let me see through your eyes, where there's so much life

There didn't seem to be anything for Saena to say, so she watched instead. Her eyes traced Caiaphas' gaunt form, from her skinny limbs up to her hollowed belly and along her threadbare flank to her shoulders. There, the silver of her fur gave way to jet black, a most curious phenomenon. Not unlike her spots, Saena thought, only the entirety of Caiaphas' head rather than isolated patches. Perhaps they were one and the same. She shifted in place, desperately fighting the urge to sit down and scratch at her itchy hide, and wondered what would make this wolf a poor addition to the maplewood.

But she froze when the name "Caiaphas" was uttered. She knew this story. Caiaphas had led the sirens at the sea, but according to Wynter and Reek, had left them without warning. It was that that led the two to Saena and Redtail Rise. She blinked, her indigo eyes sharpening on the coywolf now, as though she could discern some kind of reason from the woman's very form. Impossible, of course, but she tried anyway. What could make a wolf abandon her comrades? Especially when she led them? It was something Saena didn't understand, though to say she wasn't a little grateful for Caiaphas' neglect would be misplaced.

Her gaze darted back to her mate, silently asking the same question he poised: what was she doing here after all their time apart?