Redsand Canyon In the belly of the beast

@Xicor <3

 


Nyra led her newest treasure through the mountains, stopping briefly at a place above the sprawling canyon to overlook her current kingdom. 
Beautiful, yet hellish. 
At her side or her flank, she knew Xicor followed, his pawsteps as heavy as her own.
Occasionally she would glance to him with a sly yet sweet smile. 

Mine. 

The journey wasn't too long, yet took about a day and some hours to complete. She prowled into the depths of the russet canyon from the Southwest, trotting with a sense of authority and purpose as she led the black male through sands, and into the labyrinth-like rocks.
"Welcome to my kingdom." She purled, turning her amber hues to look at Xicor.

Oh boy, sand Xicor thought, cringing at the thought of it getting stuck between his toe-pads.

"It's very beautiful, but not not quite what I'm used to," he explained, "Where I'm from is usually snowy, or if not marshy."

Xicor slowly moved forward with his beautiful protector, hoping that her presence was enough to discourage her pack mates from attacking him.

"So, tell me about your pack," Xicor inquired, hoping to know more about this group he'd never even heard of until a couple days ago.

His distaste didn't go unnoticed, but she did let it go without comment. 
She too originally was opposed to the rocky and sandy terrain of the canyon, but it grew on her quickly. 

A flick of her eyes back to Xicor as he inquired about her pack. She could answer, after all, she invited him and he came willingly. 
"The Saints of the Dying Light are a militaristic and rather violent pack. While there's no infighting permitted, we get vicious with intruders. And we have plenty of enemies due to our combative nature. Above all, we are loyal to each other before all else." Nyra explained with a conversational tone, continuing into the rocks that majorly made up the canyon.

Xicor looked at her with mild surprise, before settling into mischief, "Well, it's a good thing I have you then, don't I," he said, looking sideways at Nyra, a slight want in his eyes

"So, when do I get to meet the rest of you guys," Xicor asked, looking around, hoping to see if they were being watched

She chuckled softly at Xicor's response, tail swaying with moderate speed as they furthered into the canyon "Yes, I suppose you do." Nyra agreed.
As for meeting everyone else, to that her intense hues became somewhat sad. 
"Our numbers have dwindled a lot recently, but we should run into someone soon. Keeping in mind this canyon is massive, it may take a while..." She sighed, looking around for signs of @Simran, @Arlette, @Charles, any of the Saints, really.

"Oh, I see, my apologies," Xicor said, a twinge of sadness in his voice. "I understand all to well about losing one's pack," he whined, sadness taking over his voice. 
Xicor kept looking around hoping to spot one of Nyra's pack mates, or, at least, something that wasn't sand, while hoping Nyra didn't push him further on his past.

The Overseer, soon to be Grandmaster, didn't offer much of a glance as Xicor spoke of losing his pack...
At least that's what she felt was being implied, though she wasn't entirely certain.

"Since our return to this place for war, our numbers have gone down. Suppose it might be fate..." Nyra mused with a sigh.
So far, no other Saints have shown themselves, and the Shieldmaiden furrowed her brows in thought.

Where is everyone?

She woke with a sudden movement, her fur shaken to her core. Another nightmare. She was panting heavily and if she could, she would have been sweating as well. She rose to all four paws and her redish fur was mixed with sand as if she been rolling around in it. She didn’t recall doing such a thing and quickly shook her entire body to get rid of the sand.

This was. New? She blinked a few times as if to awaken from the nightmare but found herself confused. Pried from her home somewhat. This wasn’t as she remembered it. She remembered the saints clearly, she remembered Kye and Nyra whom she hadn’t forgotten had bitten her. Why was still a bit of a mystery to her, but maybe she ought to ask one day? Or just forget all about it as if it never happened. The se lands, this canyon filled with sand, she did not recall.

She began wandering and sniffed the sand. There wasn’t much scent clinging to it, but somewhat she did recognize some of the scents. So this was her home now? She wasn’t sure if she could recall moving or recall any conversation she had had in the past few months. Everything seemed like a blur after the nightmare. Something – about moving territory? Yes that had to be it. The scent was too familiar. She felt dazed almost sick to her stomach, but she shook it off. Maybe patrolling the borders would give her some clarity on what had happened the last few weeks, months?

