Sleepy Fox Hollow they broke my wings

for @Renard. vague b/c i'm not sure how her thread with hua's going to go.

thoughts swim around praimfaya’s mind, like the buzzing of a hive of bees. choice after choice. path after path. the analyzing of the outcomes. she has learned much during her time with the saints but she isn’t sure it’s worth keeping this charade going. she has felt, for some time now, that the biggest threat the saints were was to themselves. this suspicion forces her to reevaluate her decision to leave sagtannet and what it cost her. it was fun, at first. but there had to come a point when wanheda had to consider whether jus drein, jus daun was worth the cost of her life, of her future …whatever it might hold for her. unbeknownst to her, the stakes were growing high and rising at the very moment she moves lazily thru the hollow, relishing in the trees still lush with woodland life. the leaves might’ve been turning but there was still persistent life here, signs of herds.

it was a nice chance of scenery from the redrock and dry sands.

she remembers, vaguely, coming here with blodreina a few times. though the memory brings with it a soft wave of nostalgia, it reminds her of her once vow to turn her back to these accursed mountains and never look back. she breathes in a deep breath and lazily follows a fairly fresh trail of deer though she doesn’t really mean to catch up to them. it gives her something of a purpose to be here, at the very least.

ignores seelie court stuff because i've still got no idea >> <<

if there was ever a good time to leave the canyon, it was now. donovan was much too busy trying to salvage the alliance his new blade had destroyed; he'd left early in the morning, derg in tow, and renard had almost been disappointed to see he hadn't brought nyra with him. it wouldn't have been a smart move, unless he was about to do the smart thing and hand her over, but it would have been something to laugh about.

not that they didn't already have plenty.

might have been interesting to be invited, but renard had better things to do than die on the hill nyra had laid for them. donovan and derg could bear that burden, if they were so convinced defending her was the right move. in the meantime, they were hunting, if anyone asked. looking for praimfaya, if she was the one doing the asking.

she wouldn't be at arrow lake. they started along the edge of shadow mountain, instead, and it was a couple hours' searching before they picked up her trail and followed it down into the hollow. it was hard to recognize fall was coming in the canyon, but here the leaves were already turning yellow-red at the edges, and it wasn't hard to spot the silver-grey figure among it all.

renard cocked a brow as they approached, casting an eye over the trees and brush just to be safe. "you chose a bad day to leave the canyon," they said in a voice barely louder than a murmur, nostrils flaring at the fresh scent of deer. "don't think that alliance will be standing much longer."

i get sand and rock sick. praimfaya offers with an amused twitch of her lips as she turns to face renard, frostbound gaze settling upon him. it was true enough. she’s beginning to feel that familiar hatred for the sunspires; once tucked aside in the interest of second chances. their voice is kept low, as if they are afraid of being overheard. praimfaya is fairly sure it is just the two of them here, but she wouldn’t put it past donovan to send someone to spy on them. surely, someone noticed all the time renard and her spent together recently. it might seem suspicious but she hopes no one thinks anything more of it than as something it’s not.

after all, it wasn’t like renard wasn’t attractive and praimfaya was a young woman, not quite full of fanciful ideas but y’know. she noticed.

she swiftly tucks those thoughts away. they had no place here.

why? she is curious, hungry for the information renard has for her. what’s happened? though, praimfaya, had felt that their alliance was mostly one sided anyway. it was clear ursus didn’t need the saints like the saints needed them. what, really, did they get out of the deal other than donovan doing their bidding like an obedient dog?

renard's concern, when it came to their conspiracy being discovered, was centered around donovan and derg. the only other person they thought might pose a problem was nyra, and...she'd leave the territory before she should, they were sure. 

they wouldn't mind if she came across them. it would give them an excuse.

if any of the saints paid attention, these frequent meetings might have been suspicious. this time, donovan wasn't around to notice. and though they didn't know it, their thoughts ran along the same line as hers – they hadn't fucked donovan for no reason, though. if that didn't keep him from uncertainty on its own, and if they didn't have the scars for sparring to be an excuse or the prey for hunting, he'd buy that easily.

they wouldn't mind. she was a better fighter than he was., and of everyone they'd met here – particularly within the saints – she was the only one worth respect. 

