Backdated to July 4, if that's alright?

She had felt so weary as of late. Weary of speaking and weary of living. Somehow, everything was more difficult to do when one’s daughter was dead. And she knew if there was anyone who would help her achieve her vengeance, it would be Kaena Lykoi. If there was ever a time to trust someone that could easily kill her in her sleep, now would be the time. Even as she approached the borders of Inferni for the second time, she knew this had to happen. She knew who the murderer was and she knew what she wanted: she wanted Haku Soul to be dead, and as completely dead as was possible. She wanted him to suffer and she wanted to know he was dead and to know that he had shown some sort of emotion she could attribute to weakness. She wanted anyone and everyone involved in her daughter’s death to feel the same pain she did. She wanted vengeance, even if she knew the consequences. She wanted violence so desperately and completely she almost forgot who she was.

She sent out a long howl requesting the presence of Kaena Lykoi, Centurion and elder of Inferni as politely as possible. Her nerves were on edge and she was itching to barge in to the territory and hunt out the woman herself. She needed someone. She needed violence, even if that meant hurting someone she did not wish to hurt.

She just wanted to feel again.

She was pacing; she hated pacing, but she could not keep still. Her feet wanted her to move on to bigger and greater things and to conclude this meeting without even beginning. She wanted conclusions before introductions and goodbyes before helloes. The world could not move fast enough and her fury could not be delivered quickly enough. She wanted to bite off more than she could chew just to know it was possible.

So she paced. She stalked back and forth across the fringes of Inferni. She had looped northeast to stay clear from Dahlia de Mai, still under the impression that Haku ruled there. She wanted him deposed and removed, but more than that, he wanted him dead and gone. She wanted Kaena to be here so she could promise this even if Tayui knew in her heart it was not necessarily possible.

With that thought in mind, the battle-worn matriarch arrived. It seemed as though she too was anxious and did not bother with any pleasantries; Tayui was glad. Small favours came in all assortments, after all. Tayui frowned in reply, but quickly formulated a reply.

“Haku,” she announced. She sought to ensure that they both knew exactly what was going on. “He killed my daughter and he’s after the rest of my children.” She paused, wondering how to phrase the next thought. She clenched her jaw as she sought for her answer in the dirt by her feet. She refocused her gaze on Kaena and added: “I want him to be dead, and more.” And unspoken: I want you to do it.

300.

With her single-minded determination, time seemed to move too slowly. Kaena’s anxiety fed Tayui’s growing unease, making her even more jittery and unnerved. She was never like this – or, she had never been like this until Haku murdered Noir. While she would not back down or allow herself to be intimidated, she felt a similar emotion that made her stomach heave and her fur stand on end. Whatever it was, it felt like intimidation: but she had since made a pact with herself that she would not be intimidated and she would not back down until she saw her revenge.

She just hoped she would be able to go through with it.

She frowned, wondering how she had allowed that thought to slip through. Now that she was in Inferni, she was suddenly noticing that glimmer of doubt: what if? She knew she would have to banish these questions and focus on the task ahead. She needed to focus and she needed Kaena. She needed to hear the other woman’s words; so she did.

She nodded curtly in reply to the silver-hued woman’s condolences; she had nothing to add. The additional comment both soothed and enraged Tayui and she barely had time to think of a response before she barked out her reply.

“He had better die,” she snapped. Then she frowned as the meaning of Kaena’s words dawned on her. She struggled to find a way to amend her words, but failed and fell silent. She had nothing else she could think to say. She looked up at the other woman, trying to convey her inner struggle – she never had this problem with words before. She had found it so easy to convey her emotions and express herself before the incident. Before death, before hate, anno letum hallelujah amen.

346.

Again, unease: but now, it was growing. It was a chronic infliction now that she had entered this stage of her life, the mid-life crisis. While she had hoped visiting the scarred coyote-woman would soothe her nerves, it was only serving to aggravate her even more. When she looked at Kaena, she saw countless battles and wars carved right on to her body. And when she looked at herself, gazing upon her pale fur and now scar-free appearance, she could only think of how little she had done in her life and how it now meant so much.

Kaena’s apprehension seemed to grow in response to Tayui’s words, and for a moment, Tayui worried that she would be thrown out of Inferni. What was she thinking, yelling demands and insults at the borders? She had to be some special kind of fool to think that it would make everything alright. She didn’t even know Kaena that well, and this was only the third time she had ever spoken to the woman. She was demanding too much from her and with no rewards or ways of saying “thank you.” She was indeed a special kind of fool. She had nothing to offer and nothing to trade.

But perhaps that was not the problem. She promised Tayui his death again and referenced others who had been touched by his evil ways. Tayui nodded in reply and tried to look grateful; but the only emotion she could muster was bitterness.

Kaena spoke again, surprising the pale AniWayan once more – this woman was full of surprises! Tayui chuckled quietly to herself, amused with her own joke. It seemed as though her sense of humour was getting drier and blacker by the minute if this could get a laugh out of her.

“Blood, as you said. I want to be able to be the one to make him bleed,” she replied fiercely. “I need to improve my fighting skills, if you’d like to teach me,” she replied, adding the caveat as an afterthought. She did not want Kaena to feel obligated.

309.

“Good,” came her response. It was immediate and short, but conveyed all the emotions she was feeling. Within that single word has hope and relief: hope that someday she might be able to take on a monster like that of Haku and relief that Kaena would not deny her this. Or rather, relief that Kaena had graciously accepted her request and would let her have her blood. There was nothing that implied Kaena was displeased with her request: the coyote woman nodded before granting her request, and although her voice lagged a bit at the end, she sounded strong. She knew what she was doing, and even though Tayui had only begun to know the matriarch, she had begun to put her faith in her. Somehow, even though Kaena seemed larger than life and more monster than canine, Tayui found it easy to trust this woman with matters of life and death. They had both shared details with one another that Tayui would have never thought of sharing with anyone else, not even her children, her chief or her sister.

It was Kaena’s strength that made this easy. No matter what the woman could be thinking, Tayui believed her. With scars to prove it, Kaena was a warrior at heart. Tayui only hoped she would make the woman proud like she had hoped to do with Skoll. The thought that her prior training was with the one who was so loathed by Inferni amused Tayui. That whole debacle had gotten him kicked out of Storm and now she was fraternizing with his enemy. Or an associate of his enemies – she wasn’t too sure now; for the event had been years ago and Tayui had known little about it to begin with.

“When would you like to begin?” she inquired. It would be better to start sooner rather than later.