09-30-2009, 06:47 AM
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| http://digital-bonsai.com/katew/rp/kae/kae_columbus.jpg); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat:no-repeat;"> HOLY SHIT. I totally FAIL for not realizing this has been replied to for almost two weeks. :/ I'm so sorry. <33333 The coyote woman was sadly accustomed to her children coming and going; it seemed a fact of life. At least some of them had the right mind to stop in and give her an update once every few years. Her heart ached for the ones she had not seen in too long—Kerberos, Conway, Ahemait. There were some she would not miss; Vitium was a traitor to the blood and he had been cast out from their midst, he had no reason but a deathwish to return to Inferni, though Kaena would hate to be the one to carry out the sentence. Her sable ears pricked forward, and she studied Mason as he seemed to stand at attention for her, allowing her to inspect just how big and strong he'd grown in the past weeks. The hybrid coyote had not realized just how much she missed the presence of the young until they were no longer around; Valkyrie had been Ryan's child, and Kaena would have felt rather intrusive trying to mother her. But Mason had come along to the clan as an orphan, and whoever his mother was, she was not here to care for him. Kaena had been the one to find him on the borders, Kaena had been the one to take him in... it seemed natural that she would want to try to continue to care for him, and act as though he were her charge. It was a comfortable feeling to the silvery Centurion, who had been caring for children for most of her life. The tawny youth seemed unable to be still a moment longer, and he leapt and bounded around once more, energetic and proud of himself. Kaena watched for a moment, on impulse almost diving into play with him, but she remained still, wishing to keep composure around him. After all, he was not her child, and she had not shown him too terrible much affection, had she? When they hunted the wolf, his attack on the young coyote had been too much for Kaena to simply watch and the surge of maternal protectiveness had surprised even the ashen hybrid. She did not have to contemplate why she felt that way for long; children were a precious resource, and she mourned that it had taken her so long to realize it. The coyote had no experience with adoptive relationships, though she had known Faolin and Hybrid to be some kind of relative, Faolin had strangely carried Segodi's surname and considered Segodi her father. Perhaps if Mason was not averse to such a thing, Kaena might make him a part of her family. This was an intriguing thought to the hybrid woman; expanding the family was of utmost importance to her, and even if it wasn't blood family... hell, what could it hurt? It was another coyote to bear the Lykoi flag and consider himself indebted and responsible for the family and the clan, and another way to secure the bonds that held Inferni together. She mused over this; as the matron of the coyote family she would be quite able to accomplish this feat. The question brought a smile to the monochrome coyote's face, and she peered down at the young coyote, smiling her twisted smile at him. "Sadly not. But I can help make sure that you grow up big and strong," she said quietly, her sharp eye regarding the young coyote, gauging him for a reaction. She could teach him things, how to hunt, how to fight, the breathing and living history of the clan he had become a part of—there were many things her old brain could impart to his young one, and it was in Kaena's duty to cultivate the clan. The youth were its best hope for the future, and these thoughts resonated in her head as she smiled down at the young coyote. |