Dragoncrest Cliffs some would sing and some would scream

There's that word again, and Akantha realizes she was mistaken in thinking that Heda was the name of their Commander. Before she can forget, and the conversation naturally moves past the mention of her, Akantha speaks up to clarify her confusion: "Heda is not her name, but her rank title in your tongue, correct?" She asked with narrowed but thoughtful eyes. How embarassing that would have been; walking into a meeting and greeting her as Commander Heda. 

She takes stock of the situation when he finishes speaking—he is less tense and overtly hostile, though he maintains his dominant posture as expected. Akantha looks him over, avoiding his gaze, and ascertains he is telling the truth. Or what little of it he is willing to reveal. To her relief, it lines up with Wildfire's own commentary. Neither party desires war however both are willing to fiercely defend what they deem their own. In Akantha's mind, that is her Sisters and their access to the Sea. To Arlo, she imagines, it is the territory, his clansmen, and the lands immediately surrounding the cliff side pack. 

Finally she settles on a response and when she opens her mouth to speak, it is lined with a smile. "So we are one in the same." She comments cryptically only to elaborate a moment later: "Our neighbors, similarly, desired what was ours out of sheer jealousy and misunderstanding of our beliefs. The Nereides have seen many conflicts in our history, none of which we have started without previous provocation. I've grown up fending off intruders and war parties, but I take no joy in it." She lifted a foreleg to present the ragged scars crisscrossing the bone. "We don't ask that our neighbors understand our religion, we simply wish to continue our worship without being prosecuted for it." Akantha said firmly while keeping her head fixated towards Arlo. "Peace is my only desire." She repeated, again, for Arlo's benefit. Wildfire, too, knew of her desires, though they were far more complex than she could describe at the moment. Akantha needed to be firm and unwavering about her intentions or she would potentially lose the chance to broker a deal with the cliff pack.