It seemed unfathomable that a wolf would grow to such a size; or at least, to Starshade in those moments it seemed unfathomable. Perhaps there was a disconnect between the species at the end of her teeth - her muscle memory expected a doe, plump and warm, and yet each time her eyes fell upon the end of her nose, she was met by the heaving, thick fur of wolf. It felt so wrong to have such a musk in between her teeth, the girl's scent an ongoing assault on her senses. The taste, the feel - it was all wrong and yet it was the grave Starshade had dug herself. To give up now would be to make herself into the attacker, the stranger who dragged a pack wolf into the middle of nowhere to die. She was shackled now by her teeth and will to the mess of a wolf that dragged behind her.

Her breath came in ragged leaps, blowing pale steam into the cold around them as each lurching step took them closer and closer to the pines and fields of where she assumed was the stranger's home. Time seemed to move at an unusual pace, slow and drawling and yet it seemed like not long enough before the crisp smell of pine began to waft from the distance. They were close now, just in time for Starshade's limbs to begin with that slow burn of tiredness and overuse. She would not stop, though, until she saw the rise of pines just by them; this, she imagined, was the border she could not cross.

The moment she saw those pines and smelt the musk of wolves intensify in the wind, she stopped immediately, dropping the girl's scruff gently. As gentle as she might have been, her movements were still fast as she pivoted and side stepped away, putting a short distance between the stranger and herself. Her ears stood tall and alert, eyes quickly hunting down anybody who lingered on the borders. Below her skin, she could feel her heart flutter with exhaustion and nervousness; a potent mix that made her fur stand on end, her head lowering over her throat in instinctive defense. She had no idea what to expect but she knew, if they came charging at her teeth bared and ready, she would have an uneasy time getting away. Her legs were tired. Her heart was pounding. Her lungs stung from the cold air. If they came for her, she would need to be quick. So, she kept just close enough to the dark female. Just close enough to bite into her if they pushed her to such a level. It was not something she desired but... strangers, they could not be predicted.

It was when she caught the site of a russet wolf in the distance, the creature's outline just visible among the white and green of the snowy pines, that she chose to speak up and announce herself. By now, they had been waiting for some minutes and nobody had yet come. With a momentary whine of uncertainty, she cast her caution to the wind and rose her tone into a shrill howl. She called for the stranger - the russet wolf - but she called, too, in alert of danger and uncertainty. She had one of their sick, their injured, and she let them know. She could only hope they came with a tentative concern rather than accusations.