Phoenix Maplewood stitches

She paced the narrow space between two maple trees, scarcely three feet from Regipre, but it was evident she had no intent of attacking now. She might think about it later, but right now, Saena's mind was occupied with the thought of nearby wolves. Not many made their north their home. Since Nova Peak and Redtail Rise both burned, the taiga was devoid of wolfish life, save for them in their forest. Perhaps someone had moved in and she hadn't noticed. She made a mental note to take a trip across the taiga sooner rather than later.

"Weird title," she murmured. Saena was woefully unfamiliar with other cultures and the names of their leaders, so khal was a strange and foreign word to her, a tongue so far removed from her own that she could only guess as to its true meaning. "What is a khal?" she wondered aloud, dissociating it from the concept of leadership. Perhaps it was something else. Something religious? Maybe Regipre didn't know, but the alpha's indigo eyes roved questioningly over the coyote's face nonetheless.