Slightly unaware, annoying. Perhaps. But being called downright rude and unnecessarily violent... that was just a bridge too far. Especially for him to tell her so. "Him" was a person she hadn't dared to have thought of encountering again, of all people, and definitely not in this place. In the middle of nowhere on a god-forsaken flank of the Phoenix Mountains, for crying out loud. "Him" was her uncle, her father's brother and a fellow cursed one. A forsaken man. A blood-relative she had no quarrels with in the past, up until her disappearance 8 years prior. Kitalpha shook her head and glared at the man before her. "I dare you to say that again, Uncle Caleb." The blonde hissed underneath her voice, which the man could still audibly understand with his enhance hearing. "My point exactly kiddo. You're already throwing around threats while I just told you what I thought about you, and with it you're just playing straight into my hand." He grinned self-complacent, towering above her by at least one feet difference. Not that the blonde warrioress was afraid, but she knew his fighting prowess had always been like better than anyone's in the clan... as was his boasting about it. And she knew all too well this was gonna end in a brawl, otherwise he wouldn't seek her out like this, after all those years.
Sadly enough for her, the man wasn't your typical "brawn but no brain". Caleb was shrewd, both in his way of thinking and fighting, which brought her more issues at hand. He knew how to push her buttons, almost frighteningly perfect if she had to be honest, and he knew all too well that he could trigger her with it. So all he had to do was bide his time, push some more buttons and wait for her to set off the trigger and go wild. But she knew too this was his plan. Yet the temptation to fall for the oh-so obvious plan was eerily present. Kitalpha knew she had to be careful now. Take back some gas, bite her tongue. Try not to care. Try. Harder. "A dare is not a threat per se, Uncle, it may also be a testing of one's wit. Their capability to sense a trap. Like yours, for example." Kitalpha replied gingerly, doing her best to keep a straight face. "Heh. Nice try kid, but no. Not at all. Far from, actually; though I must admit you've grown a bit more mature in your way of acting. No longer that spoilt brat you were back in the day," he, unknowingly to Kitalpha, purposely paused halfway his sentence as he started walking around her perimeter, purposely not getting any closer than necessary. "I know I was back then, but I'm glad you realised I've improved heaps and bounds to get become better and improve-" She was cut short almost immediately, and at that point knew she'd fallen for it. His verbal trap. "Grown to become a weakling running away from her responsibilities instead. Such a gallant improvement." Crap. To be fair this had been just too perfect an opportunity to pass it by, and she'd walked right into it without even faltering. She could hear Horama's snaring snickering in the back of her mind, followed by his eerie double voice only stating the things she was painfully aware of. "That was way too easy, kiddo. Almost laughable." Horama grinned. "Well then, instead of standing here cursing ourselves and allowing him to gloat about the fact that you so stupidlywalked into that obvious abomination of a taunt, why not show him what you've become, my dear?" The curse almost whispered in her ear. "If he wants violence, just indulge him. Show him madness."
Kitalpha knew better than to fall for this subtle taunt too, but the damage had already been done. She was already falling, so why not fall even further while she was at it. If it was today that she had to show her ugly side, then so she would. Wouldn't be so bad. After all, she had been acheing to stretch her legs for a brawl that could be called more than just a warm-up. "Ha. That's cute, uncle Caleb. To die for." If looks could kill, this particular glare would've torn the broad blonde downright in half. Unaware of the tauntingly sweet words the curse had whispered into his little niece's ears. Unaware of how gladly she succumbed to it. Unaware of how fast things had escalated until he felt her claws graze past the soft skin in his neck as he stepped back to dodge, be it only barely. "Well color me surprised kid, who would've thought you'd become this-" Caleb paused as he stared at the crouched figure only meters away from him, glaring at him with flaring crimson eyes. They weren't smiling. Not even hinting an ounce of competitive jest. Her canines were baring themselves the longer she glared at him, and for a single moment Caleb couldn't help but swallow the lump caught in his throat. She wasn't playing around. "Looks like you've grown indeed, kid." he thought silently as he turned towards her. "I see. If that's what you wish for, then I won't be playing around any longer either. Come and get it, ya little punk!" He roared, allowing his lupine features to break through his human façade as well. The two flew at each other's throats like two rabid dogs.
The fight itself was a pit of foul play with a handful of lacking sportsmanship sprinkled all over it. Not quite the thing you'd want to watch, or have witnesses of, if one had to be fair. Because what it looked like was in fact what was actually happening upon the snowy mountainside; two wolves fighting over dominance and the right to be right. One fletchling whose name held the very essence of an alpha, versus a veteran who's name meant nothing more than being a dog. Yet as a wolf he fought, just like his fletchling counterpart, who could rather be described as a pup compared to his experience. But said pup was biting back just as viciously. Literally. Kitalpha's sharpened canines dug deep within Caleb's arm, who roared in pain and swung his fist into her ribs over and over again until she let go, only to follow up with a merciless clenched fist backhanded into her face. The young blonde was sent flying and uncomfortably came unto a crashing halt in the thick layer of snow about a dozen meters away. Caleb growled and cursed vividly as he gazed upon his torn arm, showing signs of heavy blood loss from the deep wounds in his lower arm. His blood dripped down unto the white carpet of trampled snow, dying it into a steadily deeper-growing vibrant crimson color. "Damn you little shit-faced brat..." he huffed, eyeing the downed blonde that laboriously tried to get back up. With not much effect, it seemed.
