Y helo~!! Words: 533.
The silver-furred hybrid was busying herself in the center of the territory for once, trotting slowly about the caves to check in on different members of the territory. The silvery coyote knew there were several new members to the clan, but it would seem that most of them had decided to settle elsewhere, for the caves held very little extra activity. There were new scent trails, some of them entirely unfamiliar to the hybrid woman, but none of them unwelcome. The coyote radiated outward from the center of the territory, her coyote trot carrying her quickly across the waste. She did not dawdle, but there was no particular purpose to her stride—she was simply investigating. She was on alert, as was the rest of the clan.
The ashen coyote had no destination on her mind, but a trek around the borders was never an awful idea during these times. Their recent influx of joiners and newcomers had her quite pleased; numbers were still quite important, even if none of their newer members were as time-tested as the hardened core at Inferni's center. It was alright. Sometimes war required hardened soldiers; sometimes it required waves of dispensable coyotes to fling at the enemy. Kaena did not hold the hopes that every one of Inferni would survive this—she could only hope it did not cost her someone very dear. The thought of losing Halo or Razekiel or Gabriel or any one of her family sent a shiver of fear through her. She could not live without them.
This was a strange swing for the coyote who had been the only one of her kind early in life, left alone in the world thanks to murder and unrest within her own family, separation from both her paternal and maternal ancestry. The hybrid woman knew next to nothing of either of her histories—just what she'd discerned from her mother's senseless psychobabble and what she recalled from her father's talking. A sound roused her attention, and she paused for a just a moment. Before the sound had even died on the other canine's lips the Centurion was off quickly, her coyote trot carrying her toward the source of the howl. She had recognized who it beckoned for, naturally—Gabriel's name was not lost on Kaena. Still, with who else had shown face on their borders recently, the hybrid took no chances; if Gabriel was called here, then so was she.
The other canine came into view after a short time, this other coyote who'd called for the Aquila. The coyote approached rather quickly; though she did not recognize this coyote, it was highly unliked he posed the same caliber of threat as Vitium had the day prior. "You call for my son?" she asked, flicking an ear. The hybrid did her best to radiate calm confidence, keeping her face still and free from signs of the anxiety and misery that had plagued her. She was getting better—not fully healed, not by a long shot, but this creature was even a far cry from the nervous, shattered creature who had wandered from Dalhousie to the coast, too frightened to even head home without an escort.