08-22-2009, 05:41 AM
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| http://digital-bonsai.com/katew/rp/kae/kae_skulls.jpg); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat:no-repeat;"> OHGOD. I hate public speaking so much. I've never seen the point of it, myself. |: I mean, I get it, yeah, it's supposed to make you more confident, but I've never understood why they force people who dislike/are terrified of speaking in front of others to do it. D: Just not fair. Kaena's general dislike for wolves did not usually translate into an omnipresent hatred of all creatures. On the contrary, she could be rather cordial to even wolves if she believed they had something of value, whether it was information or knowledge. Coyotes and hybrids, even high percentage wolf hybrids, typically received the lighter side of Kaena, that reserved, stoic individual who did not generally offer her thoughts or emotions to others. This creature had aroused in her something vaguely akin to pity, though such an emotion was almost beyond the monochromatic hybrid. She was curious, too—curious about why all of these bedraggled coyotes were showing up here, on Inferni borders... not that she was complaining, not at all. They could always use fresh blood. They were some distance away from the coyote clan's borders, though it was not a particularly grueling walk. The old woman tried to keep her weight off of the injured leg best she could, but it was hard to do that and support Hezekiah's extra weight. He responded to her question, and she nodded, troubled by the revelation but hardly suspicious or wary of the other coyote. She had holes in her memory, too—sometimes that dark thing from somewhere inside her surfaced, rearing its ugly head and swallowing her consciousness, leaving her with nothing but darkness in its place. "Maybe if you take some time to sort your head out, you'll remember," she offered, optimistic for him despite never having recovered her own lost memories. One could never be certain. The pair of coyotes walked this way for some time, until in the dying light of day, Kaena could see the glittering white shapes of skulls adorning their borders. The hybrid woman halted, stepping away from the tan coyote's side for a moment, watching him closely for signs of fainting before she spoke. "Yes. Wolves aren't so respectful of coyote borders, so we try to make it extra clear we don't welcome trespassers," she explained, discussing the gruesome skulls as if it were the most natural thing in the world to take the bones of the dead and string them from the trees. The hybrid woman left a few feet between them, tossing her tapered muzzle to the sky and calling for the leaders with a few short, high-pitched yaps. The silvery woman settled to her haunches, her piercing eye focused on Hezekiah. "Gabriel is the Aquila, our leader. He should be here shortly," the coyote explained again. He didn't seem to quite know what to make of them. It wouldn't be so strange if he'd never heard of a coyote clan before—after all, they weren't social creatures like their larger cousins, and forming social groups was generally outside of the norm for them. "He'll probably want to ask you a few questions himself, but I have one I must ask in duty to my clan. Would you seek a home here, or are you passing through?" Either way, the scarred hybrid had already offered her help, and she would not be so callous as to revoke her offer. Vicious as she was, Kaena was not evil to the core. |