Kitalpha groaned as the throbbing within her head and side alike intensified as soon as she tried to move, clasping her ribs as she curled up in a foetal position, tears welling up a she tried to roll over unto her stomach without result. The throbbing amplified, and on top of that got the very uninvited company of sharp stings of pain flashing through her body every time her lungs expanded and inhaled air. She bit her lip trying to hold back the tears and willingness to scream, knowing all too well that she'd broken several ribs, if not more. "Fuck..." She laid back on her back and stared up at the clouded sky and tried to relax her body somewhat more, feeling the cold of the snow and ice numb a bit of the pain as she laid there, striving to control her breathing before attempting to get up again. The pain was immense, and tore through her once again as she tried to roll over; tasting blood in her mouth as she bit her lip again, persevering until she laid face down in the snow, and slowly placed her hands beside her to push herself up. As soon as she did she felt the muscles around her ribs tense, and with it pressuring the broken bones that mercilessly taunted her into screaming in agony. But she persisted, even after her arm gave out and made her smack back down face first. She could feel Caleb's piercing eyes looking at her, but she did not sense his smell becoming stronger, meaning he did not attempt to come closer at all. However disturbing the blonde found this, she now was like the worm for a bird if she couldn't get up. She was vulnerable. She growled, mumbling to herself. "D-damnit... get. UP. Kgggg--" Another pained groan escaped her body as she finally managed to get herself unto her knees and panted short but heavily, agonized by every movement her ribcage made that was beyond herself.
She stared at Caleb, who stared back at her in return and nodded, seemingly self-satisfied. "Well, kid... no, Kitalpha. I must admit, you do know how to take a punch -or six- and return one as well. I'm impressed. But you should know better than to lash out to your elders so easily. Not that I condone your fierce spirit though, many a hunter back home could learn from that, but you're too easily taunted. Commendable for your battle prowess, but think before you act, or you'll end up worse than this." Caleb ended, slowly closing in on the kneeling warrioress. "Don't you-" Kitalpha started, only to die down in silence as soon as she started her sentence, realizing she was only going about in an endless circle if she spoke her threat once more. "Heh, good, you're a faster learner. I liked that about you, even when you were still a noisy brat. You are just like your brother in that regard." He said, and raised his hands as he approached Kitalpha and noticed her glaring eyes. Caleb grinned, realising her was in fact approaching her in the same way one would a wounded yet dangerous predator, for example... let's say a wolf, seeing the situation it would be most befitting to use that as an example.
Despite her injuries the blonde couldn't help but try and inch backwards as Caleb closed in, only to immediately regret that decision as she flinched from the imminent pain. "Stay-" She started, but Caleb was faster. "Don't worry, although you did a good number on me, I got to see what I came for... and even more than what I had bargained for, actually. Although not all are as positive as I'd hoped to see." he said. "W-what? You're making no sense." "To you I don't, but to me it's crystal clear. Now hush, you're gonna be in for a treat once the adrenaline dies down, so let me take a look at those ribs of yours before that happens." Caleb silenced her, kneeling down as soon as he got near her and forcing her arm up in the air so he could get a better look. Kitalpha cursed like there was no tomorrow, but found herself in a considerably less amount of pain once Caleb jabbed his fingers somewhere between her 3rd and 4th rib. Before she could say something however, Caleb already replied to her unspoken question. "Acupuncture. A bitch to learn, but incredibly handy once you've mastered it. Though this is only temporary. I paralysed the muscle here to relieve the pain, but in an hour or two this will start hurting twice as much... at best. But aside from three broken ribs and a few torn muscles, everything seems fine. I can't sense any internal injuries... which I cannot say of my arm." he noted sarcastically, holding up the now in-blood-covered arm showing disturbingly deep gashes in it. "I... sorry, Uncle Caleb, you just didn't leave me any choice." "Indeed, that I didn't. Never came across someone in the clan who had such long canines though. Or sharp ones, for that matter. But you know, it'll heal over time. Nothing better than to boast with a few fresh battle scars, eh?" he joked, punting her side. Whether he did this on purpose or not was beyond the now gasping female. "You fucking-" she snarled, but was caught in a neck key as by Caleb as he started ruffling her hair playfully. "That's my little niece~" he laughed almost endearingly.
After both had calmed down, and for the remainder of the day, Caleb decided to help Kitalpha set up camp so both could tend to the wounds they'd incurred during their small 'kerfuffle'. They ended up staying there for a few days longer, where Caleb enclosed the true reasons of seeking her out, as well as brought her up to date on the happenings back home. He even asked her whether she needed him to tag along to her next destination, just in case anything were to go wrong, but Kitalpha declined right away, knowing that despite this all, she had to do this alone. Find her own way back home. The fight had made her realise that staying alone would not help her grow any further than this... she had to return home. To her new home, that is. To Silver Wolf, and to the comrades and family she'd left behind there.
It was time for the stray to rejoin the pack once again.
Total wordcount: 2260 of 2000
