we'd feed well the land, and worry the sheep

Savage as Caiaphas was, she allowed Nakai close enough to lick a blunt paw. She considered his plight -- she was a terribly inconsiderate imp, and not once since the day they had met had she considered how bereft an outsider was without possession of the Nereides' tongue.

She stifled a snicker then, envisioning the helpless bemusement her Epivitoras must have endured. "Kevlyn can teach you -- Aella as well." She was not kind enough to offer her own tutelage -- such menial work was above her deportment. "I would advise sticking close to Aella." Her lashes flickered subtly, and a strange look overtook her. "She has abandoned us in the past, and must be supervised." Caiaphas had not forgotten their rivalry -- Aella had left shortly after Caiaphas' ascension to alphaship and she had never gotten the opportunity to torment the fiery Amazon to her fulfillment. "Would you do that for me, Nakai?" She turned her slender muzzle to him and her expression was surprisingly benign -- yet it did nothing to sheath the thinly-veiled villainy Caiaphas was capable of.

But the ruthless queen did not wait for an answer. Rising to her feet, the slab-sided matriarch departed Nakai's company, setting her sights on the sea that rumbled in the distance.