Tradewinds ((Tagged/Open))

[Fierfly]

@shiver

Kailypso:

A pair of golden eyes stared intently at a small puff of white - a burst of color among the many colors bursting out of the earth and into the sun in the spring season. This one was different though, it was the cottontail of a small rabbit and that meant that this burst of color was edible.

The young jack-rabbit - not quite a year old she guessed by his lanky limbs and stunted size - rose up on his haunches and looked around. Velvety pink nose sniffing delicately and searching the air for anything out of the ordinary and he paused when he caught her scent, but the wind shifted again, taking it away from him and he didn't appear overly concerned. He got back down on all fours and hopped to a small clover plant putting out early blossoms and began nibbling on one of the leaves.

Kailypso brought her belly off the ground an inch or so and slowly crawled a step or two after him, freezing and melting into the ground once more as he stopped and looked around.

She settled on a twig that snapped, the jack turned and looked squarely at her. She cursed under her breath as she recognized the instinctual reaction register in the lagamorph's eyes:

Run.

Long ears pinned back against his head the white burst of his cottontail began flying through the clearing, lanky limbs springing and jumping, leading the bounding rabbit on a happy run away to live another day with his hunter following desperately. She swore again and threw herself forward in an attempt to catch up. Why hadn't she looked for that twig? Just her luck to be given away at the last moment! She'd been so close! No, the fight wasn't over yet! She turned to follow her fleeing prey as he led her on a merry chase and she remembered humorlessly how growing up she and the other young wolves had sometimes been told to "sing for their supper", she was doing more than singing for hers now.

The jack happily skipped along, sensing his hunter was falling behind him and bounded on tirelessly. Kailypso growled, whimpered and pushed herself to the limit of her speed among the trees and tall grasses, slamming her right shoulder into one of the trees and using it to push off and hopefully gain some ground on her dinner.

[Deleted]

Amora was taking a break. As much of a break as her busy mind would allow. Being Betess wasn’t easy, though she certainly didn’t have to become someone else to fit the role properly, she was the prime candidate and the perfect wolf for the job, luckily her mother had enough sense to recognize that. Her mother had truly become a good Alphess, of course there was always room for improvement...but she had truly come far. They all had.

However she hadn’t come all this way to let her thoughts float back to her pack, no she was here to let loose. And so, standing still in the green hued darkness of the spring forest she let her regal, perfect posture melt, her shoulders sinking into a casual slump, her legs loosening up, her neck uncoiling and letting her majestic head fall lower. She looked as she had in the old days, in the rough times. With a cocky smirk ghosting her lips she slunk through the trees, her muscles relaxed and free. She truly was letting herself loose, if it was only for an afternoon.

Purple eyes scanned the forest with nonchalant certainty, brushing past the scenery, after one thing: food. And there in came, in a flurry of rustling branches and fluttering leaves a brown rabbit bounded through the thick underbrush. However there was more rustling and branch breaking behind the rabbit, and Amora perhaps subconsciously in search of confrontation decided it was best that she go after the cotton tail as well. She did not wait the few seconds for her competitor to show them self, but immediately lunges into action, startling her prey as she seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

The hare was close, it’s easy bounds somehow transitioning into frenzied leaps and jitters. Tongue lolling out and jaws eagerly open, Amora pounced, her prosthetic leg stretched out beside her natural one, both paws crashing down on the rabbits sleek fur. The animal nearly escaped, but Amora’s quick maw had descended onto its skull and swiftly ended its life. With deep breath she turned to meet whatever had originally been after the rabbit, licking the blood from her black maw with an amused expression on her face. This would be fun.

[Fierfly]

Kailypso:

It dove into a thicket. There was hope yet! She was so much smaller than other wolves it probably expected to lose her, but no, she was reasonably sure she would fit and would be able to catch him at the last second, so she sprang.

Branches caught her shoulders and a few precious seconds were lost as she struggled past them, but she made it through and started again after the jackrabbit. She stopped - someone else had beaten her to it.

It was an impressive she-wolf, she was tall, not as tall as Kanga, but a decent height. Not overly muscular to the point of no longer being feminine, but certainly very solidly built. Her coat was raven black with bright swirls and spots along her shoulders and back and matching freckles dotting her cheeks. Most impressive wasn't one of her physical features at all, but something she was wearing, a harness of vines that connected...was that...a leg? It was sculpted in astounding detail, and with the way the claws of the prosthetic gripped her jackrabbit, it appeared to be fully functioning. Well, good for her. Naturally she was curious about how she'd gotten the wooden cast to replace her original limb and how it functioned, but her belly growled dully and she was reminded that her primary focus was the rabbit. Oh, what to do? She didn't want to beg, she was too proud for that: but she needed something to fill her tank and keep her going, and this was the first thing she'd even come close to catching all day.

