It was the thick scent of blood in the air that had called to her, and she followed it without hesitation. Something about it had captured her thoughts, reminding her of a time that seemed so long before, when she had been nestled at the teat with her siblings, the milk-giver licking her fur clean of fluid. It was that same perfume that permeated the air and called to her, causing her to veer off her chosen path. As she traversed the blackness, she wondered about her family, where they were and whether they lived still. Even Zagan she had not seen in many weeks, and his absence was a thorn in her paw, festering and oozing pus. The lack of his warm body at her side caused her heart to quail, but her discovery of a familiar, rocky den mouth chased the pain from her. Outside stood tall protector, his eyes gleaming with pride, and she moved to him, licking at his mouth in a pup greeting. Despite herself, she had grown fond of the male and, although not spending much time with him, she enjoyed the opportunity of seeing him again.

Greeting over, she turned from the warrior and put her paws at the entrance to the den, not venturing in for fear of the mother's wrath. Craning her head, she could just make out the milk-giver's prone form shuddering in the darkness, her moans of pain and the hot reek of fresh blood telling the tale of a difficult birth. Narrowing her black eyes, she picked out the wet form of one lonely pup, a little male. Suddenly she sighed, and a smile grew on her lips. No thoughts were spared for her dying dam, only for the little leech clinging to her aching sides. Here was the future, perfection, a tool for her cause. He could be mighty, more than any other, a priest and a speaker for the gods. No, perhaps not even that. He would be greater, a ruler such as the land had never before seen, birthed out of the same potent, voidborn blood that had created her and her siblings, and yet untainted by the imperfections of Illias. She whined long and low, wanting her voice to be the first one heard by her little brother.

She moved out the way lest tall protector wished to enter, knowing he would worry for the black one. Kairos spared her but a fleeting glance. She had been a vessel only, a vessel to carry a goddess, and had therefore grown to mean nothing more than that to the black, white and red granddaughter of Tobias. Others had wormed their way into her thawing heart, this was true, but Stella and Illias remained firmly outside the walls of her being, one hated and the other ignored.
With fresh imaginings she gazed upon her youngest brother, knowing in her heart his unparalleled destiny and loving him instantly.