Gyrfalcon's Keep subliminal

a night of meticulous study of the land around the shore has brought her here. a mountain side far more desolate, far more disinteresting, than the landmarks she’s seen just hours prior.

but what the mountain lacked in just about everything, it gained in noise. a chorus of screeches filled the foggy air above her head. morgana pinned her ears back for a shred of peace, but found none. the noise was too great, too persistent, to be drowned out. so she moved along, with a deep frown and narrowed eyes, in the hopes of finding something worthwhile.

It was so incredibly loud here. Taliesin wasn't sure what to make of that, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to stick around to figure it out, either. In fact, the longer he stayed, the more certain he was that he didn't want to stick around. He definitely wanted to leave. There was just one problem with that: he had no idea how to get down the mountain. He'd known just a few minutes ago, on his way up, but between all the noise and the fact that everything looked relatively the same up here, he forgot. Which sucked for him.
Thankfully, he spotted someone after a few minutes of searching around in dismay for a path. Hey! You! Stay there! He yelled, immediately starting to make his way toward the black-furred wolf. If he could just get close enough to see where she'd come from, he could get down on his own. No need to explain his embarrassing predicament to anyone.

through the flurry of intangible noise came something she could grasp. a voice of a man, calling out to her. his order only prompted her to continue forward as if it had just melted into the chaotic noise around them. no insignificant stranger would have a hold over morgana. they would not tell her to do this nor that.

Instead of heeding Taliesin's request, the wolf continued forward. Asshole, he thought, lacking the breath to curse her aloud as he hurried forward to catch sight of her path before she got too far ahead. Why couldn't anyone ever make anything easy? He broke into a run, determined not to lose this opportunity to the pettiness of some random bitch. He didn't want to be on this damn mountain anymore.

her ears rotated back to where she left the man. he did not stay put. she could hear his paw steps grow louder and faster. and at its peak she turned slow and with a glare. and she demanded, silently, for this man to tell her why he insisted on pestering her.

At a certain point, she stopped and turned around slowly, glaring at him as if the whole thing was his fault. You don't have to be so damn rude, Taliesin huffed, irritated. I just wanted to find a way off this damn mountain. He wanted a nap at this point, too. It's always the pretty ones who act like dicks, he noted, disgusted with the whole thing. He half-hoped she would have something acceptable to say for herself, at least, but part of him knew better than to expect too much.

what an aggravating little man.

i do not appreciate your tone. she spoke with frigid grace. took one meaningful step forward.

sit. then i may tell you.

For a heartbeat, rage reared its ugly head in Taliesin's chest and filled him with an uncharacteristic courage. Only a moment, though. It was gone as quickly as it came, and he found himself faltering in the face of her icy disdain. He swallowed, contemplating his options. Then he sat.

he obeyed her command without question. it’s a bit of a surprise. the grating men were always the most stubborn. not him. he showed no fight. that’s what kept her from turning the other way.

what is your name? she stared into his eye expectantly.

Resentment churned bitterly in his stomach as he watched the dark woman. After a few seconds, though, it started to subside. He hated being made a fool of — but at the same time, part of him just didn't care. Soon he would get what he wanted and be on his way, so what did it matter?
Taliesin, He answered, somewhat intrigued by the woman despite himself. What kind of person felt comfortable casually ordering strangers around? It was fascinating, in an odd way.

taliesin. she spoke to herself then him.

losing your way in such an empty place laughable at best. completely idiotic at worse.

she walked past him, back to where she’d came. come with me, morgana sighed.

Wait, what the hell? Why was she being such a bitch? Taliesin blinked incredulously, certain that he'd stepped into a different world. Through the wardrobe and into The Lion, the Witch, and the Audacity of This Bitch. Seriously, who did she think she was?
He couldn't bring himself to say any of those things, of course. Instead he glared at her and generally acted like a sullen child as he did exactly as he was told. He didn't dare say a word.

apart from the bird screech above, they walk in silence.

there is nothing for you here. morgana comments distantly. so why come in the first place?

As they walked, Taliesin thought of several questions he might ask of the woman. Her name, for a start. Then maybe what had happened to make her so demanding. Or maybe he would try to be sneaky about it and start by asking about her interests or something dull, and eventually she'd trust him enough to reveal her entire life story which held some secret reason why she was being such a frigid bitch.
Just as he was realizing that one meeting likely wouldn't be long enough for all of that, she spoke. Questioned him. He shrugged. Not like I have anything better to do, It was a harmless enough answer, he figured, so he gave it freely.

a roamer with no purpose. what a waste. she nearly pitied the fool. how meaningless his existence must be.

do you want something to do? this question was not so faraway. she looked to him from the corner of her eye.

Well, that was a switch. He blinked, then looked over to her to gauge her expression — just to be certain she wasn't mocking him. She looked serious enough. Taliesin considered saying no, but after a moment of contemplation and an internal shrug, he said, Depends on what it is, As if he might actually decline. Ha.

find something good. nothing in particular was on her mind. it’s nothing more than a game. a bit amusement that could be beneficial.

bring it to the ocean. her eyes returned forward. i will be there.

Find something good, she said, as if Taliesin was supposed to know what the hell that meant. And why would he want to do that, anyway? What do I get out of it? He asked instinctively, still feeling a sour tinge to the whole encounter. Taliesin wasn't sure what he liked about the woman, actually. So far he'd only found things to resent about her and her demeanor, but for some reason he didn't hate her. Maybe it was just because she was pretty.

the most irritating men always wanted something out of everything. such a hassle. she nearly rolled her eyes, but rather chose to breathe in deeply.

you’ll have a home, she answered through her exhale. sentimental ideas such as that had a draw. a place amongst us druids.

she turned back to him again, eyeing him up and down. i will give you a purpose.

if he could do his part now that is.

What caught his attention wasn't the promise of a home — it was the mention of druids. He thought for a few moments, then nodded slowly, imagining many things in that moment. No doubt these were powerful wolves, these druids. He'd heard things about druids. That must be why she acted this way... the power she held. Alright, He said, still thinking about all that power. It could be his. He'd just have to find something good enough for this woman. I'll do it.
What should I call you? He said, realizing he'd never been given a name and a little too scared to ask for one now. Names were powerful things. He imagined asking a druid for their name might piss them off, and he didn't want to see a pissed off druid.

call me-

not by her true name. that was not something she gave so freely.

-the speaker.

she answered without skipping a beat.

when you find something, head east of here.

Speaker? That was kind of weird. Sounded culty, but druids were like that. Taliesin was more interested in their magic. Go east. Okay. Whatever. If she was a druid, she'd probably know the moment he stepped onto sand. Taliesin wasn't sure whether he'd even be able to find anything good around this dumpy place, but he'd try. All that power...
He licked his lips as he parted ways with The Speaker, imagining what he'd do with magic at his paws. Something amazing, he thought, but didn't have the imagination to think any further than that. Oh well. He'd figure it out when he got there.