So her wary yellow eyes raised to meet the dark violet ones and she studied the other wolf. A slight smile played about her lips and the dark eyes sparkled in good humor. Either friendly or amused, she could handle either. She drew up and pushed her ears forward, trying to look friendly (never mind her ruff was prickling with unease and distrust, it did that with every first encounter). "That - was my dinner," she nodded to the dead hare. She'd never been one to waste words and being direct got to the issue faster and led to a quicker resolution, and fast was what she was after as another patient rumble reminded her.

[Deleted]

The wolf that emerged was rather slight and wiry, a shewolf with a prickly countenance-not bad thing mind you. Her fur was slightly ruffled with apprehension, the brown rather warm, somehow contrasting with the grey-toned bark of the ash trees scattered around them. Her bright yellow eyes were like needles, exact, sharp, never missing a beat or detail. She was hungry, as many wolves were, her skinniness struck a chord of pity in Amora...”that - was my dinner,” She nodded to the dead rabbit under her paws. Amora looked back at the rabbit, no longer as appetizing dead as when it was alive and running. With a shrug and a deft paw she shunted it towards the stranger. ”Go ahead,” She purred. ”A loner like you will need it more than I.” She raised an eyebrow as if prompting for a deeper conversation. She wouldn’t admit it, but she was bored, she wanted someone to talk to, another girl wouldn’t hurt either. Tear was busy with her pups and Gammess Duties and her mother wasn’t exactly the conversational type. She was surrounded by bullheaded makes like Epsilon, Kanga and Manaaki. Not that they were, in actuality, bullheaded...but many times they lacked the insight, tact, and spice of a female.

[Fierfly]

Kailypso:

She swished her tail as the other female lipped her bloodied maw - tainted from the kill and considered the options. Her gaze went to the rabbit, back to Kailypso, and then the smile softened and she gently shoved the carcass over to her. "Go ahead," she nodded gracefully. Her voice was low and smooth, but not necessarily soft, just patient...for the time being. "A loner like you will need it more than I."

Kailypso hesitated. That hadn't been begging, had it? She had not specifically asked for the rabbit, she'd only stated a fact. The other she-wolf wasn't going to be stingy about it, she was letting her at the meat and was at full attention, not to pounce or spring, just curious, maybe bored. She took the hare before the other she-wolf could change her mind.

The meal was always more rewarding when she was able to chase it down herself, but beggars couldn't be choosers - she did need the fuel and the stranger was being gracious, having gone through the trouble of killing the troubling lagamorph and then not asking to share the meal. She tore in. The jack's coat had been sleek and soft, usually a good indicator of good meat, and it wasn't a lie. It was soft and tender, not too much to it, but she wasn't very big, it would fill her up. She felt like maybe it was rude to be eating in front of the stranger without inviting her to share the meal, but she could only imagine how that would look for her to come up from her dinner with her maw dripping blood and say: "hey, ya want some?" Besides, she'd said she didn't need food, not as badly as a loner.

She chuckled humorlessly, "Pack girl, huh?" she remembered to swallow her current mouthfull before she spoke and wiped some of the blood off her maw so the picture wouldn't be quite as ghoulish. "What makes you say I'm a loner?" what the heck. Why not converse? It was weird to just sit there and make the raven-coated wolf watch her eat, so may as well make something of the encounter besides being reminded that she often needed help to catch her dinner.

[Deleted]

The dark coated shewolf watched the smaller shewolf approach the rabbit, eye with a cautious, but easy glance before tearing into her prize. She seemed to be relaxed and overall not too threatened. Amora weighed in her mind whether or not the lack of intimidation should be flattering or disappointing...Amora decided not to decide currently, she was trying to relax after all.

Things were getting slightly awkward as the skinny shewolf munched away, and so Amora sat herself down in the carpet of old leaves, sticks, pebbles and dirt that made up the forest floor. Luckily this stranger caught on quickly and broke the silence, making conversation. Lovely!

