A grand mountain cut through the land, dividing the conquered from the conquerable. On one side lay charred territory only beginning to be reclaimed by nature, and the other held the heavy perfume of coyote habitation. It was an unusual fragrance, given the typical lone nature of 'yotes, but it was what drew from the broken side the form of a strong Luperci woman. That, and the alluring sunset over the water, though it was a romantic thought for only a moment, for she was not prone to them.

She walked with a confident swagger, her hips swaying to her own rhythm as her lengthy legs covered the ground in elegant strides. Her hair, white as the snow despite her dark fur, flowed behind her like a waterfall. Niobe, she was called—she was cunning and beautiful, but had few friends. She trusted nobody, and nobody trusted her. In that way, she was not necessarily a welcome sight, despite the keen glint in her eyes. To Inferni members who had been present at the burial of Andrezej Lykoi, she appeared much like a ghost from the past—but that, she was not.

She knew nothing of the clan that made its home here. As she stepped boldly up to the line (a boundary evidenced only by skulls on sticks, a petty display of dominance she was sure would never keep out someone like her, though for unnamed reasons she did draw to a halt) between what appeared to be a grassland and the edge of the mountains she had descended from, she allowed herself a moment of delicious scrutiny.

It was plain, but for now it was worth a look. Though she was a vagabond at heart with no inner desire to stop her journeying, it was not unheard of for Niobe to stop in someone else's territory for a time. She always paid for the hospitality, of course—a cigarette, perhaps, or booze she found in the vicinity. Sometimes, if the deed was particularly helpful, she would meet it with a different sort of response, but that sort of cheeky thing was better left unsaid here.

She felt a little dull standing there, so her feet directed her instead to one of the skulls on sticks. She was uninterested in exactly what animal it belonged to, but she found herself reaching out a hand to give the creature's unfortunate snout a rough tap, watching it bob with a phlegmatic eye like some kind of comedic paper weight.

Briefly, Niobe found herself interested in the eye sockets of the skull her hand was presently placed upon. They were oval, as if the skull had come from something very like herself, but that was absurd. She had never heard of coyotes killing their own kind, and pardon her ego, but they would never be able to take her down. That thought aside, perhaps these skulls were placed here not as a warning, but as a tribute to the fallen. That made more sense to her.

Had she been one to believe in signs, she would've seen how the sky could adumbrate the sort of man or woman who would come to meet her. At first glance, the short yet voluptuous woman striding toward her seemed mostly harmless. The rabbit swinging from the other's clenched fist was tantalizing, like a pendulum swinging before the eyes of a naïve patient, but she made no move toward it despite believing she could obtain it if she wished. She tempered herself, if not only long enough to gain quick acceptance here. Eris was an interesting sight to behold, completely opposite of her save for dark coats and vibrant eyes—where Niobe was tall and willowy, Eris was curvy, likely a great temptation for many men.

That's a shame, she said finally, her hand falling away from the animal skull. I'd think your ancestors would prefer the tribute more if flesh wasn't hanging off their heads. This skull was pretty sun-bleached and barren, but there were others she had seen that were a little more grizzled. Maybe placed somewhere sacred. That is what they're for, am I right? Of course I'm right, but she didn't voice the thought.

What Eris said next made her consider the nature of the creatures living here—sadists, she supposed, to mount canine skulls around their territory to keep others at bay. The sharp slap of the other Luperci's hand against a skull made her blink suddenly as her gaze flew to the receiving cap, which did not fall as she would have predicted but instead was twisted on its stand. A thin smile crept across her lips as she considered this—the dark-haired woman who had met her here was as arrogant as she, if not more. A proud partner to share glory with, now that was intriguing.

Lykoi, the other said, and that gave Niobe pause, though only for a moment. Lykois were probably everywhere. What little knowledge she had of her father's family (her mother had only ever told her daughters that Andrezej was a noble man who returned to where he had come from to conquer other lands, and Niobe had never question the thin quaver that would've told her that mum was lying) told her they were superior. To meet another of these seemingly royal creatures was a pleasant surprise, one which stoked Niobe's name-related hubris handsomely.

Niobe Lykoi, she returned in kind with an almost knowing smile, though in truth she knew absolutely nothing beyond this woman's name and a supposed fame. And none come to mind. It's almost like I was drawn here. Fancy meeting family. Had she not travelled miles in this direction? And did not the discovery of a Lykoi here cause her to believe it wasn't coincidence? But she didn't even believe in anything but coincidence. Oh well. Maybe it was a friend here, she suggested with dry humour, waving a hand in the general direction of the tilted skull, lookin' for a good time. Must've kept him waiting too long. Maybe he called you here too. Or maybe that guy is daddy calling for a family reunion. Doubtful, her eyes said, but the dark, brittle tone was enough to tell this sable Eris that she was completely non-serious.

There was a distinct change in the woman she faced now—what had started out pleasant, if not a little bored, began to roil with dark energy. Niobe's lip twitched subtly as she fought the sudden urge to say something about it. Though typically nonchalant, there were occasions where her arrogance got the better of her and she would act above others. Now was one of those times where, in a very uncharacteristic display of self-control, she fought that urge.

Still, the obvious sarcasm in Eris' voice easily provoked Niobe into wanting to make the other even more aggravated. Being able to control one's emotions was a sign, as far as she was concerned, of superiority and focus. Eris was unfortunately failing in that aspect. So, with a thin smile perfumed with innocent intent, she said, I'm sorry you did not have a choice.

Though what was life without choices? It was impossible that Eris had to return against all other options. The woman that Niobe saw seemed to be of strong will and mind, despite her fumbling emotional discipline, and so the dark-furred Luperci could not understand how her Lykoi companion had been forced. Still, it wasn't here place to ask that sort of question. Instead, when Eris extended the invitation of staying, she put on her best grateful smile and replied with, I'd love to.

After all, if her history was as deeply steeped in this place as Eris suggested, there was no harm in staying. Though she knew nothing of her father aside from a name—a name she had never spoken aloud, no less—and less still about the family she was apparently a part of, it wasn't detrimental to her to learn. It was better than returning to her mother and that fucked up kid she had produced. She blamed the father of Artie for his issues, and she refused to deal with them as a mother should. Instead, she preferred to travel the world and sleep with any man who looked at her the right way, displaying a casual freedom in her life that was only slightly tamer than when it had began.

So Inferni would be her new playground, then. So be it.