Setting: Sea Lion Shores.
The yearling—soon to turn two, just next month—decided to venture west for a drink from Totoka River. She preferred the taste of the water there; as long as she headed far enough inland, it was fresher than anywhere else in the surrounding territories. While there, slaking her thirst, she thought she heard something above the rush of the current and she lifted her head and pricked her ears even as she licked the last stray droplets of water from her jowls.
Intrigued, she found some shallows and crossed the river, then trekked in a parallel line, following the sounds. She wound up overlooking a stretch of beach veritably teeming with—Pied wasn't sure what they were, actually. She'd never seen a sea lion in the flesh before. There were so many—and they were so loud—that she hung back timidly, observing them and trying to decide whether it was worth it to venture closer.
She was cautious in her approach, given that their history was rocky at best. The hatred between Pied and Jinx was probably mostly one-sided, for Jinx had almost forgotten the piebald merle wolf's offence against her, and had scarcely known her in Bon Dye anyway. Comments were only hurtful so long as they were dwelled on, and Jinx had greater concerns than that. She tailed after the pale female in silence, not necessarily to hide herself, but because stalking others was something she had always done; there was a sort of thrill in being beyond another's awareness.
Pied led her across the river, pausing for a drink that made Jinx linger in the deep shadows at the very edge of the dune, and then down onto a flatter expanse. She remembered it vaguely from when she had found a young, sick female sea lion, and had taken its head for her shrine to Sos. The sea lions had been less active then, but now they snorted and cried amongst one another, seemingly entrancing the Omicron who had stopped short of their beach.
Jinx crept up behind her, uncaring whether she was heard or not, and said in an ominous and quiet tone, "they can kill you." Sea lions, like their terrestrial counterparts, were lazy and disinterested in expending any great deal of effort on anything, but she knew that if one got it into their head to maul a wolf, they would do so with all the ferocity of a great cat. They were silly looking, yes, and she assumed that was why Pied had stopped to watch them... But although there was bad blood between them, she wasn't about to allow a pack wolf, regardless who it was, to be injured by a silly looking sea lion on her watch.
She detected no sign of Jinx's stealthy approach, becoming aware of her tail only when the she-wolf stepped close and spoke. Pied started, then bristled slightly when she saw Jinx standing so near. When Jinx made no attempt to instigate some sort of verbal or physical altercation—as a matter of fact, she offered only some brief words of caution to her pack mate—Pied's fur reluctantly flattened and her frowning expression followed suit. She regarded the other female blankly for a moment, then faced the sea lions again.
For a while, Pied ignored her company outwardly, though inwardly, she was very aware of Jinx's proximity. Pied tried to decide how exactly to acknowledge Jinx, if at all. She didn't want to be friendly with her, though she didn't exactly wish her ill. The dappled yearling argued with herself for so long that, eventually, she decided to look at the problem from an outside perspective (as much as she could do such a thing): what would Akhlut or Kisu think?
"What are they, exactly," she finally said, her voice slightly stiff. She turned halfway toward Jinx without looking at her directly, keeping it civil but certainly not friendly.
She reacted to the tension when Pied started by tightening her jaw into a thin grimace, but otherwise resisted the urge to bristle and make the wolf crawl in the dirt like she had previously wanted. Those feelings were fleeting, and had left her already, though there was no telling when they might surface again. For now, Jinx was secure in her position as the pack's Kappa, presently Akhlut's second, and felt no need to be overbearing about it. One could say a moment of tranquillity had stolen away her aggression... For now.
A pregnant silence stretched onward, in which Jinx craned her neck over the figure of Pied to watch the sea lions, a silent sentinel lest the dappled female tried anything stupid. Her opinion of Pied was low enough to think she would, but still some part of her clung to hope that the newest arrival in Horizon Ridge wasn't entirely an imbecile, and wouldn't draw nearer to the goofy lions on the beach. It reflected poorly on Jinx if she was truly stupid, since Jinx had once numbered her among her trusted subordinates.
