Irina was sunbathing, letting the bright sun wash across her pelt. It was finally warm. She had every intent to enjoy the weather. Irina lifted her head up to breathe in the scent of the peonies that were flowering nearby. Her mother had always called them watercups, for the way their perfectly smooth petals held water after a storm.
Irina was lonely sometimes, now that her children were grown and out of the den. Mari and Rambaldi both held rather high rankings in the pack. Kŕra had run off to Tarben, and Kruam and Pyro were here still. She hadn’t heard much from Pyro lately. Honestly, no matter how much being a mother could be stressful, Irina loved it. But when her children had their own duties, it was lonely. Belladonna often took Kruam, Marigold, and Delilah out on training excursions; Pyro was busy as an iota. And of course, there was Rambaldi, helping Belladonna to train the sigmas.
Irina had noticed how well Belladonna and Rambaldi worked together. Belladonna covered the guerrilla tactics, and Rambaldi taught the strategic moves. All in all, she had the perfect pair of deltas. Now if she could just find a beta . . .
“Radi boga, nuzhen dozhd',” Irina muttered. A light storm began to brew over her, drizzling warm rain. The Storm Queen enjoyed the feeling.
She felt her ears swivel as a noise entered her audits. It sounded like a wolf approaching her. “Kto tam?” she demanded. Then she quickly translated, “Who’s there?”
*”For God’s sake, it needs rain.”
"The truth takes time."
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