“Pack girl, huh?” Amora tilted her head back slightly, her resting smile splitting wider. ”You could say that,” She stretched her forelegs in front of her slightly before dragging them back in.

“What makes you say I’m a loner?” Perhaps it would be rude to bluntly tell her all of her deductions. Her skinny frame, the slight dullness of her coat...she was still healthy and a good looking beast, but she wasn’t as healthy as she could be, she hadn’t reached her full potential. Yes-that was the best way to put it. But still, it wasn’t polite to point out such things. ”Just a hunch,” Amora shrugged before a sly grin twitched the corner of her lip up into a slight smirk. ”A hunch which you aren’t denying. Am I mistaken?” She chuckled, hoping her humor was not taken badly. However, if the confrontation did turn sour, Amora was not against a good spat or two. But she had a feeling that this confrontation wouldn’t spoil. In fact this shewolf intrigued her. There was something pleasurably satisfying in finding an unknown wolf to converse with. They were like an unsolved puzzle, or a ball of knotted string begging to be unraveled. Something to solve and understand completely. Amora lived mysteries because she knew that she could solve them eventually. However, just knowing a little bit would do for now.

[Fierfly]

Kailypso:

Good-tempered: between being amused and good-tempered, good-tempered was what she preferred and this stranger hadn't gotten irritated or ornery yet. Maybe today was going to be a good day after all.

She took kindly to her inquiry to her social status: she chuckled lightly and stretched out, plopping her hindquarters down and stretching out with her forepaws. Kailypso watched out of the corner of her eye. The toes of the prosthetic reached and popped the same way the ones made of flesh did. How was it doing that? She wasn't interested for engineering purposes or anything, it was just unusual, something she hadn't seen before, and it worked so seamlessly...well, maybe she was a tiny bit interested in the engineering, maybe she could get one like it to replace her own bad leg she thought humorlessly. She'd wait, no need to spoil a for-once pleasant encounter with a stranger by trying to get too personal all at once.

Back to the conversation. The other she-wolf had simply had a hunch about her pack status. Kailypso thought that over for a second, it made sense. If she was from a pack she knew the rules and all that. Kaily certainly didn't smell like she was from a pack and with her wary eye constantly flicking back to the stranger...not exactly suspicious, but it definitely showed that she was less practiced in social interactions. What little skill she had was getting rusty with her wanderings, but she liked to keep moving. It rather suited her.

She snorted, not unkindly at the gentle probe to her reaction: she wasn't denying she was a loner. "Nope!" she eyed the rabbit and decided she'd save what was left for another time and made a mental note to be sure to bring the carcass along when she got on her paws again. She sat down and licked her maw, then a forepaw and ran it around her face, something like a cat if only to clean her face and make her look a bit less like an absolute heathen. "No, you weren't wrong. Packs don't agree with me," she shrugged carelessly, letting her bad shoulder show as the right failed miserably to reach even with the left. It wasn't until she shrugged that she felt the bruise starting to form and tried to remember what she'd done to deserve that: oh yes, ramming into a tree...ah well, she'd live. "What kinda pack? 'Scuse me if I don't know, I'm still pretty new here."

[Deleted]

She was a loner. The shewolf had snorted and replied negatory to Amora’s reparative question. The Betess nodded in response; Amora was always glad to have her deductions affirmed even if she was positive she was correct. It was nice to receive validation. The stranger then seemed to cease from her meal. To talk more formally? To finish later? Share? It could be a number of reasons, but Amora wasn’t particularly interested in that detail. In fact her attention was immediately snatched away by the cat-like draw of her paw over her cheek and ear. What a strange creature sat before her...perhaps she was normal and pack wolves were strange. After all, Amora had never been a proper loner, she had almost always had someone by her side. Sometimes that someone was less than savory...

“Packs don’t agree with me.” This next comment peaked Amora’s interest. Had see run into trouble with a group of wolves in the past? Surely it wasn’t Secluded Sunrise. As Betess, news would’ve reached her soon enough. Perhaps another pack in the valley? Or none of the local packs at all. This last option became much more weighted as the shewolf then identified herself as a newcomer to the area.

Readjusting her attention to the conversation at hand, Amora swiveled her ears forward and wrapped her tail over her hind leg. How should she respond? She could just speak bluntly as she was most accustomed to...though perhaps outrightly asserting her rank might scare off the poor girl and ruin their conversation. Ah screw it. She was Betess Amora and she was proud of it!