Thankfully, Pied didn't move forward. She turned sidelong, her gaze somewhere else (Jinx might have bristled at it any other day, but today she was nothing but a grim soldier standing watch), and asked a question, to which the Kesuk couldn't help but to pull the corner of her lip up, though not mockingly; she remembered asking her mother the same thing, once. "Sea lions," she said quietly. "More aptly sea wolves, I'd think. They are important creatures of Atka, and fiercely territorial."
Maybe Pied didn't want to hear the name of any of Jinx's gods, make-believe as they probably were, but Jinx didn't think about what Pied might or might not want... She simply spoke what she thought.
Jinx called them sea lions, though she opined that they should be called sea wolves instead. Pied bobbed her head, as if to say, Ah. She'd heard of these creatures while living in Flightless Falcons. She couldn't remember who had told her about them or why, yet she remembered a few key details, such as the fact that these vicious—according to Jinx, in any case—creatures were primarily made up of fat. They certainly looked the part, what with their ungainly, tubular bodies that wobbled to and fro along the strand of beach.
Another silence stretched between them as Pied contented herself simply watching the sea lions cruising hither and thither, her ears twitching nonstop at their ceaseless yammering. At length, she grew tired of the spectacle and began to turn, abruptly remembering that she wasn't alone. She faced Jinx fully now, though the other she-wolf was still watching the sea lions, putting them at a perpendicular angle. The Omicron paused momentarily, not wanting to say anything in parting but thinking it would be rude to simply walk away without a word.
Walking away as if Jinx simply didn't exist might not go over well period, Pied decided. Although she felt like she was pulling her own teeth, she mused aloud, "Hawkeye mentioned that the two of you get together to talk about religion. You know, I don't consider myself religious anymore but I had a dream of Atka once. She showed me my daughter, the one I'll have someday, and told me what to name her. Kisu and I are together and hoping to have a litter soon. I still intend to name my daughter after Atka's wish." She didn't know why she shared it, yet after falling silent and reflecting on it, she didn't feel like it was particularly vulnerable information, just a halfhearted attempt at finding common ground.
They stood there for a time in a silence that felt less tense than it probably should have, but eventually Pied moved, and Jinx started as if she had been in a reverie. What she had been thinking of while she watched the awkward bobbing of sea lion heads as they mingled fled her mind instantly, never to be recovered, but any irritation at losing her train of thought was smoothed away. It was a strange day for the Kesuk to feel any irritation melt away like that... But then, some time ago, she had not been susceptible to rage and annoyance as she was now. Perhaps it was simply a long lost part of her resurfacing for just an instant.
Pied went on to speak about Atka, and although Jinx wanted to protest the dappled female having any part of her religion whatsoever, she remained in stony silence throughout. She had resigned herself to the butchery of her faith by wolves like Hawkeye, whose insanity was easily manipulated... But Sos did not speak to wolves directly but in visions, and those instances were rare even to the most devout wolf. It was a loa plaguing her, or the same affliction that had claimed Clarice's sanity... And Pied, who planned to name her daughter based on an Atka dream, was being more than a little offensive to Jinx based on her previous slandering of the Kesuk's beliefs, but she said nothing of that.
Instead, she huffed lightly. "Atka is the bearer of life," she said, gesturing back to the sea lions briefly. "She populated the sea and land with all manner of creature, but the gods chose wolves as their most devout followers, and gave us the knowledge to serve them." Although Jinx was more likely to steal or slay Pied's babies than care for them in any capacity — she also mused that Akhlut was insane to not only allow Blacktail wolves to tread on his soil freely, but to grant breeding rights to a completely new and unproven (and in her opinion, flighty as the wind) female, even though he hadn't yet — she turned back to fix one molten yellow eye on the Omicron, and said, "Atka is weakened presently, I do fear, but naming your daughter in tribute would without doubt aid in her... Recovery."
The Omicron didn't know how Jinx would react to this solicitation. She could see it going one of two ways: either Jinx would jump at the opportunity to talk about her religion or else she would take great offense at Pied's presumptions. She nibbled on the inside of her cheek as she waited, feeling the ribbon of tension winding through her chest loosen slightly when the Kappa picked up on the subject and gave her a bit of background on Atka.
