The distinctive click of a bolt being loaded into a crossbow was what finally broke through the layer of shock that had settled over Joshua, his pointed ears twitching forward as he lifted his golden gaze to the woman. He instinctively stiffened as he saw the weapon ready in her hand, but found that there was a curious lack of immediate threat in the action. Still, he barely dared to breathe, let alone blink as he watched the Hunter‘s face. A second, Unexpected click of a weapon had his muscles twitching, head swiveling towards the sound with a silent growl wrinkling his muzzle. Another hunter, a man, was crouched on the edge of the clearing, a secondary crossbow in his hands aimed and ready to fire. Fur beginning to bristle, Joshua instinctively parted his jaws to bare his fangs at the new threat, but was brought up short as the woman he had protected hissed Saufley to her companion, waving him off with a hand.

Mouth closing, the red and black werewolf stared uncomprehendingly at the huntress, trying to understand her motive. and as he stared, he felt as if he was being drawn forward somehow, already having taken a hesitant step forward before consciously choosing to do so. Freezing as soon as he realized what he had done, Joshua immediately backpedaled, taking several steps backwards and flattening his ears. Head lowering, he wheeled around, taking off in a limping run into the trees, pausing only long enough to cast one last look over his shoulder before disappearing into the underbrush.

Heart pounding against his chest, not from his run or the threat of dying he had just faced, Joshua found himself struggling to comprehend what had just happened, all fire from the earlier fighting long since drained away. He had never encountered a situation where he had felt a desire to protect someone that was not his pack, especially a human. And he had never thought of, let alone acted upon the desire to attack another of his kind. And yet that was the situation he now found himself in, having encountered both situations in one night in the span of only a handful of minutes. Slowing to a stop, panting breaths slightly wheezing as they left his open jaws, he again looked back over his shoulder, though the woman had been left behind quite some time ago. But no matter how long he stared into the trees, it all came down to the same thing. He didn’t understand. Sinking down onto his haunches with a groan, Joshua focused his attention on something he did understand, licking his wound clean, firmly putting all thoughts of the woman at the back of his mind.