Mason Alexandre Hesiod.
May 17, 2009.
Male.
Coyote/Wolf Hybrid.
Luperci from birth.
gwendolynsflight (AIM).
I also play Geneva.
The coyote boy had traveled for a while, and now he found himself tired and worn out. He could no longer accurately tell the time of day. It had been raining for quite some time at this point. In fact, it had rained every day since he had arrived around this part of the land. It was hard for the boy to discern which way he was traveling. Mason would try to use his sense of smell, but he found that the rain made him mixed up. At certain points, all he could smell was the musk of the atmosphere. Still, resolute, he rose every day, sopping wet and tried to find his way.
Although he was young, the sandy colored pup was logical. It had been weeks - a considerable span of time in his short life - since he had seen his parents. It did not make sense that he would find them again, although he would have liked to. The world was wider than he ever could have imagined, and he felt as though he had already taken a thousand steps. Even if he took a thousand more, the chances of running across his family were slim to none. And so he had revised his goals in traveling. If he could not find his parents, he would instead seek the company of others in order to grow, to live, and to succeed. All he knew was that he did not want to be alone.
The terrain had changed, and now the he trod over gritty sand. He hunched his shoulders resolutely. His coyote heritage was evident in his features and in the sandy colors of his pelt, but he was larger than a coyote pup would be at this point, a nod to his wolf heritage. The boy was a mixed breed. His yellow eyes flashed like gold coins as he put his nose to the ground and breathed in what he believed were the scents of others - others like him. There was something distinctive about the scent that triggered recognition in his brain and made his blood race. The pup hunched his shoulders as rain continued to splattered against his head, and he waited on the spot, lest the scent escape him.
[html] | http://digital-bonsai.com/katew/rp/kae/kae_bloody.jpg); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; background-position:fixed; padding-top:230px; padding-left:15px; padding-right:15px; padding-bottom:10px;"> The hybrid woman was quite used to border duty at this point. She was not a scout by rank, no, but she was uncomfortable with the idea that Inferni had only a trio of Praeses without a Caelum to lead them. Praeses meant basic scout, naturally, and the Caelum was supposed to be their leader. Kaena was quite familiar with border duty; it was a task she had been undertaking for many years. Twice she had prowled Inferni's borders as an Aquila, sole judge of a coyote's merit and worth when it came to her clan. It had been a long time since then, and though Kaena figured she had been a bit rusty with the last few newcomers she'd intercepted, the familiar routine was slipping back into her head, a background function running in the rear of her mind without her even noticing it.
The rain was coming down again. Kaena wondered if it would ever stop—not that she disliked rain, mind you. She was simply growing tired of the same thing over and over again; as indifferent as she felt toward Sol and the sun's light, she missed his brilliance in her life now that it had been raining or overcast for weeks. It was a wet summer, and the hybrid woman wondered just how much more water the earth could hold before the oceans rose to overtake the canines and the rivers drowned their territories. Though Kaena would welcome a cleansing flood, she knew Inferni would not be so lucky as to escape the rising tide. And it was questionable if Inferni would survive another relocation; they had been lucky enough to survive the first.
She was coming up on the coast now; it would be time to turn inland and head deeper into Inferni's territory. Disappointment clouded her features; it had never been as if Inferni had been subject to a flood of newcomers, but lately it seemed as if there were almost none. Then again, it was possible that others were intercepting joiners and turning them away for whatever reasons they saw fit. The coyote woman wandered onto the beach, breaking through the tall grasses of the plains and onto the open coast. Her golden eye lit on a small form, crouched with his nose to the earth. He appeared to be relatively young, probably somewhere beneath a year. The hybrid approached him quickly enough, figuring he probably didn't want to be standing out here in the rain too long. "Looking for anything in particular?" she asked, gravelly voice ringing out clearly even in the low-level storm's noise.
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Mason did not know how to contain his excitement over the merest trace of the scent he had caught. Not only did that mean that there were others - possibly several others - nearby, but these were creatures like him. As he had passed through these lands, he had caught scents he had followed to dead ends, but this was the first time he had scented creatures like himself. Although he was young, he knew that he possessed mixed heritage. He had the foggiest recollection of his father, and he knew that he looked almost nothing like the wolf who had sired him. He had taken after his mother in nearly all ways, except for the fact that his body was larger than a normal coyote's. That difference had not struck his mind yet, because his only experience with coyotes had been with his mother. Still, the fact that there were others like him around was cause for excitement.
