SSWM Word Count → 350
Amber eyes flicked suddenly to pale blue, and Vesper tensed in response to the alertness the russet woman displayed. She echoed a single word, which the hybrid nodded and shrugged lightly at, still trying to recover from the waves of aggression breaking powerfully over her throbbing head. It had been another dog—or a cross—that had stabbed Ves and infected her with the bloody virus. Perhaps, if she didn’t take everything and everyone on a case by case basis, she might have fallen into a prejudice such as others in the coyote clan held. It was true that dogs were influenced genetically by humans, with tendencies bred into them that were either exaggerated or downright unnatural. It seemed that she had been unlucky enough to run into the worst of the bunch.
A flash of teeth betrayed the fury coursing through the Exultare woman, and the coywolf winced as another jab of pain rattled her mind. She knew that X’yrin was strong enough to suppress her rage in order to see the situation objectively—or at least hold back the rashness that had been Vesper’s bane as an adolescent. Honestly, though, she was surprised she had been able to put off bloody vengeance long enough to even get Kiara to safety. With her wisdom and training, X’y would be able to calm herself once more so they could figure out what to do.
X’yrin spoke in soft tones, and the reassurance that they would do all they could to pray and sing for the arctic wolf smoothed the ragged hybrid’s fur. When finger touched nose and the tall woman made an inquiry, however, her ears stood at attention again.
“She had creamy-colored fur,” Vesper murmured, remembering that it’d looked flat and disgusting through her hate-clouded vision. “Blonde hair. One of her ears was brown, maybe.” She couldn’t really discern color when she’d taken said ear in her teeth. The thought made her snort before she brought her attention to X’yrin once again, hoping that the information was helpful, not realizing the deeper curiosity that might linger behind the question.
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