(WC: 511)[html]
Hybrid regarded the pale female with a stupefied expression. He shook his head, grinning fiercely (but it was more fangs than smile). Hybrid could not comprehend how she could believe this and still exist in Inferni. He knew she did not understand Inferni, or what it meant to be a part of the clan. Since she bore the same name as Gabriel, Hybrid doubted she would respect her brother as much as Hybrid did. There was something to be said about taking one’s own family for granted, and the mangy coyote suspected Rikka was one of those. She spoke about existing in lands outside of Inferni, and it was a plausible claim for Rikka to make; however, she probably did not know that Hybrid held his loyalty to Gabriel over his loyalty to Inferni. Hybrid had lived in two Inferni’s and learned the same lessons in each of them: if you want to survive, you have to be able to get by, any way you can. If that meant taking joy in killing wolves, or perhaps enjoying the sight of an additional skull on a pike, perhaps then all he had done was survive. Hybrid doubted Rikka could say this if she had lived in Inferni her whole life. She had existed outside its realms for too long, and did not understand the sacrifices the coyotes had made to keep their way of life. If she thought Hybrid’s way of life was connected to Inferni, she was wrong. If she thought he wouldn’t be able to survive outside of Inferni’s belief systems, then she was a fool.[/html]
“I kill for Inferni, but most of all, for Gabriel,” he started slowly, acknowledging her claim, and deciding to prove it wrong. “You wouldn’t be able to say that if you understood the sacrifices Gabriel has made for Inferni. We kill so you don’t have to, and so you can entertain foolish notions of peace. You have your peace because we murdered, in cold blood, and enjoyed it.” He left the sentence hang for a moment, staring at her intently. Yes, it was all ‘we’ for Hybrid. Both he and Gabriel did what they had to for the strength of Inferni. There was something to be said for Inferni’s survival; it was the only pack to survive the fire. Perhaps their methods were not so wrong after all. They had survived, and now, they lived.
When Hybrid thought she would cave, she simply uttered a quiet goodbye and dashed into her cave. Hybrid felt his lip draw back in a ferocious snarl. A fool and a coward; he hated creatures such as those. He shook his head, frowning, and began to stalk off. He hoped he never had to make her acquaintance ever again. Luckily, by definition of the word ‘acquaintance,’ it implied a one-time ordeal. If he was fortunate, Rikka would never speak to him again, and he could continue on with his normal routine. She was a poor, unfortunate fool. He hoped she realized this one day in the worst way possible.