she had hunted and left fish at the rendezvous for sorana. after a brief and fitful slumber, teya climbed the edge of the cliff and looked out over the caldera. the pack should fell a larger animal soon, she decided; the pups were all massively growing.
when the raven dropped down into another venue, it was to find
@Bronco's trail leading across the way. she hesitated. she knew nothing about the man; maia did.
but she was his leader as well. and so teya trotted after him, clearing her throat when she found the large and scarred man.
Bronco was lost in thought, with a mouthful of cattail leaves when he heard someone clear their voice. He looked over his shoulder, and his tail swayed demurely from side to side when he realized it was yet another packmate he knew of, but did not distinctly know. Most of his time was spent with very few others, or tending to his regular duties of border patrol, hunting and filling the caches.
Recently, he’d begun finding his little sleeping grove a bit uncomfortable on his limbs and sides. It’d never been a problem before- he could have slept on a rock, or hardened clay when he’d been younger and had had more meat and fat on his frame. So he’d begun harvesting cattail leaves, and used them to make a mat to sleep on.
He felt kind of silly, having someone catch him with a mouthful of long, slender leaves. To his knowledge, they weren’t medicinal so he assumed some sort of explanation would be in order. He set them down gently, and licked the spittle from his lips, woofing softly to Teya to welcome her company.
bronco had a bunch of leaves when she found him. her tail swayed as he set them down. the man was undernourished, more scar than flesh. but he was not so old. it only looked as though his life had been hard and in more ways than teya herself found comprehensible.
"you bronco, correct?" she asked gently, approaching only a few feet more. she looked at the leaves; the greenery did not seem like things collected by bridget or eljay, but there was no way for her to know. perhaps he too was an aspiring medic.
"i teya. i — come to see if you want tour. or maybe just company." it was a good way for her to know him.
beneath the ridges of ruined flesh, he had handsome golden eyes.
Her question was innocent, there was a charm in the way she spoke. He nodded. ”The one and only,” but there was no boast or sarcasm to his voice, only a mild playfulness that hinted at a penchant for being self-deprecative. He noticed the way she looked curiously at the leaves, and opened his mouth to explain, but didn’t want to interrupt her invitation.
Instead, he nodded. ”I’d enjoy that,” He said. ”I’d like to drop these off at my spot, first, if that’s alright?” He asked. With his mouth full, there wouldn’t be much room for conversation, and he didn’t want to just let the leaves blow away. Not that they were terribly rare of valuable- he just didn’t like to waste things. A bit sheepishly, he explained. ”They make the ground softer, if you’re boney like me.”
"of course." she meant to step forward and help him carry a few if he would allow, otherwise teya would only follow along. and when words could be shared once again, she looked at him with a small amount of worry that soon dissipated. "brecheliant has best food and best healers in teekon wilds," she declared with a wry twist of her muzzle. "i fish for you."
it was her favoured past-time and this shone in her eyes. teya hoped that bronco would not take offense to what could be construed as brashness, and waited quietly with waving tail.
whatever had happened to him, he could rest here. that's how it had been in the fen and how it would be in the caldera. the irony was that she spared no thought for her own exhaustion, choosing to ignore so many things by focusing upon others.
today it was bronco.
Bronco was quick to yield to pressure, even when it was a matter of gentle presence. Teya moved toward him and he stepped back, realizing then that she intended to help him carry the leaves. He nodded, and appreciatively gathered the remainder himself so they could be dropped off at his nook. It was slightly sheltered by the bows of the tree overhead, and his sleeping spot was almost cradles by exposed roots. The leaves they brought helped him get his bed roughly half covered.
Teya spoke with confidence and pride about their home. He reflected momentarily upon her statement and nodded. Moonglow too had had excellent hunters and healers, but the Caldera had had both as well. He opened his mouth to affirm what she’d said, but she made a suggestion that surprised him.
