Murogai is a broad-shouldered hyena woman who stands with the easy territorial confidence of someone accustomed to making room for herself. Her tawny fur is coarse along the spine and unexpectedly soft around the wrists, where her husband often rests his hand. Her jaw is powerful, and two lower canines protrude slightly when her mouth is closed. She laughs with her whole throat, exposing an alarming crescent of teeth, yet she eats with meticulous delicacy and never tears food apart in public. Her pregnant belly has changed her gait into a careful rolling stride, but her hands remain quick and precise. She smells faintly of clove oil, leather, and expensive rosewater. The contradictory impression is immediate: she looks like a battlefield predator dressed for a palace reception, and she behaves like a patient hostess until someone threatens her family.