07-31-2009, 07:58 PM
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| http://digital-bonsai.com/katew/rp/kae/ ... tblood.jpg); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; background-position:fixed; padding-top:248px; padding-left:25px; padding-right:25px; padding-bottom:10px;"> The newcomer's energy was infectious. She was worlds better, it seemed, as she danced around the elder female. Kaena smirked, her single golden eye watching her. It was strange to see one so carefree and open in the world, especially in this clan. But it was good to have brighter faces and merriment in the clan; too much drab and dark and they would soon find themselves in the deepest throes of depression. The hybrid woman watched as the girl's face lit up at the suggestion of food, as if she had not eaten for a long time, if ever. At the suggestion of sharing, Kae nodded. She'd had a few bites, but the gray woman had wanted Merilin to eat her fill before she took any more of the marine animal's flesh for herself. "Eat your fill first," she said gently, having heart the growling hunger from the other coyote's stomach. When Merilin was finished, Kaena picked up the fish herself and ate more of it, finishing off the thing and leaving just the head and tail for the gulls. The scarred coyote tossed the carcass to the sand, the birds which had gathered several feet away from them crowding around it and fighting over it rather noisily. The woman rolled her single eye and turned back to Merilin as she spoke, listening to her questions. She had a lot to say, though it surely didn't bother the gray hybrid. She was simply less inclined to speak most of the time, but this was different. Meri was brand new to the clan, and it would do her a whole lot of good if she knew some of the basics before she plunged into the territories. The coyote woman grinned her toothy smile. "We've got a big territory. It's called The Waste. The inlet where you washed up is ours, and some of that forest is ours," she said, her blazing gold eye following the direction the young woman had indicated. "The forest has a lot of food, and there is a mansion in there. I think you can live inside of it, if you're more comfortable," the coyote suggested, though she did not think Merilin would be too keep on that suggestion. She was not even a luperci; surely she had little experience with the human artifacts of the world. "Our borders are clearly marked. We decorate them with skulls and bones to keep intruders out," the coyote said matter-of-factly, the tradition borrowed from her son's coyote friends on the far side of the world. "So long as you're inside 'em, you're safe," the grizzled canine replied, reclining back on the rock as she stretched, intent on talking a little and allowing the fish to digest a bit before she showed Merilin around. "Some wolves don't think our borders deserve respect, since we're coyotes, so they come right on over the border anyway," her face darkened with this, clearly recalling Skylar and Xeris. They were both Valley wolves, and in Kaena's mind that motley bunch held the least respect for the coyotes. "But you have thirteen other clanmembers to help you if they're troublesome or they won't leave," the coyote said. She hoped that made it clear enough that Merilin wasn't supposed to let just anybody traipse across Inferni's soil. They had always been protective of their corner of the world. Talking of monsters placed a distinctive smile on the woman's scarred face. There surely were monsters in Inferni, but none Merilin had to fear. So long as coyote blood flowed through her veins and she wore the scent-badge of Inferni, the rusty-red coyote had nothing at all to be afraid of. "There are no monsters you have to fear in Inferni," the coyote said, a somewhat cryptic answer. "There are a lot of wolves in this land, though, and if you have the protection of Inferni's border you must be wary. Not all of them are nasty, but some will hurt you. Badly," the coyote advised, remembering that monster in the cabin, not too far outside of their own borders. It was pretty lucky she'd walked away from that one unscathed. "But I have been part of Inferni for a very long time. It's a really good place to live," the coyote said, the black tip of her tail flicking softly as pride swelled in her chest for the coyote clan she called home. |