Arturio had yet to give me any reason to doubt his genuineness. He came across as an honorable sort, with only the best of intentions. Whether war - or whatever force he intended to bring against Iromar's regime - was the best solution for whatever problem existed between the two wolves, I couldn't say. He had come here seeking a place that those who needed help could come, and that was something I could - and would - give willingly. But for the sake of my pack I felt that it was best not to get into the nitty gritty personal details of the feud. So rather than delve deeper into the issues with Iromar, I asked him about the wolf in the north, the latest in the rotating leadership of Asteraia. Unfortunate, I thought, that Arturio's spoke had not stayed on top of that wheel for longer.

My darkly rimmed ears pricked forward even as his singular white audit flicked back. Too soon? But before I could react, he spoke to the nature of the shewolf who now ruled over the plains pack lands. I listened carefully to each detail, from the fact that she claimed no name to the description of her large stature. It was the final statement that Arturio made, though, that made my jaw clench and my eyes narrow slightly. "Cannibals," I said under my breath, more to myself than anything, but likely audible to the white male nonetheless. My nostrils flared slightly as I drew a long breath, wishing to maintain the candor between us and not get worked up over the possibility. If it was that this nameless female wished to cultivate dark wolves to the laws of her predecessors, then the only inference I could make was that she would foster cannibals, murders, thieves, liars, and other undesirables within Asteraia. Those had been the standards that the Black Prince and his mate had lived by, not to mention the white woman - Jaidah - who had come even before them.

I had always suspected that the girl who had attacked one of our guests meant to cause them great harm. To kill them, even. "This nameless wolf, does she wear a cape of black over a coat of cinnamon and white?" I recalled the girl's appearance vividly within my mind, and listed off other particulars about her appearance that would let know once and for all if these two wolves were one in the same. "Frigid blue eyes staring out from a face dark as her intentions; fringed in cinnamon, with blood lining her snout and staining her throat?" I waited, keenly aware of any shift in Arturio's expression that would indicate recognition. Just knowing that this woman might promote hunting wolves was not enough - I needed to know if she was my old nemesis come back to cause me more problems.