so lonely

He answered in the affirmative, and Naga nearly barreled on ahead with a follow-up question, but he was saying something else. Evidently, he wanted to steer the conversation in a different direction—and so the young female swallowed the question down (though she could swear it was like a bone caught in her throat). "Dragon Watchers?" she asked instead, having never heard of a pack with a name quite like that. "What's a dra-gone and why do you watch them?"

Yildun seemed unperturbed by her advance, and though part of her wanted to move closer, Naga moved with the sort of plop only puppies seem capable to sit on her rump. "My name is Lysianassa Kesuk-Nereides," she finally offered in return, her tone all proud and boasting, "but you can call me Naga." Her mothers were of the gods, and so was she—in Echo Cove, at least, the Kesuk name meant power. And from her mom's stories, the Nereides were pretty legendary in their own right.

Then, because she couldn't help herself, the question she had tried to keep buried burst forth, "Can you tell me my future? My moms said that the gods had a plan for me here... well, me and my sister Atropos. That our destiny is here."