mall-caps;">Out of Character
    Hayyy. I think my official date of acceptance was June 9th, but I've never really kept strict timelines anyway, so I don't really care, so it's up to you whether you wanna update this with a new date or not. :3 Oh, and I totally don't know if the bay is saltwater or not?! D:


mall-caps;">In Character
    The coyote hybrid had smelled the distinct scent of the coast on her walk with Gabriel, and upon their separation, she had almost immediately set off to find it, following the distinctly salty smell. Before long, the dirt beneath her feet became grainy and mixed with sand, and then became pure sand, albeit thicker and with larger grains than the previous coast Inferni had claimed. The sun was setting and the shadows were growing long, but the coyote could clearly see the beach in front of her.


    A strange smell wafted over to her crow-colored nose, and she inhaled deeply. It smelled familiar, and it reminded her distinctly of the Syemv pirates who had settled so precariously close to Inferni's former territory what seemed like eons ago. The hybrid continued forward, the heavy smell of salt and sea overwhelmed by the smell of cooking flesh momentarily. The breeze came by, and wrested the smell from her, replacing it with the ocean's breath.


    Kaena's mismatched ears clearly heard the crash of the ocean, and as she broke through the tall grass along the edge of the beach, she finally saw it. This coast was vastly different from the previous one—she could clearly see to the other side of Inferni's bay, and if she so desired it would be a brief swim. The water lapped softly at the shore instead of crashing hard against it, and this ocean seemed entirely different from the one she was used to on the Hell's Coast. It was altogether more peaceful, and Kaena decided immediately she liked this one just as well, starting forward into the water. Just as she was in up to her ankles, a flame caught her eye, and she peered into the darkness, breaking into a jog as she headed closer to the source. As she drew closer, that same scent of cooking flesh grew steadily stronger, and she realized the flame must be the source of that as well. Her belly growled with hunger, and she immediately wondered if her clanmate would be willing to share. She would not ask; she was far too proud for that.


    It was a young coyote of Inferni, no doubt—his coat was a tawny, dull gold. Like Zana, there was something oddly familiar about this yearling. Was this another ghost of the Lykoi line, one of her direct descendents she had not yet met? Perhaps it was one of the ones Gabriel told her about. "Hello," she said, softly and while she was still at a distance. It would not do to startle her new clanmate. She slowed her approach but did not stop, slinking closer to the flames.

mall-caps;">In Character
      Her fears about startling the coyote were unfounded, as the golden-hued youth seemed surprised but did not leap into the air or start screaming—always a good sign. Again, the fish were in the flame, and that tantalizing smell wafted over to the elder's nose. Kaena took one look at his eyes closely, and she stopped moving forward suddenly. They were that same dark, dark chocolate brown. His eyes were so colorless and deep they did appear black in the moon's light. She immediately placed those eyes—they were Vitium's. The youth spoke, and the coyote, shaken, began stepping forward again, accepting his invitation to move closer. Her single raptor's eye never left his gaze; it was like looking into Vitium's very eyes.


      The ashen hybrid sidled alongside him, at once mortified and curious. Vitium had been the darkest child of Gabriel's litter—he was wild, he was reckless, and when he returned he showed clear evidence of it in his half-ruined face. His eyes had shone clearly even then, those deep, dead pools of brown-black stuck in a mess of ratty fur and scars. He knew her name—this was not so surprising to the elder Lykoi. She nodded to confirm her identity, and her gaze finally broke from his, looking him over. He had caramel-colored fur, tinted with crimson and lighter patches of brilliant gold. She still couldn't get over his eyes, though, and after a moment her gaze returned to them, a somewhat crooked smile displayed on her charcoal lips.


      "You're my grandson," she inferred, her eye glittering. He seemed much friendlier than Zana already, having beckoned her closer and kept whatever weapons he might own sheathed. "You have his eyes," she added, her voice growing thick with emotion. The fire roared before them, snapping and crackling as it devoured the wood. Smoke rose steadily from it, billowing into the night and filling the night air with its distinct smell.

mall-caps;">In Character
    There was something about this youth—he was a dull, dusty gold all over him, but he had those same black eyes Vitium had. It was strange looking into them; he had been the only one of his litter to have those unearthly eyes, and they had not been a recent occurrence in either Ahren or Kaena's bloodlines. But perhaps it was not so distant—Kaena did have a hefty bit of dog heritage, since her mother was half dog herself. They were almost doglike, but they were the hard, sharp eyes of a predatory, wild canine, just colored more like a dog's.