”Oh, uh,” He said. But he got the impression it might be rude to turn her down. He didn’t even consider that she might be so keen to feed him simply because he looked thin. She struck him as being confident, quick to speak and make decisions. A natural leader. ”I like fish,” He responded, a natural peacemaker.
teya smiled and this time the light of it touched her coolwater eyes. "good. we will hunt at lake then." she moved to his side.
the presence of so many scars naturally disinclined teya from further curiosity about his past. "lake has no name," she said, tipping the arch of a brow his direction. maybe he was happy to title things. she certainly did not have the creativity to do it. they were following the wide river which led back to the lake.
"trout and grayling in this part," she told him, pleased with her knowledge of fish. "best to hunt at sunup or sundown."
she paused beside the huge downed tree which had fallen in parts. the lake loomed ahead. she tried not to think about the island or even look its direction.
Bronco was quite familiar with the lake- and that whole plateau. But he felt it was unimportant to tell her these things as he felt it might dampen her enthusiasm. He felt he still had things to learn from the keen fisherwoman. And the sparkle in her eye drew him back into the keen pupil he’d been in his youth.
The lake had no name. He caught her glance, and shook his head. He remembered joking with childhood friends about naming landmarks; whatever they’d come up with would’ve been laughable and likely a bit inappropriate.
”Maybe Sorana could come up with a name for it,” He said. ”Pirate Queen Sorana, I mean,” He added with a faint smile. ”I’m no good at naming things,” He admitted.
He glanced toward the river every so often, wondering if there was much point in checking it for fish. It seemed Teya knew where they were going though, and he looked up to see the landmark ahead.
”Why is that?” He asked. He’d heard that before, but was curious to know exactly what made those times of day best for fishing. He assumed it had something to do with light and visibility or long shadows, maybe the water temperature. ”Sleepy fish are easier to catch?” That was the fun answer.
bronco was very likeable. he elicited another grin from teya. "yes. they are sleepy. not move as fast." pirate queen sorana. so he'd met her daughter, which meant he probably had run into reyes. the two were inseparable, really.
thinking of her redfurred mate made her mind shy away. and something about pirate queen, associating sorana with water, steeled her gut. but none of this was bronco's fault. "sorana see me swim a lot. used to live on island, over there."
unbeknownst to her, still, somehow, was its former name of hobbit hole, or the fact that reyes had once lived there with towhee.
she waded into the lake's shallows and looked for shadows beneath the water.
His face showed his surprise. While he was a decent hunter, he hadn't expected to have guessed why fish was best caught in the morning or evening. It made sense- he, too, moved slower when he was tired. She waded into the waters, spoke of swimming, and mentioned the island. He was well familiar with the area, though there were certain memories about the Plateau that he tried to suppress. Wading too deep into water still reminded him of the time he'd nearly drowned, and how he'd been willing to wade in too deep. He remained on the shore.
She was fishing, now, watching the waters, so he remained quiet, allowing her time to fish, watching her movements to see exactly what techniques she used so that he might learn for himself.
bronco's eyes were observant and youthful. it was as if the maze of scars he wore were only an overlay. deep as they were, he wore them like he could slide them off at any moment.
or maybe she was only projecting, assuming that anyone else could leave the netting she'd spun for herself.
she placed her paws under the water as the fish passed, their fins kicking silt into the surface. and then teya used this covering to jolt one upward, foot to belly.
its mouth gasped as it breached the water's surface and glistened in the air.
teya reared to hindlegs and caught it, all one fluid motion.
Patiently, he waited. In stillness she stood, like a heron waiting to spot something. He thought he could see the movement of fish beneath the surface from where he stood, but he didn’t move closer. As eager to see them as he was, he knew fish might frighten at his shadow.
The sudden movement she made likely startled Bronco as much as it did the fish. He hadn’t even seen her tense, she’d been so quick to dash the fish into the air with an abrupt lift of her leg. Expertly, she caught it and he let out a triumphant whoop.
He backed up to allow her to wade to the shallows, beaming at her in appreciation as he did so.
his sound of praise pleased her; she tossed the fish to the bank and looked sidelong at bronco.
perhaps it was the adrenaline of the moment; maybe it was her own loneliness; but teya felt a fierce and unexpected attracting welling.
it reminded her of how she had run wild not so long ago —
she told herself that now she was honed to move upon her own whims and she must stop.
