There was an ill wind in the air lately. It was as if something bad had rolled in, yet no one could pinpoint where it was coming from. Small animal carcasses were found mauled to death, and though it was a small blessing that none were from the pack so far, it left everyone uneasy over what could be causing them. In reaction to it, patrols from the knights were becoming more common.
This was one such night where Kizkitza had volunteered to patrol. Honestly, she normally tried to avoid night patrol - she despised being out in the creepy night hours - but after another knight had begged her to cover for him, prattling something or other about promising to be somewhere else, she had reluctantly agreed. She hoped he knew that he owed her for this.... She wasn't one to let him get away without paying her back.
With a sigh, the female knight padded silently down the slope, eyeing the shadows back and forth as she walked. It was a dark night too, a cloying fog trickling through the trees in an unsettling way. On the one paw, the fighter in her was more than up for a brawl right now - anything to relieve boredom - but on the other paw... she couldn't help but feel like something bad was coming.
Kiz gave herself a lick across her shoulder in an attempt to settle her nerves. Bah, the pack's gossiping was getting to her. They were a relatively out-of-the-way pack. Why would someone cause trouble for them? Her thoughts drifted to the idea of a berserker showing up, but even then... most berserkers that adventurers came across nowadays seemed like loners, unwilling and uninterested in messing with a pack of wolf dogs. She wondered idly if any of those villains from the pack's history were even still alive any more. Perhaps they had wiped themselves out. It would serve them right, she thought with a scoff.
Just then, a panicked chitter sounded off beside her, and, freezing, Kiz whipped around, low to the ground, and faced off... a squirrel?
Squirrels normally knew better than to cross paths with a wolf, yet this one made a beeline for her, scurrying down below her belly in what she could only describe as looking for shelter. That was... odd behavior for a rodent.
Eyes narrowing, she looked back up in the direction the rodent had come from, but nothing emerged after it. No, the area seemed quiet... almost too quiet. The two creatures stayed silent for a while longer before, slowly, the sound of birds and crickets started up once more. Keeping one eye on the area still, Kiz turned to the squirrel, "Now what spooked you, little one?"
The squirrel simply glanced at her, silent, before letting out a uneasy chitter and zipping away up a nearby tree. Well, so much for explaining. Perhaps even it didn't know what had spooked it.
Kiz sighed at that, unsure if she was happy that nothing had happened or discouraged by that fact. She hated unknowns; she would much rather be face to face with her threat, and speaking of.... The wolf dog eyed the direction the squirrel had come from, still unnerved over what had just happened. It was strange that the creature had chosen to hide with her. What could have scared it enough that a wolf was preferable to whatever-it-was? Her tail twitched, displeased over the mystery, and she moved forward quietly to investigate.
Unfortunately, nothing spoke out to her as she walked. There was naught here except for regular trees and bushes. The world seemed normal, as far as she could tell. There weren't even footprints anywhere. A strange scent made her pause, but she could smell wolf dog on it, and it wasn't uncommon for rogue wolf dogs to visit their lands from time to time. Perhaps one had tried to hunt the squirrel and it ran for... her? No, that still didn't sound right.
With a shake of her head, Kizkitza frowned as she turned and went back to her patrol. She didn't like it, but what else could she do? For all she knew, the squirrel may have just been overreacting because of the odd air lurking in their lands.
... Still, there was no reason she couldn't turn her patrol just a bit in this direction. Besides, there was a nearby river she could take a drink at. All this excitement had left her throat parched. This plan in mind, Kiz trotted in the direction of water.
Had she stuck around just a bit longer though, perhaps she would have noticed the little pair of green eyes peeking out from the shadows.
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