”I suppose I can catch two mice with one swipe and get introductions out of the way,” She lowered her head in a polite bow before speaking. ”I am Betess Amora of Secluded Sunrise.” She tried to keep formal, though as a result of all the struggle it had taken to relax, a crooked smile inched its way into her lips. She may look cocky and slightly narcissistic...which she couldn’t truly deny...but she was a nice wolf. Or so she liked to think.

[Fierfly]

Kailypso:

This conversation was growing dull. It was polite and all, rather pleasant, but it was almost too pleasant. She wondered how quickly it could be wrapped up? Maybe indulge her in a bit of gloating over her pack, demurely agree that it was splendid, thank her for not hogging the rabbit and politely say goodbye? Yeah, that sounded like a pretty good idea.

Her reply though changed Kailypso's plans. She straightened and gently bowed the regal, dark head and introduced herself as Betess Amora of Secluded Sunrise.

The yellow eyes honed in and the ginger ears perked forward in interest. Secluded Sunrise? That was Kanga's pack! The alphess - oh what had he said her name was? Eh, she'd probably remember at some unholy hour in the night just as she'd drifted off to sleep - it was the one she'd called a fussbudget (she made a mental note not to bring that one up to Amora, such a highly ranked wolf may not take kindly to a friendly jab like that). Wait! She was ranked! Oh Geist, she was second-in-command of the entire pack! She was basically talking to the heir of the pack Kanga had been so proud of - the largest (perhaps the only) neutral pack in the Valley! Amora too seemed proud of the claim she had with the name of her pack, a proud (not haughty, just immensely pleased) grin kindly showed the tips of her teeth and a smug glint in the dark eyes said that she was proud of her birthright.

She wasn't the type to get star-struck but she ducked her head in an awkward head-bow in return. "Kailypso," she felt awkward with no title to give in return, but those had never suited her either. "Secluded Sunrise you said? In the eastern forest?" she nodded her head off in the general direction. "Good day's run from home ain'tchya?"

[Deleted]

Amora could visibly see the shewolf’s eyes dull, perhaps bored because of the conversation. No matter, her next words we’re enough to reignite the spark in those yellow irises. Ah she was very much interested in her pack, either that or shell shocked by her rank. Much to her pride’s disappointment, Amora doubted it was the latter. Of course her rank was impressive, but it was obvious that this shewolf wasn’t blown away by that fact.

The brown shewolf introduced herself as Kailypso. A loner. No title or hailing name. That was alright. Not everyone was the daughter of the Alphess. Besides, she was sure being a loner had its charms. From her brief time alone she had enjoyed going where the wind took her. Though she had often run into loners that were...less than desirable. Amora took a deep breath once more, leaning back a little more. Relax. Who knew relaxing was so hard to do.

”Yeah,” She laughed, ”Sometimes you’ve got to get out for a bit.” Her expression darkened, though was quite full of humor. ”Two particular brothers have been thorns in my side recently,” She laughed heartily. They hadn’t meant to, but nevertheless the twins had been the center of her focus, and that was a problem. She needed to focus on her pack first, not wondering what Kanga was up to now, nor analyzing Manaaki’s casual phrases for hidden meanings. In a way it wasn’t their fault really, it was her emotions.

[Fierfly]

Kailypso:

Amora chuckled at her rather forward inquiry to her distance from her territory and said that sometimes you had to get out for a bit. Kaily nodded. She'd felt that need, and look at her now, she was way out. Her expression darkened, not in an unfriendly way, but almost like amused exasperation or darkened with the weight of thoughts: ”Two particular brothers have been thorns in my side recently,”, another rueful chuckle.

Kaily felt her own smirk begin teasing at her lips, though she kept it modest. "I don't suppose one of those brothers has a big, fat, crooked smile and the other starts with an Mm- and ends with -anaaki, do they?" she refused to believe there were too many terrible twosomes of brothers like that in the Valley, and indeed this was a highly ranked wolf, organized, deliberate: much like she'd imagined that fussbudget alphess, but more easygoing, a bit of her own cynicism in the mix that she could relate to, not nearly as prim or tight-lipped, but still, this was a wolf with a powerful position and one who didn't seem to embrace the empty-headed chaos that followed Kanga and (by default) Manaaki wherever they went (if she could judge from one encounter). She had said she was from Secluded Sunrise, and the twins had left her with the idea that they were well known in the pack if just for being nuisances. She snorted a chuckle of her own as she thought about it. "Uh-oh, what have the Terror Twins done now? Not knocked over more trees I hope."

