Dogs of War: Howl at the Moon

Try as she might, Teager found it hard to keep herself from smiling when the introduction was done. Delphi had completely brushed Julia aside, and it made a bit of pride swell in her chest. While Teager herself wasn't anything special, upon meeting the fine Lady, she had taken to the pup immediately. Commenting on her beauty and almost trying to seduce her. But to be completely ignored? Oh, it was swell. For a moment, the pup wondered if perhaps Delphi had read her mind, or intentions. Either way, it made Teager like her even more.

"You look absolutely radiant," Teager greeted the woman entering her home. And it wasn't a lie. If she had taken to ladies, she might have even drooled at the sight of her. Upon hearing more information about the Envoy, she considered the information.

"For now it is just a claim that they have the Envoy? Have they given proof?" Teager thought about possible outcomes, and perhaps the Were clan was trying to get an easy buck. Though, on the other hand, they could have her; they could take no chances. "They'll need to be looked into, as well as checking out the site where they were last seen. We cannot assume either way, lest she be put in more danger than she is."

Maybe Jenna has a use. She can go the fuck away and look at the others, maybe get mauled to death if I'm lucky... She thought darkly, but did not speak it aloud. She had to behave, after all.

"We're fairly certain that they are the ones behind this incident. They have long opposed the union between our bloodlines, and have taken violent action against us in the past. The last known whereabouts of the Envoy was on the outskirts of their territory. It might be wise to start your search there." Delphi paused to smile toward Bries as he brought in hot cups of tea and sugar. He dipped low again and returned to his place in the corner of the room.

"Delphi," Tor spoke as he reached for a cup. "It seems like it would be a horrible move for any wolf clan to take such an action. Without the support of other clans, they'd be eradicated. None would be spared. I can't imagine putting an entire clan at risk without some kind of back up or exit strategy."

Delphi smiled again, that toothy seductive grin of hers. "Very perceptive, Tor. You're almost as keen as you are handsome. Almost..." Her grin persisted as her gaze moved from Tor to Teager, giving her a grin that said she knew more than she indicated.

"I believe Teager should stay here then, and see what sort of use she can provide here." Julia was quick to interject her opinion, rather proud of her idea. She'd get rid of Teager and get more alone time with Tor. Win Win.

"No." Delphi and Tor spoke in unison, neither one liking that idea.

"No... as much as I love have Teager here, you need all the help you can take with you. My coven is already divided so thinly trying to cover our boarders and the dignitaries visiting for this union that I cannot afford to send anyone with you. But please, Teager, feel free to visit whenever you have time. I have so much I can show you."

Teager wanted to snap at Jackie, clearly irritated that she so boldly tried to get rid of her, but she didn't need to. Both Tor and Delphi put a quick end to her suggestion, and she was thankful for it.

"I appreciate your offer, ma'am, and I may do just that." It was clear to her that Delphi did not like Julia, and it was clear that she knew how she felt about Tor. But there was nothing that could be done about it. Not unless Julia was out of the picture, and Tor somehow, magically, fell in love with her. Even then it was impossible. She was banished. It would never work.

Teager sipped her tea gratefully. She would let Tor take the lead on figuring out what to do; if she was completely honest, she wasn't sure exactly what their next step would be. She only prayed she didn't fuck up, and that Julia could keep her shitty attitude to herself. If not, then Teager might try to kill her.

Julia's face said it all. Tor had stuck up for her nemesis, the one person he was not allowed to stick up for except for the most bland and generic of purposes. But the speed at which he came to her defense made Julia very suspicious. Tor, of course, did not see what was actually happening, nor did he realize that he had said something "wrong".

"I agree with you, Delphi. We have no idea what we're going into here, and there is safety in numbers. If this is another pack we're investigating, we'll want to have as many of us there as possible."

