07-31-2009, 12:34 AM
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| http://digital-bonsai.com/katew/rp/kae/kae_jaws.jpg); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; background-position:fixed; padding-top:221px; padding-left:25px; padding-right:25px; padding-bottom:10px;"> It was easy to be malicious to wolves that came to their borders. Inferni was not interested in wolves unless they were of relation or the lover of someone currently in the clan. But hybrids and coyotes were a different story entirely; even if they smelled of pack, Kaena would have wandered up to a coyote hybrid in much the same fashion, reserved and friendly, receptive and open to their story. If it turned out they weren't seeking to defect from their pack, surely, a wolf-hybrid would be turned away just as quickly as his purebred brethren, but Inferni was not exactly in the position to be cold and callous to turn away coyotes who showed up at their doorstep. The young coyote seemed rather mystified by the notion of Luperci, so Kaena wordlessly began the shift, falling forward onto her outstretched arms as the shift took over. Her spine realigned, lining up with her skull so she was far more suited to walk on four legs. Her fingers grew larger and stubbier, fusing together to become paws. She bypassed her secondary form and went straight to lupus, becoming just slightly larger than the full-blooded coyote. Her hybrid blood gave her longer limbs and a taller stature in general. As she had shifted, the woman had begun to pull herself together, standing up after a long moment. A fine mist landed on Kaena, but it was hardly enough to make or break the adolescent's chances. She only offered a slight shrug and a halfway amused grin at the other canine. "Bet you are. You don't look like you're in great shape," she said, though it was certainly not intended as a derisive remark to the russet coyote. "Yes, coyotes and hybrids," she added. She had declined to mention her own muddled blood; if it wasn't obvious already to the other canine it needn't be mentioned. It hadn't perturbed her that the yearling had referred to Inferni as a pack; if she hadn't been able to draw that parallel between the clan and the pack Kae would have done so herself. It was the easiest way to convey what Inferni was, anyway. The blue-eyed coyote continued, and the grizzled woman listened, keeping her face carefully neutral. She had no right to pass judgment on this newcomer; that alone fell to Gabriel and Ryan. But she could make their lives easier, and she was certain, anyway, that her son and her son's cousin would trust her judgement. She'd been doing the meet-and-greet long enough, anyhow. She promised she wouldn't be trouble, and Kaena grinned. Certainly not, or she'd find herself right back out on her butt the way she'd come in. That is, if she was lucky and her offense wasn't so severe as to warrant a different sort of punishment from the Aquila of the clan. "Many coyotes can do these things, not to say such things are without purpose. Can you do anything unique?" the woman wondered, knowing Gabriel might ask such a question. It would save him some time, anyway. "Unfortunately, I can't decide if you can stay here or not. That's up to Gabriel. He is my son and our leader." There was a certain hint of pride to her tone, naturally. "I will call him, but Merilin," she said, her voice growing grave. She leaned down a bit, her single golden eye gazing into the light blue one. "You plan on staying here for good?" Kaena doubted Gabriel would be interested in housing her if she was just looking for a place to crash while she recuperated, so it was quite a necessary evil to ask her such a thing. |