Hideaway Strath my name means meadow but i'm no flower

Leigh was done listening to all of this.

The woman was polite enough to allow Kynareth to finish his little speech. Regardless of how much she disagreed, she listened intently and absorbed his words. He had a compelling case, but it still wasn't enough to be convincing. It all still sounded like nonsense. It was nonsense.

But after the wolf's words came to an end, the she-wolf swiftly turned to leave. Even as the unfamiliar and feminine voice spoke up, Leigh paid it no attention. Turning towards the other direction she was just about to trot away, leaving the two murderers behind.

She only made it a few steps before coming to a sudden halt.

...What....did you just say...?

It hit her like a boulder. It couldn't possibly be true. It couldn't have been her family.

And yet it was.

Although she didn't turn to face the two, her attention had shifted back to the pair once more. Ears tilting backwards, eyes still focused ahead. Her mind was now in a different place, a dimension separated from the world.

How would she react to such news? How could she react? It was as if the universe plotted the whole thing against her. As if the whole thing was one big joke. She came to this new world in search of starting a fresh life, only to bump into the wolf who's pack killed her own.

And at some point, she loved that wolf.

They weren't friends. That was just a cover. A cover to ignore the guilt she'd be consumed by for having feelings towards someone other than her beloved.

The execution of Aya had pushed the woman to the edge of breaking. But now this too?

Donovan had been nothing but kind. A flirt yes, but so was her husband. In many ways they were similar, perhaps that was why Leigh was so eager to say "yes" to the invitation of joining the Saints. Perhaps it wasn't for survival. Perhaps it was only so she may cure the pain of loneliness. Perhaps something a bit familiar would be a comfort to her.

Had all of this been false? Had she only projected the feelings she had for her husband onto the first wolf she met? One who only slightly resembled the love who she'd lost?

Another cruel joke.

Because Donovan had died too.

The wolf she had been speaking to ever since Aya's death was Kynareth Deagon. He may have looked like Donovan, but he was not Donovan.

Donovan was a sweet, playful, and somewhat irritating wolf. He was hard to understand sometimes, but his heart was good.

But the tiger-wolf that stood behind her was nothing but murderous and mean. Kynareth had been the husband of Sasha. And although Leigh still hadn't caught the golden woman's name, she could sense their relationship. It was beyond obvious. And Leigh knew it was a match made in whatever hell they came from.

And yet she wouldn't snap. Even after everything that had happened, the dark-furred female remained as calm as possible, at least she appeared to be as calm as possible.

Grinding her teeth, her own fangs punctured her tongue out of frustration. She was re-directing her anger onto herself because she feared giving into what the pair of monsters wanted her to become. The taste of metal dripped down her throat, but she simply ignored it.

And then finally, she'd speak.

"Have a nice day.."

Trailing off, Leigh stood in place for a moment, the air silent for only a second before the woman's paws softly grazed the ground as she walked.

I know what you want. I know you want your death to be a show. You want to be drowning in pain, screaming dramatically and to make your presence known. You want me to snap, to break, to go mad.

Leigh only gave them one last look of acknowledgement. Swinging her head around, she cast them one last fiery glance.

So eat this, bitch.