talvani lingered in the cool, cleansing waters, the rush of the river’s current washing over her as she dipped beneath, letting the liquid embrace her like a familiar ally. the cold bite of the stream invigorated her, pulling the weariness from her muscles as the water ran through her fur, slicking it back. but she knew her task was not yet complete. her time in the water was a brief respite, but now it was time to move forward.
the weight of her purpose hung heavy in the air, and the land called to her—the hum of the earth beneath her paws, the scent of caribou in the distance. @Kusax̱asaa was near, but now it was time to find him. the wisdom he carried was vital for the path she needed to walk. talvani stood, water dripping from her coat, her body glistening in the fading light. she shook herself dry and took a deep breath, the chill lingering on her skin, but the fire inside her pushing her onward.
April 18, 2025, 07:21 PM
it felt as though a swarm of bees had been set free just beneath his flesh. alternately was kusax̱asaa quite maddened or with his jaw set so tightly it seemed his teeth might break.
when he saw talvani on approach, the chieftain began to turn his wandering eye from her, and then stopped. there was no more order nor contract which bound him, only a stark stubbornness to retain her in title.
and so kusax̱asaa allowed his gaze to move idly over her fine flanks and watery legs, though he only moved to fall in beside the hunter. silence until she broke it.
when he saw talvani on approach, the chieftain began to turn his wandering eye from her, and then stopped. there was no more order nor contract which bound him, only a stark stubbornness to retain her in title.
and so kusax̱asaa allowed his gaze to move idly over her fine flanks and watery legs, though he only moved to fall in beside the hunter. silence until she broke it.
this character is rated R
she moved nuzzled beneath his nape, seeking the familiar comfort of his scent, and the quiet understanding that passed between them. submission wasn’t something forced upon her, but a mutual acknowledgment of where she stood—chieftain, and still bound in ways that defied words.
she sighed as she watched the caribou grazing at the edge of their territory. there was an ancient hunger in the way the herd moved, a rhythm that spoke to the very earth beneath their feet. and yet, despite the pull of that natural cycle, the ache of loss gnawed at her.
you were right,she said quietly, the words carrying a weight that wasn’t just about the caribou or the hunt. her gaze flicked to him, watching his reaction as she spoke of the children—his, lost to his foreign wife.
lanzadoii should only breed lanzadoii.the truth of it tasted bitter, a reminder of what had been stolen, and of how she turned him away. and now, upon the mess of the pyre, he stood with only one son beneath his wing.
April 18, 2025, 08:03 PM
"it is a lesson learned by all." his voice was belated, kusax̱asaa sorting whether to respond in anger or in calm to what might have been a barb. the single eye moved to talvani, and he considered with a blink. "my brother seeks a wife. he may be the next ghost talker."
smoothly back toward the hunter he turned such things; he had not moved when she touched him, though a muscle leapt now in the tension of his jaw. a thousand unnamed things, and those things already spoken aloud.
he thought of their faces, their small infant faces, and knew at once that the sore place of his spirit would never heal.
by lanzadoii spirit they drew breath. and by the same spirits would they be found.
"here there is salt as well as earth. you muradoii should be pleased," though it was without impetus, and more now of a rough tease.
smoothly back toward the hunter he turned such things; he had not moved when she touched him, though a muscle leapt now in the tension of his jaw. a thousand unnamed things, and those things already spoken aloud.
he thought of their faces, their small infant faces, and knew at once that the sore place of his spirit would never heal.
by lanzadoii spirit they drew breath. and by the same spirits would they be found.
