after concluding her talks with hydra, praimfaya then parts from the spear queen's side in search of
@Dacio; something akin to anxiety writhing in her chest as the knowledge that he has been injured tightens 'round her chest like a serpent trying to squeeze the life from her. that it took place while she had been in crogeda, fighting in
sadgeda, to be recognized by her aunt's wolves as their commander. part of her thinks she should have prolonged the trip. she should've been here.
she knows that, realistically, her presence might not've made the slightest bit of difference but she has already lost so many, so much that she holds dear. she does not wish to lose any more.
she finds a scent trail — though whether it is fresh or growing stale, the
wanheda has not been paying enough attention. simply; she is eager to find him. eager to see her wounds for herself ( though she is no medic and couldn't help in that regard ), eager to see that he is as hydra says: alive and hopefully on the mend. a light snow has begun to fall over the towering evergreens that conceal the worst of the bright afternoon sun of moonspear's claim but praimfaya, in her singular mindset, does not notice.
He had not expected Praimfaya's return to come so soon, though he was glad for it.
Dacio, having been healing swiftly in the days following his battle with the blackbird in the glen, had worsened his knitting wounds with recent wanderings. He'd gone roaming to the coast when he shouldn't have, had pursued the scent of a female amid her heat cycle and taken part in more... vigorous activity with her. The young mercenary worried for the natural outcome of each occasion he'd managed to couple with a she-wolf, though more so did he feel concern for the wrath of Hydra should she discover such interludes.
So he kept mostly to himself, keen to share company only with @Opalia should she seek him out. He did his best to rest despite the stirring of his loins, the season's temptation spurring his desire to reproduce despite warning. No one need know of his recent companions, and with the pack's attention turned toward greater dangers he did feel somewhat emboldened by secrets that remained his own.
On hearing the footfalls of another, the rogue blinked out onto the ledge beyond his den - just as his pallid ward made to pass by. To her he emitted a soft chuff in greeting and his gaze at once found the four deliberate marrings of her shoulder, which brought a proud smirk about his muzzle. "I taught you well," came his teasing observation, and he remained on his belly with the hope that she would join him.
the soft chuff brings praimfaya to awareness of her surroundings, realizing that in her plight she very nearly strode right past the very wolf she sought.
dacio,
praimfaya breathes his name in relief, glad for his teasing and perhaps arrogant — though right — observation.
you did,
the commander murmurs in agreement as she moves nearer to the ledge of his den, climbing up even as he remains on his belly. she hesitates for only a moment — not wanting to jar him while he heals — but lowers herself beside him all the same; mindful.
it only occurs to her now, she she peers at dacio that she very well could've not returned. not because she didn't want to but because any of the other
fos goufas could've emerged the victor instead of her. they were all trained, just as she was. the idea that she might've never seen dacio or opalia again is near enough to make her choke up despite that she stands as
wanheda and it is all water under the bridge.
crogeda stands with us as the first in our coalition.
praimfaya reports.
my mother might have strong words of protest if she were still here but i have forgiven thyri in her stead.
that grudge, praimfaya feels, died with blodreina.
her grudge is old and that tooth needed buried.
the pros outweighed the cons. they have gained the full and unyielding support of crogeda which would help when praimfaya was ready to rally again.
i have heard from @Hydra what you've done for her son.
just as he was proud of her, she, too, is proud of him. she is not surprised; dacio is brave and loyal.
how are you feeling?
and then she says, softly,
i'm sorry i was not here.
Praimfaya paused to acknowledge him, then veered his way. He followed her movements with a curious stare, scrutinised her lithe frame for any sign that real harm might've come to her during her time away. Dacio, sure to always see her as his ward - despite now being Wanheda by right - knew that he would not hesitate to tear the limbs from any who intended to hurt her. Luckily she seemed well enough, so he welcomed her to rest as his side with an affectionate croon and lazy sway of his dark tail. He had not opposed Praimfaya's decision to leave those weeks before purely because he did not doubt her capability in succeeding.
"That is good news," the ashen warrior spoke of Crogeda's support, and pricked a rugged ear at his companion's report of her aunt. A curious thing to hear, but not something that surprised him. Forgiveness wasn't something that Drageda wolves had in common, but Praimfaya had shown him the way - taught him how. There were times that he worried that new ability would come back to bite him, and his thoughts turned briefly to his last encounter with Raleska.
Almost as soon as that memory flooded to the forefront of Dacio's mind, he cast it away. Shelved it to mull over in more private times, and instead listened with full attention on Wanheda. "It is healing slowly," he outstretched his injured forelimb, cast his eyes downward to examine the marred flesh of his elbow. It had knitted together well enough, mostly, before he'd ventured beyond Moonspear in search of the fairer sex. Now he could see where it'd been reopened, felt heat beneath the skin.
