Verna
"Easy Juniper-"*The Canifor would quietly murmur, hanging off the side of Airstrider as she would try to find the best way to mount the bird. It had been only a few months since Juniper had hatched from her egg, and just in that time she had already grown to be nearly Juna's height. Juna was never good around mounts, this being the first one she's ever had. However, she had seen others ride Airstriders before which left her believing that maybe she should try as well.

The bird would let out a series of chirps, shifting and moving all about to the disappointment of the Canifor as she would soon fall off the side of the bird with a quiet 'oof' upon impact with the ground. It wasn't a hard fall, but it was enough to leave her discouraged about it. Juniper would wander about the area they were in, a nice secluded spot in the forest some ways away from the camp. Her Jackal lounged not too far away, the heat of midday clearly getting to him in his mild laziness.*

"Juniper-"*Juna would say again with a sigh as she forced herself back up and tried to bring her wandering bird back into the center. She was getting so big now. Juna was grateful the bird wasn't as loud or aggressive as some of the one's she met, but that didn't remove the bird's childish wanderings completely.*"Please stay close..."*Juna would whisper to her. Of course, the bird didn't understand her, which only served to make her job much harder.*
Ching
*A pair of pointed ears perked up as the sound of a twig snapping was heard, the figure slowly grabbing the weapon by their side and getting into their feet while remaining low. The sound of talking, whining really, was obvious through the blowing wind and rustling of small critters in nearby trees. She thought the area had been desolate, not expecting to meet anyone ever, really. But clearly that wasn't the case.*

*It had been so long since they'd ever seen any person since the departure from their clan, let alone hear a voice. Their eyes narrowed in suspicion as they kept their profile low, crouching amongst the bushes, approaching her 'prey' near silently, listening in on the conversation they had with what seemed to be a bird. Rather small though, likely young, and based on how the small handler seemed to be talking to it, it didn't seem well trained. Their eyes scanned the surrounding area in search of any followers, taking note of the lack of any other persons around, save for a small jackal that didn't seem to be the most competent. But they knew better than to count out smaller beasts just because of their demeanor. They learned that the hard way.*

*Deciding to make a move and get some answers, and to be more safe than sorry, the figure soon started to skulk their way up behind the small brown haired woman, doing their best to stay as quiet as possible, and as they closed the distance their weapon was slowly extended out. The tip of their spear poked lightly into the young handler's back, not very hard, but hard enough to be very, __very__ noticeable.* 

"Who are you? State your business." *The voice was that of a woman's. It was a deep, husky even, one that held a sense of power and held it with pride. Her words were stern and demanding, trying to pull an answer out with little convincing, and whatever lack of convincing she was able to do, the spear that she held to their back surely did the rest of the talking.*
Verna
*A point in her back. Juna could only feel the sharpened edge of the spear as she would draw still. Very still. The words would come next, her ears instinctively turning back at the sound of another's voice. Someone had snuck up on her and whoever it was, they seemed deathly close to puncturing her.

A yelp couldn't even leave her in time to her realization of her predicament, merely finding her hands tightly holding on to her feathered bird in front of her. She was between the person and Juniper at least. That was a plus, right? The fur along her would stand on end as the tension grew, but no words were able to leave her.

Her ears would lower on her head, tears threatening to break the barrier as a burning sensation crept up her throat. She couldn't bring herself to turn around and face the person, but the back of her mind tended to fill in the gaps for her. Juna had imagined it being like one of the wolves from her dreams, much like the tall stark one that had haunted her before winding up dead by a vampire lady one morning.

Was this another coming hunt her down in reality? Surely nothing else could have snuck up on her so easily. Where was her protector that promised he'd be here? She was a fool for depending on a figment of her unconsciousness.*

*Her Jackal's head would lift up from the tension he picked up in the air, his gaze soon landing on the woman threatening his owner as a low growl would escape his throat. Juna didn't make a move to stop him, not really sure if him doing anything would make of a difference to whatever this person's plans was with her. 