His coin-bright eyes flashed and he was startled for a moment when he realized a woman had joined him on the shore. He looked at her, and for a moment he did not know what to say. There was scaring down her face, and she looked fearsome. But he could easily spy their similarities. She had the same narrow features, and the single eye that gazed at him was like a captive sun, a color similar to his own eye color. The boy smiled brightly at the woman and turned to face her completely, blinking as rain fell on to his head.
"I have been looking for you, or somebody like you, for a very longs time," the pup said. His words were sincere, and his voice still had the somewhat high pitch of youth. He tried to speak properly, as he had heard his parents speaking, but the youthful way words could twist within children's mouths had still emerged. He felt his heart clattered in his chest, and he fought to sit still. He did not want this woman to think that he was a nuisance, but it was hard for him to contain his feelings. His tail wagged behind him and he waited for her to speak.
[html] She was soaked to the bone, water running in rivulets beneath her fur and against her skin. Even if she had a waterproofed type coat, it wouldn't have helped her any. The sky had opened up, and for a moment the rain drilled her back harder, and then seemed to dissappaite, becoming little more than a very light, fine drizzle. The hybrid woman peered before her through the haze of water, studying the slight coyote youth. He looked to be a hybrid, but the only defining thing that told her that was his size. Then again, coyote pups occasionally ran large, and only time and age would tell if this young canine held mixed blood.
There was a smile on the young canine's face, and as he turned to look at the grizzled hybrid, she saw his brilliant yellowy eyes. They were shades less gold than her own, but still a similar one to her own. He was smiling, and he seemed to be in good shape despite the weather and his loneliness. That alone spoke volumes about him; he might not have been born yesterday, but there were few youngsters who could adequately care for themselves while wandering. He appeared relatively well-fed, and there were no visible injuries to his body. That was already a good sign. "Oh?" she said, her interest piqued. That glittering golden eye regarding the child for a long moment. That statement was generalized to mean Inferni; surely there was no blood shared here. The coyote seemed completely foreign to Kaena; there was no tingle of familiarity other than their mixed blood.
The hybrid woman smiled herself, the tips of her sallow teeth showing. "Homeless, are we?" the coyote inquired, stepping closer to him, leveling that bright eye at him. The hybrid gave pause to allow him time to answer, then she continued. There was no point in spending too much time out here in the rain, and the Veritas wished to end this tedious process just as quickly as the young coyote did, in all likelihood. "This is Inferni. We are coyotes and hybrids," she said, giving a slight toss of her head behind her to indicate the source of all those coyote smells, dampened and made faint by the rain.
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Mason found it hard to sit still, but he kept his feet firmly planted in the ground, curling his dew claws into the gritty sand for good measure. He did not want this stranger to find him inadequate. He knew that she was not his mother, and that she was not obligated to be nice to him. However fearsome her appearance, though, she was being accepting and even kind. He very much appreciated the scarred woman's gestures. If he had learned anything in his travels, it was that the world wasn't the most pleasant place. He knew he had to carve out his own place in it in order to survive and that he couldn't do it alone.
And she smiled at him. The child was not frightened of her, despite the shocking display of scars over her features. In Mason's estimation, that only made the woman that more valuable. She had obviously fought something and had won and lived to tell the tale. He admired that quality in her already. He wanted to be strong, to be able to survive. The boy had a feeling that she had a lot to teach him, if she was willing to give him those lessons.
"Yes, ma'am," the boy answered simply. He did not elaborate on his story. He would only answer what she asked, for at this moment his mind and heart raced, glad that he had found her. Or, it seemed she had found him out in this weather. "That's what I is. Do you think I can stay, and can learn?" the boy asked, eagerness evident in every line of his body.
[html] | http://digital-bonsai.com/katew/rp/kae/kae_bloody.jpg); background-position:top center; background-repeat:no-repeat; background-position:fixed; padding-top:230px; padding-left:15px; padding-right:15px; padding-bottom:10px;"> There was some suppressed eagerness about the child, something in his body language which indicated he was ecstatic about being here on Inferni's borders. Through this, though, he was still and quiet; there was none of the puppyish energy Merilin had showed toward Kaena. It was a strange swing; the full-blooded coyote was certainly several months this child's senior, yet she seemed far more childish through her demeanor and brightness of character. There was the good possibility that this pup was just on his absolute best behavior, though; this pleased the hybrid woman immensely, though she would have welcomed him if he was as electric as the last coyote she'd found on these borders.