Delphi nodded her approval, while Julia stared daggers at all three of them. Her animosity for the trio was more noticeable than a circus parade. "Very well then. I will text the coordinates to you." Before anyone could respond, Bries suddenly appeared by his Master's side, leaning forward and whispering something silently into her ear. Delphi's smile faded away upon hearing the news.

"It seems haste has become even more important. One of the Envoy's escorts just arrived."

Tor's expression brightened slightly. "That's good news. We have someone we can question."

"That won't be possible, i'm afraid. He returned in five separate pieces."

"Holy shit.." Teager breathed without thinking. When she realized that she had spoken aloud, she pursed her lips, and shifted in her seat uncomfortably, bringing her tea cup to her lips to prevent any further outbursts. One of the escorts returned in pieces? The wolves that had him couldn't have just let him go, sure, but to dismantle the body like that?

It dawned on her that the mission was a lot more dangerous than it had initially seemed. It led her thoughts back to Iorek sending her on this task in the first place. Had he intended for her to perish on this excursion so he didn't have to admit to banishing her? Had the Alpha really hated her that much that he sent her on a suicide mission, knowing that Tor would survive, but she would not return? A cold dread fell over her just then. He didn't want her to live. If he had wanted her dead, why not just execute her? The answer came seconds after the question: he couldn't justify killing a pup for misbehaving, or not acting properly when punishment less severe would have been the proper course of action.

It was better to send her on a task so dangerous, seeming to try to teach her about the real world, when the reality was he hoped she would die. Now, she couldn't return. Even if the mission was successful, and Iorek retracted his banishment, Teager wold never be able to live there in peace again. Always looking over her shoulder to see if he was there trying to catch her fuck up so he had justifiable reason to get rid of her. Permanently. Was she really that bad? It couldn't be..

"It's a message," Tor said solemnly, his thoughts mirrored by his younger companion. "It wasn't brutal pack mentality. Wolves eat and chew and gnaw. Why go through all the trouble of dismembering him but not eating him other than to symbolize a meaning." Tor sipped his tea, tapping on the side of the cup with his index finger, a habit he'd gotten into so long ago when he was perplexed by some puzzle.

"At any rate," Delphi said. "We must find them quickly. Please do not wait." Delphi's tone was quite subdued compared to her prior enthusiasm, a dark and somber aura taking it's place. She was upset by the loss, and that gave Tor a deeper respect for her, as she seemed to value the lives of her subordinates.

Looking to Teager and Julia, Tor nodded and stood. "We'll leave immediately then. Thank you, Delphi, for your hospitality." Walking swiftly to the door, the Beta waited for his friends to join him, then opened the door to allow them to exit.

"Be careful, Teager. And Tor, make sure she returns. I've grown quite fond of the pup already." Delphi made no mention of Julia, or even recognized that she was still there. Silently, behind his stoic expression, Tor couldn't stop laughing.

Teager offered a smile to Delphi before they left, doing her best to hide the fear and pain she felt. She followed Tor quietly, making sure to persist in her resolve to ignore Julia, if only to maintain her good behavior.

Even though the sun was shining, the gravity of the situation had weighed on the pup, giving a dark, depressing feeling to the rest of the day. Even Delphis blatant disregard for Tors mate didn't cheer her up much. Her former alpha wanted her dead. She wasn't welcome home. She'd  never see Mason. Tor didn't love her. Could her life possibly get any worse?

As they walked in silence, a smell drifted across the wind, and she paused, inhaling deeply, sniffing the air. The smell was like a million new pennies, so strong that she could almost taste it. Blood. And there was a lot of it. "Tor.." She trailed off, knowing that he could smell it, too. He had to, he was older than her, and had keener senses.

"I know... I smell it too." Tor moved more slowly then, his eyes wide for danger. The further they walked, the stronger the smell of blood became. The metallic odor was not hard to trace; before long they had come upon the source. A grizzly scene was laid out before them, the bodies of several people strewn out across the ground. Gruesome and gory were the only two words Tor could think of to describe the scene.

