Sybil prided herself on her ability to focus on what mattered most and make sure that it swung in her direction. She hadn't made the decision to tie herself to Ashlani lightly, and she hadn't mated with him simply for desire's sake. Instead, she had come to the conclusion that he was sure to be the Swarm Alpha eventually and had thrown herself into (and at) the possibility of being Ashlani's right hand. It wasn't because she lusted after power, but security.

Sybil had initially thrown her lot in with Tieran, seeing as he was the largest and strongest of the keelish in their brood, but she'd been sorely disappointed with that turn of events, given that he'd simply prioritized the most sycophantic, air headed, and beautiful females' whims over future stability. Unfortunately, Sybil was none of those, and found herself on the fringes of her pack, underfed, unappreciated, and unfulfilled.

Thus, Sybil had gone about investigating the other packs to see which she'd find security and stability in. Percral had immediately been ruled out–he was neither secure nor stable, in any sense of the words. Shemira certainly was intelligent and powerful enough, but the problem was that she was too intelligent. Sybil wouldn't have the opportunity to insert herself into a trusted position in Shemira's pack. Ashlani wasn't, at first glance, a great option either though. He'd been smaller than the other Alphas, didn't exude that same charm, his pack was smaller and made up of rejects… There hadn't been any good options available to her.

That was, until Ashlani had defeated Percral. He'd demonstrated a kind of resolution inside him, and he started seeming to be a better prospect. That paired with his reaction to the loss of one of his closest companions showed that he cared about his subordinates and was powerful enough to protect them. Thus, she'd thrown her support in with him as soon as she could while bringing the companions that she could.

She'd been successful, and ever since, Sybil had effectively been Ashlani's second in command. In name she was Gamma, but Took was more of a hunting companion than a leader, and Sybil was more than willing to relegate the chore of hunting to Took.

Two strange things changed Sybil's life recently though. One was the change she'd undergone physically–now her magic influenced and pulled emotions the way she wanted more easily, her bodily strength soared and even hunting had become easy, and finally she realized exactly how much better she was than the rest of the swarm. Only a select few stood on the same level that she did, and they'd also gone through the same change.

The second change… Three spawnlings. Ashlani spent an inordinate amount of time with their eggs before they hatched. It made no sense–there was nothing that he could do, but still he insisted on spending time there exhausting himself on singing to them. Frankly, Sybil didn't care about that and fully endorsed his spending of time the hatchery, but once the eggs hatched, things changed.

Sybil couldn't see the hatchlings as just spawnlings, another member of the swarm. Instead, she saw the three, Ishtar, Isnanna, and Iituli as her children. It was… upsetting. These children weren't anything special, at least, not inherently. They were simply another infantile member of the swarm, predestined to bolster their numbers and fight, live, and die in service to Ashtali and how he saw fit. But the thought of the children sacrificing themselves for something stirred something in Sybil that she didn't like.

When it came to these children, Sybil was unsure if she could retain her objectivity and rationality. Instead, she feared that she would choose their welfare over all else. Pride swelled and Sybil needed to restrain her laughter when the twins approached Ashlani to beg for a name. Just like she would have.

Isnanna comported herself just like Sybil would–sticking behind her sister unless necessary to complete her goals. Isnanna didn't care for glory, but sought control. She needed to understand everything that was going to happen and plan for any contingencies. Ishtar, however, used her quick wit to prove herself a capable leader and battlefield commander while still deferring to her sister on anything related to social dynamics. They made a solid team.

Then there was Iituli… He took after his father, for the most part. Headstrong, powerful, a natural leader and quick learner. Frankly speaking, he was Ashlani but better, earlier. Initially, this had put Sybil on her guard, to protect the leader she supported against a possible threat. Thoughts of eliminating him did cross her mind, until she witnessed the blind idol worship in Iituli's eyes whenever he saw his father. Quickly, she realized that Iituli would almost certainly become Ashlani's greatest strength and support and decided to discontinue any thoughts of elimination.

Sybil felt increasingly positively towards Ashlani as she watched Iituli. She didn't know what to make of that, that her son reminded her of his father, and made her want to support them both in the eventual domination of all that they could hold… but tomorrow's problems need wait until tomorrow, right?

Just then, Durgal rushed past her and Sybil felt that she would need to follow, given the panicked state of one of the Alqat.