"practice every day. often i fail," the raven admitted, drawing in breath with a wry look.
He moved forward instinctively to place a paw on the fish, lest it twitch and flop back into the water, but he found himself caught by the lure of Teya’s gaze. It lingered, and he saw softness in her featured. He smiled, shyly, his tail waving. Subconscious replies to a nuanced look.
”I’d have a hard time believin’ that,” He replied, with a shrug. She’d made it look so effortless- it was hard to believe that she would miss, and suspected she was merely being humble. ”Where’d you learn how to fish like that?” He asked.
teya ducked her head to hide the way her smile became a grin. "always loved the water. always loved swimming. fishing come natural after that." her voice was more even than her emotions felt. the raven reached out a paw and let it trail affectionately over the surface.
there were many things she could ask bronco; teya could be forward, ask him from where he had come and how he had gotten his scars. but maybe he didn't want to linger in the past. she certainly did not.
"what is your skill?" she asked instead, bringing the cool streamwater hue of her eyes back to his own.
A fisherwoman she was indeed, he could see the way she lit up when she spoke of being near the water, whether it was for fishing or swimming. ”Have you been out to the coast, or do you prefer lakes like this one?” he asked.
For whatever reason, the shoreline and ocean seemed to call to women- to those who lived in Sapphique, but to Fennec and Blueberry as well. His own mother had made a pilgrimage to die in the sand. He assumed it had a lure he might never truly understand; perhaps the wild ocean spoke a language unique and special, made for women.
When she looked at him, he could feel his scars heat up. It felt like the obvious answer was to admit he’d once trained as a warrior. But he’d shed that identity. ”I’m good with kids,” he said. It was probably his best skill. ”But fer huntin’, I think I’m more useful huntin’ deer with the pack. Less…finesse, like what you had, more teamwork and strength.” He said.
yes. she liked him. her mouth twitched wanly. perhaps she was being modest. but a good deal of her larger catches did go unfound. still, teya enjoyed the faith in her prowess, even if she was not one to brag. the raven glanced down at the trout, choosing to take a few moments for caching before she answered.
"well. there are lot of kids here," she joked with clear eyes. "good sitter is necessary."
"and i like lakes. rivers. not the sea so much."
now all it did was remind her of reyes.
teya was restless; she dipped her head and invited bronco along. "we had deer hunt with hunters from akashingo. maybe we do it again. they are closest neighbor."
He stepped back, relinquishing his paw hold on the fish which had at least become still, so she could take it and stash it. He made note of the place- perhaps, once that fish was taken, he could fish again, and stash another fish there for her to find, as a surprise. It might please her to see her lesson had been useful.
”They’re good kids though, it’s an easy job here.” He said with an easy shrug. The present batch of kids were adventurous, sure- but they were fun.
He wasn’t sure why it pleased him to hear that she preferred lakes and rivers, but it did. It wasn’t what he’d expected her to say, and perhaps that was refreshing.
He moved to walk alongside her. The mention of a deer hunt made his ears prick. ”Akashingo? I don’t think I’ve actually met anyone from Akashingo yet,” He admitted. ”But it’d be great to have a collaborative hunt. Rutting season’s coming up, so the bulls will be pretty fired up, but it might also mean they’ll be a bit distracted.” He said.
rutting season. she knew what he meant, even under a different word, but the implication was swift. it brought her to mind of snow, wintertime. cold forests and long icefields.
quiet.
ibis, dancing beneath the moon — her heart ached.
unbeknownst to teya, she was all too willing to put down her more sapphic affectations in favour of what was easier. what was more familiar.
what was less painful.
but reyes had hurt her, hadn't he? they had hurt each other over and over. and she had hurt bridget. and now she was grappling with today, how bronco made the bottom of her chest feel warm when he responded to her hints.
and she didn't deserve to hurt anyone else.
teya realized she had been quiet too long than necessary; she cleared her throat. "sorry. i thinking about — that time." reyes, scarlet and lunging through the forest.
she was flustered, caught in a welter of memories. "i think i distracted." the lamest jest she had ever made.
