Something was terribly wrong.

That terrible nagging feeling that always seemed to be amplified in mothers coursed through his being, forcing her awake from an otherwise peaceful sleep. Aria looked around, eyes settling upon her youngest daughter who was curled up tightly next to her. A smile twitched upon the alpha's lips for a moment as she licked her daughter's maw. Akante let out a content sigh, snuggling closer to her mother.

Aria looked around once more. She had not seen her mate for some hours now. However, his absence had become something a regularity as of late. The human threat was pushing on their frontier, and Aphelion was monitoring it, noting everything the two-legged did. It gave cause for Aria to worry for her love's sanity but she could think of no way to dissuade him from such action. And so his disappearance now was likely attributed to that.

But what of her other daughter? Akante's fraternal twin, Asha, had been absent for some time as well. Both of the girls were now past their yearling mark, yet still Aria worried terribly for their well-being, ever since the incident when they had been only months old. She worried for Asha the most; her eldest daughter had a fiery spirit that could rarely be tamed and certainly not quenched. With the humans around, there was no telling what sort of predicament Asha was likely to get into, knowingly or otherwise.

And this is what roused the alpha now. Akante shuddered at the sudden loss of warmth, curling within herself. Aria didn't like to leave her alone like this, for Akante had yet to fully recover from the terrors she had endured. Yet this feeling would not let her rest, and thus she had to do something.

Swiftly she moved from her resting ground to Aphelion's typical post that gave him the best vantage point of the human camp. Aria scented the air, the ground, finding his scent to still be relatively fresh, but he was not physically present. However, the scent lead a trail away from the spot, moving closer towards the human territory. She suddenly tensed, catching upon another familiar scent. Though this one was much older, Aria could still easily pick out who it was: Asha. Panic set in as she traced it along a path that also got closer to the human territory. Would Asha really have gone willingly into the claws of the humans? Had Aphelion gone after her? Were they safe now? Were they hurt?

A flicker of movement out of the corner eye grabbed her attention. Head immediately shot in its direction, and she could've swore she felt her heart literally stop.

Something was terribly wrong.

----------

This whole expedition here had been a mistake. He had come here with barely anything in his pockets, expecting that meager to multiple. Bah! So much for that luck. He was a skilled hunter, there was no doubt about that, but it seemed like everyone else was, too. No money would come from that. And his second option hadn't been much better; working for the railroad company had given him more money, but much of that was going back home to his family while still trying to keep enough here where he could survive and continue to bring in that income for them.

And he couldn't leave. Back home, he couldn't find much else that was better. This was the best he had. His heart longed to be with his family, but he couldn't go back to them. Not yet.

So he looked for some way to speed up this process. And then word had been passed around town: there were high prices for the pelt of wolves. That news had forced him out here. Wolves had been spotted, and he was determined to bag one for himself.

With gun gripped tight in his hands, he stalked the land. It had already been close to a half hour, and still he hadn't found anything. That feeling of failure began to creep up on him, that same feeling he felt every day that everything he did was for nothing in the end. Yet something pulled him to stay, and so after some time he hankered down, eyes trained ahead for any sign of movement.

And then he saw her. Eyes became wide when she came into sight. He couldn't have asked to find a more magnificent creature; she was healthy in size, and her coat was beautiful. If he could take her--and he was certain he could--he would surely get a high sum. The thought of how lucky he was almost brought him to tears. Shaking himself back to his senses, he recalled his task, and his countenance became fierce and serious.

Her attention wasn't focused on his spot at the moment, so he began to stalk from his hiding place, slowly and carefully. He focused his senses to the ground especially, making sure to not step on anything that would give away his position. However, even with such caution, she finally found him, head snapping in his direction. Both stopped their movement, and he could swear his eyes met directly with his own.

----------

Neither creature moved for what seemed like an eternity. Aria barely dared to breathe. They both clearly knew of each other’s presence and position, and unfortunately where they stood now was rather wide open. Even if she did run, he could potentially strike her down. The only option now was to choose which direction would minimize this possibility.

Her mind raced as she knew she had little time to spare. To go back in the direction she had come would lead him deeper into Glyn territory, and that was not an option. She wouldn't risk her brethren like that.

However, the other two options would lead her closer to the human territory. This could be a possible ambush; wolves hunted in packs, why shouldn’t humans? Her head stayed in place while her eyes darted back and forth, trying to find any other movement that would give away the hunting party. She couldn’t find any, but that didn’t leave her any relieve.

The human was beginning to take advantage of her indecision and was now moving closer, that steel appendage gripped tight in his hands. Panic began to restrict Aria’s breathing. Now was the time to decide.

Another presence popped up on her radar, but it wasn’t human. She risked turning her head slightly over her right shoulder. She didn’t need to catch the full view of the wolf to know who it was, and that knowledge destroyed the last defenses she had been using to block the fear from taking over her.

Behind her stood Akante, eyes wide and mouth ajar in absolute terror. Her limbs were shaking as she looked at her mother, who was only yards away from being overtaken by what looked like a monster with that shiny thing in his hands. She was hyperventilating, and that sound reached Aria’s ears. Aria looked back at the human, wondering if he had yet spotted her daughter, yet all of his focus was still set her way. All other options vanished now, leaving only one in their wake. "Akante, get out of here!" Aria shouted behind her as she began to charge, going directly towards the human.

The human was taken by surprised, and Akante gasped, shouting in reply, "Mommy, don’t! Please-" But her cries were drowned out by a gunshot heard round Glyn.

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The wolf was charging, raging like a bull towards a matador. His hands shook as they held up the gun to shoot, steadying them with all his might. He was a trained hunter, a skilled hunter. He had nothing to be afraid of.

He waited only a moment, making sure he could get a clear shot on her. And in that moment, the female leaped high into the air, clearly exposing her belly as she tried to pounce him to the ground.

He took his chance.

The bullet hit her square in the chest, falling her to the ground in only a second. He stood over her, watching and listening as he breath began to fail rapidly. Their eyes met again, a strange look in them. It was wasn't fear, one more of anger and scrutiny. He looked up, seeing another wolf there, smaller than the one he had taken for his kill. Fear and devastation radiated so far from her he could even feel it down here. The smaller one fled, and he looked back down, suddenly understanding. He had taken down a parent just trying to provide and protect for their young, as he was.

A pang of regret stung his heart, but he closed his eyes and shook it away. Life was made for the fittest, and he was currently on the winning side.

The wolf's raspy breath reached his ears and he opened his eyes once more. There was at least one last thing he could do for her. Gun in hand, he pointed it towards her once more.

Another gunshot rang through the air as the alphess of Glyn took her last breath.