09-11-2009, 04:48 AM
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Thanks to Akumu for the table!
Occasus! I would very much like a Mason here, but if not, I still love you, Wifey. ♥
The silver coyote meandered through the newest parts of Inferni's territory. They were not so new, really, but they had a bigger chunk of forest than they had possessed before. There were more trees now, more prey area—as much as the hybrid woman liked the Waste, there was not much larger prey there. The grasses were of some hardier type, typically less preferred than the softer types one would find in a forest such as the Dampwoods or Aracnhea's Revenge. Hoofed animals were rather rare in their territory in general, except on the rare occasion one stumbled through their midst accidentally. The silvery coyote mulled over this and other issues as she walked the borders in her usual fashion, the weight of the clan bearing even more heavily on her shoulders now.
This was hardly a feeling the coyote disliked. Some days ago, Gabriel had come to her, briefing her on the happenings within the clan—for reasons unknown to the one-eyed woman, Ryan had relinquished her post as the second in command, and Gabe had chosen Kaena to take her place. The hybrid woman was uncertain as to exactly why this change had occurred, but she was nonetheless glad to see Ryan was still certainly a part of Inferni. Their numbers had dipped particularly low, and while this displeased the silvery hybrid, she knew that they were still strong. They had proven themselves recently, in bringing down that bastard wolf who thought it appropriate to desecrate their borders. He surely wouldn't be doing any more of that, not anymore, anyway.
The scarred canine walked at an easier gait now. Her limp had almost completely gone, and her wounds were almost totally healed. There was still some scabbing on her neck, but it rarely caused her pain anymore. She was quite happy to find that the wound had not seriously impacted her; though her range of motion in her Optime form with that arm had decreased and certainly the limb felt more strained than it had before, it did not affect her in a major way. She knew it would ache for the rest of her life, as did all her wounds—but to the one-eyed canine, this was just another war-wound to add to the damage already crossing her body.
There was comfort and familiarity for her in this new-old position. It seemed to reinforce the circular theory of life; she had ended up right where she had started, and indeed—this was her most comfortable position. The grizzled hybrid had failed twice at leading the clan to anything worthwhile, and there was not enough time left for her to have a third shot, not before she was rancid and ancient. But here, in the Centurion position, she was her son's right hand, the whispering in his ear. She knew her place and her job in this spot well, and this change marked the third time Kaena had held such a rank, though both prior times it had been simply referred to as the subleader. Now, she had a pretty title to her head—Centurion. She turned the word over in her mind, enjoying its sound. Either way, the job was the same, and the coyote woman reveled in it. Here was a greater chance to contribute to the well-being of the clan.
The silvery hybrid came to the very edge of the forest, just before the open plains on the northern corner of their territory began. She halted where the trees stopped, lurking in the underbrush for a long moment, her golden eye staring out over the empty plains. They were dark—it was night now. There was a fall chill to the air, the creeping cool of September sneaking through in the cover of night. The silvery woman breathed it in, enjoying the shifting seasons. She was eager for a drier season and the cold of winter. The thought snow and the frigid air seemed to invigorate the hybrid woman, though she had never been so fond of Canadian winters until she had experienced the mild, blustery things that hardly passed for fall in the deep south.
The silver coyote meandered through the newest parts of Inferni's territory. They were not so new, really, but they had a bigger chunk of forest than they had possessed before. There were more trees now, more prey area—as much as the hybrid woman liked the Waste, there was not much larger prey there. The grasses were of some hardier type, typically less preferred than the softer types one would find in a forest such as the Dampwoods or Aracnhea's Revenge. Hoofed animals were rather rare in their territory in general, except on the rare occasion one stumbled through their midst accidentally. The silvery coyote mulled over this and other issues as she walked the borders in her usual fashion, the weight of the clan bearing even more heavily on her shoulders now.
This was hardly a feeling the coyote disliked. Some days ago, Gabriel had come to her, briefing her on the happenings within the clan—for reasons unknown to the one-eyed woman, Ryan had relinquished her post as the second in command, and Gabe had chosen Kaena to take her place. The hybrid woman was uncertain as to exactly why this change had occurred, but she was nonetheless glad to see Ryan was still certainly a part of Inferni. Their numbers had dipped particularly low, and while this displeased the silvery hybrid, she knew that they were still strong. They had proven themselves recently, in bringing down that bastard wolf who thought it appropriate to desecrate their borders. He surely wouldn't be doing any more of that, not anymore, anyway.
The scarred canine walked at an easier gait now. Her limp had almost completely gone, and her wounds were almost totally healed. There was still some scabbing on her neck, but it rarely caused her pain anymore. She was quite happy to find that the wound had not seriously impacted her; though her range of motion in her Optime form with that arm had decreased and certainly the limb felt more strained than it had before, it did not affect her in a major way. She knew it would ache for the rest of her life, as did all her wounds—but to the one-eyed canine, this was just another war-wound to add to the damage already crossing her body.
There was comfort and familiarity for her in this new-old position. It seemed to reinforce the circular theory of life; she had ended up right where she had started, and indeed—this was her most comfortable position. The grizzled hybrid had failed twice at leading the clan to anything worthwhile, and there was not enough time left for her to have a third shot, not before she was rancid and ancient. But here, in the Centurion position, she was her son's right hand, the whispering in his ear. She knew her place and her job in this spot well, and this change marked the third time Kaena had held such a rank, though both prior times it had been simply referred to as the subleader. Now, she had a pretty title to her head—Centurion. She turned the word over in her mind, enjoying its sound. Either way, the job was the same, and the coyote woman reveled in it. Here was a greater chance to contribute to the well-being of the clan.
The silvery hybrid came to the very edge of the forest, just before the open plains on the northern corner of their territory began. She halted where the trees stopped, lurking in the underbrush for a long moment, her golden eye staring out over the empty plains. They were dark—it was night now. There was a fall chill to the air, the creeping cool of September sneaking through in the cover of night. The silvery woman breathed it in, enjoying the shifting seasons. She was eager for a drier season and the cold of winter. The thought snow and the frigid air seemed to invigorate the hybrid woman, though she had never been so fond of Canadian winters until she had experienced the mild, blustery things that hardly passed for fall in the deep south.