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Tlantli is by me!
Trust was in short supply on the outskirts of Drifter Bay. The flaxen-haired coyote trusted few within the pack. Salvia was trustworthy to a certain point, she supposed, but she could not place too much faith in the daughter of the Auxiliary. She thought she might find an ally in Itachi, but she had not sought the former Protege out for herself. Her brother was even a gamble, but Miqui had taken to his role more readily and more easily than even Tlantli had expected. Their close proximity and her careful visitation with him prior to initiating this tryst might just be enough to insure they were not caught. That part was especially important with the added twist of Ezekiel. This part of the plan was more whim than anything else, but it also made appearances that she was striving for betterment in Salsola, too. This latter was important in these final weeks.
The yellow woman was no stranger to Salsola's borders, but she had paced them more frequently than usual in the preceding months, thanks to the attacks at the beginning of the year. It was an easy way to make herself appear useful without doing overmuch. This would serve her well when Ezequiel arrived, she'd figured, and it was just her luck she heard the call, high-pitched and distinctively unlike a wolf and rather unlike a coyote's cry. The tawny woman turned around and trotted toward the source of the noise, using her ears and then her nose to track him. She saw him, lurking just beyond the defined border of the pack, and moved toward him quickly.
As she approached, sharp blood-red eyes appraised the staff he clutched, her mouth twisting into a small grin. You brought gift. Good. You are ready, then? she asked, cocking her head to one side. She did not know this man, true enough, but this plan required mutual trust -- she thought him both calculating and honorable enough for her purposes. He was not yet blindly devoted to Salsola, though that might come in due time -- she intended to be far away by the time this occurred, however, and had made it plain to her companion.
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