Hepzibah was holding something back, but Ruby could not help but think that she was doing the same. It seemed almost every wolf held something back at one point or another, and who was Ruby to demand her superior to let it loose? Though she had looked momentarily expectant - as if waiting for Hepzivah to speak - she quickly understood her place. Hepzibah was a superior in a sense, though not through rank or anything truly tangible. No, Ruby saw her as such for the simple reason that she was kin, an elder, and undeniably had more knowledge than Ruby had. In a way, Ruby could not help but feel the slightest sense of jealousy of Sorath in that sense. Why, Ruby bemoaned in silence, had she not been born to a mother such as Hepzibah? Siren had been unhinged, disengaged from their origins, and Ruby had been forced to wade through fact, fiction and everything in between to just make sense of things.

Ruby was thankful that Sorath had rushed ahead, though she shook her head slowly at the child's impatience. She was glad, at least, that Sorath would not have noticed her narrowed eyes, the ever subtle admission of her fleeting jealousy. Hepzibah, perhaps, might have borne witness, but Ruby was less concerned with that. If there were a wolf that might understand it, she suspected one with so many years of knowledge and experience would. Avery would, Ruby thought, and in that way, she suddenly understood how alike they were despite everything else.

"I will do my best," she said with a small grin and bow of her head, "but I do think your very presence will be all the introduction you need." She was proud of herself for having found Hepzibah and Sorath, and she moved with pride and confidence thanks to it as they began their short journey towards Iromar, seemingly ever-astride behind Sorath. The child had been quick on her paws, but Ruby had stayed close to Hepzibah, feeling the woman's age in each of their steps. Still, she was her superior, and less so Sorath. It was Ruby's duty, and a token of respect, to keep pace with her even if she longed to race ahead with Sorath, to be there when the child saw the moors open up before them. Still, she thought, at least she would be able to see Hepzibah's face when she was able to see her homeland once again. That made Ruby grin, and she breathed in deep when they finally did find themselves among the badlands of the moors, reeds and all.

Ruby was not surprised that Avery had found them so soon, though she had been quietly hoping to be the one to introduce the pack to the pair first and foremost. In any case, she offered her Monarch a deep bow of greeting and a slow wave of her tail before she motioned towards Sorath and Hepzibah both. Her face, however, showed her caution, unsure as to what customs she had been left in the dark about. Should she introduce them, or should they introduce themselves? Should she have introduced Avery? She shook her head, uncomfortable with the feeling of so much un-knowing.

"This is Hepzibah, and her daughter Sorath, blood of Ishtar, the Bloodmouth, and kin to Iromar," she said after a moment of contemplation, standing straighter as she spoke. At least when she spoke, she allowed herself to feel pride, though her mind rushed ahead into all of those unknowns again the moment she was quiet. Hepzibah had trusted Ruby to make an introduction, but had she done it correctly? Ah, she could not help but sigh. In the shadow of those who had been raised alongside their culture, she felt like a shadow.

"I encountered them in the Grotto," she added, desperate to keep her mind busy with the intruductions rather than the thinking. In any case, based on Avery's obvious curiosity, she had little doubts in her mind that Sorath and Hepzibah would have questions beyond formalities and pleasantries.