[Deleted]

Oh how curious! She seemed to have met them. ”Ah, Kanga and Manaaki. You know them.” It wasn’t a question, but rather asking for an affirmation really. It seemed like they had really talked, she wondered how well she knew them...surely not as deeply as she. A foreign twinge of jealousy gnawing, goading at her heart. Ow. Jealousy was something Amora rarely felt, perhaps felt only once before when Ruko was being prioritized so long ago. She remembered throwing that fit. She had come a long way. However the pang of envy could not go unnoticed. She found herself laying a sort of claim to the twins, not wanting to share them with any other shewolf, not wanting to even think about them having deeper relations with a loner than with her. Was she being petty? Probably. Did she care? No.

Knocking over trees? Hmmm...ah of course. Blaise has told her exasperatedly that day. Their first day. Amora chuckled, eyes glittering. ”I’ve been knocking down trees with them,” Her power mark flowed without much conscious effort, the trees shaking in time with the tremors of her diaphragm. ”My boys are and I are truly a troublesome trio for any intruders.” She grinned. That Alexro had regretted messing with her and her knights. ”How do you know the two?”

[Fierfly]

Kailypso:

The wind shifted again, sending a comfortable rustle through the leaves of the trees. Oh how she loved the spring winds, the different stories they told, the different adventures they coaxed her out to, it was in her lifeblood, she was convinced: stirring, always moving, whispering secrets and stopping every now and then to talk as she was doing now. Her guess wasn't wrong, Amora laughed heartily now, it was Kanga and Manaaki acting as the twin thorns in her side. Kailypso briefly pitied her, she thought the twins were good fun, not a pain in the least (except for her mouth for all the times Kanga had tried to make her grin that day, her frowning muscles had hurt from how staunchly she'd tried to repress that one grin Kanga had so intently sought.) But she seemed to be taking it well enough, it was not a malicious dislike or officious or haughty, just like a mother over her pups: she'd just given them a bath, left for two minutes to get a drink and came back to find them rolling in the mud, a friendly, good-hearted exasperation. Not that she could blame the betess, she got the feeling they rubbed a lot of wolves the wrong way, and yet they endeared themselves to their pack-mates all the same.

And wandering strangers as it would appear.

"'Know' is a pretty strong word Beta," she shrugged, "More like Mr. Trouble-with-a-grin caught me playing and we wound up talking a spell." the whole day really, but she wasn't going to divulge that. Kanga was easygoing and charismatic, and Manaaki was curious and enjoyed conversing, they easily could have spent the entire day talking with anyone. She suddenly felt mildly guilty for gossiping about the two, it really wasn't any of her business if they were getting along with their Betess or not, but Amora's next comment made her forget the uneasiness and brought her all the way back to the conversation.

”I’ve been knocking down trees with them, my boys and I are truly a troublesome trio for any intruders.”

...Her boys?

Kailypso's eyes narrowed slightly as Amora's smile turned coy and smug. The half-smirk pulling at her lip wilted and her expression briefly turned analytical. Her boys? She tried to think...having a deep, personal relationship with one of them she might have been able to see, but both? What gave her the right to claim the two as her own? She didn't refer to them in a political sense, not "my soldiers" or "my scouts" (if she remembered their ranks correctly), she used a term of endearment, a familiar term. Her "boys", just like a mother and her pups again. But Amora surely couldn't have been quite as old as the twins. She was older than Kailypso for sure, but she couldn't possibly be a maternal figure for them, all that left was either very dear friends or something more.

What was she doing?! Kailypso was not a jealous wolf and it wasn't like her to cling to a male. What was she doing? She took a deep breath and softened her expression, though it took a little effort. If they were special friends with Amora, she could respect that, if Amora called them hers, that was her business, but staunchly in her mind, Kailypso insisted that she was the one Kanga liked to call a fire-cracker and she still thought of him as her friend with the bright hazel eyes and the endearing crooked smile. Manaaki was the ever smiling gray shadow with the soul-searching mind that always kept her guessing, and no amount of Amora laying claim to them would ruin that mental picture for her.

She asked how they'd met...she'd sort of already answered that, so she just shrugged. "Nothing too interesting. We relate to each other.". She'd seen the familiar haunted look in Kanga's eyes, it was not a lie, and it was one more connection to the boys that she had that Amora couldn't claim.