She made an unnecessary apology, one that he was intent to put a stop to immediately. Dacio reached out to "boop" his snout roughly against his young charge's silver ruff. "I'll have none of that," he told her, "you were right where you needed to be, as I was." Without him there to aid Hydra's brave son, he would surely have perished at the fangs of their enemy.
praimfaya knew that blodreina was not the forgiving type; thus she is left to assume that her compassion largely comes from ingram. still, it is a fair line to walk: deciding what deserves forgiveness and what cannot be forgiven. the spill of blood, for instance, cannot be forgiven. she thinks of hydra's son and knows that jus drein, jus daun will never loosen its hold. would she have any idea who ( or what ) killed ingram she would have initiated jus drein, jus daun to avenge him.
dacio's response to her question draws her from her thoughts; tempting to lose her within them. it is healing slowly. praimfaya's frostbound gaze is drawn to his injury as he displays it; a frown tugging at the corners of her lips. you should take time to rest and allow it to heal.
she fusses. praimfaya doubts that anyone would begrudge him that ...and if they did they would have to deal with her. she does not realize that it's slow healing process was largely dacio's own doing. is any of moonspear's healers tending to it?
she is quick to ask next. she trusts moonspear to take care of her klikalida while his wound heals — she truly does! — ...but she cannot help but worry all the same. it is, perhaps, in her nature as a woman.
he is quick to dispel her apology; offering her a 'boop' of his snout to her ruff. for a moment, praimfaya swallows against the lump of emotion rising in her throat. i know.
she assures him with a soft sigh. it might've been a commander's duty to tell her wolves to go die for her but praimfaya, hard as she tries, cannot entirely turn off her tendencies to care. it was good you were able to come to his aid.
the spirits of the commanders knew what she would've returned to would dacio not have gotten there in time.
do you know how the boy fares?
calling him 'the boy' makes her sound older than she is ( but she's always been mentally older ) but she also doesn't exactly want to admit that she isn't sure the name of the son that had been attacked and it was not something she had wished to pry from hydra; who while was the spear queen was also a fretting mother. do you think he'll survive?
she asks, quieter yet. she knows that dacio isn't a healer but she assumes that he knows more about the entire situation than she's thus far been filled in on.
"Lyra has seen to it," he answered simply, failing to include that he'd only gone to her once - not because he chose to, but because the Queen had insisted. Osiris' wounds proved far more serious than his own, which seemed like a mere scratch in comparison. Praimfaya did well to mask the swell of emotion within her, made attempt to hide the crack in her voice. Dacio was sure to outwardly ignore it for fear of embarrassing her, though he felt a stirring of quiet sorrow for her as his gaze was cast out toward the valley that stretched beyond their proud mountain.
He was silent for a moment, having never been strong in the comfort department when it came making others feel better. It was the soldier in him, perhaps; bred and prepared for war throughout his entire puphood, self-care of his own or even someone else's mental health was not a lesson Dacio could recall ever being taught. "I have not seen him since," the young warrior answered, glad for the shift in attention from his physical injuries to those of another, "but the Queen says he will live." A fortunate thing, considering Osiris had taken the brunt of an attach he did not anticipate. "She is certain that the boy's attacker runs with Blackhead, but I... am led to believe that the sea witch breathes no more."
dacio assures her that lyra — whom praimfaya understands to be one of hydra's sisters — has tended to him. good.
praimfaya says resolutely. she knows that in terms of medical attention, hydra's son needed it much more than dacio but it wasn't unlike to praimfaya to suggest that should anything foul befall her klikalida because of a lack of attention she would not know forgiveness ( in that, perhaps there is blodreina in her after all ). hydra speaks of war yet to come,
praimfaya begins, salmon pink tongue darting out across her jowls. and i need you by my side.
he and opalia both for the commander would not go to war without her two most trusted fighting beside her.
perhaps when he is well enough to receive visitors i shall take him some meat.
unfortunately, praimfaya could not be any use besides that to his recovery. dacio had fought to save him — and succeeded; she, at the very least, could take him some meat to fill his belly for she assumes it will be some time before he can hunt.
blackhead.
from what dacio tells her, he and hydra are at odds on what they believe to be true. the spear queen thinks that blackhead is runs with her son's attacker but dacio, as he tells it, believes that blackhead is dead. praimfaya's ears swivel for a moment before they flutter gracefully against her skull in contemplation as he considers his words. what makes you think that she is dead?
praimfaya inquires curiously; far from skeptical. surely, he of all wolves would not make such a bold claim without fairly solid evidence to support it.
War. The thought of it roused some small excitement in him, an anticipation to taste the blood of his enemies once more. Dacio had participated in the battle of Dragoncrest in his youth, recalled the anxiety that accompanied his lack of experience. This time would be different. This time he would be prepared, and he trusted for it.