"here there is salt as well as earth. you muradoii should be pleased," though it was without impetus, and more now of a rough tease.
this character is rated R
she thinks of winter's wake. the time they'd spent together, and how it became nothing. how she felt nothing. she had only felt alive within the wake of the caribou, and knew then that this menagerie of fantasies was a mere act of rebellion.
i will speak to him.daa'ka. she has not spoken to him in the shade of the wood quite yet, but if that is what kusax̱asaa seeks of her, then it is the will of the spirits. tired of fighting the powers looming over her head, she falls into the same stride that her mother had.
it is a soft sound that comes from her, then: muradoii. how hard she tried to impress sivaak. how she had been there for the birth of her cubs— it felt redundant now, thinking of how frequently she wished to be anything else except lanzadoii.
i have known the hoofbeats my whole life,she retorts back, though sensing his tone of a 'jest.'
muradoii are mere whispers upon caribou ears.
she trotted ahead of him then, tail flagging him forward as she caught wind of scarlet iron wafting through the air. an injured bull, no less. just beyond the ridge. she looked towards the chieftain, prodding him with a wondering look. hunt.
April 18, 2025, 08:58 PM
a shake of kusax̱asaa's head was given, both to talvani's words upon the muradoii, and her invitation to hunt. "i must heal. and do not forget that sivaak nursed the son of the lanzadoii. muradoii strength has kept him alive."
he straightened, lifting his chin despite the indignity of declining this chase. "the saatsine bears no remembered hate for the muradoii." he could not speak for all the lanzadoii, but he could speak for the sun clan.
he motioned toward the sea. "run them into the salt and they will drown, but you risk losing pieces of your kill to the monsters which live inside that place." an irony, that he had commanded talvani to be lanzadoii, and now removed from before her his hatred of the blood-eaters.
but then, much had changed.
he straightened, lifting his chin despite the indignity of declining this chase. "the saatsine bears no remembered hate for the muradoii." he could not speak for all the lanzadoii, but he could speak for the sun clan.
he motioned toward the sea. "run them into the salt and they will drown, but you risk losing pieces of your kill to the monsters which live inside that place." an irony, that he had commanded talvani to be lanzadoii, and now removed from before her his hatred of the blood-eaters.
but then, much had changed.
April 19, 2025, 07:55 AM
she cocks her head to the side, understanding how long the toil of healing can take. with her own scarred muzzle, she felt herself unable to chew at hocks of meat for weeks.
i can bring you some.she says, an offer, but more really of a statement. her mind is made up.
and to hear the clan of the sun bore no hatred any longer for the muradoii she perks up. large ears rising above her head.
i can learn from sivaak, then?she asks tepidly, turning on her forepaw to face him now, wholy, his new scars embellishing pink amongst his raven furs. it was his blessing she sought, most of all, but the thought of change frightened her. with caribou hoofbeats filling her ears, she was not sure she could share that with the rove of the sea.
April 20, 2025, 03:17 PM
he did not want to accept it; he was proud, and his shoulders grew tight beneath that burden. but kusax̱asaa knew he must relent, and so after some uncoiling, he nodded. it would be taken. appreciated. talvani grew in some esteem.
this too, safeguarded. kusax̱asaa could not longer afford trust misplaced, and she had already argued with him once. yet he reminded himself that she was here. that she remained.
and so the woman kept her place in his eye.
"yes," he grunted. "go to sivaak. respect sivaak, and learn. i say still you must choose. but it does not mean your ears must shut."
chin lifted. pride must be his again, the hunter felt, still stung by shame that he was not yet able to run.
this too, safeguarded. kusax̱asaa could not longer afford trust misplaced, and she had already argued with him once. yet he reminded himself that she was here. that she remained.
and so the woman kept her place in his eye.
"yes," he grunted. "go to sivaak. respect sivaak, and learn. i say still you must choose. but it does not mean your ears must shut."
chin lifted. pride must be his again, the hunter felt, still stung by shame that he was not yet able to run.
this character is rated R
April 20, 2025, 03:34 PM
her body did not sway nor flinch under his eye. she accepted his words as she accepted the weight of the task—not as burden, but as belonging. her place, for now, was this.
the spring dirt was soft beneath her paws as she turned. new grass, damp with melt and green with the stubbornness of life. her claws bit into it as she kicked off, lean form cutting through the low brush with purpose.
no dramatics. no display.
the scent of the wounded animal still clung to the wind, a thread she could follow—she would follow.
kusax̱asaa did not need to see her gratitude to know it stirred beneath her ribs.
and sivaak—
yes. she would listen.
but for now, she would hunt.
silent. swift. his.
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