Nothing moved among the bodies, each one freshly dead. The markings on the bodies suggested that they were ripped apart and left behind. Just like the dismembered vampire they'd seen earlier, the flesh was not eaten, save for tiny bits that may have stuck between teeth. Vampires did not kill them. It wasn't their style. Werewolves generally ate what they killed, so it didn't seem to match them perfectly either.

"These bite marks," Tor said, stooping down next to a woman whose throat had been ripped out while she still breathed. "These are like wolves, but they're very sharp. I've not seen tears like this."

Julia, stayed along the edges, searching for tracks that may have led away from the site, hoping to prove herself a competent tracker like the other two.

"Teager, this tells us a few things about what happened here. Tell me what you see."

The pup stepped forward, her eyes narrowed, as she scanned the scene in front of her. The bodies were strewn all over, but there were a couple close together. "They were taken by surprise. Wolves must have been downwind for them not to catch the scent. These," she pointed at the few close bodies, "were the first to go down. The rest," she shifted her body, sniffing the air, "swarmed the Envoy, tried to protect her. They fought well, but these Weres aren't like us."

Teager knelt down, and ran her fingers along one of the neck wounds. Frowning, she shifted the body and shook her head before she stood up. "We are dealing with walkers, Tor. Two legged Weres. At the angle these were made, there's no way they are like us." Continuing to walk around the scene, she walked past him, then past Julia and sighed. "They went that way." She pointed opposite of Julia on the other side of the clearing.

"They went the other way, but then doubled back hoping we'd follow the trail that way and lose their scent, but they definitely went that way."

With an appalled look on her face, Julia stood to protest. "There's no way they double backed, I checked the trail myself. You are mistaken." The truth didn't matter to Julia. All she cared about was one-upping Teager, and that was going to cost them time that they didn't have. Still, it was difficult for Tor to dispute either side. The trail was too difficult to follow with the potent smell of iron lingering in the area.

Tor rubbed the back of his head, trying to figure out this piece of the puzzle so he could see the bigger picture. "I agree. They are not like us." Reaching into his pocket, Tor pulled out his phone and, after several seconds of typing and swiping, smiled a little." I also agree that they went that way. It's the only direction that makes sense. There's no cover and lots of population in the other directions, but that way is more remote. More quiet."

Again Julia was out-performed by Teager, which should not have come at a surprise. Teager was an excellent tracker and hunter. Julia's talents were geared more toward a spiritual leader. She fumed as she followed behind the other two, starting to plot her revenge, as it was clear that she could not longer tolerate her presence.

Teager couldn't help but smile, and this time it wasn't at Julia's expense. She was genuinely happy that she had gotten it right, this being the first time she was able to showcase her talents in the real world, in a situation that it was needed. As she walked next to Tor, the pup could feel the angry woman behind them glaring daggers at her back. If it wouldn't have been seen by Tor, she would have turned and made a smug face and stuck out her tongue, but he was there and she didn't.

"Two legged Weres are rare aren't they?" She asked Tor, genuine curiosity in her voice. Growing up they had not only learned skills that would benefit their clan and pack, but about the other subspecies of their race. Taking the form of a half wolf, half human shape, those Weres were brutal, and had bad temperaments. There weren't massive amounts of them, but it looked like they had found a pack of them. No telling how many they were up against.

"Tor, are we going to be enough?" Teager was beginning to doubt her usefulness on the mission. She'd never done anything like this before. What if she messed up? Any mistake, no matter how small, could put all their lives in jeopardy.

Even as they put their backs to the bloody mess, Tor could not forget what he had seen. The images did not disturb him personally, as he had done his fair share of violence in his time. But the knowledge that Walkers may have been the cause of the destruction made him worry. That dread seemed to be reflected in Teager, who shared his same anxiety.

"They're pretty rare, yes. I thought they were a myth for the longest time, just a story to scare pups into following the rules. The strength of a pack of wolves embodied by one figure, who could kill easily and walk on their hinds to reach higher into the dens." Though they may have been stories in his youth, Tor never truly believed them to be completely made up.

