Raven's Watch annignatuk

The wound near his eye had crusted over after he'd washed it, and weeks later had healed to near completion. The skin was raw and pink; fur did not grow there and maybe it never would again. Kigipigak was glad to have sight restored to his eye regardless. No more bruising. No more swelling of the tissue there. He could get back to work without the irritation of one eye being swollen shut. It had not stopped him from doing quick patrols of the more accessible sections of the territory limits—but he had to be extra cautious on his approach lest he fall victim to his temporarily hindered depth perception.

One thing that did not go away so swiftly—the headaches. The blow to his face had left his ears ringing and a dull ache to his neck which Kigipigak assumed would go away with time. A muscle strain from the fight, nothing more. It only truly left him when he fell asleep. As he perused the lakeside, observing how a thin sheet of ice had begun to form along the edge, there was a scowl set firmly upon his youthful face. An ache around his eyes had started that morning and now trailed down his neck, which left him in a state of irritation.

✹☾❂

The time between the beginning of her residence upon Ravens Watch and now had been largely a time of quietude. The days were frigid and oftentimes wet — and it was these moments, Eleuthera found herself missing the shade of her weeping arbors, which blocked out nearly the full range of possible precipitation, from rain to snow and all states in between. The canopy cover of the Raven’s Watch was not poor, but nor was it as thick as the willows, and even though Eleuthera felt the pull of her heart towards her family’s hollowed grounds, she knew she had made a commitment to The Watch, and she must at least try to assimilate rather than sink into the unwitting background.

She had come to the lake to slake her thirst. If she had been inclined to her usual languor, she might have eaten the snow and let it melt upon the heat on her tongue and palate. However, the lilac sprite craved the satiation of long-drawn gulps and repetitive lapping that could only result from drinking waters from their source. When she came upon the lake, Leu was delighted to discover that there would a fun element to it, too — the thin sheet of ice covered the lake up to the rim and would require a keen paw to break through.

— but this was not to be the only fun element of her lakeside trip that day. Eleuthera immediately recognized the man who stood scowling at the shores, as she knew he was a part of the brotherhood which sought to claim these mountains and that she might very well happen upon him at any given moment. Honestly, she was surprised it had taken this long. “The man from the mountains,” she softly intoned as she strode to the icy, inert lakeshore. “Kigipigak, right?” Eleuthera smiled, knowing very well that was the man’s name.

When he heard the careful steps of another nearby he almost ignored them, then thought better of it. Kigipigak lifted his head carefully and swung his attention around. 

He was squinting to blur the veil of light as it caused his head to throb. At first he did not recognize the petite girl; he hoped at the very least it wasn't Stjornuati come to judge him. The girl spoke and a subliminal tension eased across Kigipigak's shoulders.

Kigipigak, right? She said. Kigipigak blinked and gave a hasty nod - too quick, it pulled at the muscles of his neck and made his jawline tighten. 

I see you have made it. I am glad. He didn't sound glad, he sounded distracted and surly. What do you think of it? This place, its people...?