Should she even try answering the questions? She didn't know. But with the growling filling the air, it was the only noise that could stop her from losing her grasp on reality.*
Ching
*The woman's eyes stared at the small handler, cold and calculating while watching for any sudden movements. She expected a bit of a shock factor from suddenly being threatened with a weapon, but the silence that dragged on was a lot more than what she thought was even possible. An eyebrow was raised in confusion, but before she could repeat herself the growling was heard, and her eyes quickly darted over to the jackal that she had taken note of earlier.*

*They ever so slightly applied pressure of the spear to the Canifor's back, starting to pierce clothing deciding not to take any unnecessary chances.* "Listen, girl. I do not wish to harm you if I do not have to. I have slain many beasts larger than your dog over there. Tell him to stay down, or I will use lethal force. Once you do, state your intentions. I will not be asking again, young woman." *She spoke clearly and in such a way that made sure that her prey knew she would follow through with her words should her demands not be met, feet shifting in preparation for a fight. It was bothersome that the girl wouldn't just comply and had to overcomplicate things.*

*Back where she was from, her word alone would have forced a thousand words out of the mouths of those she asked. The unfamiliar lands certainly did hold new things, both in beasts and people alike. It was very resource bountiful, but she couldn't take any chances. Was it a bad idea to make enemies so soon? Probably. Not like she had much of a choice though with how much she knew of the area, however the girl didn't seem like she was very sociable if she froze up at the concept of being held up.*
Verna
*Juna would wince as the sharp point of the spear dug further into the leather than protected her, feeling it dig further into her back as a single pressurized point. A single jab back into her situation, though finding words was proving to be more difficult than she would have hoped.*"If you don't wish to harm me..."*She'd begin, her words coming slowly and staggered as if the spear was choking her out and leaving her with little air to speak.*"Why do you prod me with the spear...?"*She'd continue, her question sounding like a death wish with every second she didn't answer the woman's question. Her words conflicted her actions, so much to the point where she wondered if she would kill her anyways with her questions answered.

Her ears would angle towards Jace, though she wouldn't turn to look towards him. The thought of someone else going in to attack her animal again rested too heavy in her mind for her to have to witness it again. Call him off, call him off. He had been doing so well lately to be called off for doing what his mind knows is right, that she knows is right.*"He thinks you're harming me..."*She'd say, the edge feeling sharper and sharper.*"You are... Harming me..."

*She fell silent again, feeling her hands tightening her grip on her Airstrider in her lack of compliance. The Canifor supposed that there was a time when someone said she'd have to protect the ones she cared about. Juna didn't envision it happening like this, sharp and quick much like the assassination attempt on her traveling along the pathways. Her ears would lower on her head.*"He will attack you so long as you continue... His stress is... My stress..."*She'd murmur. Juna supposed she could always tell him to run off, but this scenario was much different from the battle beaten Jackal he was upon fleeing. He knew he could still fight unlike before. He would fight.*
Ching
*The woman's eyes studied her captive's every move, watching their hands as if anticipating some sort of counter attack, or seeing if they were trying to reach for any sort of weapon. The girl may have seemed innocent enough, but there was no way to tell for sure. Not without a proper interrogation, that is. And that was what she intended to do, but as long as the girl continued to be non compliant with a simple question... They didn't consider themselves to have a short fuse, but her patience had started to run a bit thin, admittedly.* "Listen girl, I do not care about what your.. Dog, thinks. I am only doing what is necessary for assuring my safety." 

*Her words were laced with poison, stating her intentions in clear, albeit a tad bit broken speech. Like she wasn't too familiar with the tongue that she spoke. Her eyes narrowed as she glanced up and down the Canifor woman's body, grip strengthening on her weapon.* "I do not wish to unnecessarily harm those who have no ill intentions. But until you tell me what yours are, I can only assume you are here to cause harm. Your refusal to answer a very simple question doesn't give me a good impression of you, girl." *Truly they didn't want to hurt the girl if they didn't have to, but the sheer reluctance to answer her question not once but twice set off a few red flags that only enhanced their distrust.*

"Now, one last time. What. Are. Your intentions."
Verna
*Juna remained motionless, the only thing moving from her being he small furs as a breeze would cause them to shift. The woman demanded to know her intentions, yet it was hard to have any with her being jabbed at from behind. She spoke of Juna not giving off a good impression, yet Juna wasn't the one that walked up to her. She spoke of her trying to protect herself without looking to hurt others, yet she came up behind the Canifor with sharpened stick for extra measure. Juna could feel the emotion in her chest hardening, beginning to sharpen and take mold from her lack of control in the situation. Reddened and puffy eyes would close for a moment, allowing the burning sensation from the air in them to pass before she'd open them once more.*"Run Juni..."*She'd murmur to her bird before releasing the Airstrider. With the tension, already built, the bird would turn and dash off, moving with such agility despite its youth.