He gave her the simple answer she was expecting, and the hybrid woman nodded, passing no judgement. Homelessness was not nearly as stigmatized in the canine world as it might have been in the human world; indeed, young canines were expected to wander aimlessly for some part of their lives. The youth admitted his blood, though he did not clarify whether he was hybrid or coyote. He was less than five months of age, it was possible he didn't yet know for sure. Time would tell, and as the young coyote aged and grew larger, it would become clear. At least to Kaena—she could usually peg even a hair of hybrid blood, though she had certainly been fooled before. There was that smile on her scarred features again for a moment.
"I think you can, but it's not all up to me," the hybrid said, gentleness creeping into her tone. "My son or his cousin can decide that, I'll call them shortly," she added. Though the hybrid woman was still eager to get out of the rain for the night, there was no pressing need to hurry. There was still much to be asked of the young coyote before she called anyone. "What's your name?" she inquired, an encouraging look passing over her scarred features. "I'm Kaena Lykoi," she said. There had been a sudden fire over him, as if he had suddenly been consumed by the ecstasy at finding others like him, unable to remain reserved even a moment longer.
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Mason nodded as the woman spoke. He was glad that she seemed to find him worth waiting for in the rain. He knew it must be uncomfortable for her. He knew that he did not enjoy it especially, although it had died off into a fine drizzle instead of a full blown storm. In his weeks of travel, the mixed-breed youth had learned that the world wasn't the kindest place, and that his youth did not guarantee that others would be kind to him. On the contrary, he wished to grow older at this very second. He wanted to grow, both physically and in experience, so that he could adapt better to situations. He was at a distinct disadvantage with his small size and young age.
"I am Mason Alexandre Hesiod," the boy piped in. He did not feel as though he was over-volunteering too much information. On the contrary, he felt he was supplying Kaena with everything she had asked for. "You can call me whatever you likes the best." Mason honestly did not have a preference about what the monochrome female called him. His interaction with her was better than he would have imagined. It was hard to contain his excitement, and he wriggled slightly, shifting from one leg to the other before he sucked in a large breath and forced his legs to be stiff and still.
But that excitement seemed to find his vocal chords, and he spoke to the woman impulsively. "Thank you for talking withs me in the rains, Kaena Lykoi." He addressed her using both names she had given, because she had not given him permission to call her anything else. His voice maintained some amount of control, although it shook just a little with his excitement.
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The world seemed as if it was made of rain anymore; it was as if mother nature had forgotten there was any other type of weather. Kaena had never disliked rain or feared storms, but it was growing tiresome to experience the same dreary weather, day after day. It was difficult not to allow it to weigh on one's spirits; the grizzled hybrid longed for the brilliant and sunny days of summer. Where were they? It was already August, and the coyote did not think she had experienced a single bright and sunny day since then. Part of Kaena lusted for the real summer with hot and long days, not this wet and sodden excuse for the season.
The young man spoke clearly, pronouncing each syllable of his long name with care. Andre was what she liked best, but the bitterness in her heart for the child she had known for far too short of a time would not allow that name to fall on another so quickly. Perhaps a curse accompanied that name like it had haunted the de le Poers. A chilled realization crept up the woman's spine. Ahren's death meant Gabriel was the eldest de le Poer, did it not? Did the curse that haunted that family now follow her own, tied with her blood in her eldest known child? That thought struck her like a bullet, and it was all she could do to contain the momentary fear that gripped her. The young coyote spoke again, rattling the old canine from her distant thoughts, and she smiled again, though it was a strained one this time, tugged by a worry that would not resolve itself. "I like Mason. It sounds strong," the coyote said, though she did not know why this word held that meaning. It was unfamiliar to her.
