Razorback Ridge ذروة قرمزي razor-teeth

the warband split upon first sighting their white-robed target; the bear-men hollering madly and giving chase, meanwhile pharaoh and the roman went off together, and jawahir was split on what to do.
they wanted to be like the warriors of ursus and chase down the woman who had murdered a sister of akashingo, and wounded the sun.
they wanted to follow the sun too, wherever he may go.
the roaming jewel knew now why they had been asked to stay behind with the other fellahin. as justified as they felt with their grief and their anger, this battlefield was no place for someone crafty or quick, it was a place that demanded power, strength above all else.
so, jawahir wandered listlessly.

for @Sayyadina if interested, open otherwise!

The weather had been stormy with rain off and on. Sayyadina was stunned by the abundant sky water. She was a creature of open, arid lands. Sand and dry grass. Rolling hills. These tall pines and jagged peaks were alien to the wanderer.

She traveled following a rumor and spied another coyote woman moving in the distance. Sayyadina’s large ears cupped forward. Their kind were not pack animals like wolves, but perhaps this stranger knew of those she sought.

there was no reason to stay here.

better here than the mesa, they countered of their own thoughts.

better here where they could watch for pharaoh and be ready to aid him, unlike the day maggie had been taken.

better that than hiding in the palace and serving a child queen — the mumis grimaced, and spat, and looked down from the edge of stone.

something moved in the periphery.

They did not see her. They appeared focused. “How does the sun rise?” Sayyadina called out in greeting to her cohort, voice full-bodied and steady for a woman. She approached slowly with a neutral posture, but was prepared to run should this one be territorial.

the voice was not one they knew. upon hearing it jawahir twisted up like a desert snake, lips faintly parted, fang tips ready.

it was one of their own kind - not a giant fit for the saints.

be wary of this dawn, they offer cryptic words along with cautious eyes. my lord sun fights in the valley below.

they hadn't thought themselves on-edge until this moment; it was a feeling that did not ease as they looked upon the desert rose.

Sayyadina took a few careful step back at Jawahir’s sudden movement. She saw the point of their fangs against the black of their lips, like a samurai unsheathing the bottom of their katana. The pied woman did not want a fight.

Her ears smoothed back and her company’s posture slackened when they saw no threat in her.

Sayyadina’s eyes fell away towards the battlefield. “I had a dream about such a lord. It is why I have traveled here,” she said, her voice quiet. “Who does He fight?” Sayyadina asked.

curious of this one, and wary still, jawahir does not immediately answer. they wait a moment so that their ire can ease and then carefully watch the stranger, measuring how their words meet those two-toned ears.
the beastmaster, a giant of a woman. she came to the palace and struck at the sun, and killed one of his followers - a sister to me.
if this was news to the stranger jawahir would know it. it would show this one was not part of some plot among the saints; these beasts who knew of akashingo and their fellahin, who if wise, might employ their own.
jawahir did not have a strong opinion over the intelligence of a saint - but it was in their own nature to be cautious.

Sayyadina listened to the coyote’s story and her brows knitted in consternation. What sort of creature would bring such violence upon anyone? Especially a sister of this one. “Then let death find her,” Sayyadina said with a nod.

“You serve Him?” she asked next.

i do. pride welled within jawahir's voice.
deeper within, possession, obsession, whatever they could mistake for love that was not love.

they were pleased by the way the stranger spoke; although they did not immediately trust in them, still, because they were not of akashingo and the courtesan could not know their purpose.
for all they knew, this wandering creature was a spy. yet they spoke so warmly of the lord sun!

jawahir disliked being tricked; they thought themselves smarter than most, keen and clever, and decided not to let their foul thoughts ruin this fortuitous meeting.

i, and others, serve him with great pleasure. he is good to our kind. there was a suggestive tone to the mumis.

From the tone of their voice their reverence for Pharaoh was clear as day. The pied coyote admired their loyalty and esteem for Him. At the end, a suggestion hung like ripe fruit from a tree – ready to be plucked if Sayyadina was lucky.

“There are others?” her voice chirped like a curious songbird. She thought of her dream and the weight it carried. “I wish to serve Him, too.”

many. jawahir answers, and watches the woman again. they are different from the creatures of the mesa in some ways; unique, precious. ramesses would enjoy such a gift and jawahir knew they would be rewarded.
this war would be at an end soon, and the sun deserved such glorious gifts.

come, then. i will show you to him - and he will decide. the courtesan looks to the hills, finds their footing among the rocks and crags, and begins the descent to where pharaoh makes camp.

Judgement had been passed and an invitation extended. Sayyadina dipped her head and followed silently behind her new cohort.