Wolf RPG - To cater to the hollow

ic: he’s answering the herald about courting @Toula

Countless days of travel have lead him here.

the large blue shadow stands along the base of the mesa, flanked by his priest to the left and his servant to the right. Neither party dare step before him without permission lest he receive a swift nip to the muzzle.

all three males pant heavily in the dry heat. The landscape had long since become arid, the vegetation colorless and dry, while insects emit sharp noises which make the very air tremble.

The dark prince tilts his snout upward to assess the level of difficulty he might face in climbing the mesa. The slope is steep and coated in dry stones that a rabbit wouldn’t dare trust with its weight. He takes a sharp inhale and looks back toward his priest.

“You are sure this is our destination?” He asks, revealing his voice to be deep yet oddly soft. His priest nods in confirmation.

Sapair, trusting the word of his spiritual advisor, wags his tail slowly and once again tilts his head skyward, this time to howl an announcement of his arrival.

Then he sits and commands his company to follow suit. His thoughts drift to the woman he has traveled all this way to find. He wonders about her scent, the color of her eyes , the sound of her voice… he can occupy himself with these thoughts for as long as it takes his call to be answered.

He has already spent countless hours thinking of her, and has yet to tire of it.

the prince was a wolf, with the bias of his species and that enforced by his gods.

in attentiveness to the message sent out by the queen of akashingo, senmut turned from his workings and stood to watch.

it was his own limbs which carried him down to the edge of the land, where a man sat in addition to a retinue. another royal. senmut watched each of their faces before he settled upon the elegant, otherwordly features of the one who he felt had called.

"this is akashingo, ruled by Muat-riya Isetnofret Toula of the Red Serpent, Divine Wife to the Gods." a reminder that were this man here for her hand, it would ultimately be against them he would war.

"i am erpa-ha and high priest, senmut. what brings you to our land?"

Sapair closes his eyes against the hot sun and finds refuge in the darkness of his eyelids, picturing Toula. Not much time passes before the sound of footsteps approaching pulls him out of his brief reverie.

He is a young man, strong, with eyes a piercing green not easily forgettable. Sapair stands but lowers his head into a bow, tucking his tail, keeping his stature low. He briefly glances toward his hindquarters to ensure his priest and servant are following suit, and,satisfied with their behavior, turns back to the young wolf who has greeted him.

“Thank you for meeting me here, erpa-ha Senmut. I appreciate you time,” came his words of calculated courtesy. “I am Baka Sapair of Shetsoma, a land to the south and east. These men are my priest,” he casts his head toward the agouti wolf, “and my servant,” similarly indicating the paler wolf . He does not bother with their names.

“I received a herald’s message about your blessed queen… Toula. I have come to seek her hand.” He speaks with reverence.

polite, deep-spoken. senmut listened. prince sapair of shetsoma. it was not a place of which he had ever heard, but he recognized the high nobility which did not name those in the retinue.

he spoke of the queen and the high priest nodded. "come. you will be settled and given a meal, then an audience with her."

he stood and began to lead the small procession back toward the mesa. "tell me of shetsoma and your accomplishments, baka sapair."

the herald had gone far indeed. senmut was pleased.

The handsome, red-furred wolf beckoned the group to follow him and all three men obliged without hesitation. He did not show it, but Sapair was thrilled , for he had passed the initial hurdle of being invited into Akashingo with no trouble at all.

“Thank you,” he murmured, again giving a small bow. With his next question Senmut sought to know what achievements the wolfdog could boast of. Sapair knew that his response would carry a heavy weight , but he was prepared for it.

“I am a skilled hunter and fisher in my pack,” he began. “But, the bulk of my training is in combat. I and my fellow celebrated warriors were called to defend our pack more than once… and were successful.” Sapair spoke as if he were describing some mundane task; there was no indication of arrogance in his tone - yet, inside his heart swelled with pride.

hunter. fisher. senmut wondered what the queen would make of this one.

she was in her chambers, surely, and so senmut took the retinue and the prince to his own rooms. the servants there moved at once on murmured orders, and soon a meal of several dishes was brought: honey gathered from the steppes, slices of venison, edible shoots from the lakeside, and as always, the inexorable pours of the potent berrywine for them all.

sapair would notice the absence of a throne. senmut did not like them so much. his couches instead were low and lavish with rich furs, arranged around the eating mats. "come. enjoy yourselves. when you are finished, we will go to the wellspring to bathe."

he tasted the wine before their eyes with a low sound of pleasure. "have you seen war then?"