she had moved betwixt the caynon paths, and traced the edges of these two packs. la xtabay wished to know and see more of them. that was until the rather lithesome man was noticed. pausing in her steps the umbra stared, ears pressed forward with an urgency of sorts.

did he belong to either of them, or what else would this shadow be doing here? shaking her coat out she waited, would he notice or must she speak? was it even a good idea for her to remain? xtabay simply wondered if this man had information.

the apparition took in a breath before stepping forward on light feet. what would the meeting with this cryptic presence hold? la xtabay had not been made to feel small in a long time, but the golden stare following her made her touch on it.

❝evening, ts'ulo'ob.❞ a quiet utter to the shadows that loomed around them.

she stopped a short distance from the man, tracing her eyes over his tall figure.

she knew the tongue of flattery, but offered the slightest smile. xtabay thought her ajaw's language to be beautiful as well.

❝yucatec mayan,❞ she responded with a quirked brow as the enigmatic man sat.

❝what brings you to this place?❞ the umbra softly spoke, did the wanderlust merely whisper to him?

or was his presence here intended?

this strange man knew? a flash of caution appeared in her gut. should she retreat to the shadowed depths she belonged to and warn her ajaw? no, she would not. her relaxed expression did not fade, showing no tells of the change of perception; unless this man could see the shift within her eyes he would not know.

❝he is well and strong.❞ she boasted.

❝i see, a lovely night to bathe in starlight.❞ xtabay followed his words, glancing to the reflection of the night sky on the water's surface.

for she had done so only days prior with caro's company.

❝how do you know of this caynon god?❞ she was vague, if he did not know anything she would not offer him more.

in this shadow's mind, wolves had reason to be unhappy with tikal's presence. they were powerful and demanding.

her eyes slightly narrowed with thought as he requested a meeting with her ajaw, but the smile his charming words had coaxed out was still present. then he offered a description of what seemed like any of her sisters;  xtabay's smile grew into a smirk, choking back a laugh.

❝i can't see why they would decline.❞ the middling shadow responded while making an effort to keep her eyes trained to his face.

he was sharp, tall, and bewitching. it reminded her of a man she had known long ago. he reminded her of the man who's scars she bore in her skin, the man who's life she had taken. yet, whatever name her momentary companion held, he did not leave a bitter taste in her mouth.

❝and who might i be speaking to now?❞ la xtabay danced around the asking of his name.

quite the name, she'd thought.

❝la xtabay,❞ she responded with a curt nod before moving to sit down. ❝one of ajaw's eight holcan.❞

details would be offered if asked, but she left it at that.

❝sounds like you were important. what happened?❞ her head cocked sideways as she pried.

while she hoped she didn't offend him, she was curious. such titles.

❝of course.❞ she nodded, turning to look upon his rather sharp, alluring features from beside him. ❝natural causes? or did this pharaoh hurt others?❞

she had wondered, murdered, or an accident? those in power often left reason for others to be upset. then she listened, thinking on his question. how long had it really been? how much had changed?

❝a year, close to two.❞ xtabay nodded. ❝it was a life to pursue in the midst of my own short comings. for what it's worth, the training has buried the scared little girl i once was.❞

she rambled and overshared, but it didn't weigh on her. the things she spoke on rarely hurt her anymore.

xtabay didn't answer, she only adjusted her stare to seth's face once more. she was seen. with furrowed brows, she swallowed back a feeling she didn't know what to do with and the slightest nod followed.

❝yes, it is so.❞ she spoke before fluttering blinks aided her gaze away from him towards to ground.

was that part of her preserved, somewhere? or was it indeed cut out?

❝i wonder,❞ xtabay sighed before continuing. ❝i wonder if she is- preserved. it's a part of myself that hasn't surfaced for years. perhaps she truly is dead.❞

❝what parts of you are dead, seth?❞ would he allow her to see him?

just as he saw her.

his voice was a cold brush against her ear. to xtabay, his tone was ardent. all of him, had died. what flaws, yet not, had seth cut out? just as he had spoken it.

then a doe eyed stare fixed onto the self proclaimed hollow man beside her as he sang. perhaps not hollow, merely replaced. in the moment, she had thought no wolf was the same as who they had been.

❝pretty.❞ in the slightest movement xtabay's chin had titled upward as her native tongue slipped, ❝but what do you believe you have become? what is other?❞

her inquiry was announced into the slight air between them, hushed just as he first was. could she have derived a flawed reasoning of his hymn. apart from death, there was only life. had suhtek merely traded all of him for something else- was she wrong to believe this brought him new life?

❝just as i've traded who i was for something new, what have you traded?❞

a mirror required all of her. only time would show if she would. now, she looked to him with a misty stare. had he meant to strike a nerve? xtabay didn't know, but she inhaled a sharp breath that she would hope went unnoticed. what if she'd rather live in ignorance? embarassment was hot under her skin as she felt at a loss for words.

❝and do you truly think this is better?❞ she asked with furrowed brows; this expression was not due to anger, but true concern.

bloodshed for her ajaw was what she knew. la xtabay was content with that, so she thought. did she want to see things for how they were- how seth had seen them? sutekh saw, and what he painted was true.