 Word Count: 607 It was definitely thanks to Gabriel that Inferni had survived at all , let alone flourished. Though Kaena had been gone very near two years, she could not recall a time prior to this when Inferni had quite so many canines. They'd come close, numbers reaching toward twenty and upwards of fifteen, but in the grizzled Centurion's memory they'd never been quite over that number before. If it wasn't for her son, there wouldn't have even been an Inferni for the hybrid woman to return home to. The silver-furred Lykoi twisted a sable ear toward the newcomer canine, listening to him speak. She wondered how far her son's name had traveled—certainly Gabriel's notoriety exceeded her own. Kaena Lykoi's name had only ever been whispered in fear around the old lands; news of her bloodthirstiness and wickedness hadn't traveled any further outside of Bleeding Souls or 'Souls than the outermost border. When she'd left, she'd never heard rumor of her own name; her own reputation hardly preceded her. Still, she liked it that way—as good as it was to have some cowering in fear of her, it was also good to retain the ability to disappear, slipping away into the shadows and melting into the crowd. Sometimes notoriety was a good thing; other times Kaena would have buried it. Kaena had little opinion of the newcomer; she could respect his faith but she did not understand it. If faith was the thing that had driven Jedidiah to come to Inferni, perhaps it was useful after all. Whether or not she subscribed to such notions or even comprehended them, the hybrid woman could not show scorn toward something that had inspired one to travel such great distance—and only for her son! Jedidiah was not even family; he had heard only rumor and the whisper of Gabriel's name on the wind, and yet that and his belief had driven him to come to the far northland, braving strange cold and harsh travel and all manner of other danger simply for the idea that there was one to serve. The silver-furred Centurion turned her head to Gabriel, still feeling as though she was rather useless at this moment. She could not determine the veracity of the other canine's tale, though her single golden eye turned to Gabriel, regarding his expression. His words surprised her—though she knew Gabriel subscribed to similar beliefs as the newcomer coyote, it seemed to her a disrespectful statement to say it was without place, but she kept her thoughts to herself, still finding it impertinent to comment. She was not sure of the rules when it came to religion; perhaps things such as Gabriel had said were entirely true. Gabriel spoke once more, agreeing that Jedidiah might stay amongst them and informing him exactly what they were up against. At the mention of Haku her face went visibly sour, a wrinkle displayed on her scarred muzzle. Here the coyote did have something to add, finding it necessary to inquire on the other canine's skills level. "What skills have you gathered in your journey here?" the coyote asked, curious to know if Jedidiah held a particular skill dear or he was simply a general-purpose member. He couldn't expect to tell Haku of God and resolve the fighting, and the silver-furred woman and her son required this information in order to know where Jedidiah would be useful. The coyote clan could not afford loose ends floating around; each canine required a purpose and a specific job within the clan's hierarchy. Gabriel had already pretty much admitted Jedidiah to their mist, so this question was somewhat superfluous. |
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