[/html]She had only just made it to the edges of what comprised Sal Palus when she heard the call. She’d steeled herself after the incident with the badger and still made the trek through Hollow’s Ruins. Even though she knew it was unlikely that she would face another badger, she still felt a twinge of worry when she’d stalked through the sub-territory during her border patrol. She felt better once she reached the salty marshes and it bothered her. These sorts of things shouldn’t get to her. She couldn’t let them.

She responded with a yipping howl of her own to alert the newcomer that she was on her way. She picked her way through the wet, cold mudflats. She tried to find areas that weren’t as muddy as others, but by the time she arrived at the borders, she was rather wet and significantly grumpier. Though, she knew she couldn’t let this affect her judgment: she was a representative of Infenri, after all.

The coyote was difficult to spot at first, but after a few moments of careful scanning, she spotted him standing off in the distance.

“Hello,” she said as she trotted over to meet him. “Do you need something?”

Since he was a coyote, she felt more at ease around him, but she also had to remember what Chapel had done. She had been a coyote—full-blooded—and she had still betrayed the clan. She kept her ears perked and was on alert in case he decided to try something suspicious.

“Is this Inferni?” he asked.

“Yes, why do you ask?” she inquired. She peered at him, wondering if he was here to bother them or if he had a real, legitimate reason to be there. Her father had told her that wolves regularly bothered him at the borders, so she hoped he wouldn’t be like them.

He shook his head and then looked around. “It’s not much to look at, is it?” He smiled to show that he was joking, but Wraith thought he was only half-kidding. He didn’t look too impressed.

“The good parts are members-only,” she replied. She didn’t smile, so at first, he couldn’t tell if it was a joke or not.

“Uh, well then… how might I go about joining?” he asked. He seemed a little more on edge now that Wraith had sufficiently put him on edge.

“You have to prove your worth,” she replied, smirking. This time, he smiled, recognizing it as a joke—almost. “What can you do?” Her eyes were sharp and the smile was gone now. As quickly as she had cracked a smile, her face turned silent and closed.

“I’ve been trained to fight,” he replied. He recognized that she was assessing him and tried not to let it bother him. He was trained in many skills and a consequence of his extensive learning was that he had learned how to read other canines. Body language, of course, as every canine should—but also words, too, now that they were communicating more readily with one another. He had hypothesized that the virus had changed their social structure, but he wasn’t sure how true this was. In the end, though, he was a warrior, a scout, and a soldier. These were all skills that he knew innately, but could not voice.

“I’m skilled in areas of hunting, scouting, and tracking as well. I use all of these skills quite regularly and can be a valuable asset to Inferni, if you’ll let me.” He ducked his head at this, possibly in some imitation of wolfish submission.

“I’ll have to call a leader to see what they think,” she replied. She glanced over him, noting his show of submission, accepting it, and then moving on. She had been raised to understand such things, but from her father, only saw true purpose in times like these (where her dominance was of no question) and when she was around the leader. First Gabriel, who was before her time, then Ezekiel, and now Myrika. They all deserved her respect.

“Yes, of course,” he replied quickly. “I’m Dusk Rephaim by the way,” he added.

“I’m Wraith Creed. It’s very nice to meet you, Mister Repheem.” Her voice was somewhat flat and very businesslike. She didn’t notice that she had badly mangled his name.

He seemed a little put off that she pronounced his name wrong, but he brushed it off quickly enough. Sensing that she had more to say, he waited before she posed her next question.

“Why do you want to join Inferni, then?” Again, she was calculating, but not cold; just thoughtful.

“Well, I’m a coyote—and I heard it was the only place for coyotes. I grew up with them, so I don’t really want to be anywhere else. It’s comfortable. I left to find my own place in the world, and I just needed someplace that values the same things that I do,” he explained. He hoped it did not make him sound close-minded, but from what he’d heard, it would not be a problem. He didn’t add his other reason for joining: finding his sister, Chapel. He knew she had joined Inferni, but he was too careful to mention it now.

“What do you value?” she asked, this time genuinely curious. It seemed as though something Dusk had said piqued her interest.

“Strength, ambition, cunning, intelligence,” he replied, and then added after a pause: “loyalty.” As Wraith had been serious a moment ago, now Dusk was, too. That was not to say that he had not been serious before, but he put great trust in these concepts; he would not betray them or misspeak.

“So you’ll be loyal to Inferni? You want to serve the clan as a warrior, scout, or whatever position you are given?” she asked.

“Yes, anything. I left my family on good terms. I would never abandon my family. I wish to make a new family here.”

“That’s good,” Wraith replied, inclining her head. “I’ll call someone now.” With that, she let out a long, yipping howl summoning a leader to the borders. They would decide his fate.[html]