Fatin, the Caves. :]



    The coyote was shifted into her Secui form, her long legs carrying her at an easy pace as she made her way toward the forest from the caves. She did not wish to over-exert herself, as her stamina was lessened in this form. Still, it was far quicker than her Lupus, and she needed to hunt successfully today. Fatin was back there, somewhere behind her—battered and broken, but her Fatin all the same. She had been abused and starved, and she required food if she was going to recover properly.



    The silvery canine's pace decreased as she reached the treeline. There was usually something to eat here, though if her luck ran thin she might have to tread into the neutral forests for sustenance. Either way, she was bringing something home today. Determination filled her scarred head, and she crept low to the ground, her charcoal nose twitching as she inhaled the scents of the woods. There were smaller animals abound, several rabbits and a few unidentified rodents—none of which particularly interested the coyote woman. She wanted larger prey, something bigger to sustain Fatin for a few days rather than just provide a quick meal for the woman.



    Still, it was relatively rare for the coyotes to find hoofed prey on their territory, and even then, her chances of taking down said larger prey were far less than if she pursued something small. These thoughts ran through her head as she sorted the scents in the air, her grizzled, scarred head swinging from side to side as she inspected her surroundings. Weighing her options, the hybrid woman picked up the faint, coppery scent of old blood. This piqued her interest, and immediately she rerouted her course, heading forward through the forest. She passed the border, squeezing between piked skulls and keeping her bulky Secui body as concealed as she could.



    Her shaggy, silvery mane shifted and shimmered with each heavy step of her large paw, her pace slowed to a crawl as she ambled through the underbrush, purpose in her pace. The smell of old injury was growing stronger, and after a moment the one-eyed woman could see her quarry. It was an old raccoon, a wound on his head from some other predatory animal. Perhaps an eagle had tried to scoop him up, or worse. The hybrid woman did not know his past, but now she could benefit from another predator's failure to kill him. Pausing for just a moment, the Secui woman gathered her strength, crouching lower to propel herself forward when the moment came.



    The wound was not so serious as to kill the animal, but it was an older animal and he was having difficulty recovering from it, as the coppery crust around the injury signified well enough. He was on the ground, his back to the hybrid coyote, and it was just a moment before she sprang forward, leaping with all of the length of her Secui limbs and the power in her hind legs, their muscles coiling and bunching as she jumped at the animal. There was a brief scuffle as the coyote simply overpowered the smaller animal with her size, and then silence.



    Kaena turned abruptly, her pace hurrying as she headed forward. The flesh was still warm between her teeth as she carried it home for Fatin, her head held high to keep the carcass from dragging unnecessarily. Trotting as quickly as she could, it only took a few minutes before the coast was back in sight again, the caves just there beside them. It seemed her heart beat faster as she approached, eagerness showing in her form. She trotted the well-worn path to her own cave, the russet woman's smell growing stronger in her nose. As she approached the opening to her cave, she began the shift to her two-legged form, dropping the raccoon in front of her as her head rose and her legs lengthened. When the silver woman had completed the shift, she plucked the raccoon back up from the earth in her hand, walking into the entrance of the cave, light filling the opening behind her. "Fatin?" she called in a soft whisper, hoping she was not dozing.

    The cave was dim compared to the brilliance outside, and the hybrid's searing single eye had to blink several times to become adjusted to the different lighting. When she did, she was happy to see merry green eyes shining back at her. The coyote woman had already grown used to the sight of Fatin in her weakened and injured state, but it hurt her no less. There was still that violent thing creeping and crawling around down in her belly and tingling along her spine, threatening to fill her chest and consume her head to toe, driving her to hunt down the creatures who had done this to her lovely woman one by one until their blood ran in rivers across the dry ground. Were she a younger creature she would not have kept him at bay so easily, that dark part of her that had lived there her whole life, at least as far back as she remembered. Kaena had not acquired her demon; she had been with the grizzled coyote always, waking and sleeping and breathing at the same time. She gave ancient canine strength, but she was not Kaena's friend nor her ally. She would tear her family apart in an instant given the chance. She saw no difference between Lykoi and enemy, no difference at all. Her only purpose and her only drive was to destroy.



    Striding inside, the hybrid woman did not gaze around the cave's familiar walls. Everything was in its proper place, moreso now that the russet she-wolf was here as well. Kaena's single golden eye fell on the thin, scratchy wool blanket she had procured from the city and wished she had procured something better. Everything about her cave and her meager possessions, it was all too plain, too sorry for the lovely woman before her. Kaena almost resolved to lay the raccoon down then and there and stomp off to the mansion to find a mattress and drag it back here. The grizzled hybrid was alright with sleeping on the ground, in the open air, on the elevated slab of rock with her flat, lifeless pillow and that scratchy blanket, but that wasn't good enough for Fatin, not by a long shot. The grizzled hybrid frowned as she approached, her sable ears half-mast as she handed the raccoon over to the russet woman. "I'm glad you're awake."



    There was tension in the grizzled hybrid's face, an anxiousness which was just barely concealed beneath the knotted scar tissues crossing her face. There were several new additions since she'd last gazed on the russet woman, the crossed shape on her face, half of it created by Salvaged and the other half added by Haku. The silvery coyote did smile and chuckle softly at the red wolf's joke, she did not speak again for a moment or two . The coyote wanted the russet wolf to eat, to regain her strength, to be herself and whole again. She could not stand the sight of her so weakened and so less radiant than she usually was. Kaena loved her no less, but it hurt her to see Fatin in such a state. After a few long minutes, the hybrid again spoke, even her low voice echoing off of the cave's empty walls. "Are you comfortable here? There's the mansion, there are beds and I would stay with you there if you would rather there than here." She would not be hurt if Fatin was more comfortable elsewhere; she was hurt and she needed to rest and recover as best she could, no matter what. Kaena cursed herself for not bringing Fatin there in the first place, but this was home for the silvery hybrid, the first place she had thought to take her.