"nyra came into redsand canyon nearly dead. bleeding everywhere. thought it might have been yuelong or neverwinter forest catching her," and the latter would have been their fault, "but it was ursus. apparently there are some tensions between them and easthollow, and nyra...chose to visit?" whether it made sense to still be surprised at this point by the saints' actions, this one was beyond even renard's assumptions, and they let their disbelief bleed into their voice. praimfaya had been paying as much attention during the meeting as they had. even if she hadn't, it didn't take a spy to see ursus had been none too pleased with her.

"don't know what she wanted out of it. but instead of submitting, she grabbed their kid when he snapped at her and threw him. when they all went to tear her open, she came running back to cry at donovan's feet." their smile flashed teeth. "pretty sure he thinks it's ursus' fault, too. he told derg not to punish her, even after she challenged him."

renard turned to look out over the meadow. "don't like to get involved with donovan's decisions. i tried once. if he wants to start acting competent, it's his responsibility." they shook their head, unamused. "can't say i wasn't tempted, though."

if praimfaya thought that she couldn’t possibly think any lower of the saints she is proven wrong as renard speaks. she blinks her frostbound gaze slowly, owlishly; as if she can’t quite comprehend the fact that nyra had attacked an ursus wolf. an ally. oh, but it gets worse. worse, even than sobbing at donovan’s paws like a child hoping for forgiveness. whatever she thought of the ivory woman is now stomped firmly in the dirt. she, nearly dead as renard puts it, had the audacity to challenge derg and donovan took up for her. derg is a leader. praimfaya points out, unable to conceal her scoff as the news sinks into her head. nyra was clearly a problem …for the saints as a whole.

she’s lucky it wasn’t me she challenged. i’d have finished the job ursus started. regardless of what donovan said or thinks.

praimfaya takes a deep breath and lets it out. she agrees that she doesn’t see the alliance lasting ( though ursus might surprise her, who knows ) and though she always knew the risks were high she wasn’t willing to die for the saints nor for the stupidity of the other women. probably, praimfaya thinks with a cruel inward sneer, she’s sleeping with donovan and it must be why he wasn’t addressing her or putting her in her place.

for the wanheda, this is the push into a decision that she needs. i do believe it’s time to leave the saints. work on phase two in a pack that’ll stand against them. praimfaya announces. i’ve learned all i can and i will not die for them, not when i’ve never really been loyal. certainly not because of nyra’s stupidity and donovan’s unwillingness to address it.

nyra had insulted derg, challenged him, and donovan had been glad to let her. they were unimpressed, to say the least. didn't look like they were the only one.

"he is," renard agreed. "donovan likes to think this is a family. that he'll protect us." risking his life for his pack...wouldn't this be his chance to prove it. "don't think he understands that still means there need to be...consequences. but i suppose i shouldn't be surprised. he let nemisis live that long."

because praimfaya was right. she should have been dead by now. he'd ripped nemisis' head off her shoulders and refused to kill a yuelong prisoner – they hadn't thought too highly of that. they thought less highly of nyra ruining the alliance he'd put together and donovan letting her.

renard hadn't expected much out of ursus. not when all donovan had done was vow them protection. but they'd expected donovan to be, at least, capable of punishment. maybe that was only when his own life was threatened. nyra should have gone the same way as their first overseer, and they would have done it themselves...but as much as they itched to, it was more satisfying to watch donovan scramble around in the mess he'd created.

"good to see someone knows what needs to be done." their head swiveled back around, no warmth to their smile. "he left the canyon earlier with derg. can guess where he's going, but he should have taken nyra's head with him. wonder if ursus will let him live long enough to learn."

they'd been thinking, then, that praimfaya's desire for her own revenge would be the obstacle. pointless risk. renard was not fond of risk, not without a solid plan behind it.

they were pleased to see that wasn't the case.

