The quick reflexes that made me the best hunter in Glorall kicked in as soon as he spun towards me. His lips had no more than begun to peel back, hackles bristling in kind, than my own fangs were unsheathed half-way. My ears remained erect, pressed forward as the thick winter fur along my nape flared to its full standing. Like him, my posturing was just that - posturing. His juvenile frame clearly displayed no threat to me, but his actions had elicited an equal response from me. I was a huntress, always ready to jump into action should the need arise. Emerald green eyes rested upon him, and almost immediately my lips began to fall back over my fangs. My fur remained bristled - I had probably taken the kid by surprise which would explain the overreaction on his part, but he was still a trespasser and I wouldn't let him think skulking along the outskirts of Glorall was acceptable by our pack's standards.

When he plopped his hindquarters down in the reeds, a single brow arched in bemusement. It was the explanation that he gave that cause the other brow to match its arch. He didn't really give me any reason to doubt his explanation - why would a young wolf lie about trespassing on one pack in order to trespass in another? My fur began to settle back into place, brows reverting to their normal positioning as I walked forward a few paces to bring me a little closer to him. No reason to keep our voices raised to cross the distance between us. I stopped a short distance away from him, leaving ample room between us. Staying on my feet, I continued the conversation as if there hadn't been a momentary lapse.

"You realize I can't let you do that, right? You go into Iromar - from Glorall - smelling even a little bit like our territory, and get caught? Then we get accused of spying or some other 'crime.' Can't have that." That being said, I had no loyalty to Iromar. This whole business of the last queen getting killed in a fight for power against the new king didn't mean much to me. My only concern was making sure his poorly formed plots didn't spell trouble for my pack. I smirked at him knowingly then, a response to the grin he'd flashed my way. "Of course, I know a way to mask your scent, so that you don't carry anything of Glorall in with you. Then again, what would you do for me, kid?"

Was I seriously offering to help this kid? Maybe there was a maternal bone in my body after all.