Indeed, the area around Salsola might be forbidden to the woman painted in soft auburn and burning fire. There was a rebellion within her – a new one, that is – and muscles in calf and thighs coached her to move along, out and away from the clan lands and her precious babies. But Symera had turned out to be a wonderful, wonderful asset, and strangely, the warm copper shaded woman had no second thoughts leaving her two youngest with their adopted big sister for some time. How strange it was to consider that she had willingly taken in a child that was not of her own blood. Halo’s love for her family had gone in waves like everything else in her life, but she had settled on the intense feeling of love for the precious Lykoi blood, thought, of course, there were many members she had banished from her heart forever because of their treacherous ways. Symera wasn’t of the chaotic line, but she was a dear member of the family never the less, and had proven herself to her guardian many times over. Yes, the Triarii’s thoughts seemed to circle Symera as much as they did Oblivion and Amnesty. Although it was a genuine affection, it seemed strange to her; to love another being that wasn’t a biological part of her. Strange indeed.

The unpleasant Lykoi woman had exited via the southern clan-borders. When she had turned to grant a last, toothy glance to the weatherworn skulls guarding the borders of the territory she once had considered her truest haven, she turned her slender, feminine face to the west, deciding to follow the cool shoreline despite the sour gusts of harsh, salty breeze that so often seemed to roam along the coast and ruin her fur. Elegant fingers often leaped to brush through her thickened winter’s fur; intent on grooming through forming knots. Annoyance was quick to arise within her, but her chaotic core wasn’t as receptive as it once had been. Anger would always be a part of her though. Perhaps her resistance to peace had been given to her by the Kimaris and Lykoi fusion. Her father’s war was not hers, but she was an extremely flawed entity, though nothing more than another blossoming flower of madness breaking her way through the earth to mingle by the roots of her ancestors. But the feeling she had come with when she first had entered Inferni’s core had changed, and she didn’t like it. And, since this particular woman loved to lay blame to others, she had decided to blame her rat-tailed cousin.

Yes, it was negatively intriguing to see how the little fucker was dancing her way through the hierarchy like as if it was nothing but a merry dance on top of sweet-scented, soft flower petals of pink and reds. The thought of seeing treachery honoured so freely was enough to colour the edges of her vision a fiery, though lovely, red. Though unfortunately for those in her proximity, these were thoughts the chaotic, royal woman dwelled with rather often. Always so intent on seeing the negative aspects of her life and her home. But, it was truly hard to see others gain favour and status with ease when her own path had been so difficult and dedicated. Dedication was not all, this was the brutal truth, but Halo had year after year proven absolute loyalty to the clan in so many ways. She had stayed and defended the clan’s existence and honour through wars while those who should have been her support had decided to turn and walk away from their clan and their people.

This had to be the part she had greatest difficulty accepting, and it was something she couldn’t swallow even if she had desired to bury the war axe. To see others rewarded for being unfaithful when it mattered made her want to go insane. How could loyalty be shown if the clan lived in harmony? Inferni was probably a lovely place to live in these days, now when there was no serious inconvenient conflict to pull people off. But what if a new war was to rise? How their numbers would dwindle until there were only a few core members left? But she was no longer Centurion, and Ezekiel was not the least interested in her counsel. He probably never had to begin with anyway. It had been his father that had lifted the warrior woman on top the high horse, not he. He had only taken the step to demote her. She could see why this was; the intent to usurp and what not, but she, as every fiery woman, believed she was doing the right thing. The clan was as strong and tough as its members, and she saw a lot of new, soft meat that she didn’t care for. Oh, ugh, not at all.

Beyond a persistent mist above the distant, salt-flavoured waters lay the Salsolan kingdom. Scarlet hues narrowed; attempted to force their pupils to see through the pale haze, but there was nothing to be seen. The outcast son of hers, was he still alive? Did he ever think about his flawed mother, left in the lands where he had been born and raised? Itachi had always been a special child. She had known this from the moment she had learned to know him, though she had not understood how grave his flaws really had been until he attempted to murder her grandmother. She didn’t blame herself as much as she once had done in the past. It took very long to understand that history could not be amended no matter how much she wished for things to be undone. Itachi’s actions weren’t hers, and he had been a troubled child. His mother just hadn’t known any better, for he had been the first child she had known. Even today, Halo held a general dislike for children. So soft and defenceless and completely useless, the lot of them. They needed to be hardened and taught the hard ropes of reality, but it was a much too slow learning curve. Symera was a shining exception to this rule, and this was the reason why she was loved by the top bitch of the clan.

It was not even mid-day before sensitive nostrils flared at the insistent scent of the newly established pack borders. The woman’s pace slowed now as she closed in on the wolf territory, and her path was amended, so not to break through the invisible line that had been drawn. Instead, she adjusted to a slow walk, turning her nose south while deep red hues of freshly drawn blood sought for warm-blooded creatures within the lands that had once been free and now weren’t. No one asked the rest of the groups whether it was okay or not to settle down and take a big bite out of free lands. It quietly infuriated her to know that yet another pack had settled so close to Inferni. This meant that they were completely surrounded by potential hostiles, and it made her sick. Not to the stomach, but to the mind. But, hopefully, Inferni seemed to be in the process of slowly building up its reputation again. Many of the heads adorning the clan-borders were considerably fresh—some even had their ugly, recognizable faces on still, though the crows greedily fed on the new heads as they were put on top of their stake. But the clan alone could only overcome so many, and as far as she was aware, these new wolves had all been loners.

Lips drew back in an unconscious reveal of her feelings about this new pack, whatever its name was. Thoughts swirled, and it would take some time to calm them down enough to understand their purpose. She was not about to stomp about and make a scene just yet. Right now was the time to wait and watch. She’d come to a conclusion soon enough, and she’d decide then.

It wasn’t until the dark male’s voice rang out to her that the hybrid woman acknowledged his presence visually. Ears stood tall on top of her silky auburn hair despite knowledge that her overall appearance should express humbleness. Only a few selected individuals had watched her crawl before their feet, and this wolf, however high and mighty he thought himself, would never get her to bow the knee. It wasn’t right to judge him so prematurely, but she always did this. Never did she bother to amend bad habits.

Palms brushed against the soft fabric of quality silk that she so often wore tied around her sweetly curved hips. The darkness of her tail moved with the finest grace, offering the male a hint that she possessed a pleasant mood. Usually when she spoke, the tones she spewed were crude and sharp edged. But not at this moment, no. Instead it flowed like a patient stream of rippling water. ”Last time I walked this path, this was nothing but uninhabited territory. Have I intruded?”

Scarlet hues flickered with slight uncertainty, though she seemed to be frozen in place until she learned more from the dark wolf that had found her lurking so close to his home.