WC: 543.
It had not been her intention to make the horse rear, but rear it did nonetheless. Shaking her head slowly, Lucia couldn’t even begin to understand why wolves felt the need to tame other animals. Surely strength came from being independent, but in a way, she supposed it could kill loneliness. She could understand that, more so than she wished, but either way, her opinion was torn, and tattered. Lucia guessed it best to keep the ideas to herself, and simply wait for a response.
A nod from the lighter female assured Lucia’s assumptions were correct, and the scent in which she carried was in fact Aniwaya. It wasn’t clear how Inferni stood with this pack, but considering the strangers lack of defence, it seemed clear enough that they were not sworn enemies. “Liliana…” Lucia repeated the name as though to memorize it for safe keeping. It was one of her many defences, for if betrayal or rage were to knock on her door, she would know to whom had pointed it her way. “That’s a nice name,” she added, her momentary hesitation ending and her mind empty of thoughts for a mere second or two. Sweet, sweet release – it never lasted.
“I suppose,” Lucia’s head tilted, malachite eyes watching the horse carefully. She was more concerned with the equine than the female, despite their difference in pack choices. “I suppose you are wondering why a purebred, like me, is part of a clan like Inferni?” It was not a assumption as such, for all wolves would question it. It was clear by her appearance she was not of hybrid ancestry – she was pure wolf, and generally proud of it, except when she passed the borders of Inferni. Then, once those skulls marked the place she had to call home, Lucia downplayed herself, and pretended not to care of her ancestry – she simply followed rules, kept her head down, and tried to be invisible. It worked, for now, but some day, for sure, it would not be as easy.
“I did not betray my bloodline, or my species,” there was seriousness in the woman’s eyes, as her gaze fell upon Liliana in the form of an icy stare. She wanted her point to be noticed, and she wanted it to be heard. This was the best way. “I fell for the Hydra there…” Her heart skipped a beat, a lump in her throat. Malachite coals momentarily glazed as she pictured his beautiful features in her mind. He was her sanity; he was everything she could want, and more. If only they had more time together, it would make living all the more worthwhile. “He is a good man, a good soldier. He is not a wolf, and there are those who disapprove,” a pause, only long enough to see if Liliana’s face showed any inkling of her opinion. It had been done a hundred times – a simple wipe of their face, their body language, and it told Lucia everything she needed to know. Yet, this female was different; her concern for the horse blocked anything for the Inferni Outsider to read. She was not surprised. “But I love him, and that is what gets me through the tortures of being controlled by coyotes.”