5/13/2025, 6:42 PM
His muttered dismay earned him a flash of a smile from the huntress, sharp-toothed and a little self-depreciating in the way it sat on her features slightly lopsided. Choumi brushed aside the swell of bitterness within herself with a flick of her ear.
She met his gaze, waiting for his response patiently, before he boldly announced his plan if she was so foolish as to try to lead him into her comrade's waiting fangs. The woman tossed her head back and a soft, breathy laugh chimed from her throat. Her laughter was not mocking, nor that of disbelief - the paranoia was something she'd harbor, too, if their roles were reversed. Still, the idea that she'd go to such lengths to lure a stranger into her pack's maws without even her voice to aid her was indeed humorous.
The huntress whirled to face him, paws dancing across the sand. She shook her head firmly, a mirthful grin still faint on her features. Not a trap! I swear. She lifted her chin and straightened her posture, her tail swaying low by her hocks. You'll be safe with me. Not that she expected him to glean that. He would have to see for himself, or turn tail now.
She didn't think he'd slink off: it'd make him look like he really didn't think he would fare as well as he hoped in the coming battle if it were a trap. The woman stepped along the shore confidently, glancing at the island across the water to find the landmarks she used to determine the right location to cross the most safely, the places where the tides would help ferry her to and from her destination.
The Ite stepped into the foam, glancing over her shoulder once when the water was deep enough for the waves to soak the fur along her chest, before she dove into the water properly. The Rest was waiting for them.