"If we are smart, we will be fine. We will keep an escape route in mind. No heroics. But let's hope that we can resolve this without the need for violence." Tor didn't mind fighting. In fact, he rather enjoyed it. But he fought just as much with his head as he did with his claws and teeth.

"Look, ahead." Far into the distance stood a small building that seemed somewhat out of place compared to the others. It was far too uninteresting, which interested Tor quite a bit. A clever disguise for someone who does not wish to be seen. Smack your building in the middle of the public and make it look as unassuming as possible.

"There."

Gaze following Tors, the pup chewed on her lip in thought, her keen nose picking up a mix of scents. She caught a faint trace of the Envoy, but it wasn't nearly as strong as the Weres. She wasn't there anymore. She was moved. Scanning the surroundings, putting her own doubt behind, she tried to think of a way they could watch the house without being noticed, and without allowing any to escape.

"There's only three ways out of that area," Teager hummed in thought. "If we split up they're not far enough apart where we won't see each other, and look covered enough that we could conceal ourselves there."

Turning her head slightly, she closed her eyes and let the wind blow over her, sniffing the air again. They would be downwind, that was good. It meant they could hide undetected, but would it be too risky to split like that? They didn't know how many were inside, or if they were all Walkers or not. "What do we do?"

"I don't like the idea of splitting up. But we can't let them out. So we'll cover the exits, make them come to us." Julia, despite her disdain for Teager's plan, it was the only way to completely the mission. Whether or not the Envoy was still inside, it didn't matter. She was going to get a chance to do battle. Without a word she made her way to the third exit.

Tor, sticking around a half-moment longer, waited until Julia was out of sight. He placed his hand on her shoulder and kissed her forehead, hoping to put her anxieties and fears to rest. "Stay sharp. Stay focused. If you run into trouble, call for me."

Teager closed her eyes, savoring the feeling of his lips on her head, even if for just a moment. "I will." She said, then stepped back, not wanting Julia to see them. It was an innocent gesture, a comforting one to a pup who had never faced anything like this before. But she knew that it wouldn't be viewed that way by the other, and he'd get shit for it. With a half-hearted smile, she turned and headed toward the second exit point, leaving Tor the one to her left with Julia on her right.

Subconsciously she chose that spot to be closer to Tor than his mate, but also so that if either looked they would see her kicking ass. Then she could prove to both that she wasn't just some pup who thought everything was a joke.


What seemed like hours passed, when in reality it was only about forty five minutes went by. Then movement from inside the cabin. Someone inside seemed avid on getting out, and when Teager shifted in her spot, she figured out why. The wind had changed on them. Now, the three were upwind, and the Walkers knew. From her position, Teager had a clear view of inside the house that the other two didn't. Taking a deep breath, she let out a high pitched whistle they were taught, it essential to signify that something changed, and their guard needed to be up, pronto.

Seconds after the whistle faded, six beasts burst from the cabin, two in each of the three exit points. Teager was ready. The two men coming at her might have smelled her in that dirextion, but she was very good at hide and seek. They would not find her unless she wanted to be found. Luckily for her, one stopped directly in front of her hiding spot, confused as to where her scent was, and she took that opportunity to strike.

The other two exits covered, Tor made his way to the first doorway and waited. The minutes that ticked by were slow and agonizingly long, but they did give the Were a chance to contemplate his situation. Julia and Teager were not going to get along, that much was certain. But his heart was torn between the two. He held no feelings for Julia other than friendship, but he did not want to hurt her. Teager owned his heart, but she did not see him as he saw her. There was no result that would not end with hurt feelings.

The sudden emergence of the six Walkers snapped Tor out of his thoughtful spell and set him on high alert. Quickly he let his form shift, without time to remove his clothing. He would just have to find more before they went back. As a human he was large and intimidating, but as a wolf he was much more frightening to behold. Unlike most of his clan, Tor's fur was grey, but streaked with crimson, as if he had been painted with blood before he were born. Those streaks set him apart from the rest, both a blessing and a curse.

