Kaena's own fears had played a major part in shaping her behavior over the past few weeks. She had spent a lot of time drinking herself silly, remaining and sulking in her cave, speaking only briefly with others and sulking around. The party she had let loose—but she had an excuse that night, and she did not think her behavior was so out of hand. Then again, she could hardly remember that night and she was glad that there had not been too much of the clan present for it. Black holes in one's memory never revealed good things beneath them, and the hybrid was at once grateful and suspicious of their existence.
The other canine thanked her, and the hybrid nodded, still curious to see what a dwelling might look like. She did recall scoping out the hunk of old car there, but even then she had realized its present state was hardly inhabitable, and her own prowess with human implements was not strong enough to begin to consider revamping it. Snake must have been a talented canine indeed to be able to produce a living dwelling from such a thing. The coyote enjoyed her simple dwelling; the cave provided her with everything she needed and more. The small alcove where Vieira slept had been unused except for the rare guest; Fatin had slept in Kaena's own bed. The hybrid had her shelf for her few possessions, and just enough space to stand in her optime form. Taller canines had to crouch, but it was perfect for one of Kae's height. The tips of her ears just scraped the ceiling in most spaces.
Kaena was quite glad that Gabriel had chosen this particular expanse of land with this beach. It was quite nice; the waters were not quite as rough as on Hell's Coast, but Kaena appreciated that. It made for easier fishing, which was a primary part of her diet. Snake spoke again of the water, and the hybrid smiled tensely, unsure of where to go from there. There was a panicking moment of vacancy where her mind was free to wander and she was drawn back to thoughts of Haku. Snake interrupted in an instant, though, and the hybrid very nearly started at his voice, though her gaze snapped to where he indicated with his finger. Alarmed, the hybrid took a step toward the pluming steam, squinting to get a better view. "I don't know. Maybe it's smoke," the coyote said, alarm in her voice. She hadn't seen anything like that before, though it did look like especially pale and wispy smoke, nothing like black clouds of fire. "I think we ought to go and see," the hybrid said, pacing forward, her eye still on the oddly-colored cloud.
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