Again the coyote spoke, displaying that puppyish energy he had previously lacked. The smile that again showed on Kae's face was less thin this time, spreading over her scarred features. "Not a problem at all," she said. It wouldn't due to respond with something callous about duty. He had been perfectly kind to her thus far. Duty brought her here, certainly, but it did not force her to stand here with him. She could have simply called for one of her relatives to attend to him and left it at that. "I will call for our leaders," the woman said, stepping back a few steps to yowl into the sky, her voice just as strange of a hybrid as she was—the shrill yap of a coyote mixed with the tones of a wolf combined with the faint baying of some hounddog.
The cloudy hybrid turned back to the youth, satisfied her call would bring either Gabriel or Ryan to attention. "How long have you been on your own, Mason?" she asked. It was a simple enough question—it avoided a potentially painful past if he had one, and it would tell her volumes about his resilience. He would have plenty of time to fill her in while they awaited the presence one of the Legatus ranked; the constant rains had turned much of Inferni's plainsland to a swampy muck. The going was much rougher than it usually was.
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Thanks Sie! <3 This is short and dreadful because it is time for me to sleep.
The sandy colored puppy was pleased to hear that Kaena liked his name. But he watched her face closely and noticed how her smile had changed. That did not exactly put a damper on his mood, but he paused to wonder if he had possibly done something to upset her. She seemed to be absolutely fine, and he knew that she did not need to put on airs for him. The pup did not ask what had bothered her. She seemed like a candid woman, and he trusted her to speak up if she needed something from him or if she needed him to change what he was doing.
A jolt of excitement shot down his spine. Now he stood rigidly, to keep the energy from pouring off of him. He felt as though he should run in circles, but took care to stay still. He was not aware that his efforts to stay calm were clearly evident in the strict way he held himself. He was practically humming with energy, but he had a good amount of self control for a young canine. It did not occur to Mason that he should be nervous to meet a leader, although he knew that meeting with leadership entailed respect.
The yellow-eyed boy had to think for a moment about Kaena's question, and that served to calm him a bit as he had a way to focus his energy. The boy did not have a very good concept of time. He only knew that he had been separated for a very considerable amount of time. He found it difficult to picture his parents' faces, and could picture the faces of strangers he had met along the way much more clearly. His mouth moved silently as he counted. "I think, but am not completely sure, that I have been by myself for twenty-nine days."
[html] The unmistakable voice of his mother broke through the damp air, and Gabriel turned towards it immediately. As familiar as he was with the Waste, it was not hard for him to map a route mentally before he was moving. Four paws stuck against the packed trails he, Anselm, and countless others had worn through the fields like bizarre spider webs, carrying him quickly towards the area of the borders he reason the noise had come from. There, the doggish hybrid began sniffing the air, and soon found his mother’s scent coming prominently from the south.
Soon enough he found the pair—the graying, roan splashed coyote and a child who seemed barely old enough to be on his own. The Aquila looked to Kaena, ears high, interested. “What is it with you and children?” he half-asked, half-jabbed at her, a slight smile at the corner of his mouth.
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[html] | 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;"> The hybrid woman knew the others would be along shortly; it was not so late at night this time that she might only receive a call in response. It hadn't bothered her the first time—on the contrary, it had filled her with a distinct sense of pride to know her son still trusted her to make even small decisions about Inferni. The hybrid woman listened; there was no vocal response, so she assumed one of the two Legatus would be along shortly. Her attention turned back to Mason as he spoke, listening with surprise as he spoke. That was almost a month—meaning he'd been alone since he was at least eight weeks old, perhaps just a touch more. Sympathy showed on her face for him; she wondered what tragedy had befallen this youth to separate him so prematurely from his family.
Before she could offer him a response, there was noise. It was a distinct, strange sound amongst the din of rain, and Kaena correctly assumed her call had been answered, her scarred head swinging to face her son. He spoke, and she could not help but offer a wide grin, shrugging one coal shoulder. "I dunno. Maybe they just know a sympathetic face," she responded with a low laugh. It was possible that children simply sensed that she would not harm them in the vast majority of cases, though it certainly was not invariably true. She turned mostly toward Gabriel, though she tossed her scarred head at Mason, indicating the small child. "This is Mason Alexandre Hesiod," she said, easily recalling the long name he'd just given her. She supposed it would do to simply shorten it to Mason Hesiod or Alexandre Hesiod, but it would be the child's decision whether or not to truncate his name. "He's told me he's been on his own for almost a month," she said. In all likelihood, that was all her golden son needed to hear—he was still a young child, and it was unlikely he'd acquired any skills beyond the basic survival instincts he'd sharpened on his month alone.
