Sun Mote Copse patience & time

not sure what liberties have been taken surrounding arunik'ra's disappearance (sorry, i suck!) but keeping it vague to support whatever was schemed up!

long had it been since the sunspear had tended her vigil, or hastened to the shrine for solemn prayer. it seemed even her den had noticed her absence, for it had sundered under the first snowfall and remained dilapidated and roughshod. arunik'ra had slipped quietly towards her homestead, her belly round and carried on thin, long legs.

she was far enough along that her status was evident; both by the way her stomach distended and the careful, agile steps she took to cover ground. without ceremony, the she-wolf set to mending the collapsed state of her den, pulling thick briars back with little teeth and shoving sharply with quick jabs of her small paws the leaf-litter that had accumulated by the entrance.

so the board ate this reply -- i replied the day you posted this -- but still counted it for my leader post requirement :l

[table width=55%][tr][td]eshamun knew that her sister had returned and was elated. the pack had strengthened within one another, and asherah had brought forth new life. quick upon her heels were the swelled bellies of honey and giana, and the ekar-aji was sated in the knowledge that the malkaria would thrive. a quiet trip to the shrine her sister had built stilled her nerves, and the ruddy woman, now ruffed in a crimson cloak of thickened fur, picked up the trail of arunik'ra's scent and followed it to the priestess' den.
there she breathed a sigh of relief to see the sunspear there, and following a brief pang of guilt that she had not maintained her sister's den, eshamun stepped forward. her movement was halted by the sudden shock as her eyes alit upon arunik'ra's belly — eshamun realized then that among the malkaria, she alone bore an empty womb, and the pain of it was surprising.
"tell me of your travels," eshamun breathed gently, stepping forward to clear the creepers and fallen twigs with small, precise movements.[/tr][/td][/table]

the she-wolf was unaware of her sister's progress until she spoke; slowly she unfurled her paw from the pinned fern and looked to her sibling, her ears flat in deference and head low with a guilty grin. she would rush to greet the ekar-aji submissively, if eshamun allowed it; it had been some time since their reunion, and her heart was heavy with fondness for her sister.

"i came to season," she explained, for it was true -- "and had been coursing the hills to find a male suitable." she picked a small pinecone in her teeth and flung it before speaking again: "though i found few males worthy, it was our own ar-khalba that took me. i will be due soon, and i hope molech will be pleased with the life i offer him." the days were growing shorter, and the sunspear counted down every day to her tophet. "but what of here? i see many new faces, scents, molech be praised."

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ar-khalba was to be a father again; eshamun smiled even as her heart was caught in the jaws of pain. such continued discomfort had begun to cause the ekar-aji to question herself — was her love for the katimir interfering with her duties as head of the malkaria? why could she not take comfort in molech? eshamun wished to confide in her sister, and accepted the greeting with a soft whine, but the curve of the sunspear's side held quiet her words. it seemed arunik'ra would too offer her litter to molech, and the canaanite was grimly comforted by this.
"yes! we are growing!" eshamun exclaimed. "asherah has become the newest acolyte for the priestesshood, and she along with two others carry life. i will take one child from all of them, that the malkaria not struggle beneath the weight of supporting many children."[/tr][/td][/table]

if eshamun's affection for ar-khalba was obvious, arunik'ra did not notice it. she had needed ar-khalba, and he had provided; to the sunspear, it was nothing but a necessary exchange.

it certainly was not love. love she reserved for her sister and molech only.

asherah's ascension in their ranks was met warmly; it pleased arunik'ra deeply to hear of her fellow's success. there was a fire in asherah, stoked by her faith in molech -- arunik'ra knew it was right to see asherah groomed for priestesshood.

"growing indeed." the sunspear repeated, somewhat distracted as she tidied a bent fern from the mouth of the ramshackle den. "who are the other two?"

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"a woman called giana and another called honey, though the latter has become scarce as of late. it seems that she may have fled the malkaria. if she returns, i shall kill her brood, unless she has a good reason for having departed. i will let molech be the arbiter of that. ar-khalba is set to become our kurvat. he has chosen a grove and i will let him rule it."
she paused to help clear debris from about the edge of the den. "what did you see upon your travels, sister?" eshamun asked gently, curious as to what had kept arunik'ra away for so long.[/tr][/td][/table]