Two went to each exit, sniffing around. They hadn't spotted Tor or the others quite yet, giving them a slight advantage. Tor waited patiently, his teeth barred and ears back. He licked his teeth, then sprang from his hiding spot, knocking down the first walker and catching the second by surprise. He hoped that appearing first would draw the attention of the other four, giving the girls a chance to act first.

His jaw latched onto a leg, and with a powerful twist, he heaved the Walker off its feet, sending it crashing into some wooden crates. The damage was minimal, but it gave him the first draw of blood. Tor licked the blood from his teeth and squared off against the Walker still upright, his eyes dead locked on his target. The battle had begun. Nine wolves to start. Only three would remain.

Tor attacking first led the other walkers to turn their heads in his direction and that was enough of a distraction for Teager. Silently slipping out of her clothes, she shifted and launched at the nearest one. Her form was on point, and with the force she pushed off the ground d, her teeth clamped around the neck of the first Walker. Clamping down hard with her jaws, and a sharp twist of her head, the Walkers neck snapped as she tore the flesh from his jugular spraying bright red across her white-grey fur.

The Walker fell, and she turned, baring her teeth at the second one, wars flat against her head, a low growl emanating from her throat. In that form she looked almost exactly like Mason, albeit a bit smaller in size. Engraged that his companion fell, the second beast charged at her, but just as she was in human form, in this one she was just as quick and agile. Darting around him, she slammed her body into the back of his legs and knocked him to the ground. He barely held her off, her jaws snapping angrily, trying to get at him.

He made a mistake by moving one of his hands to try to push her off, and instead he allowed her to get a hold of his jugular and tear it out. She waited until his life was gone before she darted forward into the cabin. She sniffed around catching the scent of the Envoy, but it wasn't strong enough. She wasn't there. Teager cleared the rest of the cabin and moved back outside. Tor seemed to be handling his two walkers just fine, but when she glanced over at Julia expecting the same result, she saw the opposite. Julia was getting her ass handed to her. Part of her wanted to just leave her, and let her get mangled, but the other part of her knew that Tor cared for her and would be hurt if something were to happen to Julia. So, begrudgingly, Teager went to help her nemisis.

Teager barreled into the one on top of Julia, knocking it to the side. Turning, she bared her teeth again, growling loudly.

The two Walkers snarled as they looked at the tasty morsel before them, grinning slightly as they anticipated an easy kill. Unfortunately for them, they did not know who they were dealing with. The first came straight in while the other swung around to attack from his left flank, a difficult tactic to counter for a pup perhaps, but not tough enough for an experienced warrior.

Expecting him to be distracted by the flanking wolf, Tor leaped forward, pouncing on the approaching Walker, catching his head in his jaw. The Walker reached up, trying to dislodge the wolf, but his efforts were wasted. Only a second after landing on its back, the creature jerked and went lip, its head having been crushed like a grape tomato.

The second moved in taking a swipe with is razor sharp claws, but found only the feeling of Tor's fur brushing against its skin. Before it could reset for its next attack, Tor was up, using his powerful jaw to clamp around its throat. A quick pull ripped it apart. The dying creature grasped its open wound, trying desperately to contain the blood spilling from the wound, it's efforts going unrewarded.

Satisfied that his job was complete, Tor turned to check on Teager, but could not see her. She was out of position. Worrying that something had happened to her, Tor took off trying to find her.

Teager jumped forward on the beast, rolling over in the grass until she landed on top. Using her claws she tore at it's face, until there was nothing left but a gurgling mess; then its life faded under her. Turning to face Julia, she growled, her eyes scanning the area for the last creature, and it was nowhere to be found.