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Mason's coin-colored eyes widened as a male appeared to answer Kaena's call. He took a step or two back as he approached, not because he was intimidated, but because he wanted to keep both adults in his view. His legs trembled as much from cold as from excitement. The pup looked on with widened eyes and blinked as raindrops drummed out a rhythm on his forehead. Flicking is ears back for a moment, the sandy colored boy listened hard and intently for whatever the newly arrived male might say.
He noticed that Kaena was at ease with him, and that he seemed to have mixed blood as well. Mason liked that, because he could easily identify with the hybrid. The pup did not know how to feel about having mixed blood, but seeing others like Kaena and the leader of Inferi gave him much more confidence. He had thought he had looked odd, somewhat out of place compared to both his father and his mother. But now he felt a little relieved and was certain he had found somewhere to belong and fit in.
The man did not speak to him directly, and Mason did not have any questions to answer, but he decided to speak anyway. "I wants to learn..." He did not know how to address the man. "Mr. Leader." The pup took one small step forward. "I will try hard. I will learn good. I will help here when I am strong," he said in earnest.
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Welcome to Inferni! We can continue this thread for a bit, if you two would like. :]
A low laugh escaped Gabriel at the mention of his mother’s face. Cyclops and as scarred as she was, there were not many who could stare Kaena in the face without flinching. There was a vicious, ragged beauty in there, but it was not the first thing that strangers saw. The laugh remained in his eyes, and a smile stayed on his own scarred face. It faltered slightly at the mention of the boy’s time alone—and his eyes turned to the boy, startled by the age and the fact he had made it here.
The boy spoke up then, with the high voice that his own son had once carried when he was that age, and the dark-faced leader smiled again. “My name is Gabriel,” he offered. “And you are more then welcome to stay here. There aren’t many your age in Inferni but there are a lot of people who can help teach you.” At this, he nodded to Kaena, lifting his eyes to her. “Like my mother, for example.”
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In her youth, Kaena had not been fond of children, even coyote ones. She tolerated them where necessary—the hybrid woman had been almost completely indifferent to Arlo Xyl until he came of age. And even now, for all her proclaimed love of children, the gray hybrid was also a child killer. She was quite guilty of filicide, though she doubted anyone knew definitively she had killed Maeryn. The gray hybrid could hardly remember it happening. Even so, far more recently than that ancient history, she had killed a puppy-child of Aremys, but she justified this as an act of warfare. There were no rules or boundaries in Kaena's mind when it came to war—once it had been declared, there could be only bloodshed. Even still, the hybrid was quick to forget such things—though Maeryn's life had resonated through her life a long time ago, it ceased to do so now. And the nameless child's death had hardly impacted her at all and was fading fast from memory. Though the hybrid woman could recall many things, she was losing some of the finer detail in her memory. She could no longer clearly recall each scar across Zulifer's face; indeed, his features were quickly disappearing from the ancient woman's head, drowned in the passage of time.
The youth spoke, drawing her from her thoughts. She remained silent through this banter between him and Gabriel until the golden hybrid had also spoken, indicating Kaena herself and laying bare their familial tie. The silvery canine was not surprised, but she was pleased—she generally made sure to eventually reveal she was the mother of the Aquila himself, a face every Inferni member knew. It tied her firmly to Inferni again, resonating within her chest as intense pride and a deep, meaningful sense of belonging. The hybrid grinned again, that frightening thing twisting her features, though there was certainly nothing malicious in Kaena at that moment. "That makes you our youngest member, I think," the hybrid said, that same pleased tone creeping into her voice as she spoke to Mason. The hybrid missed the presence of small children, and Mason was young, no more than five months of age.
The hybrid's gleaming golden eye turned to Gabriel then, and her tapered muzzle pointed to the sky for just a moment. "Maybe we should show him to the caves," she ventured. The smile had disappeared from her face, but it left its mark, warmth buried beneath the raw tissue criss-crossing the woman's face. "I'm sure learning's easier with a dry coat and a full belly," the coyote said, jest apparent in her tone. She was pleased Gabriel had answered her call on the borders this time—she had missed this presence the last time and recalled their springtime walk fondly, when he had greeted her with the lost grandchild on the borders as she'd hoped he would. Though she did not vocalize these thoughts directly, they were apparent enough in the scarred woman's face, excitedment to spend any amount of time with Gabriel and the newcomer to Inferni.
