Maradona stood on the precipice of adulthood; of greatness. She stood steady in the winter winds that blew so harshly in from the sea that had been her friend over the summer and the source of her bitterness this winter. Not yet an adult and yet far from a puppy the dark creature contemplated her life thus far. She had known what it was to grow up without though in truth did she really want for anything? There was always food in her belly. There was always someone to play with. There was always someone keeping a watchful eye over her. And yet, the place of a pack seemed so cushioned. Food was plentiful, wolves were all over the place to play with or talk to. Yet, Maradona--for all her intelligence and her wiley charm had kept largely to herself. Perhaps she was more like her mother than she would ever realized. She preferred to watch, to wait and weigh her options equally before making any decision. She was a creature that believed that action spoke more than words that slipped through her teeth like venom. She was capable of making any unfortunate soul believe anything she wanted them too. It was probably a good thing that her mother had instilled some sort of right versus wrong in her head. Too much of a good thing could be just as deadly as too much of a bad. Maradona was not sure which she had.

She knew that there winter brought on hormones raging. She wondered how she would react when she came into her adulthood. Would she find a suitor to her own liking? Would she imprint and have as strong a bond as her parents? Sometimes she thought they were two halves of a whole. They moved together and thought together and she had never seen them fight. Even when Father came home defeated in battle, there was no harshness about her mother--only a tender carass and cleaning of wounds. Maradona was not sure she would ever crave such a bond. To be wholly dependent on someone? She knew deep inside herself that neither parent would survive should the other die. It was not possible. Maradona never, ever wanted to be that dependent on another wolf. There was nothing that she could not accomplish on her own. As much as she loved Cersei, she could survive if something should happen to her beloved sister.

With one last look at the blue-gray ocean with her navy-hued orbs, she turned away in disgust to find shelter from the battering winter winds in the welcoming trunks and branches. She still needed to accomplish the task that her father had set out for her. Sparing another youth on the cusp of becoming an adult. She only had a vague idea of who Viora was and figured that Cersei would know better. The know-it-all. She sighed and slowed her pace as she sought out her sister. Cersei would just LOVE to rub it in her face that she knew more about the pack than the dark temptress. So Maradona dragged her feet in hopes that she would meet someone else first and 'forget' to ask Cersei for her opinion.

My tongue
will taste of gin and malicious intent