Although the topic didn't intrigue her like it once had, Pied tipped her head and asked, "Why is she weak? And how do you know?" She wondered if and when they would approach Jinx's threshold for spiritual discussion, since it was pretty much established that she thought of Pied as some sort of heathen now and herself as some sort of enlightened authority on the subject.
Before Jinx could reply, an outburst of noise made Pied jerk her head back toward the clusters of sea lions roaming the coastline. A swath of movement drew her eye toward the southernmost edge of beach within view and she watched, riveted, as a great black fish writhed around in the surf, a sea lion clasped in its great jaws. The wiggling motion eventually allowed it to ease back into the shallows and disappear, though a stiff fin along its back cut through the water like a knife as it headed back out to sea.
To Pied's amazement, other such fins appeared beyond the breakers, moving back and forth, parallel to the beach. She tried to imagine how many gigantic black fish must be gathering there and turned to Jinx, wondering if she had anything to say about what they'd just witnessed.
OOC: This went a weird direction~
IC: Perhaps it was simply speaking of Atka, or perhaps it was something to do with Pied herself, but Jinx was... Remembering things. Not exactly as she had seen them in the vision — the black bear had been consuming the white bear in the vision, but she had a blank hole in her memory where that had been — but something reminiscent: a black bear huddled over a white bear, triumphant but not savage. Sos conquering Atka, or else... Concerned for her well-being, which would not be like her god. She frowned thoughtfully, seemingly lost in her memories, but she was broken out of it by the emerging fins on the water.
Pied had seen them too, and both wolves watched in silence as one of the whales beached itself, caught a sea lion with a speed that didn't befit a creature so large and awkward looking, and writhed its way back out to sea. "I do not know what they are," Jinx admitted when Pied glanced at her. "My mother told me once they sometimes get stuck doing that. They could probably feed a pack for weeks." The sea lions themselves were fair-sized animals, and it had looked like nothing but a snack in the jaws of the sleek sea monster.
Returning to the former question, Jinx returned to her thoughts, weighing them carefully before answering. "The bastardization of Her worship, I believe" she decided, feeling some sort of clarity coming to her despite being unable to interpret it wholly yet. "There are those who treat Atka as a component of the Light, rather than embodying it wholly, as She truly does. Sos' worshippers do not treat Him as a component; Atka's influence is weaker here than His because She is not worshipped like He is. Hers is stronger where I come from, where they worship appropriately." Akhlut was one such wolf that believed Atka was not the Light alone — this knowledge had been obtained via meeting with him, but it was with somewhat otherworldly certainty (or, rather, very sudden belief) that she claimed it to be weakening her.
"When I left," she said, her jaw tightening at having to bring it up at all, "it was for a vision. That vision was about Bon Dye's supremacy... And Sos'. I believe it was a warning that imbalance has occurred once more. Maybe She means for you to right it by naming your child in tribute to Her." The imbalance didn't change the fact that Jinx was a Child of Sos, and only acknowledged Atka as "the other god" rather than her own immediate deity, but perhaps it would strengthen Pied's resolve to name her daughter after the dream. Perhaps Jinx would not be so inclined to snatch up and devour that daughter after all.
"As for Hawkeye," she clarified, remembering Pied had mentioned it before, "she seems to have strong spiritual prowess, but she does not control it. A loa attends her, but she thinks it is Sos Himself. It may as well be, if He manifested it." There was no telling what the loa wanted, or whether it was Sos', but since Hawkeye was the one hearing it, and Hawkeye was certain it was Sos, Jinx could do nothing but at least tentatively believe her, in part. "I fear her faith in it may endanger her. A loa can take a body if they can overcome the soul. If Sos sent one to whisper to her His words, or worse, if it is a lesser loa falsely misleading her, then it may not necessarily be for good." So rather than explaining that they did not expressly meet up to have religious chanting circles and totem date nights, she simply rolled her shoulders and said, "It is my duty to show her how to prevent that from happening."