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It was hard for Mason to contain himself when he heard the leader, Gabriel, give the affirmative. It was one of the most exciting moments that Mason could remember in his short life. He had enjoyed traveling to a certain extent, and he had liked seeing new things, but he was also somewhat knowledgeable for a boy his age. He knew in order to survive and to keep living, he needed to grow and learn what he could. Gabriel and Kaena had provided him with that opportunity, and now that the time had come, he had no idea what to say or how to react.
The sandy colored boy could no longer will his limbs into stillness. With a sudden burst of energy, Mason leapt a step forward, his back feet scrambling as he found purchase on the ground in front of him. His eyes were wide and bright as he looked at both scarred hybrids. There was nothing strange about the way they looked to him. In Mason's estimation, Gabriel and Kaena had experienced life head on and they had survived. They knew things he needed to know in order to be like them.
"I wanna learn from your mama," Mason said eagerly to Gabriel. He felt some sort of instant attachment to Kaena. She had taken the time to come out in the rain and talk to him instead of shooing him away. He knew that his youth could be a handi-cap, but he was determined to show them both that he could and would be a valuable addition to Inferni. Over time, he would grow in size and skill, and he would do whatever it took to earn his place here. He knew that nothing in life could be free.
Mason nodded earnestly as Kaena mentioned caves. His ears flapped with the force of his nodding. His footsteps were excited and erratic as he wove a path to follow the two adults. His small chest swelled when he realized that helping to fill their bellies was something he could do. "I's catch mices for you," he exclaimed. "And maybe a bird too, if one's stupid enough to stop flying."
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The boy, Mason, had the amount of energy that was to be expected from a boy his age. Ezekiel had been much the same. Shifting his weight and smiling at this display, he looked to Kaena and gave her a quick wink. “I think you found yourself a new student,” he offered, and turned towards the caves. Both heavier and taller then the two (Mason especially) the Aquila kept his pace slow as the trio began to move along the packed, worn path towards the center of the territory.
As enthusiastic as Mason was, it was hard for even the normally stoic Gabriel to keep a straight face. He was smiling broadly, and shook his head slightly at the offer. The motion caused the charms around his neck to come together in a metallic staccato. “No, I think until you get some rest we’ll take care of the food.”
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[html] | 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;"> The silvery canine was highly amused at the child's excitement; it filled her with a strangely intense sense of protection and adoration for the child. He was one of their own now, and in a way, that made him Kaena's, too. He seemed to like her, anyway—after leaping forward in a quick burst he expressed a desire to learn from her. She grinned, the smile twisting her scarred features. "Hm, I could teach you a bit," Kaena said, finding his exuberance and eagerness completely endearing. His age really did not matter so much; the tawny young coyote was quite happy to have found a home and it seemed he'd already selected a mentor. It filled a hole in the woman's heart, and she looked to Gabriel with a strangely warm light in her eye, truly delighted at this turn of events.
Kaena Lykoi had known motherhood four times in her life, more if one counted the stillborn things her half-brother had given her motherhood. She did not; only her breathing children truly mattered to Kaena, not to say she did not feel the ache of loss where her dead children were concerned. But they did not fill her consciousness; they occupied space in that vast, painful memory in the Lykoi woman. But the last time she had given birth to children, she had abandoned them in their youth to chase the devil and her lost child, one who should not have truly existed, but one Kaena loved nevertheless. In the end, that decision, to run halfway across the world in chasing this child of Salvaged Eternity—that had cost her her other children, in some form or another. Andre was dead, and she did not know where Rachias and Arkham were.
The hybrid woman's ears turned at the sound of Gabriel's jewelry and his voice, and she nodded in agreement with him. Mason would prove useful in the clan, certainly, but for the moment he need only worry about resting up and growing strong. "I can try fishing in the morning," the hybrid said. It was late, and the flooded, swampy mess much of Inferni's territory had become had driven most of the prey from their land. Rabbits' burrows had flooded, and hoofed animals, which were not particularly keen on crossing their territory to begin with, now avoided it entirely, opting to remain mostly in the woods to the south. She did not wish to spoil the uplifted mood of the moment by mentioning this drop in viable prey, so she had simply offered her alternative suggestion. The silver canine was quite used to living on the beach and fishing, and the stiller, shallower waters of the bay were ideal for her uses.
