She swore his scent was imprinted in her nostrils now. She’d smelled him a few times around the clan territory, as was only fitting because he was a member, but each time her hair had stood on end. Now that he was in sight, however, Vesper managed to recall her grudging respect and met his bronze gaze evenly. As if he wasn’t one of the few canines to actual frighten her.
He was neutral enough, greeting her in a somewhat terse tone that she copied: “Hello, Helotes.” She’d gathered his name from an innocent conversation with another clan member, hoping not to draw attention to the fact that he’d caused many of the scars she bore on her muzzle. They were indistinct compared to the newest ones, however, scabbed ridges through her fur. At least they didn’t reopen every time she shifted; that would have made it even harder to test out her new forms.
The she-yote let out a sigh and looked him over—his dusty grey fur and the more than six-foot slant of body against the tree. Once again she took note of his scars, ones that she had fleetingly noticed when he visited her before her attention had been destroyed by his intimidation. She wouldn’t ask about them, though; he might have beat up another loner for all she knew.
“Do you know anything of where your Aquila might be today?” Vesper asked him in a too-casual tone, though her mouth shaped the strange term for leader oddly comfortably for her short time in the clan. She wasn’t sure if she wanted Helotes around right now, but she also knew that he would do whatever the hell he wanted regardless, so long as she was alone. Her ears lowered slightly, and she took a seat on the porch.
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