger didn't seem like he wanted to fight. "Alright, Bumblebee, I'll let it go." Reluctantly.

A new couple of wolves showed up. Hotaru, ah the princess, and someone she didn't recognize. But where was the queen? "Trespassers stealing prey. They were just leaving." She said pointedly. They should go while they were given the chance.

"We weren't." Because it seemed like she was now fishing for info. "She's attending duties " She actually didn't know herself and felt it best to just tell a lie she didn't know she was telling. She was short and curt, wanting the interlopers to go.
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^^And suddenly, instead of a wolf and tiger couple versus two nobodies of Shiroshika, it had somehow morphed into four Shiroshika wolves against one bully and her pet cat. Cirilla’s ears flattened and her tail, which was normally very curly, deflated a little bit, as the princess and her.. girlfriend-stranger rolled upon the scene.

Her date had been ruined, despite that Gyrfire had chosen to let it go, but that didn’t matter anymore, cus now the princess was here, which meant that Reiko would hear of it, as well. Cirilla took a deep sigh, somewhat glad that Butterfly was finally agreeing with her, but now the princess wanted to be clued in.

“Princess Hotaru, this woman was caught taking buried food on our land, and is now seeking counsel with the empress. ” Cirilla spoke softly, though firmly, turning her attention to the woman who was trying to retreat. She had, after all, asked where Reiko was, hadn’t she? Seemed a little (read: totally) suspicious that she was now trying to leave before she could speak to their leader.

“What will you have us do, m’lady?” Cirilla turned her attention towards the princess, awaiting command. Was she as kind and forgiving as her mother, or more like the aggressive butterfly?

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Before either from Shiroshika had a chance to speak, the woman dressed in reds spoke up, her words degrading as she insulted them then poked for a weakness. Though they had never met, the princess could only assume this was the woman who had come once before, along with the tiger at her side. Why he had come back now was beyond her. To her understanding, they had come to some sort of agreement about their boundaries.

She wouldn't hide the displeasure she felt, a frown etched into her lips as she only kept her eyes on the woman. “You have been here before haven't you? Was last time not enough to teach you manners?” Why she bothered stealing food from them was unknown unless she was so incapable of fending for herself. She didn't know how far away her pack was but it couldn't be worth the distance to swipe a meal and drag it back.

“And you. I thought you reached an agreement with my mother?” Purple hues shifted to the man as he looked amongst them, though clung to the woman's side in a strange manner. “Leave while I still have half the mind to let you go peacefully. If you do not then I will call our samurai to ensure this misunderstanding doesn't occur again.” The excuse Gyrfalcon gave for her mother's presence did not escape her and it only led to a stretch of her own. What they wouldn't know would only aid them now given that those who stood before them would do more than their one samurai could.

Tiberius was strong, but he was only one man. “As for my mother, she has better things to do than take out the trash.” The insult had been in reference to their need for a cleaner, but anyone with a brain might piece that it wasn't their caches she had been referring to.

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[sfont=Abhaya Libre]^^

Sachiko hadn't been around long enough to be aware of any inter-pack-tensions or previous strenuous visitations from this strange... couple? The way they acted around each other it was hard to put her toes on it... but it almost seemed too close to be just companions.

She shot a glance over to the curly-tailed one and the odd stripes, smiling her way in an appreciation to her attempt at mediating the situation. It wouldn't go unnoticed and a thankful wave of her tail was given. Knowing the strains that had just occurred and how these two may not be aware... it was more appreciated than they could imagine right now.

Hotaru on the other hand had taken up the reigns after her mother so naturally once again. This time more certain of herself than that time when they were younger. While the princess spoke she could make out a few details that she was missing... so these two were already causing trouble for Shiroshika before her arrival. Having no previous knowledge, all she could do was stand and support Hotaru.

She'd shoot a wayward glance to the pale girl's way at her words, finding them unusually aggressive for the Hotaru she knew. Feeling that it might be stemming from the stress she was just momentarily sharing before all of this went down, as well as her mother's current status. She could do nothing but remain silent and keep at her side. Though she didn't want trouble... if it came down to it, well, Sachiko wouldn't back down. So to put weight on the princess' words, even Sachiko took a stern stance on the matter. Brows hardening as she watched and hoped the troublesome duo would go peacefully.

