SOSU 460
Sage didn't want to think about her own blood actively seeking to harm her. She shunned the thought, tried to bar it from her mind. But Saluce's words of comfort only bred more brooding beneath tangled chocolate waves. It couldn't be true; why would they come for her? Had she really wronged them so? If only she could speak with Ezekiel again, somehow civilly, but the young Lykoi knew this was unlikely. The Inferni Aquila's current agenda was prejudice and paranoia, something culturally classic to Inferni. To Sage, this was devastating. She had felt, long ago, the resistance to her own ideals inside of Inferni, but she had fought against their closed minds, trying to free them. It had taken the now-Ichikan this long to discover that nothing she did there would make Inferni what it wasn't. She wanted to stay cordial-- she needed to see her grandmother sometimes, and with so many relatives pouring in there, how was it fair to deny her? But from all of the tales, it seemed Ezekiel would make such a thing impossible. She hoped that time would soothe his hurt, and they could speak again.
Saluce's touch on her shoulder came gently, but his hand was large and heavy against her small frame, pulling her out of her clouding thoughts. She shook her head, frowning, sad face turning to look at him with half-lidded ambers. She forced herself to smile, but it was a small, frail one wrought with worry and dismay. Still, she managed her courtesies. "Thank you, Saluce." He was being very civil about all of this, she thought, and for that she was glad. If her cousin had any worse influence on him, she might have been shunned by the large man completely. As it was, the warmth of his hand had left her shoulders colder and wanting of cover. With a sigh that fogged her vision, Sage nodded gravely at his further words. News traveled quickly within packs, that much she knew. She only hoped that this story would not be blown up; it wasn't deserving. Sage wasn't a traitor and she had meant no harm by leaving, how could they believe otherwise? Ashamed, she turned her face away. The red blaze atop her nose and her angular, striking features made it impossible not to associate her with the species. Maybe it was that, and her Lykoi heritage that gave them the ability to convince themselves she was a criminal. Her face contorted with her worrying thoughts. The tawny coyote had known the wolves of Ichika to be understanding, and she hoped that this truth held fast during her time of turmoil. She found herself staring off, idly gnawing on the claw of one finger as she thought deeply.
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