"Yes," he acknowledged his charge's talk of Hydra's intention, his expression clear in his support of it. The warrior shifted, twitches a charcoal ear at Praimfaya's concern and desire to have him participate alongside her, "as I need you by mine, Wanheda." Dacio knew that he would give his life if it meant she could live, just as he would've done for Heda. It was his purpose, after all, to serve her in such a way.
He did his best not to falter with talk of how he'd cone to acquire such knowledge of the sea witch's fate, yet he squirmed a little with discomfort. Dacio knew that he would suffer grim consequences should Hydra learn of his participation in the breeding season. While he did not believe Praimfaya would sell him out, he clung to the belief that the less she knew, the less she had to lie about. "Her daughter," he said, pulling himself together with a deep frown, "I found her in a vulnerable position, just yesterday. She shared that her mother had fallen recently and gave me no reason to think her capable of lying."
a soft smile creeps at the edges of the commander's lips as dacio says that he needs her by his side too. she ducks her head in a manner that could almost be considered bashful. you have to say that,
she scoffs, teasingly. i am your commander, after all.
still, despite her teasing she cannot entirely mask the worry that persists at her, urging her to fuss at him and over his wound. praimfaya understands, now, why 'to be commander is to be alone' even if she knows she does not agree with it. relationships were weaknesses to be exploited. she hadn't meant to grow as attached to dacio and opalia as she has but it is done and though she is no stranger to the heartache of loss she is not ready to let either of them go.
the fact that the word comes from blackhead's daughter instantly makes praimfaya a bit skeptical. she knows that she would've lied to her enemy if it meant protecting her own mother; easily. the words 'vulnerable position' do not go unnoticed by the commander, who's ears twitch with thought. praimfaya automatically assumes that dacio means blackhead's daughter was injured ( innocent as she is ). i am ...surprised that you showed her mercy. that you believe her,
praimfaya admits softly. while she isn't sure she trusts blackhead's daughter, she does trust dacio. rusalkians were your enemy, once.
praimfaya speaks in remembrance of their first meeting.
you should share this news with hydra.
praimfaya suggests, unknowing of what potential consequences sharing it might bring down upon her klikalida.
"My commander, yes," soft laughed spilled from his lips as he played along with his young charge's good humour despite the threat that hung over them; "but don't forget who called you Wanheda before you won the conclave." Dacio shot the girl a smirk, a playful arch of his brow, before he shifted to position himself closer to her and reach out in a rare display of affection. Teeth aimed to preen his ward's silken cheek and, with a refreshed appreciation for the bond they shared. "I missed you."
It was a short exchange, but a meaningful one - an important one. He hoped that, no matter what happened in their uncertain future, Praimfaya would always remember those who maintained their loyalty to her long after their world crumbled.
Talk if Rusalkans would forever rouse ill feeling in his gut, yet Raleska's claim had lessened the bitterness he felt. His hatred had been primarily directed toward the coywolf, and more recently had he been able to understand that some of her followers could be considered guilty by mere association. Her children, for example. Oh, Raleska, came his weighted, pitied thought of the girl, I hope you were right.
He returned his gaze to the face of his youthful companion, and his expression softened. "I can never forget what Rusalka did to Drageda," Dacio shared, and turned his head to look out over the view from his cave. The valley spread out before them for miles, blanketed by the warmth of a dimming sun, and he emitted a gentle sigh. "But I am capable of seeing the world differently, now. I may have taught you how to fight, but you taught me a valuable lesson that helped me realise that, by holding onto the past, the only one I'm punishing is myself. It is one that will stay with me forever."
like i ever could,
though she means it to be lighthearted, teasing even; the thickness of her voice, the sincerity and swell of emotions does not go unheard, even by her. praimfaya's ears flutter back, almost bashful at the preen of dacio's teeth against her cheek. she rarely lets anyone close, let alone close enough to kill her — it would be easy to move from cheek to throat, she thinks. i missed you. for some reason that praimfaya can't pinpoint at that precise moment, those words send her heart rate climbing until she fears he, close as he is, could hear it.
i missed you too.
she admits after a moment. and it was true. adventuring beyond the borders on her own was one thing but the two-three week trip she'd taken to crogeda? had been the first time she's been on her own; and in a way it'd been lonely in a way that she'd never known loneliness before. going to the kongeda that might've very well been her death had been good to put things into prospective for the commander.
as dacio speaks, explaining what has changed, praimfaya feels a small smile tugging at the edges of her lips as she, too, studies the landscape yawning before them; attentive to him and his words all the same. forgiveness isn't always easy,
praimfaya begins. and not everyone deserves that mercy.
there were some things, even praimfaya believes, that could not be forgiven. it's a hard line to walk sometimes, playing judge, jury and executioner.
i'm proud of you dacio,
she says aloud, leaning forward to press her nose to his cheek, should he allow it. and glad to know that the student can teach the teacher.
she adds teasingly with a soft laugh.