if there was a hell on earth, it was this place.
even with a mostly-full moon, not much light reached the swamp. he navigated nimbly through the shadows, hopping over the worst of the sucking mire—damn, why had he come here?!
he'd thought it would be an easy journey, but instead, he'd remained within the mire for half a day now. and with night now fallen, fat chance of him finding the way out by slivers of moonlight.
at least aditya's golden eyes cut through the darkness, though that did no good for him. he tread upon an old, fallen tree, its trunk sunken and soft from rot. he drew in a sharp breath as it caved, ever so slightly—was he about to be pitched into the muck?—but it held and he moved on.
and kept moving. that was all he could do.
moving, and praying. hariji, meri madad karo,
he whispered, turning his eyes to the black canopy above. could maybe see a star, here or there. he clung to each pinpoint of light like it was the last bit of earthly hope.
She hadn't come to the Morass in some time. Not since that one young man got lost in here some time ago.
But now, she came again. Didn't hurt to explore the surrounding places within the valley, especially with the trickle of both trespassers and recruits that have been flowing in.
Thus, the Battle Maiden came through, snowy fur making her look almost if not ethereal, paired with her gaze of hellfire gold. Might make for a sinister appearance, to most.
Her patrol was silent, for the most part. Until she heard the voice of another. She stilled, ears perked and nose eagerly inhaling the scent.
Not a Saint. Not an Archangel.
Trespasser.
Threat.
Nyra ran at a sprint. Granted she wasn't as wholely fast as usual due to not being out here very often, she was still going like a freight train and upon seeing Aditya, the Empress lunged with a snarl and aimed her fangs for as close to his throat as she could get.
he hadn't expected her. half-lost in his thoughts, he didn't realize she was upon him until the pale behemoth was at his throat, snapping, clenching—
arrey!
aditya cried, lifting his chin, trying to protect the jugular from. . .
the woman? yes, feminine she was, white of pelt, her eyes glowing gold in the dark light. he narrowed his eyes at her in turn, bristling, staggering back, his pelt expanding, bristling upon his spine and puffed out upon his ribs.
kya karey?!
he exclaimed, and bared his teeth. his nostrils picked up the fetid scent of swamp, and he resisted flinching, knowing that he must stare this woman down. what do you want?
He exclaimed in a language she didn't understand. Sadly, she wasn't able to rip his throat out.
As he went backward, she paused for the briefest second as he tried to ask her what she wanted.
Staring her down though, was probably the worst thing he could've done in the moment. She locked her eyes with his own and the brief second passed - yielding to Nyra lurching toward him once more with bared teeth aimed for his face.
As much as she had words and knew how to use them - this didn't seem like a time to talk. She had children to protect, one of them being her own flesh and blood.
nahin, he was too old for this shit. he began to back away from the massive woman—who, upon closer examination, was quite enormous, bigger than most wolves around. she could grind him into a pulp if she wished. . .and it was clear that her wishes lay along those lines.
i'll go,
aditya assured her, still annoyed but trying to smooth things over. avoiding a tumble into the swampy water, he side-stepped, crablike, keeping one wary eye trained on the movement of her paws. i want no fight with you.
would she advance once more? he drew in a breath, committing her scent to memory. he'd avoid it like the plague. kutiya, he thought, barely resisting the impulse to curse aloud.
He lurched away from her offense again, and she held her aggressive pose as he spoke, ready to advance again.
But, the older man seemed keen on defusing the situation instead of making it worse. Hesitantly, Nyra lowered her hackles and sheathed her fangs, adjusting her stance into a more neutralized stand instead of the aggressive hunch she had before.
Her hellfire gold gaze also seemed to lose their murderous sheen. Wary, slightly, but otherwise, she didn't intend to look like she wanted to eat him.
And it was now, finally, that she spoke. Though she wasn't sure if he had any affiliations to the enemies of the Saints, she would not, at least not yet, disclose that there were children in the Strath. One could not be too cautious.
"If you're lost, I'll show you the way out." Nyra rumbled, motioning with her muzzle as she began walking at a slow-ish pace through the swamp. A glance back his direction to see if he would follow.
and just as soon as it had begun, it was over. aditya cocked a brow at her offer, though kept his stance carefully neutral, hoping not to upset her further.
to be lost would mean i had somewhere to go in the first place,
he remarked, a touch of wry humor in his voice. why would you help me, when only a moment ago you were at my throat?
he thought it was an honest question, anyway. was she crazy? wolves didn't attack much unless they were crazy, or sick. . .or both. he sniffed again, trying to get a better read on her scent. she didn't seem to carry the pungent-sweet smell of illness.
what he did smell, though, was milk—and that at least was some explanation for her behavior. a mother on edge.
still, he waited to see what she might say (or do).
To his responses and question, Nyra chuckled shortly, a wry laugh of her own.
"Apologies. Mother's impulsive instinct, I suppose." Nyra rumbled with a sigh, navigating a short distance from him into the swampland. Would he follow, even if hesitantly?