</style>
Word Count: 423
A little. 
Slight powerplay.
★ ★ ★
Grace was no longer accustomed to having canine company. She had been traveling with Layla and Taj for some time, and she found unusually quiet and thoughtful as she chewed on cured meat delivered by Taj. The crow also gave some to Hadley, and together they chewed quietly. Grace zoned out for a moment, thinking about this and that, not able to track her thoughts for very long. She finished eating and wiped her hands on a hand-kerchief from her pocket, then offered it to Hadley. This was one of the few habits that she had really picked up from her mother. "Thank you. I built it myself, just this past weekend." She smiled pleasantly. She liked compliments.
Placing her pipe on the bedside stand, she got up and started looking around the room for some object. After some wandering and looking in the storage room, she returned with a long, wooden flute of sorts. She sat on the bed and began to play, soft and slow, and let herself go in the music. Her mother had taught her to play the ney, as part of her very conservative "female" training. Her mother had wanted so much from her that she couldn't give... including, but not limited to, adhering to lessons meant traditionally for girls, and taking on a very gendered role in the pack. She wouldn't consent to her mother choosing her husband, which her father had agreed with whole-heartedly. She supposed that her mother hadn't known that he would agree with Grace, because she had seemed frustrated and exasperated by the conversation, but it had been dropped.
Because really, Mikhail had known that the only one that his daughter had a passion for was Briar Rose, and even that, a very special passion indeed. These days, Grace had no interest in relationships, at all. Only friendships, with her own kind and with her creatures. No desire for pups; she had too much left to experience. She was too young for these things, even if she was of age by most standards. She could bear a litter, but she had no want of it. Just to spend her time training horses and learning as much as she could. Someday, she would be ready, and then she would have the entire world to share with her offspring, just as her father had shared with her. But not yet. At present, she brought her song to a close, lowering the ney slowly, and smiled. Yes, this place was a good one for her, indeed.