Word Count → 380
The sable-shaded woman knew the rituals and rites of her pack perfectly well, though she might not have admitted she thought they were perhaps lacking foresight in openly welcoming all as family. She absolutely did not consider the remainder of Anathema to be her close-tied family, though she valued them more than she did those in Inferni, and they were actually blood-related. Her “family,” small and twisted as it was, consisted of herself, Larkspur, the children, Sirius, and Misery, in some strange way. Perhaps the rest of the pack could be thought of as some extended family, but even then, the coal-hued hybrid would not dismiss initial wariness of them, should any arise.
The other woman laughed, and though it caught the coal-hued hybrid by surprise, it only lessened her anxiety a tiny, imperceptible notch -- the rest of it still brewed in her guts uncertainly, writhing and winding around itself in tight knots. The tan-shaded coyote took a seat without waiting for an invitation, which Eris had been rude or anxious enough to forget, and the sable-shaded woman remained where she was, fighting the urge to shift away and keep her eyes on the other canine. The hybrid did not even comprehend her own anxiety and why she was so unnerved by the other canine -- Axi had caused nothing of the sort within her. Then again, Axi was a slave -- made and molded to be subordinate. There was nothing to fear from that canine. This one was yet unknown, however, and the hybrid woman did not know what to expect.
What did come from the other canine's maw, however, surprised the hybrid, and she could not hide this surprise from even her Lupus face, twisting her head to look at the golden-hued canine. “I think these caves are different,” she responded after a long moment of silence in which she had gawked openly for a moment, turning her gaze only when she realized she had to think of something to say. “Not so much delusion here,” she added quickly, the nervousness still twirling around in her. The fear was gone, but there was confusion now, and the sable-shaded woman still did not know what to expect from this tawny stranger bearing the marks of her false homeland.
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