Klara

             A huff of exhaustion left the female's chest as she continued to lift tired paws, all the while daydreaming of a comfortable den with a large cow elk for only her to eat. She quickly shook the pleasant thoughts out of her head, knowing all too well it was pointless to try and fabricate unrealistic things. She had recently been exiled out of her pack for challenging the authority of her previous Alpha,  who she knew was too weak and naive to run a pack effectively. Now she was on her own, although Klara attempted to convince herself it was better this way, she knew it wasn't to be true. She paused in her tracks for a moment, thinking back to her friends that she had been forced to leave behind, one being a slightly-annoying vanilla female. A small growl left her as she pushed the invading thoughts out of her head and pushed on. The alluring scent of a recent kill had flowed into her senses and Klara soon found herself tracking it quickly, her hunger getting the best of her as she ignored a few signs of danger that lay as large prints in the nearby mud. She leaped through the brush into a small clearing to notice the succulent carcass, her eyes gleaming as she rushed quickly over to it. In a flash of an instant, some large force had knocked her onto her side and the chert wolf grimaced with pain. Klara's bright eyes opened to find a very intimidating grizzly bear grunting before her, having appeared to have come from nowhere. The female wolf snarled and attempted to move to her feet, though the sudden pain in her side brought her attention to a nasty-looking injury from the bear's attack. Her fur bristled in anticipation as the bear growled and took a step closer, its jaws opening as if to warn her of what was soon to come.

             Sascha had been following closely behind Isaak when his ear twitched at the distant sound of a bear, his paws stopping as he turned to listen towards the source. "Ignore it" Isaak replied calmly, noticing Sascha's attention had been pulled away. An odd feeling arose inside the Beta and he continued to walk, only to pause once again once the wind brought the scent of another wolf's blood in their direction. "Sascha don't!" The darker male commanded, knowing all too well what the scent meant. Without a word he quickly began to rush towards the source, ignoring the Alpha's demands to refrain from getting caught in something that wasn't their business. Isaak snarled slightly and ran after the ginger-coated male, growling curses under his breath of the other male's recklessness. Once the large Alpha was finally able to catch up to Sascha, his hazel eyes caught sight of the injured female and snarled as he watched the Beta attempt to defend her. "Tch..Dammit" Isaak growled to himself before entering the battle himself. It didn't take long for the bear to be chased off and the two males took a moment to catch their breath. "What the hell is wrong with you?! I told you to ignore it!" The Alpha snapped at the other male who stood quietly accepting the scolding with his ears folded back against his head. Klara's eyes shifted between the two characters and she forced herself to her feet, a faint snarl on her muzzle. "I didn't ask for your help..." She grumbled although she had to admit she was thankful for it. A hostile glare was quickly shifted to the injured female. "I know you're not talking to me like that you ungrateful runt" Isaak's fur bristled at the words, his tail now high in the air as he snarled and faced the stranger. Klara's snarl grew to match the male's, but before she could respond she collapsed once again. Her body was weak from traveling and the recent lack of food to carry her weight, the acquired injury didn't help either.

             Despite the hostile exchange the stranger and Isaak shared, Sascha was able to convince the alpha to allow her to visit their herbalist. Remnants of a snarl were nearly permanent on the dark male's muzzle as he watched Sascha help the female make the trek back to his pack's den. It only took a few moments for Renate to come up with a remedy for the wound and she carefully applied it, despite the barking complaints from Klara. The Alpha narrowed his eyes at the injured figure who was lying on her side under one of the nearby trees as Renate made her way over to him to report what she had found out. "Her name is Klara and, though she won't say it, she is grateful for you and Sascha's help." The herbalist spoke with a small smirk and she moved to sit before the larger male. "Tch. The minute she can walk she's leaving." Isaak snarled in response and turned to walk back towards his den where the beta male was currently sitting silently. It took a while and several arguments occurred over time but Klara was somehow able to remain in the pack and has become a vital pupsitter for the future generations that are certain to come.

Background: Ancient Swamp Tree