08-28-2012, 11:10 PM
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[/html] Tayui noticed immediately that Zalen's arrival put Anu on edge. She recalled that his body language had been much the same in their first meeting; though, now as an Alpha, she saw that he had to assume his dominance. She lowered her head and flattened her ears in a show of respect as he approached. Since they were the ones asking him for a favour--and a mighty big one at that--she would do best to show him that he was in charge in his packlands. Anything else would simply be wrong.[/html]
Tayui hoped that it was Anu's old instincts as a leader and her time as a loner that was making her feel wary. She had no reason to distrust Zalen, and so, she shot Anu a small smile and bobbed her head, hoping that Anu would follow suite and lower her tail, ears, and head for the Alpha.
She raised her head when he began to speak, but was surprised when she saw him pull back his gums to expose his teeth. She took a tentative step back. Why was he so upset?
At first, she didn't understand. He used both of her 'names,' which made her frown; normally, they used only one. Then she realized that he must have figured it out somehow. She didn't know how since the only ones who knew her dual identities were Vesper and Drizzt, and she had only the utmost of confidence in them.
"Zalen?" she asked hesitantly. "I am here to ask for a guided passage through your territory. We are passing by, but did not think it would be safe to continue through the neutral territories so close to Salsola. I did not want any harm to come to Anu or Cypress, so I told them I had once met the Alpha of this new pack." As she mentioned the other two wolves, she nodded slowly to each of them to distinguish them from one another. Slowly, frowning, she added: "is everything alright? I know this is a lot to ask, but--after how badly it went with Salsola, I don't want to put them in danger. I didn't mean to upset you." She didn't quite grasp why Zalen was so upset and she felt as though she was missing some vital link. Yes, he knew both her names, but what did that mean to him?
"I'm sorry I gave you a false name. I was--angry. I thought I'd dedicate my cause to her and--it didn't really go as planned. At all." She felt her ears droop and she felt so stupid for having lied to him. At the time, it had seemed like a good idea. But didn't everything? [html]