The buzzing in her head quieted as she panted, breaths slowing again to an even pace as she curled her claws into the peaty soil and relished the satisfying throb which coursed up her forelimbs. Agitation still pulsed faintly in her chest, but she could at least think again now that she'd burned a proper sweat and sent the towering pine splintering beneath her. It made her feel secure. Powerful. That even after everything, she was still capable of such destruction. She had nearly forgotten then, lost in the euphoria of her rage, that she had been anywhere other than home.
A voice split through the daze, and Ida's beady eyes snapped open again. Her head whipped towards the direction of the noise, lips curling preemptively to display her blunted fangs, but instinct only had its hold on her for a moment. Her expression fell to surprise as she caught sight of the strange wolf speaking to her, and it took several seconds for the adrenaline to fade and the brute to realize that yes, this was another wolf and not some horrid abomination of this new land. A real wolf, like herself, and she was asking her a question.
A tumultuous mixture of relief, annoyance, and unease washed through Ida all at once; although her snarl lessened and the fire left her eyes, she kept her characteristic grimace on display and tensed her aching muscles. A stubborn, childish part of her wanted to snap at the interruption of her catharsis, but she shoved it aside. It had been a week since she'd spoken to another wolf. An entire week of bumbling alone through this unfamiliar hellscape.
"Had tuh get it all out," she finally grunted out, "been uh bad week."
Ida's eyes flicked across the form of the smaller dame, flaring her nostrils to catch her scent and eyeing the strange path of azure scales trailing from her neck down her belly. She'd never seen a feature like that on a wolf before, but the great dog couldn't deny that she found it intriguing. It reminded her of a lizard--or a snake, now that she saw the other wolf's forked tongue flick out to taste the cold air. She found her interest for the stranger growing, she at least seemed self-assured and comfortable in this strange land. Words came easier as she snorted in response to her next line of questioning, though she kept her guard raised.
"Yuh'd know if it was mine. Ain't fer me though," Ida curled her lip again, though not at the stranger. Her beady eyes flicked down to the fallen pine at her claws, lifting a paw to press into the moist bark until a satisfying creak was felt beneath her bulk. "Hate these things," Slowly, she eased pressure on the tree and raised her heavy paw again, struggling to ignore the sensation of sap sticking to her pelt.
Ida looked back and cautiously eyed the scaled wolf again, quirking her brow as she raised a question of her own.
"What're you doing up here? Yuh know where'n the hell this is?"
A voice split through the daze, and Ida's beady eyes snapped open again. Her head whipped towards the direction of the noise, lips curling preemptively to display her blunted fangs, but instinct only had its hold on her for a moment. Her expression fell to surprise as she caught sight of the strange wolf speaking to her, and it took several seconds for the adrenaline to fade and the brute to realize that yes, this was another wolf and not some horrid abomination of this new land. A real wolf, like herself, and she was asking her a question.
A tumultuous mixture of relief, annoyance, and unease washed through Ida all at once; although her snarl lessened and the fire left her eyes, she kept her characteristic grimace on display and tensed her aching muscles. A stubborn, childish part of her wanted to snap at the interruption of her catharsis, but she shoved it aside. It had been a week since she'd spoken to another wolf. An entire week of bumbling alone through this unfamiliar hellscape.
"Had tuh get it all out," she finally grunted out, "been uh bad week."
Ida's eyes flicked across the form of the smaller dame, flaring her nostrils to catch her scent and eyeing the strange path of azure scales trailing from her neck down her belly. She'd never seen a feature like that on a wolf before, but the great dog couldn't deny that she found it intriguing. It reminded her of a lizard--or a snake, now that she saw the other wolf's forked tongue flick out to taste the cold air. She found her interest for the stranger growing, she at least seemed self-assured and comfortable in this strange land. Words came easier as she snorted in response to her next line of questioning, though she kept her guard raised.
"Yuh'd know if it was mine. Ain't fer me though," Ida curled her lip again, though not at the stranger. Her beady eyes flicked down to the fallen pine at her claws, lifting a paw to press into the moist bark until a satisfying creak was felt beneath her bulk. "Hate these things," Slowly, she eased pressure on the tree and raised her heavy paw again, struggling to ignore the sensation of sap sticking to her pelt.
Ida looked back and cautiously eyed the scaled wolf again, quirking her brow as she raised a question of her own.
"What're you doing up here? Yuh know where'n the hell this is?"