With a grunt, she trotted over to get her clothes, and when she returned, she was once again fully dressed, wiping blood off her face. "What the fuck? Where is it?" Teager snapped at her, eyes narrowed down at her. "You claim to be so experienced, well, what the fuck? Useless!" Now, because of her, one had escaped. Tor was not going to be happy when he found out. But at least it wasn't her fuck up, so they couldn't say anymore that she thought of everything as a joke. She took both of hers, and one of Julias out, while the bitch just sat there.

"You are fucked." Was all she said.

With the sounds of battle fading away into silence, Tor inspected the area, sniffing at the air curiously. No sign of the Envoy, though there was a familiar smell inside. He couldn't quite place it, but he knew it would come to him eventually. He then took to scavenging about for some replacement clothes, as his were torn and destroyed in a small pile where he had been hiding. It took a bit of looking around, but he finally managed to find a shirt and some pants that would fit. Clothed once again, Tor moved back to where Teager and Julia had been guarding, still concerned about the pup. He did not smell her blood, but still he was troubled.

He found both the females at the third exit, arguing with each other per the norm. "I count five bodies. Where is the sixth?" Tor's unhappiness was clear in the tone of his voice.

"Teager let one slip by! She was so bent on proving that she could fight that she moved to take kills from me! I was fine, but she butted in and one escaped." Julia lied through her teeth, but it sounded like it could have been believable. He knew she was eager to prove her worth on the hunt, and Julia, being the experienced warrior, would have had a battle plan.

"Teager? Is that true?"

"What?" Teager stared open mouthed at Julia, completely taken aback that she could lie to Tor so easily. "No, it's not! That's not what happened at all. I only came over here because you were getting your ass kicked." She turned to look at Tor, the expression on her face begging him to believe her. "They were on the verge of ripping her throat out..  I was trying to help her. When I looked up the other one was gone."

There was no way that Tor would believe her, right? It didn't make any logical sense. If Julia had been doing fine on her own and Teager jumped in, both of the ones that went after her would be dead. But Julia was covered in dirt and mud from just lying on the ground and doing nothing while the Walkers almost killed her.

The look on Teagers face expressed how worried she was over whether or not he'd believe her. But he never believed her. Never gave her the benefit of the doubt, he just thought she was lying. This time she wasn't. Julia's story was ludicrous, he couldn't believe that, right? What if he didn't? If he believed Julia over her what was she going to do? At that point Tor would believe Julia that she should leave, that she wasn't ready. But it wasn't her fault this time. Although, under normal circumstances, Teager would never help Julia with anything, and Julia's story sounded like something Teager would do, while her own story did not. The difference was, Teager was telling the truth this time.

Tor's face twisted into one of anger. "How could both of you be so careless!? The only advantage we had was surprise. The ONLY one! Now that's completely fucked! That Walker is on its way back to its hideout and has plenty head start. We can't catch it, nor are we equipped to fight an entire pack, much less a whole goddamn clan!"

His eyes darted between the two females with scorn and resentment burning in his eyes like a wildfire. Tor wanted to smash something, to beat something until it was no longer recognizable. Unfortunately the only Weres in range were friends so he couldn't vent his frustration on anything living, so he did the next best thing.

Turning about, Tor slammed his fist into the wall of the building next to them, creating a sizable dent and bloodying his knuckles. A few drops of blood splattered across his face. Turning back to the couple, Tor first pointed at Julia, his hand dripping crimson liquid to the ground. "You, get back to the cabin and wait there."

Turning his gaze to Teager, Tor's rage spoke for him, his brain no longer in control of his mouth. "And you, get to the airport and book yourself the first flight home. I'll clean up this fucking mess." Of course it was not Teager's fault. None of it was. But in his state of mind, Tor could not see past the end of his nose.

Teager stared open mouthed at Tor, her eyes wide. She couldn't believe that he was going to send her home over Julia's obvious lie. Opening her mouth to protest, she caught the look in his eyes and decided against it. He was pissed, and he wasn't going to take her arguing.