She began wandering the border scent, and soon the scent of Nyra became crystal clear, along with a newcomer. She followed the scent and when she found them it sent a spiral of emotions through her.

Happiness to see Nyra, something familiar, but also an uncertaintiy. Was she still cross with her? Would she attack again? War stopped a few feet away from them, they would likely have seen her coming. She looked at the black male with a huge scar across his right eye and she then turned to Nyra. Unaware that her and the others had been summoned to come greet this newcomer. War had been almost entirely gone ever since the move and she had not seen Nyra or the others for a long time, keeping to herself, adjusting to the new land in her own way. She did not like change too much.

War could not recall what she had been doing or the fact she had been gone for so long. But now she was here.

”Nyra..

War looked at the male again with an expression that was hard to read. Clearly he had seen some fights, so he was more than ready for the saints. Or was he? ”Can he spar?” She asked Nyra her nose twitching lightly. She talked of him as if he wasn’t listening, like he was prized cattle to be judged. Nyra had always been War’s favorite, she knew she wouldn’t just toss in some stranger for no good reason. He had to be durable, fighting fit. She trusted her.

”Are you. Mad with me?” She took a careful step toward Nyra, her head tilted. She had to know if they were good again. She hadn’t understood the situation to it’s fullest before and she likely never would understand. That was okay though. She just needed to know she wasn’t angry with her anymore.

Skipping Xicor with permission <3

 


Her newest treasure wasn't given much chance to respond right away.
As the two furthered into the rocks, a large red wolf approached.
One Nyra recognized. War. 

The war-machine that was the russet female stopped before them, talking directly to the Alphess. 
"He can hunt. If he cannot fight, then he will know soon enough." The Overseer, soon Grandmaster responded, glancing to Xicor pointedly.

To the Specialist's other question, Nyra chuckled softly "No, War,  I'm not mad with you." She confirmed, swaying her tail as a signal of friendship.
Now, to introduce. 

"This is Xicor." Nyra jerked her muzzle softly to the shadowy man at her side. Her golden gaze went to him, expectantly. What did he have to say?

Xicor sized up Nyra's packmate, not sure what to think of her yet, before roughly clearing his throat. "Yes, I can fight, as well as hear," he added, a mixture of mischief and bitterness in his voice, looking between the two of them.

War wasn’t one to engulf in emotions, but if she did, she had a soft spot for Nyra. Nyra got her, understood her. Never questioned her in a way that was confusing to War, something she had experienced a little too often. Nyra just answered straight forward the way she liked it. She answered her questions truthfully and without hesitation. War nodded in respond ”Good.” They needed body-abled people around them, people who they could rely on to fight in the upcoming wars. For there will be war. Always.

"No, War,  I'm not mad with you." War copied the tail wag the best she could, though she had not done so in years. She nodded and all was forgotten. The bite and the sudden anger from Nyra were in the past now, no reason to dwell on it further. She said she wasn’t mad, and War had no reason to doubt her. War didn’t consider she might lie or hide her emotions; emotional schemes were completely lost on her. She could have lied, and War would have no idea.

"This is Xicor." She was introduced. War turned to the male, not likely going to recall that name later, it was – odd. ”War.” She wasn’t the talkative type and she might have added more if she had been. She had introduced herself now. "Yes, I can fight, as well as her,"

”I doubt that.” it was an instinctive respond out of loyalty. Nyra was born a fighter, yes, but also trained in the arts of fighting for years. Somehow War didn’t see that as possible that some stranger would outmatch Nyra. She didn’t try to insult him or have any tone that indicated as such. She just said it out loud as if came straight from her head. She looked at him with searching eyes.

”Nyra is. Strong.” Nyra was indeed strong, and it was for that War admired her. It would be hard to take that away due to some strangers thinking ahead of themselves. Even if they had spared and she had lost or been matched, that was simply the nature of a fight. Didn’t mean much. You lost, you won, you trained to better yourself for the war coming where you would have to win in order to live. Spars were the measurement of true worth.

”Spar.” It was a statement, almost commanding though she had no authority to do so. It was a challenge to test him. She took some steps backward and took a stance in the gliding sand, she had her eyes on him watching him. Should he refuse, she would feel a certain disappointment. Should he accept, she would let him move first.