Greatwater Lake we creatures of the sea

She had only spent a few days (and nights) with the Nereides, yet already Junior felt ready to pledge to their cause. Perhaps it was an impulsive thing to do, the impetuous commitment of a youth not fully developed. Yet she felt a true compulsion to follow these women to the seaside, a strange but not unwelcome calling. They wanted her with them too, which was something Junior needed desperately right now. Although neither of her parents had done anything to feed into her fears, she figured they were going to be too busy building new lives and families. If eventually she was going to be pushed from the nest anyway, she might as well take initiative and leave it on her own terms first.

Aktaiê and her sisters had counseled the youngster, telling her of their history and explaining their plans for the future. Until now, when the queen's howl rose up over the moonlit lake, Junior had not pledged her formal allegiance. As the sonorous sound carried on the cooling August air, she felt a flutter in her chest. This was the moment of truth. They were going to move on from the lake and seek their new homeland, wherever it was. And it was entirely possible that the howls would carry as far as the plateau and that her father et al would literally get wind of her intentions.

The young she-wolf sucked in a deep breath, slowly lifted her head and joined the song, swearing her fealty to the matriarch and her sisters. Whether or not they overhead at the plateau, she would go there to let her father know of her intentions. She would not be asking; she would be telling. And she would be stopping there for another reason: knowing Ty and Saēna were in the same boat (Pura, too, though there was nothing she could do for him), she would be tossing a lifesaver in their direction in case they wanted to come too.