Jinx admitted that she didn't know the proper name for these enormous creatures who threw themselves onto the shore and dragged sea lions back into the sea. "Blackfish," Pied muttered under her breath. She didn't know the difference between fish and mammals, so to her, this label seemed quite apt. Jinx's remark prompted her to wonder what they tasted like, yet Pied couldn't imagine trying to eat one of those sleekly magnificent beasts.
Jinx steered their conversation away from the marvel at hand and back to Atka. Pied struggled to tear her eyes away from the black fins and focus her attention on her pack mate's words. Only when the words when I left fell from Jinx's lips did Pied manage to fully and successfully shift her focus, the words triggering a bolt of anger which simmered quickly.
Her lips parted slightly, yet Pied pressed them together again, choosing not to comment. Jinx went on to mention her relationship with Hawkeye. Something about Jinx's surety irritated Pied; how did she know what was bothering Hawkeye and whether it was a loa, a god or something else entirely? Although she appreciated Jinx's ambition on some level—the Kesuk evidently wanted to prevent Hawkeye from being possessed by this disembodied voice—Pied felt almost... usurped, somehow.
"You know, I see the dead," she blurted rather softly and matter-of-factly. "You're not the only one who can help her or the only one who knows anything of the supernatural." Her head cocked. "I've seen a specter with Hawkeye before. It could just be him whispering to her, pretending to be Sos. He seemed to have a sick sense of humor, in fact." Pied didn't know that she necessarily believed this was the case, she just wanted Jinx to realize she wasn't the only paranormal authority on the matter.
<style type="text/css">q {font:13px Georgia; color:#BA6D00;}</style>OOC: This is interesting 'cause it'd make more sense for it to be a ghost than a loa on the one hand, but on the other Jinx is kind of stupid and thinks her belief is the only reality there is. >_>
IC: Her chest expanded with deep breath as she peered back out at the pod of whales, not quite hearing what Pied had said, but deciding it wasn't anything she really needed to know. Disinterest had become a blanket in this situation; she had chosen to stalk the Omicron here, knowing what she was potentially getting into, and never once had considered turning back. She hadn't come to tread on Pied's emotions or pride or security, but nonetheless, when the female suddenly vomited out a secret that had not once ever come up between them or come up by Hawkeye's word, she felt she had been unsuccessful at avoiding doing so.
The shift in mood made her lay her ears back, not apologetically but with a level of uncertainty and wariness. An ambivalent expression was not required so far as she was concerned, so she kept her mouth very slightly parted only to filter scent and in the event such an expression was needed (bearing gums and tongue in hopes of avoiding an altercation using threat would not necessarily help here), but there was a stiffening that suggested she had noted the shift. She didn't know for sure whether Pied pointing out that Jinx was not the only subject on the supernatural was some sort of insecurity or jealousy or what, but she immediately assumed it was, being biased toward herself.
Nevertheless it was interesting that Pied could see ghosts, but nothing special. Jinx might have been surprised and awed if she hadn't encountered it before, but... My brother could also see dead people,
she commented, choosing to speak of that rather than Pied's supposed equivalent expertise on all things paranormal, though she was careful not to let her unimpressed feelings leach into her tone; she wanted it to seem like common ground rather than one-upping, since nobody had ever really believed Vex after all. He was always saying my dead dad talked to him.
He went crazy and ran away, she silently added, but for once didn't say aloud. Jinx truly was not an expert of paranormal anything, since she didn't entirely acknowledge ghosts as anything more than wispy remains of ancestors who held no power, and therefore knew little about them... But she was simply too weary to dispute it directly. She was an expert on her faith, but not ghosts.
Instead, she shrugged and said, perhaps it would be best if you ask Hawkeye why she believes it is related to Sos, and why she thinks it sends her to me. Ghosts have no connection to Him, except that He is Lord of their spirit realm.