Now it was just the three of them. Juna would shift her gaze to the side, part of her imagining a wolf the size of the bear, spiritual at most as if her own spirit wolves had come back to haunt her from losing her connection from them.*"I had no intention."*She'd say to the woman, taking a couple step forward so that she no longer had feel the weight of the spear in her back. Jace would move in step with her, coming to circle around Sigrid from behind.*"I didn't even want to make an impression..."*Again a couple more steps, she just needed a small bit of space, breathing room and area for movement.*"You see someone with their pets and your first thought is that they're here to cause harm... If that's what you think... Then you're as big as a hypocrite as... Me..."*Her tone would fade off at the last word, finally turning around fully to look upon the stranger working to interrogate her. She wasn't a wolf, yet wolf-like to the point where she could have been. Juna supposed she shouldn't have expected any different.*

*Jace didn't seem to let up his own anger, growls coming from behind the woman.*"Now... I want to ask... Who are you... And what are your intentions...?"*Her voice carried much softer than Sigrid's though not with any lack of weight to it. Juna seemed unarmed enough at any rate. That was a good thing, right?*
Ching
*Her ears quickly perked up as the bird ran off, assuming that was what the whispering was about before she turned her attention back to the small girl, an opinion forming, molding and shaping with every action they took. She truly didn't __want__ to hurt anyone, but when a competent warrior as such as herself was met with new lands, tasked with the sole objective to save her clan, she couldn't be taking any chances. Her hands gripped the spear even tighter as brunette started to speak, listening intently to every word spoken with bated breath. She allowed her to move away, just slightly enough for a bit of breathing room knowing that if by chance the girl wasn't guilty, she would need it, and as they turned around the tall, savage looking woman took one quick glance to gauge their equipment. It didn't seem like she had much, but with how it seemed like they were crying, she didn't feel the need to worry about any weapons. For now at least. The anger in her voice could have meant she would attack out of spite but, she supposed she deserved that. Slightly, at least.*

*The tall woman took one last look over before their posture seemed to relax in one big sigh, standing up straight and setting the staff of their spear to the ground. She set her other hand on her waist and bowed her head slightly, hopefully getting the gesture of respect across.* "My name is Sigrid. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I must take any action I can to ensure my safety. I was setting down a temporary resting place nearby, and heard some noises, then decided to investigate." *Sigrid bowed one more time, before looking out to where the girl's bird had ran off, letting out a softer, less impactful sigh.* "I apologize for your, uh... Bird. I did not mean for it to run away." *Sigrid's head turned back towards the small Canifor, a look of slight guilt on her face.* "I do not mean you harm but, when coming to new lands, I cannot take the risk to be so passive. May I ask what your name is, l
Verna
*Juna wouldn't avert her gaze from the woman as she would speak, half an ear being pointed in the direction that Juniper was going in her running off. She'd have to go back and get her eventually, though right now she'd prefer to keep her distance from this woman. Seeing her relax before offering an apologetic bow, Juna couldn't bring herself to trust this woman anymore than she tried to convince her to. She was the one that came up to her and threatened her life for knowledge of something she wasn't even planning to do. She'd wait for her to finish with what she was going to say before Juna would eventually respond back.*

"You're on my land."*She'd say simply. In the knowledge of her building a makeshift camp around here, Sigrid was of course the one to talk about protecting herself. Juna would walk off only to stoop down and pick up her staff that she had left lying in the grass. With Jace still growling in the background, Juna would give a light flick of her tongue to get his attention before pointing of in the direction that Juniper had gone in.*"Go find."*She'd tell him, waiting for the Jackal to soon notice the threat was neutralized before he'd slowly walk off as well.

Juna would look back at Sigrid, the annoyance having not yet left her gaze. Being asked what her name was, Juna would plant her staff in the ground to use it as better support.*"I'm Lady..."*She'd say to her, looking the woman over. She was definitely foreign to this land with the Canifor never having seen her before, though that was nothing new to her in living out in the forests.*"If you're worried of your safety so much... Then leave for the the Capitol... The forests here were never safe for travelers..."