"Starlight!" Jaire called. This wasn't what they'd planned at all! She yelped as teeth fastened themselves into her skin. The fox's fangs were like tiny needles, drawing blood. Jaire struggled, but found herself pinned below the many foxes attacking her. She couldn't see what Starlight was up to.

"STOP! Or Stella gets it!" Starlight's raspy voice suddenly seemed to draw the fight to a halt. Jaire felt the foxes' grip on her skin loosen and quickly got up.

All foxes were turned in the same direction, staring at Starlight, who was bleeding from several wounds and had Stella's throat caught between her jaws, carefully applying pressure without drawing blood. Jaire was shocked to see a humongous gash running from just above the matriarch's eye, down over the eyelids, cheek, neck, shoulder and finally running to her belly. It was bleeding profusely, and Stella, despite her size, suddenly looked weak.

"Mother!" cried one of the foxes.

"Stella!" two others yipped.

Stella was taking heaving breaths and finally spoke, her voice hoarse and shaky. "Stay ba...back."

A battle-scarred tod stalked up to Starlight, bristling. "Release her now, or we'll kill you!"

Starlight's eyes resembled blue fire. "Stay back or I'll kill her."

"Stay...back..." repeated Stella.

The dog fox let out a sound resembling a snarl, but stayed put.

Jaire carefully approached her friend, shocked to see her hold down Stella like this. She was an enemy, yes, but Jaire didn't think that Stella just deserved to die.

"She's getting weaker," Jaire said quietly as she saw how severe Stella's wound really was. She would bleed to death soon if it wasn't tended to soon.

"Serves her right," Starlight growled, Stella's throat still between her jaws.

Jaire looked at Stella. Her eye which the wound ran over was closed, but the other stared at her weakly.

The female dog sighed, knowing what she had to do. "Starlight, release her."

The wolfdog's eyes widened. "Are you crazy? If I do that, her cronies will kill us!"

Jaire looked Stella in the eye again. "I am a healer. I can save your life by looking after that wound. But I only will if you promise you'll leave once you've recovered and never come back."

"She'll never keep her word," grumbled Starlight.

Jaire shot her friend a pleading look. "Please, Starlight. I don't want to see Stella die like this." She turned to the large vixen once more. "Swear it. Swear you'll leave us in peace if I save you."

The matriarch's eye seemed to glow threateningly for a moment, but the spark quickly faded due to her increasing weakness. "Fine," she rasped. "We'll leave. But heal me!"

"Tell the others," Jaire said coldly. "They'll follow you only."

Stella raised her voice, though it still was weak and shaky. "Everyone, stay back! The dog promised to heal me! I don't want anyone attacking her or her friend." She looked back at Jaire. "Now help me!"

"Starlight, let go."

The black wolfdog looked reluctant, but did as ordered and released Stella's throat. The vixen drew in a couple of deep breaths before coughing. An alarming amount of blood welled up from her wound, and she whimpered.

"Get them!" the tod that had spoken before yipped.

"Don't!" Stella shot back. She turned to Jaire. "You told me you'd heal me. Now do so! I feel..." She didn't even need to say the last word, before she collapsed onto the ground.

"Starlight, quick, I need as many leaves as you can find. You--" she ordered the foxes, "--help her if you don't want Stella to die. We don't have much time." For a moment she thought the skulk might try and attack her or Starlight once more, but they simply nodded without a word and got to work.

Soon they returned with a large portion of leaves. Working quickly, Jaire began to apply them one by one to stop the bleeding. Stella was half-conscious while it all happened.

The dog fox that had spoken walked up to her, still livid. "She doesn't look better to me!"

Jaire blinked. "Do none of you know anything about healing? I can't just save her within a few moments! She'll need to recover for days if not more than a week before she's back on her paws again."

The tod's eyes narrowed. "Fine. For now, while she's still alive, we're following our matriarch's orders. But if Stella dies, you and your wolfdog pal are going down in the most unpleasant way you can imagine."

Starlight approached Jaire just as the fox left her, joining the rest of the skulk at a small distance.

"Are you sure about this? This is awfully dangerous..." Starlight's voice was taut with worry. "If things go wrong..."

"I know," responded Jaire. "But nobody has to die. I think Stella will pull through."

"And she and her skulk will keep their word?"

"I trust they will," Jaire muttered.

***

The next few days went by slowly, all the while Jaire felt rather stressed. The fate of mine, Starlight's and Stella's life all hinges on me. One mistake...

The Red Skulk had remained in their territory, but at the very outer edge. Only three members remained at the rendezvous site to watch over Stella. The scarred dog fox, whose name was Ripple, had seemingly taken over the leadership until their old leader was back on her paws.

Stella was still unconscious a lot of the time, but came to more and more over the days. Her injury was now no longer covered by leaves, but instead had a poultice on it.

Jaire also came to realize that, even if Stella did live and her wound didn't get infected, she'd always bear the scar of it. Starlight had really done a number on the vixen.

