Who is Magpie?

She could feel the ground spray up behind her as she ran. Her breathing was hard as she willed herself to put as much ground between them as she could. The fresh scents of trees filled her lung with life like she could taste them. Following the trail for a time only to get distance, she diverted from it weaving through thick brush and crawling under bushes.

She heard his howl in the distance, telling her that he was on the way, and it didn’t sound as far away as it should. She begrudgingly realized the Bronx was right and after crossing a small creak rolled in some mud to disguise her scent. She didn’t like the cold wet feeling that coated her fur but as she began to run again it started to dry into a mat that she hated more.

Ezekiel howled out another warning, and she giggled in her head. He wouldn’t find her going this way, she was sure it would take him a little while to catch up still so she slowed her pace. Walking through another creak she kicked the water with her paw. They ached from running over the rough terrain, not being used to this form let alone the uneven ground beneath it’s pads.

A stone chinked into the creek behind her and she whipped towards the sound. No one was there, but she could see where the stone fell. Ezekiel hadn’t caught her yet, his last howl had been much to far away for him to have been able to sneak up behind her. A stick snapped to her right and she reeled toward it, seeing a shadow off by a few dozen meters. Some brush rustled, to the other side but when she spun again only saw a shadow of someone move back into the shadows.

She was surrounded.

Focusing now she could smell them, but she couldn’t pinpoint any numbers like they were circling. One of them began to growl, low and angrily. Jessamine took off. Her body wasn’t ready to start running again, her feet slipping on the stones as she tried to get traction.

She slipped into the water, and that was all the time the other wolven needed to get on top of her. “There you are little Magpie,” he growled.

Every other sound in the first stopped for those five words. Jessamine could hear others coming closer and any hope that this had been some sort of hazing hadn’t crossed her mind. Ezekiel would never let such a thing happen to her.

As she turned over to look up at the wolf who had her she knew she only had only one chance to catch him by surprise. She thrust her head forward, teeth bared, and latched on to his throat. He let loose only a short sound of pain before she ripped his trachea free.

Warm blood sprayed over her face and she kicked and rolled her body to free herself from under his dead wait.

“You stupid bitch. She killed Anthony.” Another wolf roared nearby, but she was nearly free and starting to run again.

“He was an idiot, he knew what she is capable of,” roared another. “Don’t let her get away!”

She could hear their steps behind her gaining, eliminating the small lead she had gained. Snarls and barks seemed to snap at her heals, spurring her on. She knew that she couldn’t loose them, it would take a miracle to get that big of a lead, her only hope was to make it back to the pack house or…

“Ezekiel!” She yelled in her mind, hoping he was close enough for at least this much.

There was no reply.

“There’s no one out here but us Magpie,” one of the wolves called after her. “We //will// catch you, why stretch it out?”

“Ezekiel!” She called again, feeling one of them gain on her haunches.

He was there, by her back leg. Her heart thrummed in her chest. One false step and he would have his teeth tearing into her thigh.

She was running through the trees now, away from the creek. She was smaller and hoped that a false step from them would give her more space to work, but the more she weaved the less she could remember which way the house was in. With that, she remembered Bronx and what he had said.

She hoped he could hear her as she began howling, filling her lungs entirely and emptying them entirely into the cry. It echoed through the first but the only thing she could could hear was the chortle of laughter at her heals.

“No one can hear you Luna, your Alpha is going the wrong way, you are alone again.” There was more laughter.

Again.

The word struck her, and she slipped. That was all he wanted and, she had been right, he sunk his teeth into her flesh, tearing a high yelp from her throat. She kicked him free, ripping his teeth from skin roughly.

“We’ll be rewarded if we bring her back alive, but if he can’t have her no one can,” someone sneered and she could place which one had spoken.

Another one laughed. “You’ll only get slower from here. It’s time you went . You can come with us or die alone in the woods.”

“I would rather die!” She hissed.

“Happy to oblige.” There was a snicker and another wolf ran into her, forcing her to the ground.

The others that had been chasing her caught up quickly and she had to focus to avoid all the teeth and paws. A second of warning was all she got before as she heard a breath beside her head and she moved, feeling a set of teeth graze her ear. Another set of paws struck the ground beside her and she rolled away, kicking at the ground to stand. But they weren’t fighting together, one of them struck another into her path as they snapped into her ankle, and she bit into them as deeply as she could.

She pulled on them, using their weight to help her stand but a set of claws raked across her back and another yelp of pain echoed through the wood. She limped a few steps away, batting another wolf in the head and getting him onto the ground. She bucked up painfully onto her back legs and stomped onto his head as many times as she could in the hope that it would at least knock him out but she felt his eye socket give in.

By the time she had eliminated that threat the other three were at her again and she spun back into the fray. She could feel the sting from the wounds on her back and punctures in her leg and ankle. A set of teeth made it into her shoulder and she bit down into his muzzle until he let go.

The taciturn semi-circle of assailants regrouped and began moving toward her again and she grinned a wide smirk. “Bring it on.”