Bronco hadn’t noticed the way her gaze had become distant, or the subtle longing that might’ve been hinted by the downturn of her lips. He was lost in his own memories of hunting deer with his packmates- from the first time he’d watched the Firebirds hunt from the sidelines as a pup, to his near-death experience with Meerkat and Toad.
The quietness had been easy. He hadn’t expected her to speak to provide conversation as they walked along, and he’d found no discomfort exploring his own thoughts while she leafed through her own.
He was surprised when she apologized, and recognized immediately that her reverie hadn’t been as fond as his. ”That’s OK, I was just thinking too.” He said. He stumbled lightly over a root that caught his hind foot, but he side-stepped with a chuckle. ”I’m a total fumble-arse even when I’m not lost in thought I guess,” He said.
His remedy for any sort of malaise was humour. ”Y’know, I nearly got gored to death by a mule deer one year. I mean, I’ve obviously been nearly mauled to death…A couple times…But this one, here,” He said, gesturing to a long, pale line in his fur along his side, ”That was a deer. Didn’t even get to eat him afterwards, that’s the worst part.” He said lightly, glancing toward her, hoping he’d helped to cure her mood.
they'd both been lost. teya was surprised to find this, then maybe envious of bronco for a moment, that he could recover so quickly while she was still reeling. he wore a smile now; it moved the scars along his face easily, like they were a filter he could pull off.
bronco lived in his skin. he was comfortable in it, or at least appeared to be. teya smiled where she should and arched a brow with a laugh: "oh! that very unfair!" but her eyes were drawn back to the jagged ravel of the old wound.
teya wanted to touch it, and thought wildly how he would react if she did.
she wouldn't dare, however. "not have any scars, sadly. not so cool." her eyes danced; then shyly she glanced along their path. "ah, would you like to help plan hunt?" the raven asked after a beat, committing to the idea as the moments went on.
Her laughter made him smile and gleam. He caught himself admiring her grin for a moment, and reminded himself that she was a married woman. And as for him, he felt still attached, and that brought him a flicker of shame. But she invited him to look again, to see how her flaxen pelt was even, smoothe- untouched by tooth and claw. He sought for some way to compliment her without openly doing so- but fortunately, she changed the subject before he could come up with something to say.
”Oh,” He blurted, pleasantly surprised. ”I’d be happy to help,” He said, keen to show his worth. ”I can, uh, start scouting the flat lands for herds?” he suggested.
bronco seemed pleased enough at the idea. teya ducked her head and nodded. "yes. i think sheep are on steppes down there." but she would leave it there, as she had offered him the assignment.
her coolwater eyes found his profile, but she did not want to be caught looking. even if he was not married, she was.
wasn't she?
this question opened a new hole in her heart, for teya had never considered that there would be an end to her waiting. or if she was right to allow an end.
"thank you," she said, albeit a bit suddenly.
”Oh, you’re right,” Bronco murmured thoughtfully. ”I used to live on a mountain called Moonspear. We’d hunt them there too.” The thrill of hunting on steep, rocky terrain no longer appealed to him, though. The foothills and steppes were a safe compromise.
The mention of Moonspear always brought to mind the flash of light, and the crack of thunder as the mountain was dashed with starlight, and the way the ground shook as it shrugged a curtain of stone from its shoulder. He stared ahead as they walked, until she spoke.
He blinked, mildly confused. He formed an assumption, and smiled. ”Don’t thank your hunter until the game has been caught,” He chuckled at his interpretation of an old adage.
He wasn’t sure exactly where they were going, or if there was a destination in mind, but he was learning quickly how amiable his leader was, and wanted to know more. After all- he didn’t need a tour. The Caldera was very familiar to him. ”So when did you join the pack?” He asked.
"ah, i was part of first council when wraen make brecheliant, in fen." her brow furrowed. "maybe — three years now." had it been so long? she thought of how many faces she had met, how many journeys she had taken. it felt a lifetime already, and now she had little she could mention without wistfulness.
"i know moonspear. well — knew." her breath caught a bit. that too seemed so long ago. "and the glen. and the saints," she said with a chuckle. "now it just us and akashingo, i think." for she did not know that the pack had returned to the strath.