@Aningan! Ying called, Aningan! The majority of her wounds had been superficial; the ache came from her muscles, sore from the effort. She knew that the Alpha needed to know about what had happened, but thought that it could wait. For now, she was only interested in friendly conversation.

Ani, where you at?

The wounds were well-hidden beneath her wiry coat. Ying wondered if Aningan would be concerned, had they been more visible. Just a friend! she told him, tail wagging in her own display of excitement. Butterflies began to swarm in the pit of her stomach, fluttering around her beating heart.

She took a step forward and brushed shoulders with her companion. What you doing? she asked, wondering if she'd interrupted something.

Aningan had left, too? Ying didn't feel so bad anymore. I took a trip, she told him, to the shore, and the island. She nodded back toward the little gift she'd been preparing, knowing that Ani wouldn't have been able to see. Where you go? she asked him, hoping that he would be willing to share.

Just talking to you. Ying smiled and turned away while she thought about what else to say. You wanna do language? She had a few more words that she wanted to learn, things that she'd thought of when alone.

Very good, Ying told Aningan, You wanna go back? She remembered Erzulie mentioning that Rusalka had previously lived on the coast and wondered if they might ever return. It would make travelling to see her friends easier, once the family was settled on the island. How you say sea? 

She was unfamiliar with the flatlands, as would have been apparent by her confused gaze. In truth, she wasn't even sure what "flat-land" meant; wasn't all land flat? Ying didn't ask for clarification, figuring that it didn't matter.

Ee-mahp-peek. She repeated the word back to him and waited for his approval. Imappik is safe. The devastation that had befallen these Wilds before her arrival still went unknown. She did not know of the hurt that Rusalka had carried inland from the coast.

The word was much simpler in her language. 海, she told him, Just, hi. Ying stared expectantly at Aningan while she thought about what to ask him next. How you say, hm...beach, or coast?

The nervousness that overcame the young huntress was far too difficult to hide. She turned away, stumbling over her words — Oh, uh.. oh! — and pawed uncomfortably at the snow. What would she say? I like that, she whispered, hoping that her words would suffice.

She didn't make eye contact. Aningan would have seen how uneasy she was, were their eyes to meet. It was too risky; instead of looking up, she smiled and stared down at her paws. Sitjak is better to me. But...I like this, too. A word! 内陆, she told him, nay-loo. Inland.

Had she said something wrong? Aningan's mood seemed to shift, beckoning Ying's gaze upward. She moved to close the distance between them but stopped, just as he had moments before. My family, we come from the beach. And they like it... Would he understand her reasoning? I protect them, where they live. They want beach so I like it because if not liking, it is too hard.

What had happened to the sisters, Ying promised to never let it happen again. Wherever they went, she would follow. Who else would be there to keep them safe? 

However, she did not want him to misunderstand. But me, if not for them, I like this place. It was different from what she'd known, something new! Her sisters were aware of her mixed feelings but she knew that they didn't understand. She sometimes wondered if someone had made a mistake by putting her in the body of a water wolf.

The question might have been difficult under different circumstances. Ying nodded her head without second thought, deciding that the harsh truth would be better than a lie. My spirit is our spirit, she told him, We stay together. It had always been this way. Until she had her own family, children and a mate, they were stuck with one another.

That didn't negate her other feelings, though. And you won't come? she asked. It was clear that Aningan had some affection for the coast; what was holding him here? I like you in a way, the huntress admitted, her brow creasing as her tone grew more serious, I don't leave you here. Even if I come back later.

Forgetting was easier than remembering. Aningan was asking her to acknowledge what had happened, whether he'd meant to or not. Was she ready? Ying drew in a deep breath and began to speak. I protect them, she said, Someone want to hurt us, but I am protecting us because I am strong. The sisters were good for some things — religious matters, knowledge of nature — but they could not fight, not well enough to protect themselves if Ying went away.

How she hurt you? Ying figured that there was something amiss, but she needed more details to fully understand. The sea was calm, so far as she knew; what could have happened to prompt a move? Erzulie had mentioned some things about its temperament changing in the winter...

She scowled at Aningan, though only for a moment. A good friend? Was that really all that he considered her? Ying felt like a fool for having even admitted her feelings, as cryptic as the confession had been. No, not a friend. How was she to explain? I like you more, in...a way. The sea would never take her because she simply would not allow herself to be taken. So I will come back.