    Surprise dawned across the youth's face, and he appeared trouble. His words nearly made the Lykoi matron guffaw, but she did not want to embarrass her grandson. Instead, she shook her head firmly. That blazing golden eye turned to gaze into the flames, following along Enigma's arm and the stick, watching him stir the embers. Tiny sparks fizzled and danced up from the fire, and the woman only smelled smoke. "No," she said, knowing full well why he would have such a question. "You aren't him," she added. The eyes alone did not determine the tawny youth's disposition and how the grandmother favored him—they made him easily identifiable to her as the traitor's son, but they were not the same canine.

    Regardless of his sire, Enigma was still her grandchild. Whether Vitium clearly presented himself through Enigma or not, Kaena could not hate him for a single act his father had committed. Viti was but a contributor of their genes, and even in him, Kaena's blood flowed strongly, carrying the hints of her father and her mother, and the dogs and coyotes and wolves that had spawned them. Her traitorous Lykoi child—well, he wasn't anything of a child anymore, he was nearly four years old now—had served to spawn more Lykoi/de le Poer descendants, direct carriers of Ahren's blood and Kaena's. She wondered if Viti had ever spoken of his father to these children, and listened as the youth spoke.



    The question honestly surprised her, rare for the Lykoi matron. Her golden eye jerked to her grandson's face, studying it and those deep, dark eyes for a long moment before she answered. There was hesitation, but the hybrid creature did not pry; she left him alone and merely contemplated what he'd said. "I don't know," the woman responded after a brief silence. "He must have known returning would have ended his life, but I don't think for a moment any one of us would have so much as touched any one of you," she said, sadness creeping into her tone. She did not want to see her son die—but if he set foot on Inferni soil again, surely Gabriel would not hesitate to take his life. If she were Aquila, could she have done the same to her own child? She didn't know, and it deeply frightened her.



    Often Lykoi and Inferni were synonymous; the clan had spawned the family, and the family had kept the clan alive over those long, long years. But here was one instance where the two were completely at odds—Kaena would have been faced with the brutal choice of loyalty to her word as Aquila or loyalty to her very family. She was quite glad the chance for that choice had been passed on, though she realized that same choice was now in Gabriel's hands. His brother, or his clan? The silver hybrid did not envy him; it was perhaps more difficult than her decision. A child, or a clan? She knew she would invariably choose the child, regardless of his sins. She would drive him away and remind him with another scar, but she did not think she could kill him unless he endangered her life or the life of another family member. This was at once comforting and deeply frightening to the silver canine; it showed for once a clear weakness in all of her viciousness and malevolence. Enigma again spoke, and Kaena's scarred head turned to face him, away from the dancing fire.



    He lamented and expressed that same thing Jael and Halo had told her. Their father was a liar, and he had spawned a generation of Lykoi which did not know the truth of its own history. The ashen hybrid frowned, her brow knotting with distaste. "What did he tell you, dear?" The Lykoi woman was curious—she wondered what web of lies Vitium had spun for his children about her, Inferni, and the Lykoi family. The term of endearment had slipped from her naturally; this was her grandchild and she would treat him as such, and accept him regardless of his eyes and his father.

    The wind on the coast had kicked up just slightly, giving the flames a wicked tilt and drawing the smoke away from them quickly, ripping it along. She could see the bay and the rocky shores it boasted, her eyes following the sharp curve of the coast as it wandered away. Distantly, she could see the edge of the bay beginning, marked by sloping planes and tiny outcroppings that were certainly huge boulders up close. Her golden eye wandered to the sky, the vast array of stars above their head. There was little light in the world now, and everywhere the sky was an ocean of twinkling brilliance, the central point of which was that silver crescent cut into the sky. It was a lovely night, but even so, it seemed false, out of place as the youth beside her exploded in a frantic rant of thought.



    As he spoke, the coyote became confused. Had they not been welcomed? Gabriel had never been too keen on much of his family, though Kaena knew he was bound to them. It was not beyond him that he might have greeted her grandchildren with that cold indifference he regarded the world with; certainly there were no heartfelt reunions. The coyote remained silent and allowed Enigma to continue, watching the emotion flash across his face. He showed her his anger and his sadness all at once, his rage knotting his features. When he finished, the coyote's gaze had returned to the water, watching the black waves swirl about. Silver from the moon and red-orange from the fire glinted off parts of the water, dancing across the choppy dark surface of it.



    She exhaled deeply, and shook her head. "I don't think anybody but Vitium understands," she said after a long moment. Kaena herself had barely time to know her son as she should have—he was the anomaly, having taken off at a relatively young age, returned to his family only to... what? To cause strife? To hurt her? The Lykoi did not know, and the questions burned inside of her as strongly as they must have in Enigma. She turned to face him, her tapered muzzle returning to the golden-furred youth. "If I knew any better than you do, I would say so," she said, something that she felt needed to be reinforced—there was little she would keep locked away in her head. It wasn't right to further deny these three youths their true heritage.