Hunting/fishing thread #2!
Having spent the better part of the morning (all the way to midday) off of the main island and trying to find something to eat, Hemithea wondered if anyone had noticed. She found her way back eventually, although she was not aware of what timing she would need to avoid the sea's wrath; the girl believed that the Mother would part for her if she was doing her duty, or perhaps swallow her if she wasn't — and by making it back to Soteria intact, she had her answer.
Hanging from her teeth was a fat salmon - its scales gleamed with a faint rainbow tone as she carried it - and once Hemithea was upon dry land again, she dropped it in the grass and began to dig a cache. First she sought out a heavily marked patch of the island, one she figured was heavily frequented, and then began to dig. By the time the salmon was buried she was hungry again, and scoffed down at the fresh mound of soil (and her muddied paws), tempted to dig it up again just to fill her gut.
Inveitably the girl turned from the new cache and headed further inland upon the island. She still ducked away from the eyes of the sisters, flicking ears when they spoke greetings or feigning deafness, keeping her body busy so that they would not bother her — and when she found herself on the other side of the island among a heavy grove of trees, decided to burn some more energy by seeking a sand-laden edge, and scouring the seaside for more fish.
Akantha was lounging in a dense bed of moss beneath one of the great fir trees when movement, and the tell-tale shuffle of footsteps over the detritus alerted her to the presence of another. She lifted her shaggy head and pricked her ears towards the sound while her nose followed the sweet scent of saltwater and feminine musk that could only belong to a Sister. Hemithea passed somewhere behind her, unbeknownst to either party, before Akantha could muster the energy to rise and shake the exhaustive fog from her mind. She picked up her feet and tracked the girl at a casual clip only to come across her slender, ethereal form, a few minutes later.
Though she hadn't forgotten exactly what led Hemithea to join her, the disheveled Matriarch found it in herself to forgive the girl for her attempt at impersonation. In fact, she was gladdened for her presence here despite her (increasingly apparent) reclusive tendencies—their caches were filling quickly, and her scent around the sites was telling of the work she was putting into them. She summoned a warm chuff that vibrated deep in her chest to greet the girl and spoke, "Doris' Blessing, Hemithea." She smiled, deciding to use the ancient greeting in lieu of the usual.
Her mind was elsewhere as she worked, so it was a fruitless effort. Or rather, fishless. The main point of Hemithea's wandering was to find peace with herself, and second to that was the exploration of her new home. Thus far neither of those pursuits were working out: she was antsy, irritable, and far less inclined to connect with the other sisters as the days passed. The woman was more interested in the sea and hoped the Mother would see this, perhaps speak to her, and make everything alright again.
A part of Hemithea knew things did not work that way — whether her beliefs were strong or not — and so she tried to distract herself by fishing, creating caches, and making sure she could vent her frustration upon the beasts brought to her by the tide rather than one of the blessed bodies of her family. Then again, Akantha had been wise enough to convert a few men to their ways -- Hemithea was reminded of this suddenly as she spotted a dark and hulking form approaching from behind her. The thought banished in the next moment, burrowing deep in to her mind, for Akantha was with her now and speaking.
The greeting was met with a small bow, a whisk of her tail, and silence. Hemithea watched the matriarch for further communication and then, twisting to glance as the sea, spoke with her attention focused upon the bands of blue and black far-off from them: To you as well, Akantha.
There was something else she wanted to say but held back, lapsing in to yet another round of moody disquiet.
If she had expected a warmer greeting, Akantha didn't show it. Instead she stood quietly by the younger woman and took note of the slight tension woven into the musculature criss crossing her spine. Hemithea hadn't been a very active participant in the day-to-day life of the Nereides since their official formation, but she couldn't fault the pale woman for it, either. Once more she was reminded of the caches that were full to burst with food, and the apparent security of their tidelocked borders. Akantha, not fond of words or company herself, almost admired the position Hemithea now filled—it was one that Akantha, herself, once occupied.
Which was, of course, a far flung ideal now that she stood as Matriarch of the entire coven.
She lowered her head slightly and leaned a bit closer to the pale Initiate, "You seem a little ill at ease." she remarked softly, "Care to talk?"