Naia’s honey eyes glowed with pride as she was accepted into the family not as an omega—a pupsitter unworthy of any other task-- but as a teacher. The title held exactly the sort of esteem the tawny female had expected, but never received, as she raised the younger generation in her former pack. What could possibly be more important than the youth of the pack growing up strong and capable, and beginning to contribute to the family as soon as possible? Naia was grateful to find a leader that seemed to share this view; that the wolf who taught his pups would hold a valued position within the pack. She smiled as he mentioned their hyperactivity, and her tail thumped the ground in delighted anticipation. Oftentimes what was seen as hyperactivity in a pup was just misdirected energy, and once the child had a channel for that energy—a task perhaps—he would apply himself with focus and enthusiasm.

The names rolled over in Naia’s mind as Shade mentioned each member of her new family. She listened carefully, but with little confidence that she would be able to remember everyone right now without a face and a scent to match with each name. She inhaled deeply, memorizing instead the scent of her new alpha so that she might recognize a packmate by smell if she should come across one. The one that Shade called Lachesis was actually a wolf that the slight female had already met and considered a friend, but she knew the pale, green-eyed youth only as “Nineteen” and therefore her face remained blank, as every name was unfamiliar to her. She rose as Shade beckoned her to follow, but stopped after a few steps as she remembered something important.

”Oh, Shade… I will have to join you in the fen later; I have business of some importance to attend to.” As soon as she spoke she realized that she was communicating in the vague, seclusive manner of a lone wolf. The dark wolf before her was her leader but more importantly her family now, deserving of her trust as well as the knowledge of her whereabouts and activities. ”I have a friend-- another loner-- awaiting my return, and he will worry awfully if I disappear without word. I will come home the moment I update him about all of this.” She spoke with a sense of urgency and also a hint of apology, dearly wishing that she could follow him as he asked. Naia hoped that he would see this as a show of her loyalty and conscientiousness, and not as disobedience of the first instruction he ever gave her. She waited for his confirmation, and then dashed off at once in the direction of the Blackberry Fields, where she had left Gruahir a few days ago.