She was feeling a little defeated, she couldn’t lie. The path she had been raised to follow wasn’t an easy one, or one that many could follow and uphold. It was the easier way just killing the one that did such a thing and letting it go. Zelda knew Arank was lost to the darkness, but part of her couldn’t say she felt Arace was the same. They were different, she wasn’t sure how just yet but she didn’t think Arace was completely gone into the shadows. Light was still there, but for how much longer Zelda couldn’t say. She could clearly see that Pine wasn’t exactly thrilled, only more so when she replied that there wasn’t only one outcome. The bitter tones almost, to Zelda, made it sound like she was angry about that, but she continued speaking stating pretty much Arace would have to prove she wasn’t all evil for her to not just kill her outright. That was what Zelda worried about. What was good enough? Pine was angry and Zelda understood, but what reason would be good enough?

She knew her words weren’t really making things better, but Zelda only thought to remind Pine of that to make her understand that they could be better than Arace had been, than Aranck had been. To consider even those with darkness inside could have family. The old monster of Asteraia had once come long ago and said she had attacked Taviora with Tobias and the white and red wolfess because someone, they thought was from Taviora, had killed the son of Flare. A cannibal in pain over the loss of her child, wishing for the blood of the one who had done it to be spilled. Even those wolves felt, had bonds and cared. If Zelda’s uncle and grandfather hadn’t given the cannibals a chance, Zelda herself never would have seen that even they were not all evil. She wasn’t even sure if they ever killed again after they taken over their pack. She had been very peaceful once she had taken the pack from Jaidah.

Zelda did not think Pine was just a murderer, but she was trying to prevent the friend she had made from becoming such. Being blinded by rage was a sure way to going down a path she would not recover from. She might do something she could regret and that was the last thing Zelda wanted. Killing shouldn’t ever be anything easy, acting on revenge the moment it happens was just as wrong as killing blindly. Arace, when Zelda spoke with her after she was first caught, didn’t seem like the most brave of wolves she had encountered. There could be lots of reasons to explain what had happened, not that she just blindly killed Eleanor.

Zelda didn’t get the chance to speak again though before Starfall had shown up. She gave a small apologetic smile to the male and opened her maw to reply when Pine spoke cutting her off and gave her own greeting. It wasn’t harsh, but it was blunt. At the very least her tones were softer and more respectful to him which made Zelda feel a little better if nothing else. Pine even offered an apologetic look putting a little more ease to the Tavioran Guardian’s mind. She let Pine say what she wanted before Zelda herself gave a little more. ”I’m sorry to call you on something so dark Starfall, but if you can or are willing to help I am sure you could. The wolfess Arace had killed left a mate and children behind, and, to my understanding, didn’t do anything to bring upon her aggression, just as Tithe hadn’t the day she attacked him here in Taviora.”

She felt horrible for putting the elder wolf in such a position. He however also might be able to help provide more insight to her than perhaps they knew. Like why she was doing this at all. Even if he wasn’t going to help track her down.