Nimbus Summit reskripa

teeth and wolves and druid's voice calling, calling until the words turned into the sound of her sister's retching.
heda opened her eyes.
the sky was still dark. her heart pounded. she slowly pulled herself awake, passing a paw over her eyes and sighing. well. she definitely wasn't going to sleep now.
the girl stood up and picked her way toward the mountain's edge. nothing to do but wait for the sunrise, she decided.

assuming antha knows heda in passing by now, lmk if that's not ok <3

antha had always been an early riser, despite her tendency to retire late into the night. she often told @Tessa that she and sleep simply didn't see eye to eye, and it certainly seemed that way. it was no surprise to her when she woke before the sun began to rise.

but she was surprised to find someone else awake, too. one of the youth who had been traveling with issorartuyok when she'd met him. heda, she recalled. she wondered what had the girl awake at this hour.

heda. are you well? she called softly to the girl who was trekking ahead with her back to antha. her own pace picked up to close the distance, although she kept a fair space between them in case the girl did not want company. she knew the feeling all too well.

ofc! <3

"hey, antha." heda turned a friendly smile toward the older wolf, pausing in her approach of the drop-off. "i couldn't sleep. figured, um — figured since i was already up it might be nice to see the sunrise."
the girl paused. "do you want to come with me?" heda didn't particularly want to be around anyone at all right now, but antha had been nothing but perfectly kind, a model packmate. the girl saw the necessity of getting to know her. she waited for a reply, tail wagging once.

couldn't sleep — the snippet of words stuck with antha despite heda's casually friendly demeanor. she remembered what issorartuyok had said to her, about heda's pack; presumably her natal pack, based on her young age. but antha was careful to keep her own demeanor composed, wary of recalling unwanted memories and thoughts to heda's mind. if the girl needed lighthearted company, she would be that.

oh, i would love to. i watch the sunrise nearly every morning, and no matter how many times she saw it, each was as special as the very first. she smiled softly, drawing closer to walk at heda's side. but i have to admit, it's sunsets that truly capture my heart. have you ever watched a sunset from a mountainside?

heda shook her head. "i saw a few from a glacier though," she joked, though the humour did not quite reach her eyes. "what do you like about the sunrise?" they were coming to the edge; there was a shelf of stone and unthinking heda leapt atop it, recalling her exercises with ensio.
the sun was coming; gold light soon shone in all directions, gilding both she and antha. it turned the tops of the trees into coins far below; it glittered upon the slowly melting snow and accentuated where grass was tenaciously returning.
the mountain stood shrouded in dawnglow.
heda shut her eyes, smelling the evaporation of dew.

antha smiled gently at heda's joke, but found herself glad of it when the girl changed the subject in favor of a question. she had not known the glacier, and would not know how to comfort the girl if she mourned its loss.

when i was young, i aspired to be a warrior, a soldier for my people. i was quite dedicated, her words were soft and tinged by fond humor, the story steeped in nostalgia. the warriors woke early to train in secret. you must understand, our war was a rebellion; a civil war to end great oppression. we held the advantage then, in my childhood. we spoke of hope often.

i would watch the sunrise as i trained, and i always thought of those conversations. our hope. i enjoyed my training. i excelled at it. but i am no warrior, she shook her head slightly, but smiled nonetheless as she looked to heda. still, those memories are dear to me. the sunrise still reminds me of the warriors of my homeland; their courage, their determination to make our land a better place today than it was yesterday. every time the sun rises, we have a new opportunity to do better. to make the world better.

she fell into silence, gaze tracing the sun's debut with near reverence. each new day was a gift; the gift of life itself.

antha talked like issorartuyok. she was careful and elegant in the way she chose her words. and she created pictures that heda felt anyone could see. the girl missed her mother and trusted lane. she thought of wylla and taktuq. but for those she could name, the young wolf was slowly discovering that she harboured a mistrust toward women as a whole.
maybe that was why she had taken so long to warm toward antha. heda decided not to regret it, only to listen, and when the other ceased speaking, to nod.
"i like that."
she watched gold flicker to life.
"i want to be a fighter. at least — maybe i thought i did." heda toyed with nothing in particular on the ground. "now i'm not sure."

heda confessed to her own aspirations of being a warrior, only to contradict herself in the same breath. antha's gaze turned to her again, curious but free of judgment.
there is no shame in change, heda. wolves change all the time - we learn, and we grow. those who don't... well, that's not really living, is it? a hint of humor sparkled in her eyes. but it's important to be certain it comes from the heart. what is it about the path of warriors that makes you doubt?

antha's words were taken to heart and mulled, though heda would never admit it. she instead looked out over the lightening forests. "fighting makes me angry. i mean, i don't know how not to be angry when i fight. it feels like maybe i just shouldn't."
she shrugged. "maybe i should just be a hunter or something." but it felt disengenous to say.

we can fade here with antha teaching heda about meditation + breathing exercises if u want! i didnt have anything specific in mind so u can assume whatever

heda confessed to struggling with her anger, although she sounded wholly unenthusiastic about the prospect of giving up the endeavor. her words were telling.
many of the warriors in my homeland struggle with their own anger, antha explained gently. over generations, they developed countless techniques to overcome it. perhaps one of them might help you. she offered an encouraging smile.
meditation, breathing exercises, and the mind-medicine of counselors are typically the most effective. i could teach you some of these things if you'd like, and my sister tessa can offer counseling. the life of a warrior may still be within your grasp.

sounds good <3

heda thought for a moment. to be still inside but also a warrior? it felt very incomprehensible. yet there was something about antha, about tessa, about both, really, that insisted upon power behind the formal words and pretty eyes. antha had captivated their leader. he trusted her. heda would do the same.
and so as antha guided, she breathed; as antha spoke, she breathed, and soon the tension was lifting from her muscles, from her nape, from all of her.
she wanted to be a warrior. with antha's help, heda would do it correctly.