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River Everleap of the Mercian Clan never really had a good life. As a solitary creature, it wasn't surprising for her to not receive the proper love and care humans naturally give their own; and wh...
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THEY HAD ARRIVED back in Forks in the early afternoon, just before the next rainfall had hit and the sun had returned to its usual place behind the clouds. During their journey, Kopa had kept up the chatter, talking all about his interests in insects and his love for the rain. It still felt strange for River to be around her own kind, again, but it also felt nice. He reminded her a lot of her sister, Calypso, when they were neophytes so many years ago.
Walking around the familiar paths and obstacles in the woodlands of her territory had definitely calmed River's nerves a bit. She had noticed her scent had gotten stale, washed away by the constant rain, no doubt, and the smell of the werewolves indicated that they must have noticed her absence and were looking for her.
River peered down at Kopa, who looked around at her side. "Do you know how to scent mark?"
"I guess," Kopa replied, shrugging. "A vampire tried to lure a human into my barn once, but he ran away when he saw me. I marked it everywhere after that."
At least he had his instincts. "When was this?" she asked.
"A while ago. Long before you came along."
River nodded understandingly. "You'd remember how to do it then?"
"Yes."
Pulling away from him, River curled herself around a tree, rubbing her scent into the rough, moss-covered bark so it'd stick. "Unlike our canine counterparts," River began as she moved to the next tree. "We don't piss to mark our territory. We have special glands in our ears that we use to rub our scents on trees, rocks, or any surfaces available to let outsiders know that this is our place and to be warned."
"What about the werewolves?" Kopa asked, copying River's actions on a large rock nearby.
River shrugged. "They're an exception."
"You must like them then."
She froze. "Like is a strong word..."
"Why else would you hang around with them?"
Turning away, River prowled up to another tree to continue marking her scent. Did she like the werewolves like Kopa had said? They stank like wet dog, which wasn't a pleasant smell. They were rowdy and annoying, untrained in the ways of stealth and battle. They were overly loud and gluttonous, and their technique was all over the place... but they were also extremely loyal and carefree. Fun. River hasn't had that child-like brightness in her life since she was a young neophyte.
A flash of Soma's face crossed her mind and River shook her head as she continued to walk further into the woods. She didn't want to think about that, right now.
