Honeyed Pasture inferno

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A pleased murmur trailed from Szymon’s scarred lips at his mate’s affectionate greeting. Doe’s nearness and evident good spirits soothed his prickly nature immensely, and though he wasn’t quite as conciliatory as she was, he regarded the dark female with a…slightly more welcoming air. Her fiery citrine eyes and long-legged elegance reminded him somewhat of Arturo, but she dropped a different name entirely: “I was sent here by a woman named Ragna.” Surprise widened the black-banded Cairn’s auriferous eyes; he looked at her boldly, and invited the younger female’s scrutiny in return. “I d-do not believe I am the w-w-wolf you seek, but unless you offer h-harm to my mate, you do not need to s-s-submit to me. Look freely.” After a beat, “Is she well?” he demanded. “Ragna.” His stutter was more controlled than it might have been if Doe were not present, but keeping to short sentences that allowed his jaws to unlock between syllables always seemed to help.

Brynhildr. The name was wholly unfamiliar to Szymon — she certainly wasn’t among the wolves he’d met in the Teekon Wilds, and there was no one significant from Warsaw with that name as far as he could recall. He couldn’t remember if he’d killed anyone by that name, either — but then, the Cairn brood wasn’t exactly known for its compelling eulogies. “I’m sorry,” he said finally. “I don’t know your mother.” Drawing breath, he looked uncertainly at Doe — the wolf equivalent of, “What do I do?” — before turning back to the stranger with a thoughtful frown.

Quite suddenly, Szymon saw in the strange female what Skellige so often saw in his recruits: opportunity. And in that moment, he wished very much to throw the darkling creature into the Sea that she might receive Her blessing and remain in the bay as a Blackrock warhound.

Striving for nonchalance, “We should ask the Sea for guidance,” he suggested.

Alas, the blessing would have to wait for another day — and Szymon settled for polite conversation instead.

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