only a gun at his side

[Kaena Lykoi]

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http://digital-bonsai.com/katew/rp/kae/kae_disorder.jpg); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat:no-repeat;">     The hybrid canine knew very little what happened during her son's departures—he hadn't spoken much of it, but then again, she had never bothered to ask. But it was coyotes like this who had imparted to Inferni the tradition of adorning the borders with skulls, and Kaena wondered how many skulls this coyote had planted into the ground. Other than the vague concept of war and the inherited practice of adorning their perimeter with bones, Kaena knew little about her son's distant past, let alone the coyotes Gabriel had fought alongside. There was easy familiarity about the coyote, however, and he spoke her name and a familiar word to Kaena—Scintilla. She relaxed, and padded closer toward him to get a better look at him.     His manners impressed her, since they were familiar and not wolfish in the least—how could they be? There was nothing in this creature which spoke of wolf blood, though Kaena could never be absolutely certain. One thing was for sure—he bore the scars of warfare just as prominently as she, and any creature who wore such obvious badges of bloodshed were due respect. She tipped her head to him, a real smile spreading across her face. "I am," she said, confirming her existence. The coyote had introduced himself, and spoke his trade. "You must be to have found Gabriel after so long," she said, suspicious that it was chance Eli had wandered onto Inferni's borders. Then again, it had taken her nearly a year and a half to return here and she had known the way—sort of.     "Are you looking to settle down, or just passing through?" Either answer seemed satisfying to the coyote; she understood the urge to wander, though it had not shown strongly in her for some time. Then again, a coyote who had fought in the war with Gabriel and was obviously seasoned with the flavor of combat such as Eli would be a valuable asset to Inferni, supposing he wished to stay. The tension was building with Phoenix Valley, and the more frightening, skilled coyotes such as this one that Gabriel amassed, the better.

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