Pain shot through her chest, and she just narrowed her eyes at him, her lips pressing tightly together. With a nasty glare at Julia, the pup turned and darted back through the trees, but she wasn't headed toward the airport. She was headed in town. She didn't care if he thought she was disobeying him. Technically she didn't have to listen to a word he said; she wasn't part of his pack anymore, he held no power of her.

Tears burned in her eyes and she fought the urge to cry as she pushed her body to move as fast as she could. How could he do something like this to her? He never believed her!

~

Teager ended up in the towns bar, and spent the majority of the rest of the day there, and well into the night. Technically she wasn't twenty-one, but she swayed the bartender to let her drink anyway, and when midnight finally came and went, she was officially legal to consume alcohol in America.

Happy birthday to me... She thought sadly, and continued on.

Making friends in her beyond drunken state was not hard, and while she didn't give away any major details, she complained to her new male companions about the man she had been traveling with, and his stupid whore of a girlfriend, and how he kicked her out when she wasn't even from that country and now she had nowhere else to go. By the time she was finished complaining, and had resulted to singing, and dancing on the bar, no one in that establishment was very fond of Tor. But she didn't care. Not only had he completely shattered her heart, he threw her out just like Iorek had, and now she had no one and nothing.

It was difficult to keep herself from breaking down into a complete sobbing mess, but the alcohol, thankfully, numbed her. Tor didn't love her? Who cared. She'd never get to see Mason again? Who cared. She would forever spend eternity alone? Who cared. No one knew her here. No one could judge her, or threaten her, or hurt her. It was just better that way.

Tor said nothing to Julia, despite her attempts to explain herself and just trying to make idle chatter. He was in no mood to talk to anyone, except for the one that he'd sent away in his anger. Of course it wasn't her fault. She didn't intentionally botch the mission. If anything it was his fault for putting her in a position she was not ready for. When the two Weres reached the cottage, Julia stepped out of the vehicle. Tor did not.

"Stay here. Do not leave this house. Is that, in any way, unclear?" Tor's influence exerted itself on the female, one of the innate benefits of being Beta only to the Alpha himself. In all rights, Tor could lead, and would once the current Alpha passed into the spirit world.

"Okay," Julia said softly, bowing her head and casting her eyes down and away, becoming submissive almost immediately as she went back into the house. Once the door was closed, Tor threw the car into gear and peeled out, following Teager's scent into town, where he continued on foot.

Eventually the trail lead to a bar near the center of town. Squaring his shoulders, he prepared himself to deal with the full brunt of her anger. Inside the door, he found Teager exactly where he expected her to be, in the middle, surrounded by men. He strode forward, confident in his human form, until he was only a few feet away.

"Teager..."

"I think I know when I'm done and I'm not done." Teager argued with the bartender, her words heavily slurred.

"Miss, you've been drinking since noon. If you keep going you'll kill yourself."

"I say when I've had enough, and I-" Tors voice cut through Teagers mind, and her entire body froze. Slowly turning in her stool, she faced him, an eyebrow raised. Through the haze of alcohol, her pain was buried behind her eyes as she stared at him. "Tor. How's it going? Your perfect princess getting on your nerves? Here, have a drink on me." The pup threw her glass at him, then turned her back on him, completely ignoring his presence. It was clear she wanted nothing to do with him; she was hurting, bad, and she was handling it well until he showed up, and now it was beginning to get to her.

"Hey, this guy bothering you?" One of the guys around her jerked his head in Tors direction.

"Who, him?" Again, she turned in her stool to look at him, all evidence of her pain gone. She considered Tor for a moment, downed another shot, and shrugged. "Yeah, he is." Teager turned her back on him, yet again, and began another argument with the bartender about the amount of alcohol she had consumed.

The posse of men around Teager stood up, all facing Tor. "You heard the lady." One said.

"Yeah, so you should leave. She doesn't want to talk to you." Another chipped in; the way they stood completely blocked her from his view.