Big Salmon Lake cover the face, blanket the body

The answer seemed to stir something within her companion. Hydra's shift in emotion had not gone unnoticed, nor had her statements gone unacknowledged. Ying sat at attention and responded to each sentence with an affirming nod. She knew that fighting meaningless battles was an innappropriate way to dispose of the extra energy, but she'd been so caught up in the moment... 

It had never been like Ying to act out in such a manner. What had come over her? She did not acknowledge Hydra's admission of past intentions; she'd already known what could have happened. Had she fought against someone with less self-restraint, she might have lost her life. 

She supposed that the urge had come from the need to protect something. Without Hua and Mei to watch over, what was her purpose? Ying doubted that she would be able to get an answer for this from Hydra, who seemed much more physical than philosophical. It was something to ask Ruo, if the pair ever reunited.

Ru-sal-ka, she explained, testing each syllable as she spoke, by the coast. A look was tossed in the direction of her abandoned home. As Queen of the Wilderness, she assumed that Hydra would already have some knowledge of this pack. Who was to say that she wouldn't side with them, as everyone else had? Ying quietly braced herself for the potential backlash.