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Kuhn did wonder where Reiko was? Where was Tiberius, Izumi? Instead, they where only greeted by whelps and a spoiled little princess.  If the adults where in the room then they could work this out.  
Attention turned to a rather weak looking whelp, the little princess.  The tiger listened attentively, until hearing the words drip from its sick little maw.  Slowly, the cat's nose began to wrinkle back with a show of fangs "Shut your mouth child, I haven't broken agreement with your mother."  did this child think he held the cards here? 
 

Hearing such a harsh threat over so little, made the striped beast hackles raise. Taking another step forward and pining his ears back, he answered with a threatening growl. "Out of respect for your mother I wont rip you in half for your threat." Hopefully, his words would put in perspective the outcome of such a petty fight. Kuhn never came here for that, nor did he plan to follow through with his own threat, after all if the princess squealed he could at least talk to Tiberius.

Though if it came down to it, he planned to use the same tactic that he would always use on wolves.  Valmua saw it first hand, with her pack, ironically it was how they first met.  Kuhn was sure she knew what he was thinking, and he knew exactly who he would go for this time.

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 Though more indeed had come, they seemed largely inexperienced. The dog was a bit of a mystery, for though it was tall, it seemed to be on a planet that was very unlike the one that Valmúa was living on. Oh to be rosy-eyed and stupid as these beasts of burden were, what joy.
 The two yearlings must have been children of Reiko herself, or else shared a familiar bond based on their similarities alone. The red warrior had little doubt that if push came to shove, she and Kuhn would be able to best all of them in battle despite their advantage of numbers, but that was hardly why she had come. As the dog spoke what had occurred to "m'lady," Valmúa poked at the crumpled weasel on the ground again with her foot as a demonstration that what she had taken could hardly be considered "food."
 The white yearling spoke in harsh tones. This stirred something fierce in the red woman, stoking a fire that she should not have been playing with on someone else's borders. She raised a brow, her tail still swaying slowly, relaxed, behind her as the youngster demanded things of her. She quietly imagined what the empress-spawn's neck would look like crushed in Kuhn's powerful jaws. A small smile creased her grey lips as she realized that Izumi must have told them that she had shit on their lawn. This pleased her.
 Valmúa listened carefully. Whatever agreement Kuhn had, he had it directly with Reiko herself. Thus, he had put that in jeopardy by following her. It had been a good test, should they walk away uninjured. Valmúa was ready to pull them out of this, having little desire to push the wolves of Mordfjall to war by taking a piss where she shouldn't have. But, as the little princess spoke, she could feel Kuhn tensing. And, she could tell that it was not fear that held him. Feeding off of his energy, she licked her lips, finding her own hackles rising subtly. She had been ready to walk away, but they had pushed the Lord of the Everfrost over the edge.
 Valmúa stepped forward with him, double backing on her previous tepid response. She knew very well what he would do should the empress-spawn bother to call for backup. The firebrand did not want it to come to that, though the thought of watching the cat's heaving form in action excited her. “There is no need for threats and insults, princess,” she added. The intel she had wanted was what she had gotten. “We can go — I would hate to wake your samurai for something as small as a missing weasel.” Valmúa was offering an out for the lot of them. She had gotten what she wanted, but had not expected an added bonus: the show of force was a delightful cherry on this sundae.

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 With the princess here, she expected that things would be under control. Why hadn't they left yet? They'd been given ample opportunity to go, been practically shoved away and yet they were still here. Antagonizing. She grit her teeth in frustration, wondering why they wouldn't just take the fucking food and go. Clearly, they were itching to start trouble. Especially if this wasn't their first time here. Why couldn't they just stop? What were they gaining here by being assholes? What was frustrating was that they were not warriors. None of these four would likely do well in a fight. Yearlings and a three-legged scout against a warrior and a fucking tiger.

 How would this play out? Especially since Hotaru had insulted them. Granted, Gyrfalcon was pleased with the words but she wouldn't say so aloud, not yet. Not when such words could infuriate their "guests" even more. It was admirable that this one had fire in her gut. It contrasted with Cirilla's kindness and her own fire... but how wise would it be to start a fight here?

