It only really took one meeting for Elohim to wile his way into Natiya’s good graces. As good as they would ever get, anyways. It wasn’t as if she had many wolves she could trust and the fear that captured her mind was always there, though she tried to hide it. Blackthorne. There was no doubt in her mind that he would be enraged to find her still here if he was to return to Molodian. She had seen the fury in him when he thought Zharko had abandoned him. She had seen the way Zharko’s eyes seemed to stare at Blackthorne with blank obedience but behind those, in the shadows, loathing. It wasn’t always clear yet when one was a shadow themselves, they could recognize shadows in others.

Elohim was like her, in a way. Observant, though much more worldly. He understood the things he saw whereas she gathered the gist of them, knew they were different, but didn’t know how to fit all the pieces together. What was a life without a guide? She was a kite set free, a boat bereft of a rudder. It was natural that she might latch onto Elohim, who had pushed her, challenged her, and consoled her. He had hunted for her and in doing so, he earned a semblance of trust. It is why she reacts to his approach with vigor despite her shrinking back a bit.

I’m responsible for Glorall, he says, and her nose twitches in confusion for a moment, owl eyes widening at a dawing realization. She comes to a halt in the deep grass of the island, lifting her muzzle delicately to sniff the air. His scent was the same and yet she had noticed it more frequent around the edges of the island. A marking? ”What about Eden?” She had seen hide nor hair of the elusive alpha. He had never bothered her, indeed, he had never really bothered their family overmuch since birth. Underidge had an almost worshipful belief in Eden that Natiya understood in her own way – hadn’t she done the same for Blackthorne?

”What does that mean, choosing it’s path?” Natiya had a vague understanding of such intricacies of being an alpha. It meant being the dominant one, the one who could issue orders that others followed. It meant inspiring fear or faithfulness, if not both. Elohim had struck her as different, but as her pale eyes look into his orange ones, she wavers. Only for a moment. The realization once more that he is alpha dawns and with it… relief. Even as she fiercely protects the presence of herself and her mother, she is grateful in this moment for the turn of events. His grin at her words invokes a prim smile from her, tail rising. ”My mother, Elohim! I had thought her dead all this time but she washed up on shore not to long ago and is hidden here with me. Can you imagine it? The sea led her straight to me!”

Suddenly energized, she spins, padding away then back, an odd glint to her face. A glint that was almost reminiscent of her family – brother and father most specifically. ”How is that possible? The odds of it are…. Staggering, right?” She pauses, looking to him for agreement. ”Do you think it was fate? Is there fate, really?” Natiya understood the talk to imprints but one could never UNDERSTAND unless they experienced it and she had never felt that connection. At least, she wasn’t sure she had. Was this fate – imprints – that she felt when she saw Elohim coming? Elation and butterflies and fear? Was that what it meant to be an imprint?