What was she doing? Ying huffed and settled into a seat.
She remembered her original purpose — protecting the sisters — and wondered if this was her true motivation. Protecting them didn't require settlements along the coast or inland claims; it required only her presence, but she'd chosen to remain absent. The trip wasn't supposed to last for this long. She could have (and should have) been back at home already, so why wasn't she? There was nothing keeping her from returning to the island, and yet, she hesitated.
The family needed someone to protect them (right?). They needed someone to keep them safe (right?). Ying had titled herself as their guardian, but was this necessary? A part of her knew that this was nothing more than a grasp for control. She was reaching into the void for a tether of power, despite being uninterested in the implications. She didn't want to lead anyone, nor did she want to usurp her sisters, but imagining them standing above her was too overwhelming a thought.
What could she do? Ying could continue her deception, sneaking around and finding secret allies. She could proceed as planned, abandoning her very being for something much more sinister. Ying didn't like the idea of becoming like those she despised. Her brow furrowed in heavy thought.
After this trip, she would stick to the coast. Her recruitment would be more modest; familiar fighters would take priority, those who she could trust. Ying would explore the bay but knew that proximity was important. Being close to Moonspear was ideal, but it wouldn't work if it meant being too far from Yuèlóng. She would tell the sisters about her plans to form Jūnshì, and if they disapproved, she would pause the effort.
The huntress bit into her kill with a sudden ferocity.
How long would she depend on the twins? How long would she allow her existence to depend on their approval? No; if the sisters disapproved, she would not stop her work. Abandon the fruit of this journey?; Ying wouldn't allow herself. This was for their benefit, even if they refused to accept it. She pulled each leg from the rabbit's body and splayed the corpse wide, digging her teeth into its tender midsection.
Orlaith was keen on patroling the borders of the Hushed Willows, but she thought to supervise the areas outland. Survey the terrian- the excuse of her curiosity. Back home in the old courts the fire wolf would know everything, the surroundings and the beyond, it was all within her grasp. She could even see beyond what was the borders of her home, and wisped through the lands with such an ease.. Now that ease was gone.
It gave her a rush, for new lands to conequer that her forefathers have not taken already. Places to seek out. At first Orlaith was down she was removed from the courts despite the loyalty she placed, but now there was a new excitment to behold. A new beginning, just like the originals of the fairies. Declaring a land as their realms, and staking for their future generations. Now she was the ancient ones, the older fae's who would protect their future. She, was the guard of them.
A thirst for adventure overtaken her, and wilded the fire beast. The area she entered gave the guard a look of flames, she felt the bristles stand against her neck as it seemed she was the prey within the area. The feeling of being hunted.. Unusual, Orlaith was the hunter. She grinned like a madman, and continued forth despite a feeling of unsettling creeping forward- but she was no coward.
Before her, was not the beast she thought though.. A white wolf, munching in thought. The woman never met too many outside of her own sanctions, and all that she met were those who tried to enter the realm.. But she was not in her realm, was she?
Let's not look stupid, alright Orlaith.
"Hey there stranger!"
Fuck.
Hey there stranger! — She stood and turned with wild eyes toward the auburn brute. Slight was the woman, but impressive in her stance. Ying realized that she wore a snarl and immediately dropped her lip, turning sheepish gaze back toward the mangled rabbit. Blood dripped from her snout.
The guardian ran her tongue across her face, grabbed the rabbit, and placed it neatly behind her. The other didn't seem interested in stealing it, but she had to be sure. Ying was too unfocused to take any chances. Hi
, she called back, a small smile blossoming across her maw.
Friendly, nice. Orlaith was not aware how others would act yet, and as a dutiful warrior, she prepared for the worst to come. Despite the blood littered across her face, the other held just the smallest of smiles, giving a relief. However.. If she was not the hunter, who gave this unsettling feeling?
"You seen beasts around here?" There was a glance at the prey, making the fire-wolf just a bit hungry, but she wouldn't resort into stealing. That's just cowardness Orlaith isn't going to play, she has her own food within a cache.
What kind of beast?
She wondered if the attackers had slowly made their way to the north. It was an unsettling thought; Ying's expression shifted from kind to coldly curious. While not willing to give up any of her newly acquired information, she wanted to know if this stranger had anything to add.
The stolen glance at the rabbit put Ying on edge. She had already eaten her fill, and would have preferred abandoning it to a meaningless fight. She kept herself braced, should the other decide to move, but kept her mind open.
"You don't feel it?" Orlaith cocked a head questioningly at the white wolf. She prided herself as a warrior, and a beast of the flames, a guard of the realms, but even she could sense someone was watching. Like a hunter judging it's prey from afar, but she couldn't judge to where the sight was from. The wolf wasn't enjoying being watched like a morsel, and felt it was a challenge approaching.
"A sight- all around. Like we are being watched."
Why wasn't she reacting? Ying wondered if there was something wrong with the woman. She hadn't felt anyone watching them, but prepared herself nonetheless. Hackles lifted and snarl bared, she moved to stand in front of this notably off-putting stranger.