[Deleted]

Amora did not miss the stiffening of the loners jaw, the sudden coldness in her eyes. But she chose to ignore it, she found no joy in digging out secrets and hardened feelings. What was a loner to her anyways? Surely of no use to her. Kailypso hid her distaste well with an easy shrug and casual words. Amora wasn’t usually a diplomatic wolf, but she felt as if she shouldn’t burn any bridges. ”Relate?” Amora mused, mostly to herself. She hadn’t gone into detail about her past with either of the twins, the closest she had gotten was with Manaaki was talking vaguely about the pack they had left, and she had been too guarded offer up much of her own vulnerabilities. The wolf she had confided most in would have to be Epsilon. It was strange really, for he was possibly the closest friend she had, and even then they weren’t extremely attached.

As if the clouds and fog finally cleared her mind Amora realized something. She was distancing herself from everyone around her. Yes, she seemed so very social and with the in crowd, but she never contributed to the trust she held. She simply expected others to trust her without her trusting them. A flicker of pain made itself known on her face before the Betess swiftly banished it. She had grown up so fast she had forgotten that she was young with a future ahead of her. And her policy of not burning bridges had been invisibly broken many times. She wasn’t even building bridges. Amora was isolating herself emotionally. She had ignored her feelings for too long. She would be honest with Manaaki. She would no longer dance around the truth, evading vulnerability. No, she would be vulnerable to him and he would in turn confide in her. At least she hoped...
Amora hated not knowing for certain, but that was life and she would have to learn to roll with the punches.

”Kailypso, you’ve helped me realize something. Thank you,” The three legged wolf propped herself back up into a standing position as she spoke quietly. She turned to leave but stopped, ”Come and visit when you can, I’m sure the boys would like to chat some more as long as they’re not shirking their duties.” Amora found it hard to extend the invitation, but her selfishness had gotten her only so far, there were other tactics to be exploited.

[Fierfly]

Kailypso:

Amora remained gracious and politely did not follow up, but mused over her answer. Relate - she now had to consider it. Did they relate? Yes, they'd been hurt. She supposed everyone was badly hurt at one point in time, but something about Kanga - about how he'd left her with "it means 'Curse'" and had vanished...she could relate to the feeling of rejection, abandonment, guilt..."curse" was a new one, but it wasn't so far off the mark. Yes, she could very easily relate to them, but did they relate to her? She didn't want to know: as a pup she'd heard the saying about crawling into another wolf's skin and walking around in it - it had always made her uneasy. She was so petite she wouldn't very easily fit into any other wolf's skin, and she knew of few that could fit into hers - besides: hers was not a comfortable skin to be in.

She startled out of her reflecting to find Amora similarly lost in her thoughts and a look of acute pain on her features. Was it something she'd said? The look vanished before it completely registered and the loner dismissed it as her imagination - she was betess of a prestigious pack, she had her position and "her boys", and who knew how many other chums back in her territory, what could she possibly have said to-

”Kailypso, you’ve helped me realize something. Thank you,” Amora said quietly, slowly as she got to her feet.

Fire-yellow eyed widened and went blank along with her mind. Geist she had said something! What? Gosh dangit all, all her stupid gimpy foot was good for was going into her mouth and saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Still, she'd be a grown-up about it - but what was the proper reaction to that? You're welcome? I'm sorry? Oh? What did you realize? None of them quite seemed appropriate. "Uhm, okay..."

Amora hardly seemed to hear her, but turned to leave - stopped and meekly, over her shoulder: ”Come and visit when you can, I’m sure the boys would like to chat some more as long as they’re not shirking their duties.”

Her hackles went up a little more at the thought of going to a pack's lands and she shifted her weight uneasily. Packs definitely weren't her thing, and many did not take kindly to loners not intending to join...but she had two invitations now, one from the two biggest wolves she'd ever met that surely no one would argue with and one from the betess - two invitations could not easily be turned down. ...What was the harm in a visit? She would like to tussle with Kanga again - no, no, tussling hadn't turned out well last time, but he was good for talking to, and Manaaki and Amora...why not?

"Maybe I will,", it wasn't a promise, it was hardly a commitment, but she would keep her mind open. "Thanks for catching the rabbit, I don't want to hold ya up or anything," nothing else came to mind to say so she let her words hang in the air for Amora to respond to.