Gah this got long U__U (515)
When Kesho revealed that he was a long time member of Inferni, Tayui nodded quietly to take this information in. While many of the wolf packs had broken apart and reformed, she supposed it made sense that Inferni – the only pack that managed to survive the fire – would have a few returning members. She supposed they had some sort of higher retention rate that brought the old members back. That was only possible if a pack continued to exist; if anyone tried to return to Shadowed Sun, they would be in for a sore shock. Anathema was nothing like the old mountain pack, but Inferni had weathered the storm. It was certainly an accomplishment.
She gave Kesho a polite shrug when he added, I don’t remember you. It was hardly surprising – she had not ventured forth to Inferni until the war with Syemv and she suspected he might have left the clan by that point. They were just in different places at different times, so it was bound to happen. Of course, she had met him now and that more than made up for it.
Kesho commented on Kaena and Tayui could not suppress a bubbly little smile. “Oh yes,” she agreed quickly. She very much liked the older woman, but was still baffled about her falling out with her daughter. “Gabriel is quite the man, too.” She didn’t want to say any more about their relationship; they understood one another in strange ways, but she liked it. She would like to one day be able to call the stern Aquila a friend. Kesho’s question halted these thoughts rather suddenly. Just as soon as she had mused about the leaders, now, she was on another track. She frowned slightly, pondering the question in concentration.
“I suppose because it’s easier to pretend you aren’t curious,” she began slowly. “It’s easy to live in ignorance and create truths. You don’t need to research or analyze the facts – you just make them up. And if you were to find out that your truths were all wrong, well, some just can’t handle that. It’s a shame – ignorance is the rule many times.” She cracked a smile at this thought and then added, “that was what I wanted to avoid with my last pack. My friend and I created it to teach and help others reach their potential. It wasn’t so much a pack as it was a collection of academics.” She had read that word in her books before, but had never used it until now. Using a new word was a wonderful feeling. “We didn’t really enforce our borders since we’d share our knowledge with whomever asked. And that’s how I got to know Gabriel. I just asked.” It seemed simple, but it really wasn’t. So few wolves could venture forth beyond their packlands and wonder what lay beyond. Sure, Tayui had lived in these parts for most of her life, but she was content living here. She had seen other parts and settled here. It had become her home. And she didn’t regret any of her decisions.