Blackfeather Woods bloodied feet across the hallowed ground

she meets his gaze, and only narrows her own. "I am melonii. I am not stupid." despite her training, all the cassiopeia and fighting scylla has taught her, the boys—especially venamis—have the advantage of not just size but experience. the odds are not tilted in her favour, not yet. but she is watching them, and she will know when they tip. rowan is lesser because he is not a melonii - she doesn't need the arrogance of her ancestors to tell her that. their leader is a melonii, and she knows from her mother that the family has lived in these woods for generations. her father had not given her much, but he had given her a birthright. 

she's silent as he explains, though she knows he's right - it's one of the first lessons cass gave them; be quick and smart and effective. "it's smart to wait. one day, Rowan will get too close to the edge of the ravine and Venamis will do something stupid." she'd tried the direct approach, and it had gone poorly. very, very poorly, in fact, but it had taught her a valuable lesson. and then, to her father's last statement, she answers only,  "they're boys." as if that explains everything. the other girl - moonshine, she thinks - has never gotten in their way. Hela has no interest in her, and would prefer to keep it that way. all she needs is her sister, anyway.