Finally, after a week and a half had passed, Stella was slowly moving about the rendezvous. Her movements were stiff and careful, with a slight limp in her left front paw, but overall she was doing fine, and she hadn't lost her consciousness in days.

Jaire sniffed the wound. "I think it won't get any better than this."

Stella grunted. "Guess I'll always have a scar to remind me, though." The wound had turned a dark pink, fleshy color, and though the vixen could still see through the eye with the scarred eyelids, it was permanently swollen half-shut now.

Ripple, who was among Stella's guards today, walked up to Jaire. "You said you'd heal her! She still has a scar!"

"I don't have magic powers!" Jaire bit back. "Wounds leave scars, you should know that! Your leader is back on her paws and won't die unless her wound gets infected."

"Ripple, it's okay." Stella's voice sounded mellow. "I owe this dog my life." She turned to both Starlight and Jaire. "I made you a vow to leave you be if I'd recover. I did, and so you shall have your wish. We will leave your territory and leave you two in peace."

"After what they did to you?" Ripple burst out.

Stella looked over her shoulder at the tod. "Are you questioning my orders?"

His eyes widened and he quickly looked at his paws. "Of course not, Stella."

"Good." Stella turned her gaze to Starlight and Jaire. "I can't say this has been a pleasant stay, but I thank you for your care nonetheless."

"Just keep the wound clean and make sure not to overexert yourself these first few weeks," Jaire said. "And remember the herbs I taught you, should you need them in case of emergency."

Stella blinked. "My skulk has a lot more to learn about healing and herbs. I thank you for this information. But we must be off. Come on, foxes. To me!"

She hobbled off the rendezvous site, taking Ripple and the other foxes with her. That was the last Jaire and Starlight ever saw of the Red Skulk.

***

It had been two nights. Two nights of final peace and quiet. Jaire had been asleep for a lot of time, catching up on rest after watching over Stella for so long. Starlight mostly hunted and patrolled on her own, but she seemed okay with that.

The black wolfdog now entered the clearing, dragging the body of a half-grown boar piglet with her.

Jaire walked up to her, beaming. "Quite the catch for a single canine!"

Starlight dropped the leg she had been pulling it with and laughed. "Let's call it a feast. Two days, and not a single sign of any Red Skulk foxes on our territory! I think you really did it, Jaire!"

Jaire felt herself blush. "Oh, well. It was nothing. I kind of had no choice."

Starlight gave her a playful nip on the ear. "Well, you did it anyway! Good job, girl!"

Jaire blinked and looked into Starlight's bright blue eyes. They contrasted so beautifully with her dark coat.

Awkwardly, she cleared her throat. "Starlight... I haven't been able to talk about this because of everything going on with the foxes but..."

"Well? Spit it out!" Starlight looked like her ears would have perked, if she still had them.

"You mentioned...liking girls once..."

"Yes, I told you about that. What about it?"

"I think... I never..." Jaire stared at her paws, before looking Starlight straight in the face. "I think I like you."

Starlight blinked, apparently dumbfounded. "You do?"

"I...I think I do? I don't know, I've never had these feelings towards anyone before!" Jaire suddenly couldn't bear to look Starlight in the eye again. Stupid stupid stupid! What if she doesn't want to be friends anymore after this?

"Not anyone?"

Jaire shook her head, still refusing to meet Starlight's gaze. "I always thought I just wasn't into any gender. I mean, it's not like I've had a lot of experience with other people. Alan, Nick and Big all were like brothers to me, I only knew Kwebso for a few weeks, and then there's you..." She finally gathered the courage to look into Starlight's deep blue eyes. She expected to find any form of disapproval in them, but they looked neutral, maybe even happy.

Starlight carefully got up. "Well, I think I like you too, actually. I feel like it's a bit soon to tell, especially with us losing so many loved ones lately, but I do like you a lot. Maybe more than a friend."

Jaire felt her tail wag involuntarily. "You mean you don't hate me for telling you?"

"Jaire, I'm happy you told me! I haven't met a lot of lesbians or sapphics like me before, so it's great!"

"Great!" repeated Jaire, after which an awkward silence fell.

"So...do we hug now or what?" Starlight said after a while.

Jaire laughed. "I don't even know what I'm supposed to do next!"

Starlight smirked back. "What if we just see where this goes? Date for a while to start things off?"

Jaire blinked and smiled broadly. "Yes. I think I'd like that. But what if we don't end up working well together! I don't want to lose you as my friend, either!"

"How about we promise that if things don't work out, we'll be friends still?"

"Yes... I think I'd like that. You and me," Jaire said.

Starlight gave her a quick lick on the cheek. Jaire felt like she might explode.

"Now eat your damn boar before the body gets stiff!" Starlight bayed, wagging her tail.

Jaire couldn't repress a bout of laughter and dug in with Starlight.