Phoenix Maplewood You were my courage, my sword and shield

Not cantering off every time the scent of coyote crossed her nose was an adjustment. When Saena encountered the smell again on her current trail, her body lurched a few steps forward before she snidely remembered that, ah, yes, we're the pack that unnaturally harbours lesser beasts. What a joke. As if to laugh at her own natural behaviour and how silly it was, she shook her nape out and then abruptly stopped moving when Regipre appeared in front of her.

The coyote was a lot bigger than the last time Saena had seen her. The alpha female's lip threatened to lift, but somehow stayed glued to its lower companion as the youngster announced her intentions. "And why's that?" she wondered coolly. "Are you ungrateful that my well-meaning husband saved your life and helped feed you?" That's what it sounded like to Saena, though she was intentionally making it seem that way in her head. She might've hated the pair of coyotes—although a small part of her, a very tiny part of her, might've eventually grown fond of them enough for her to tolerate them without aggression—but they were Reek's prized little pets.

If one of them went missing, it would be all Saena's fault as far as Reek was concerned, and so in order to keep herself out of trouble, it was of utmost importance to keep Regipre from going anywhere. Making her feel like a shitty little freeloader was probably not the right way to do that, but hell, the same approach would've worked on Saena in Reggie's shoes.