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The Blood War

(A President Loki and CL1 collaboration)

Prologue (Outlander's POV)

Outlander pressed her nose to the cold ground, sniffing at a small pawprint imprinted in the damp soil. The print matched Scavenger's small stature as did the scent. She tried to pick it out of the myriad of smells that rode towards her on the wind, including the scents of her packmates around her, but an overpowering scent of decay and wolf was severley hindering her ability to track. The scent was stale, likely a wolf pack's hunting grounds a few days ago.

A gruff bark from the hill behind her caught her attention. Commander, the alpha of the small coyote pack, was glaring at her with his ears pinned back. "Back in line," he growled. "This is a hunt."

Not a game of hide and seek, Outlander finished the sentence in her head. She had been searching for Scavenger for days, and Commander always said the same thing when Outlander went looking. Her adoptive sister had gone to scout for food a week ago and hadn't returned. Outlander was determined to keep looking before rain washed the trail away, but Commander's sharp gaze narrowed further and he bared his teeth as he took a step closer.

Outlander narrowed her eyes in return and stalked up the ridge, stopping directly in front of the alpha. At this distance, she loomed over him, her size a clear indicator of what he liked to remind her. She wasn't a coyote, she was half wolf as well.

A monster under his command.

Commander stood his ground, daring Outlander to challenge him, something he knew would never come. For the longest, the pack waited in silence, watching with wide eyes to see which would snap at the other first. Then Outlander let out a frustrated puff of air and took her place in line, directly in front of the omega. Commander gave her one final look of smug triumph before leading the pack forward through the brush. As the passed, Outlander cast one last glance at the foot print in the dirt, hoping the decay she had smelled didn't belong to Scavenger's carcass.

~CL1

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