The air was growing colder and I knew it didn't bode well. I could almost feel the last snow storm of the season breathing down my neck. However I stayed on the course, we were patrolling and that didn't stop because I felt like it was going to storm. I couldn't be lulled into a false sense of security. If it was just me or Jaxton on the line, I would have just to see what would happen but there was no way I was risking Violet like that. I would keep patrolling, even if it got so that the snow was so thick I wouldn't be able to see. She was far too stressed as it was.

As it was, I was fairly certain someone was searching the Northern Forest. I had caught a faint scent of magick that didn't belong to the earthy and cool scents of the Forests. So whichever witchling that it was that had been looking for Violet had narrowed their search and that just made me push on that much more. No one would be allowed to harm Violet, she had dealt with enough in her short life and if I could stop anything else from harming her, I would.

As it was, I was concerned about her. She had complained about her back hurting for most of this morning while Jax had been patrolling. She said it a was more than likely the weather changing that made it ache as badly as it did but I still didn't like it and I made a mental note to talk to Jax about perhaps him taking her to the Compound a little sooner. I wasn't sure when the storm would hit but her feeling sore and achy and the prospect of being storm stayed where she wouldn't have help if she did go into labour early was not a good one. She was three weeks from her due date, roughly by her estimates, but still.

I huddled into my sheepskin jacket, scanning the area as carefully as I could as I slipped in between the giant trees, staying as unseen and silent as I possibly could. There was no reason I needed to alert whoever it was that was looking for Violet that I was out hunting or patrolling. The only good thing about it was that it was a witchling and I didn't need to cover up my scent at all. If it would have been a werewolf that would have just caused all sorts of problems so I was thankful it was just a witchling. Not saying witches weren't dangerous, they were just a lot easier to look for because one didn't need to try and hide their scent as well as everything else.

I paused, my head turning to the east, my Instinct scraped across my bones and I went even more still, straining to hear.

Hear something

It's out of place

Find them

Eradicate threat

I silently cursed my Instinct as I strained to hear whatever it was that had caught its attention and slowly but surely I could hear a faint voice on the breeze. It wasn't close enough to hear what they were saying but it definitely was out of place. I slowly and carefully started to move towards them, doing my best to keep out of sight. The last thing I needed to do was surprise the witch and get my hair singed off.

The voice was growing clearer the further east I moved and I but realized they were moving south at a very high rate of speed because their voice, while clearer, was still not any closer. I shifted my direction and followed after them, unwilling to lose the trails. I was fairly positive that this was the witchling searching for Violet. I scented the air, dragging the nearly icy air deep into my lungs. I could smell the magick lingering in the air and it mixed with a faint feminine scent that teased the inside of my nose. I quirked an eyebrow at that before slowly picking up my speed, hoping to catch up with them to hear what they were saying.

It took me a few minutes before I was able to clearly hear the distinctly feminine voice that was muttering curses of all things and not the magick kind. I crept around the trees, barely catching sight of her as she moved through the dark and cold Forest. "This is bullshit." The words were spat out and my eyebrow quirked up slightly at the slight rasp her voice had. That rasp made me think of long nights of heated passion and fire. "Been out here looking for nearly two fucking day. It's bullshit." There was a heavy amount of venom to her voice and I did my best to shake off how her voice made me feel. My Instinct rose up inside me.

Threatens family

Eradicate threat

I pushed it away, there was more to do than simply murder her, I wanted to see what was going on and to see if I could get any information about what she was doing. I couldn't see her properly, her back was to me, but she was wearing a leather jacket and had a hood over her head. It was slowly starting to get darker out and she let out a rather explosive curse. "I swear to all that is unholy and chaotic I will murder over this." The venom seemed to only grow and I watched as the air shimmered around her, I was vaguely aware that they were shaped like tendrils, searching for something. I ducked behind a tree, waiting for a few moments before I slowly slipped round the tree to hide behind another one.

I caught sight of her moving further, kicking at a pile of snow. "Fucking white bullshit, that's what this is." I could see her breath as she lifted her arms and I could hear her breathing heavily, as if trying to warm her hands up. "Fucking stupid and pointless. I'll strangle her with my bare hands over this." At the threats my Instinct rose up sharper this time.

Threatens Violet

Threatens family

Must destroy her

She will hurt family

I ground my teeth together, pushing back against it harder. It could fuck off for the moment, I wanted to see what she was doing or if she would say anything else. I shifted my position again and the witchling paused, her steps faltering. I froze in my spot before she shifted and took several steps forward and with a swirl of magick and snow, was gone. I let out a small curse and moved closer to where she had been but she was gone.

"I don't appreciate being stalked, dog." The voice came from behind me and I whirled around. She was standing not far from me, her dark evergreen eyes narrowed at me and her fiery red curls that reminded me of a roaring fire, hung slightly in her face despite where she had shoved them into her good.

"I'd say trespassin' in the Northern Forests is a good enough reason t' follow you." I crossed my arms over my chest and her eyes narrowed further. She was a pretty thing, looked like she could hold her own. She was small but there was an aura around her that said 'fucking try me' in a rather menacing voice.

She crossed her arms over her own chest, setting her weight back on her heels, matching my own hidden language of suspicion. "My business is none of your business, mutt." I couldn't help but like the tone of voice she used, the one that said she was half a second from throwing a punch at me. It was enough to get my blood pumping in my veins.

"A little red haired witchling walking around here all by herself..." I drawled it out, watching her intently, "Talkin' about murder... now that's enough t' get suspicious." It was but damn if I didn't find her both interesting and provocative. She had certainly grabbed my attention, that was for sure. I couldn't see what type of figure she had underneath her bulky jacket but she was taller than Violet by nearly six inches, but I could have bet gold that she was strong and her figure dipped and curved where a female should. "So colour me suspicious, little red." I drawled the words out slowly, shifting my weight forwards, leaning towards her.

She tilted her head before lifting her chin, matching my own offensive energy with her own. "I don't give two shits who you're suspicious of." At the fiery words my Instinct rose up for an entirely different reason.

Fight female

She would welcome it

Then take her

My blood surged hot at the very idea of sparring with the red headed beauty before me and I pressed the tip of my tongue to one of my canines as I leaned closer to her. "Keep talkin' like that an' I might just take it as an invitation." I let the words purr out of me and her eyes narrowed further but I didn't miss how they flicked up and down my body. I liked that she was looking.

She looked back up at me, her fair skin pink from the cold and her mouth quirked up slightly, it was a nearly teasing gesture that made me want to groan as the heat pooled in my belly, making my pants uncomfortably tight. "Fuck. Off. Fido." She said each word clipped but purred and I found myself grinning.

"Don't think ye are getting the right response from me that you want, little red." She was getting the exact opposite response that I bet she was trying very hard to get. I liked my females with a bit more fire and spirit to them. I had never liked the calm and quiet females, the ones that needed protecting, like Violet.

"Well then." She flicked her gaze up and down me once more before baring her teeth at me. It was interesting seeing a witchling do the action but it made another surge of heat move through me. "Remember that when I put you through a fucking tree." She definitely purred the threat out and my Instinct clawed and scraped against my bones and I damn near shuddered at the feeling of it. "I'll do than then find who I need to find and no other mutt will bother me." She gave me a rather feral grin and my Instinct roared through me at her words.

Perfect.