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Mason might have been disappointed any other time, but the happiness he experienced from this meeting far outweighed any disappointment he might have felt. Beside that, Mason was used to being told no in one form or another. He was not a particularly headstrong boy, but he had learned that in order to get one's way, one had to be the toughest, strongest, most powerful creature in any given situation. He did not think of either Gabriel or Kaena was a physical threat or barrier, but the logic remained the same. When he had first tried to find food on his own, he had made the mistake of trying to pick at a carcass that had had flies buzzing around it. Needless to say, he had been chased away by another loner. The principle remained the same.
Plus the sandy colored boy already thought of the woman, Kaena, to be experienced and wise. He would listen to her critically and intensely. Although they had only known each other for the short space of time, he was already ready to follow her to the ends of the earth. Her kindness had secured his loyalty, and he already felt extremely drawn and attached to this woman. What secrets did she house behind that scarred visage? What laid within her mind? He wanted to know everything.
He saw that Gabriel was taking special care to let him keep up, and Mason discreetly watched the man's paw prints. Thinking he was being smooth, he stretched his legs out ridiculously so that he did not leave his own paw prints. When he saw that Kaena was also trekking nearby, he glanced to make sure he wasn't being watched and leapt to also stay in her tracks. "What is a fishing?" he intoned.
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Though he did not see what the boy was doing, if he had Gabriel would have been pleased. The need to hide ones own tracks, especially at that age, was an instinct that survival demanded. Familiar things had been done during the war in the south-west. Moving in single-file as opposed to a large, unorganized group had made their size seem much smaller. As militaristic as the coyotes had been, it was amazing they had suffered as many losses as they had. Most of this was due to their smaller size. Gabriel too had been the victim of such an attack; he, fortunately, had walked away with a scar. The wolf had been left in a bloody heap for the crows.
Very few members of Inferni hid old meat, knowing well enough that it would be taken by the next scavenger to come around. The Waste was unforgiving. Ravens, crows, and numerous other land buzzards took residence alongside the coyotes. “You might as well take him with you,” the Aquila said, speaking over his shoulder to the Veritas. “He’s going to be spending the night with us.” There was no reason for a boy to sleep alone at that age.
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[html] | http://digital-bonsai.com/katew/rp/kae/kae_disorder.jpg); background-position: bottom center; background-repeat:no-repeat;"> There was certainly a lot she might have been able to pass along to Mason—she had raised three litters of children and birthed another, though her departure when Arkham, Rachias, and Andrezej were young hardly made them hers. She had not been present for them past the second month of their lives, and so she could hardly be said to have raised them. Perhaps if she had been around for her children, Andrezej would still be alive. Even so, it seemed the most important duty she could undertake as a mentor would be to insure no wolves ate him. That seemed to be the primary cause for her losses over time—if it were not for those two wolves killing Ikatha and Baneesh, perhaps they would have survived to their first year, as well.
The youngster asked a question, and the grizzled hybrid turned her head to look behind her, relying on knowledge of the territory to guide her for that brief moment. The ground was beginning to grow spongy beneath her feet, sodden with the rains and its runoff. "Fishing is when you catch fish. Fish are scaly things that live in the water," she said, watching as he bounded in their footsteps, smiling to herself as she turned her head to look forward again, cocking her head to listen to Gabriel. "No problem," the coyote said warmly. She would enjoy sleeping near a small, mostly helpless child—it gave her an immediate sense of protection and warmth. They would be at the caves before long, and the grizzled hybrid was looking forward to getting out of the rain.
The silvery woman turned her head back toward Mason for a moment, her glittering golden eye regarding the child as she paused, letting him catch up to her side. "That's okay by you?" she murmured to him. He would probably be excited at the idea of not sleeping alone—even so many years after losing them, Kaena could recall the warmth of her siblings and curling up next to them, and how they'd slowly gone cold, one by one. After they were gone, she missed them, vaguely. She had never known them beyond a warm presence at her side, but when they had left her, there was pain.
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