"you know," renard said, conversationally, "when our first member left – before you joined – she told me she wasn't dying to protect an idiot. she wasn't wrong, just didn't have the guts to do anything about it. you do." they bowed their head. "say the word, and i'll follow."

how can he protect us? when he lets wolves like nyra run around unchecked? unpunished? praimfaya scoffs. this is no kru. even the implication that the saints was a family when it was so far from that, when praimfaya could see no clear line of loyalty other than donovan’s sexual conquests was an insult. she certainly takes it personally. i couldn’t help but feeling that the alliance, her mouth twists around the word, spitting it out and morphing it into a mockery. is largely one sided. the saints need ursus. ursus does not need the saints. there was a lot of pledging going on but largely, it seemed to praimfaya, from the saints.

i won’t be here to find out. her mind was made. though finding where ursus stands with the saints as an end result might be wise, praimfaya does not want to be here when reckoning comes. she has a feeling that donovan isn’t going to navigate whatever shreds of the alliance still live with the delicacy that such a precarious situation deserves. thus far, she hasn’t really seen anything that tells her he is a good diplomat. riley’s words come back to her and she grits her teeth. sexual prowess is only going to last for so long. it wasn’t anyway to build loyalty or form treaties.

frostbound gaze watches him as he bows his head, pledging loyalty to her. it’s the first time in a long time that she felt like heda. like the commander she was. it wasn’t a title she could just shrug off: she was always heda but putting it aside in lieu of surviving in these wilds was necessary.

if he was true, if he would follow her from the saints now to begin phase two …surely, their absence would be noticed. perhaps not at first but eventually; but praimfaya is reminded, again, of riley and how she assumes no one was sent after him. to find him. to bring him home. perhaps donovan wouldn’t miss them at all. we start with yuelong, perhaps hua will be willing to take us in and help our cause. if not, then we keep looking.

there’s a path to the southwest of this hollow that will lead us into otter creek. from there we can head towards great bear valley and the coast. she motions in it’s direction with a gesture of her muzzle.

"yes, derg was quick to promise to...protect them all." renard saw no need to conceal the irritation in their words. and then nyra had done her best to kill one of their kids, so, "funny how that turned out." 

consequence was the best way to learn. maybe it'd teach the kid something, even. if they'd stayed long enough here, maybe they'd have done it themselves, for whoever donovan inevitably decided to fuck. just a shame that was an ally's kid, and the one doing the teaching was nyra.

"don't think donovan will follow. he never bothered with finley, riley, colin..." the list was impressively long. they weren't sure there'd be much of one, but they were a little disappointed they wouldn't get to see his reaction to the only two people here worth their ranks going missing. "guess we'll see."

in hindsight, it was probably best they hadn't spoken much to the yuèlóng boy. also best it wasn't neverwinter forest, but renard had plenty of thoughts on how to lie around that – wouldn't be the first time. all they knew of hua was that donovan hated her, and that seemed as good for their prospects as anything.

they grinned, the flash of their teeth gleaming white, and gave her a nod, prepared to follow when she led them forward. "good for us donovan has no shortage of enemies. and no surplus of allies."

no ursus, and by their count, very few beyond his overseer and nyra left. maybe that would encourage him to some smarter decisions.

who were they kidding. it was donovan.

could probably wrap this up with your post? :D

i don’t think he will, either. praimfaya murmurs in agreement to renard’s assessment. she thinks back to riley — he was the one that praimfaya knew that renard names — she can’t help but feel a stab of pity again. i met riley. i treated his wounds left to fester for two months after donovan made an example of him to the pack he called ‘faeries’. her hackles bristle at the memory and she cuts a last ( for now ) glare towards the canyon. praimfaya doesn’t put two and two together that the ‘faeries’ are seelie court …but that wasn’t the point she was trying to make.

she was communicating that her animosity for the saints grandmaster ran deeper than just her own personal grudge.

i’m not sure when they’ll return … either way, they would have a few days head start and praimfaya has enough of a tactician’s mind to want that advantage, just in case. but if we leave now we should have a few days head start. the more distance we can put between us and this place, the better. it might be in our interest, just in case, to lay a few false trails. she adds, heading towards the path that would cut thru the sunspire and to otter creek, inviting renard to keep pace with her.

sounds good!!!

renard had spared little thought for riley after finding him in the valley. that was all they needed to see he was exactly the same as nyra, and they didn't have the time nor the interest in hammering that lesson in to either of them. they'd find a way to learn it themselves, or they'd die.

no fond feelings there. they snorted. "riley did no worse than nyra. at least seelie court were enemies, and yet he had nothing to say to her." for all donovan said about dying to protect them... but they knew better than to expect any consistency from him.

"keep them in the dark until this is on our terms." they smiled. exactly the way they preferred to play these things. "good plan. shouldn't waste any more time, then."

she turned along the path, and renard fell into step behind her. the late afternoon sun began to settle against the mountains as they made their way into the flatlands, leaving the saints behind.