Stalking is not a word Fel would have used to describe her actions at the time, but in retrospect, it was nothing less than this. She had been strategically scouting some area for her own purposes; this area under questioning is not pertinent to the situation that she found herself in. In fact, the only reason the brutish fae followed the smaller wolf was because she came across her in the fog. The other had not noticed her, and Fel had barely seen the air sway to signal another’s presence. But she had caught sight of it, call that celestial or divine intervention if you must. Following the other, Fel had kept at a certain distance where she could just see the grey suggestion of a form through the white mist, that is, until she finally closed the distance between them. The other fae, for the scent was clearly that of a fae, had been stepping around rocks very carefully it seemed. Fel intended to provoke a conversation and see what she was up to. The lighter creature seemed too deliberate and could be planning something of potentially threatening diplomacy. The two had wandered near a promontory, one closer to danger than the other. It was then that Fel heard the earth snap and break ahead.

How was it that Fel had sought the answers to questions not yet posed but now found herself deciding upon the fate of this creature? There was a slight cost-benefit analysis that flew through her head. Step too far, and they both die as the rock crumbles beneath their combined weight – eliminate a rival, but also eradicate the potential for an ally. And Fel would have let her die, for that was the most reasonable answer for her. The decision process took about the duration of a blink of an eye… but at that moment, she saw someone else – someone shorter, more muscular, and with a warmer coat. Before she knew it, the beta was rushing to save the stranger, reaching far for a firm grip on her scruff with her maw and almost rearing with an effort to throw her back onto the safe ground just as the earth fell down to hell. Her paws were planted on more stable ground, but the move was still risky.

Slowly then, she backed away from the still crumbling edge, breathing heavily. She was definitely too old to do that sort of spontaneous action too often. Maw gaping in rhythmic increments, Fel swallowed and looked over the edge. And finally, she stole a glance to the damsel in distress, her lifeless pools of ice reflecting an unsurprising amount of nothing. Similarly, she said nothing and, still panting, turned away to walk a little farther into the zone of sure safety.

Panting, she looked over her shoulder at the spot she was just standing. Her vision blurred, she could scarcely see the scenery, but she could easily make out the border between the stability and the void. Fel inhaled sharply, feeling something press up against her forcefully and then nuzzle her. She looked down, blinking between the images of two canines. It was bizarre to say the least. But there was little to do, really. To the smaller, real wolf’s reply, she rumbled thoughtfully, “No, I don’t believe so…” And yet, how was it not? She had pulled this stranger’s body from certain death to safety. “But I suppose it ended up that way.” Fel blinked, still dizzy. Her heart was racing from fear for another. The entire situation was baffling to her, and she did not appreciate feeling disoriented.

She listened on to the smaller fae’s babbling, surely quickened by terror, while making her own breathing slow down to let her old heart rest. Raising her gaze to their surroundings, she could barely make out the walls of rock. But she could feel her new companion shivering, and it was true, they needed to find a place to stay until the rising storm weakened. The raven wolf lowered her head to the other, commenting calmly, “I cannot see straight right now… So yes, find us a cave. There should be some formation around here… The site is very irregular. Just watch your step.” She stood up a little taller, raising her voice against the wind, “Go on. I will follow.”

The brutish wolf grunted softly against each battering of the wind, until she realized that the wind had finally ceased. When had it ceased? She looked about, then sped up to catch her guide’s tail. Her waning vision, however, made the little flicker of fur difficult to catch, and so she tried to rely on the stability of her own legs and the general idea of where to go. After a little while, the silvery fae fell away into darkness with a yelp, landing on hard rock with a thud. The two sounds had not been so far apart, so she concluded that the drop was not far. Fel went over to the cave entrance, calling inside as she descended, “Charming little fae, where have you landed? Are you hurt?” But as she walked downward, her paw stumped against a rock she had failed to see and her massive body was sent down as well. She landed with a pained grunt right beside the other, growling something about her useless vision and shaking her head violently. After a moment, she sat up with some dignity and looked to the fae, or what could be seen of her in the limited light. “I suppose this will have to do. I never caught your name, and as I caught the rest of you, I might as well know it too. I am beta Fel of Agavos.”