It was clear enough that Jinx was sticking to her guns on the subject, convinced it was not whatever ghost Pied claimed accompanied Hawkeye. However, it was also clear she was not interested in arguing one way or the other; she was content to allow Pied to believe whatever she wanted, with the reminder that Hawkeye was the one who claimed it was something to do with Sos, not herself. Besides, she thought to herself, The Omicron had not seen what had happened to Hawkeye when Jinx had refused to acknowledge her "gift", how she'd shaken and rolled back her eyes and chanted tongues unknown to all.
Although Pied's gotten tired of Jinx, I haven't! I'd love another thread sometime soon, if you're game. I really enjoy the dynamic between these two. :)
Jinx seemed unimpressed with the information, though it wasn't offered to impress her, just to make her aware that there were other professional opinions—and other individuals, period—besides herself. In that vein, the unveiling of her secret brought about the desired effect, as Jinx even mentioned a brother who shared the skill. Pied's eyes shifted thoughtfully to the line where the sea met the sky—the fins had disappeared—and then back to something nearer: the shambling sea lions. Finally, they drifted back toward Jinx.
"Fair enough. I only let you know because you tend to be so self-involved that it closes your eyes to others' perspectives and opinions," Pied stated, mentally adding, and sometimes facts. She gave Jinx a look to demonstrate that she didn't say this to offend her; it was simple honesty. Squinting her heterochromatic eyes and looking just past the other female's shoulder, she added thoughtfully, "Also, I wanted you to know that you're not the only one who's helping—who's capable of helping—Hawkeye deal with her problem, whatever the cause, though it's appreciated that you're helping at all."
Pied felt her skin prickle. She didn't enjoy the feeling of expressing gratitude to Jinx, who didn't deserve it in many ways. Pied imagined it would only feed into Jinx's narrow-minded, self-serving ego as well. Yet, all the same, she did appreciate that someone else was looking out for Hawkeye, even if Jinx's motives differed.
With that said, Pied had reached her breaking point for civility. It wasn't that she wished harm upon Jinx or was on the verge of lashing out—neither was true—it was just that she was weary of the encounter and wanted to move onto other things. Surely, Jinx felt the same way. It wasn't as if the two were actually socializing like two pack mates. They weren't enemies, nor even nemeses, per se, but Pied felt they would never be friends.
"I'm heading back," she announced, turning to line herself up with the distant ridge line. "See you around," Pied said offhandedly, pausing for a millisecond to allow Jinx to say something if she wished, then trotting away toward their homeland, the sounds of the barking sea lions fading into the background with every nimble step.
OOC: Totally understandable, and of course I do! Tbh if I met someone like Jinx I'd walk away like two seconds in. >_> But their interactions are interesting, and I especially love how I can't actually say how Jinx feels about Pied anymore. It's nice feeling like a character has their own brain again!
Her mouth closed into tight alertness when Pied mentioned she was self-involved, a fact that Jinx resolutely and selectively denied. If she was so self-involved then there would be no helping Hawkeye at all; the concepts clashed, and made Pied out to be a fool, at least to the Kesuk who was utterly blind to her own faults. Pied's expression said it was only the truth, which was fitting, but Jinx denied that too, and took offence nonetheless. She said nothing.
Pied pointed out that Jinx was not solely capable of helping Hawkeye, and she denied that too. Hawkeye sought her, not Pied, and to Jinx that was reason enough to believe that she was uniquely qualified to deal with Hawkeye's issues. As had been said, the Kappa wholly expected Pied to yield to her professional opinion until such a time as she grew enough of a spine (for Jinx saw it as cowardice even though it was newly developed and therefore undefinable) to ask Hawkeye why she had gone to Jinx in the first place, if she had a friend who could see dead people and had reason to believe that's all it was. Still she said nothing.
When Pied announced she was leaving, the feeling of a weight leaving her body brought such relief that she merely watched in silence as the other departed. When she was out of sight, the Kappa pursed her lips, shook her head in quiet disbelief of the other's gall, and stared back out at the pod of "blackfish" whose new name, spoken on the hushed breath of her subordinate, had been missed.