 She would step back and whisper into Cirilla's ear. "If they start something. Run, and get help." She would have to get them backup because this here? This would likely be a slaughter. The last thing she wanted to see was Cirilla injured or worse. Then, she would step closer to Hotaru's side, ready to shield the princess if things turned ugly. Cirilla would go and she would stay in defense in the heir. She was no warrior but fuck if she wouldn't try to do good here. Her pitiful life wouldn't be thrown away in vain.

 "Then go. You've been asked more than once." The falcon would reiterate what Hotaru had said, purposefully ignoring the goads of a fight. She wouldn't grovel, she wouldn't run. She would stand here with her packmates and not take this shit. Fuck being nice to these assholes. "There's no need for this to go any further." Her bid for peace. Not as kind as Cirilla but trying to turn this back as she said she would for the peaceful canine and to hopefully keep Hotaru safe.

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^^There it went… the last shred of a peaceful resolve, torn apart by the words and attitude from the princess herself who clearly shared more of a like mind to Cirilla’s date than her own mother. Cirilla did her best and tried to imagine what Reiko might do, or say, but the fact of the matter was that Cirilla didn’t know her own empress well enough to second guess her actions.

Insults and threads on both sides were given, and the dog’s ears flattened. Gyrfalcon was still desiring for Cirilla to run and get help, should things escalate, and despite being the smallest of them all, Cirilla shook her head and stepped forward, pushing her way in front of the princess.

“Please, ladies and gentleman.. ” She would pause to eye the tiger, and then the other lady, with a cheerful smile and the wag of her cute little curled tail, as if the tiger just hadn’t threatened to end them, and as if she wasn’t picturing someone’s guts all over the snow.

“You clearly must live nearby to have blessed us with a prior visit… which makes you our neighbor! Isn’t that great?! We can have slumber parties, and talk about boys!” Pause to awkwardly glance at her date, “and girls!” Cue more cute tail wags. “How about I walk you guys out, so I can learn where you live, so we can all get together to formally introduce ourselves, like the friendly ” (seriously, how did they all forget that Shiroshika was supposed to be friendly??) “neighbors that we are, yeah? We could even go on hunts together, and share food. No one needs to get hurt here today over what I’m sure is a misunderstanding. C’mon, miss neighbor wolf and mr.. and.. uhh, striped fellow!..  let’s goo. Turn those frowns upside down, as my momma used to say!”

She’d do a cute little swirl, with a playful bark, tons more tail wags as she nodded her head, ignoring her other playmates as she tried to playfully lure them away. See, see no one needed to die today.

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Well, whatever feeling the tiger had before was either a show or replaced as lips peeled back to reveal fangs. This was why she was frustrated with her mother. Intentions didn't matter she still left her to lead and any time it mattered there was no guidance to help her.

She was on her own.

There was no denying the pounding of her heart in her chest. Truthfully, it may have never stopped, just switched the reasons that fueled its race. She shouldn't let it show though, she couldn't. If she did then her lie would be obvious and these two would just continue to step all over them. The girl's ears flattened against her head, a moment spared to take a breath as those around her spoke. What stood out most though was Cirilla.

Frankly, Hotaru couldn't tell if she was acting childish from an innocent viewpoint or if she truly believed this woman would actually jump at the chance to be her friend. “Cirilla-san, stop.” Hotaru would raise her tail, not just for her authority over those who resided here, but for the two who only escalated the tension. Cirilla had tried, that much was clear, but she didn't know them. She didn't know them either, but Hotaru at least knew what they have tried before. She's seen enough people play games in this world for their own amusement, and it was clear not everything could be solved with a dance or offer of friendship.

She looked to Kuhn first, forcing herself to find his eyes as she swallowed, “I never said you broke it. I said you made one, correct?” It was his own words that suggested he broke the deal. “Though, unless there is a misunderstanding, you weren't to hunt here in the benefit of another group. Her pack has its own resources. Understand that this does not look good to those you made peace with.”

The others had moved to swarm her, a wall of protection should their intruders decide to go through with their own threats. For a moment she glanced to Gyrfalcon, the woman who had already lost so much so recently. It felt wrong to have her guard her now, but her words to aid the matter at hand were appreciated.

Finally, she looked back to the woman. The one who through it all continued to push buttons and jeer as a newly formed smile found its way to her maw. She knew exactly what she was doing and it only irritated her more. “I was only answering your question, if you hear otherwise it does not speak to my meaning.” Another stretched truth, but she knew playing her own game would only make her bitter.