Aningan was not listening. The tension was growing increasingly palpable as Ying became more frustrated. She didn't have all of the answers that he was asking for, and those that she did have were too painful to admit. Why was he so concerned? After all, he only thought of her as a friend.

A friend. They were nothing more than that. Ying had always been quick to develop an attraction to her peers but she was normally able to remain emotionless. It didn't make sense, either; they'd only just met! Why did she feel so hurt by his rejection?

It was insulting, in fact, this paternalistic need to protect. Did Aningan not think that Ying was capable? Did he not know who she was and the things that she'd done? Of course he didn't.

The huntress turned and began to walk away, not planning to stop unless prompted.

Just on her way back from coming out victorious over Reyes, she hears something of commotion. Was that Ying's voice? Talking so passionately in the harsh tones of common. Huā wastes no time in getting there. 

And here she finds Ying, rushing away from a scene. Seawater eye catches Aningan just beyond, throwing hopeless calls after her and following her like a beagle. Her brow furrows at her sister, stepping right into her path. Ying, what happening? Why you seem mad? She coos, a voice thick with worry. All the while her gaze flits back to their leader. Had he hurt her? Perhaps he was just like every other man, using women for what they wanted and then hanging them out to dry. Eyes narrow- maybe she shouldn't mess with him, but it was a look that said don't you dare hurt my sister's heart. Any man could lie about how sweet he was and turn out to be a thirsty bastard not unlike the rest.

What was she more upset about? Ying wondered if it had anything to do with Aningan at all. What? she shouted, turning back to face him. In that moment, he was not the Alpha; Ani had been minimized to just another man, no different from the others. He enjoyed hearing his own voice and couldn't understand that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't the only one with something to say. 

Hua appeared, as though beckoned forth by fate itself. For a moment, she went ignored while Ying focused her gaze on Aningan and him alone. You think you protect me, no one protect me. I protect me. Her words were harsh but her voice was soft. It was a sentiment that came from somewhere deep inside of her, a place that had remained long hidden. 

And I protect my sisters because no one do it for them but me. Memories of the trauma they'd endured began to flow back into her mind, painting her face an unfamiliar shade of despair. And you not want me, so why I have to stay? You not want my sisters? What was he trying to do by seperating them? What did Aningan serve to gain by removing Ying from her sisters' company and leaving them to fend for themselves.

She turned back to Hua, cheeks warm with emotion. She was feeling somewhat embarassed by her outburst, as one might have been able to assume by the slow descent of her tail. Do you know how to say this? I'm trying to tell him how I feel and he's just...he's not understanding. Bright baby blues stared helplessly at her sister while she waited for either to respond.

ruò  came looking for her cousins, for not really a reason, just a whim, per usual. she was aware she was trespassing, the smell was strong, the border was clear; yet she could hear the voices of the familiar sisters. they were loud, always loud, it wasn't hard to find them even within the forest, so the siren went forth, despite the fact she was not one of the members of these claimed woods.

then made a u-turn.

ruò wasn't going to deal with a lovers spat.

back to the sea where she definitely belonged.

Her sister ignored her momentarily, which only stung a little. But as soon as nuvujak spoke out against the helpless boy, Huā's heart swelled with something like pride. Some days her sister would fall for men so easily that Huā would find herself fuming as the silver fae tripped on the ecstasy of foolish adoration. But days like this- when the girl really showed her strength beyond the physical, proving that she could carry her own weight- it was those days that Huā felt glad to be her blood. 

As the girl tells him that she protects her sisters because she's the only one there to do it, something pricks in the pointed corners of Huā's eyes. Feeling her gaze glass over, she turns her head away in an effort to hide it, as a wave of emotion hits her. She cannot help but think of their trauma too. What they have suffered under the claws of their own blood, who had seen them only as pawns to make his way towards greater power and influence. Saltwater tear, she can feel it on her cheek, and she gives her head a little shake to fling it away, turning her gaze back up to the pair. 

The girl's shining blue eyes are on hers, asking her for advice. What would she know about men? She didn't know the first thing about communicating with them. The soft, whispering tones of mandarin, 你解释得很清楚. 我不知道他为什么这么固执. 他为什么不明白? And then rather than help Ying with real advice, she finds herself throwing a comment beyond, to Aningan. She is not delicate woman. She is not ivory doll. She is strong. She not need you. And can you not see, she stay with me and Mei for good reason?