Her eyes darted from one corner to the next; where were they? She turned back to the brute and asked, Where is the beast?
Ying's voice was barely above a whisper, so as to not startle the attackers if they were nearby.
She thought about it.. What did her peers say, listen to nature? Orlaith normally listened in the way Ying was, being alert to the sounds, and looking to see if the opponent was near. She wasn't the most spiritual wolf unlike majority of the fairies, but she was of fire then of green, perhaps that was why.
However their teaching wouldn't go through her ears, and rather she slowly bent them toward the ground in a wonder, "they're down below," the woman whispered, olives following her head and staring at the ground. Orlaith can hear the whispers and felt her skin crawl by the bloodthirst that the ground whispered back.
She didn't want to know who was down there, and the best course of action? Ignore it.
"So, I'm Orlaith, how ya doin'." Perking back up, the fire-wolf smiled brightly with a nervous tint to it, but continued on a friendly matter, despite the earlier wariness.
Nǐ zěnmeliǎo?
The woman — Orlaith — must have had something wrong to be acting so strangely. Ying looked her over and noticed no obvious injuries, but knew that an internal malady might be harder to detect.
The stranger was quick to change pace, but Ying wasn't interested. She scoffed in the woman's direction and turned to make her exit, deciding that she had something better to do than interact with a crazy woman.
She scratched her ear, as the white woman spoke some odd words. Probably a foreigner, but then again all wolves were foreign to Orlaith. She didn't get out much to communicate outside the realm of fae's, and this was probably the second one she met since.. A very long time. That she managed a conversation with, for the rest were sentenced to death by being too close to the courts. There was no need to talk to intruders, and did not care for their reasonings.
"Hey hey," the fire-wolf was persistant though, she didn't want the opportunity to pass, "come on now," and she started to follow a bit, "you don't want to do some shit? Haven't sparred with someone in quite some time."
Well, she really wasn't in any position to turn down a fight. Ying turned over her shoulder and appraised the woman in silence, shrugging once she decided that it would be worth her time. She turned to fully face Orlaith and positioned herself for a fight, fully prepared for her opponent to make the first move.
Orlaith grinned, "that's more like it." It had been a while since she had a spar, and a first to an outsider. However she was outside of her own realm, so supposed she was the outsider. Nontheless, the excitment easily shown on the fire wolf's face, as she erupted into a sprint. Gladly taking the first chance to strike at the white warrior.
It was a head-on collision, she was more of a warrior then a technician when it came to fighting. She hoped the other would give a worthy challenge.
Insanity begot super-strength, which begot a fallen warrior. Ying was tossed onto her side by the impact, leaving her to scramble helplessly back up to her feet. She took a moment to recover, shaking the shock from her pelt, and went in for a counter-attack. Her eyes were focused on the woman's legs; using her shoulders, she hoped to barrel in and knock them from beneath her.
Orlaith held an arrogant grin to the sea-side wolf, as she successfully pushed through and tossed her aside. The other though countered with a smarter tactic, so Ying thought. She could see those blue eyes aiming for her legs, and the fire wolf leapt over letting the other miss and land to nothing.
Then she too turned, and lept forward to the wolf who had aimed low, hoping for a successful pin from the back. If she could press this wolf to the floor- perhaps a perfect spar could be for sovereign.
Again, she returned empty-handed. There wasn't enough time between her missed hit and the woman's counter-attack for Ying to fully assess the situation. She might have been able to get away, had she moved faster, but was instead pinned to the ground and forced to submit.
Frustrated with the outcome, Ying continued to snap at her assailant, only stopping once she realized that her efforts were in vain.
"Win?" Her opponent tried a fury of attacks, but then suddenly dropped them. Upon the white woman, Orlaith held an arrogant grin as she looked down to Ying, questioning, almost taunting if it truly was so. Did the girl submit?
she paused for a moment to catch her breath, narrowed eyes staring upward at orlaith. move
, ying demanded, unwilling to submit, if only in speech.
however, it was clear that she’d lost, and ying’s pride couldn’t change that fact. i lose
, her way of saying ‘you win’ without having to sacrifice her dignity.
Orlaith only moved once the woman finally uttered words of defeat. She of course, held a cocky grin upon getting off. It felt nice to simply win, especiallu so in a land that was not her own.
"I never got your name," the fire-fae realized, "mind giving me one before I head back?"
ying.
she paused her self-assessment to look the woman over, then asked, you?
similar to her opponent, she was ready to leave, and would do so promptly after being introduced.
"Did I knock you that hard to forget?" she had a hearty laugh, "mentioned earlier, my name is Orlaith, guard of Seelie Court." However the second part wasn't mentioned, and this time properly introduced herself. She had hoped the smell of Pack was starting to properly rub onto her, now that the flaming wolf was properly entering the willows.
Then introducing herself once more, the white wolf walked away. The warrior would also leave, as this land generally gave her the fucking creeps.