Azurehowl, With A Slight Twist

When Help Is Needed

A howl of pain pierces the air as Ruuza collects water from a river near where her family has stopped to rest.

Lunar had yet another nightmare the previous night, and so didn't sleep too well, so Kala and Matt demanded he take a nap during the day, despite her brothers' protests.

She looks over at the corpse of trees where the sound came from and decides to go check it out, especially when she hears snarling and more whimpers of pain.

In the corpse of trees, a pup about Ruuzas' age with a brown pelt and a greenish yellow underbelly, a Mud wolf gets tossed into a tree by two adult wolves with grey coats and black markings over their eyes. These wolves are Earth wolves.

"That's what happens if you pass our territory."

One of them says smugly. Earth wolves are fiercely territorial.

"I... just wanna drink a little bit."

The pup says, lying on the ground, blood flowing from the scratches covering his body.

"Well, you're not allowed to drink from our river."

The second wolf says, snarling.

"You... you idiots couldn't take me on if I wasn't wounded."

The pup says, pushing himself to his feet. He is determined to get at least a little bit of water, to regain at least a bit of strength.

"Take those words back you little brat!"

The first wolf says, snarling viciously before lunging at the pup.

Then, Ruuza slams into the wolf, knocking them back.

"Two against one is unfair."

She says, standing in front of the other pup, who is looking rather shocked.

"Why should we care?"

The first wolf asks.

Ruuza snarls lunging at the wolf, using the moves her brother taught her. She stands between the two wolves, snarling viciously.

'You bastards!'

The pup thinks, before lunging at the second wolf, causing a nasty wound.

In the face of the two snarling pups, the second wolf loses their nerve.

"Let's get outta here!"

Once the two wolves are out of sight, Ruuza turns to the other pup.

"Are you okay?"

She asks, worried about the injuries.

"I'm fine."

The pup replies as the two sit down, Ruuza having sensed the other pups' need to sit.

"My name is Ruuza, what's yours?"

She asks, hoping to make a friend her own age. Sure, she loves her brother, but he's two years older than her, and is more focused on training her so that she can protect herself.

"I'm Mutt."

The pup says.

"You must be the white wolf I've heard of."

Matt, who had arrived just in time to hear Mutts' words, snarls viciously, before snapping,

"Stay away from my daughter!"

"But Dad, he didn't do anything."

Ruuza says, not understanding why her father is acting this way. All Mutt did was describe her fur colouring.