Anything to wipe that smile off her face. “If you truly meant that then you would have left by now. We will not repeat ourselves for you. If you would like to prove yourselves, then now is the time to do so.” And if they did not, she would only wait for about thirty seconds before she tried to call for those within the claim.

It's your turn now.

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Things were escalating at a slow pace. Though she was proud of Hotaru to have held her place, to stand strong against what all she could see was a pair of bullies using their threatening feline as cover, as a shield and sword all rolled into one because there was no way the wolf herself would have come so recklessly without such a creature at her side.

The other two women found their places alongside the princess and her friend, Sachiko only glancing at them both thankfully before returning her crimson gaze to the other two. The feline of course became aggressive, with which her own hackles naturally rose defensively. Ah jeez... Sachiko didn't want to fight and break a nail or something. Or to even risk putting a scar on her face because then what man would ever marry her with a disfigured face! But if it meant helping Hotaru.... well, it was worth it.

“I'm fairly certain the Empress won't appreciate her daughter being threatened.” The girl finally spoke up, speaking her own little piece. “If you really meant no harm, then you will happily leave, it's simple as that. Right now it's looking more like you are antagonizing us. Is a little weasel really worth all this trouble? Worth upsetting your neighbors?” Or are you guys really that shitty of hunters you need to steal, she held her tongue on the last bit... 

She only really spoke up to support Hotaru's own voice, a secondary to the Princess and not just some voiceless follower. “Mr. Tiger —” She'd address the feline this time, he was the one who was most willing to walk away at first so maybe she could reach his senses once more. “I'm not sure if you know much of wolf custom, nor much of this treaty you have with Shiroshika - but I'm certain your companion here, who is trespassing no less, would be in violation of the trust you had built in order to have some kind of treaty to begin with since you are accompanying her.”

^^[/sfont]
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As if to break the cadence of a fight that had been slowly building, the tiger watched the dog, perform a rather innocent display of friendship offering, a complete de-escalation of the situation. For a moment the wrinkles in Kuhn's nose began to ease, a mix of confusion and a genuine soothing. That was until that spoiled bitch of a princess, opened her wretched little mouth again.

It took a moment to parse though, but in it's latest words, the tiger couldn't find much fault with whatever the princess said this time. Perhaps she gained some new perspective. In return he said nothing, he wasn't interested in arguing semantics with her.

Next, Kuhn listened to what he presumed was another child of Reiko, who addressed him with a general level of respect. Once again the tiger's posture began to sooth, putting away his fangs. Kuhn gave a single nod in agreement to what she was saying. He appreciated being addressed as a peer and not a subject. "Why are you not the heir, your sister could learn a thing from you." he said half in jest.

Turning to Valmua, Kuhn motioned with his head as if to suggest that they should take their exit. Though if the little princess decided to call for help, Kuhn had planned to plow through that three legged guard and greet the rest of Shiroshika with their little princess in his Jaws.
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 Eyeballing the lot of them, Valmúa found all of it fascinating. What a sad entourage that had chosen to try to stop them. They were going to let them go. She wondered what she and her brothers would do in the same scenario. She found it doubtful that any trespasser would have left without broken bones and pride, if they lived at all.
 “Hm,” she murmured at the gimp, finding it rather rich that they postured to a pair who was clearly more powerful than they. Perhaps they sensed that she did not feel like starting a war. Still, the fire woman was satisfied that indeed she could start a war if she felt like it.
 The dog did as dogs do. Valmúa was careful to prevent a feeling of disgust from showing on her face. She did marvel lightly at the dog's ability to relax the situation, even as the "princess" interrupted things to hammer in some upset gruntings and political bullshit.
 As always, Kuhn was correct. It was the other that should have been named princess, as her words were far more thoughtful.
 It did not take much to convince her to leave the moment Kuhn motioned toward her. As much as she had enjoyed pulling him into this, she appreciated his lead on pulling them out. As she began to turn away, she said simply, “give Reiko my regards.” As with everything she said, it was a very loaded statement. Intentionally, she also kicked the piece of rabbit that Kuhn had earlier rejected.
 As she walked, she couldn't help but brush her tail against the cat, grinning almost from ear to ear as soon as they couldn't see her face.

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