In spite of the fact that a handful of gunshots had rung out prior to the final, most notable one, Ellie did not take notice of the chaos occurring a few blocks away from the Dancing Jackal until she heard that pitiful wolf pup's howl reach her from the dark, musty recesses of the back alleyways. Even though the sound was faint, it was duplicated by the sensation of the pup's emotion that rattled Ellie's core. She froze, standing off to the side of the doorway as Gidon made his way inside, her ears pricked, tail sticking out straight behind her as the hair on the back of her shoulders raised.
Something was terribly wrong.
She glanced towards Gidon's form, then shifted to watch Aura saunter back into the bar before Ellie turned to the entrance, taking up her human disguise before stepping out into the snow.
"I'll only be a moment," she said to no one in particular before setting off at a sprint down the alley, and off towards the residential streets on the 'bad' side of Freeze City.
As though there was only one bad side.
Slipping on ice, her feet scrambling for purchase as she rushed towards the sound of the pitiful wolf's howl, she picked up on the panic, the fear, the desperation that became ever stronger, like an odor that filled her mind with the emotions of those she was sensing. She barely avoided knocking over a garbage can or two, finally stumbling out onto open road, somewhere between the group of humans at the end of the street...and the two wolves caught up in a Mexican standoff just off to her left. To the human eyes, she seemed to be just a panicked, cold woman short of breath. To the wolves, well...
Her white fur was bristled as she raced for the pup, unceremoniously positioning herself somewhat over her and stared at the other male wolf, dark eyes glittering.
"Child, hush," she said immediately, lowering her face close to the pups as she attempted to calm her with a reassuring look. Her head lifted then, regarding the other male.
But she did not bare her teeth, or emit any other threatening gesture. Her eyes flickered to his injury, the tense face-down between the adult wolves providing enough friction to melt the ice off of the street.
"There isn't much time." she murmured tentatively. "Quickly, before the others see you."
She lowered her head again, nudging Tala with her nose for just a moment. "Trust me, alright? I'll take you someplace safe." Without waiting for the pup's response, Ellie took the nape of her neck gently between her teeth, lifting her up off the ground and trotting quickly for the alley from where she'd come. She didn't look back for Leto until she reached the safe shadows that concealed all but her glowing yellow eyes.
"Come along, Wolf." she said a bit more sternly, before turning and disappearing around the corner.