Redsand Canyon Blackout

Hoping for this to be a Mercenary-based thread! Sparring, tactics, etc! <333

 


The yearling wandered the canyon, patrolling and marking borders often as she moved. 
She rarely rested for long.
Sovereign sat upon the higher reaches at midnight, watching the stars and what of Tikal's claim she could see from here, watchful of her surroundings. 

The pale girl sighed softly after a time, looking around once again after a long moment staring at the night sky. 
She was promised purpose here, and by the gods, she would find it.
She thought of Ensio, of Maiken, and of her deceased Mother. 

A series of tears began pooling in her eyes as she remembered Fury, anger and grief among her emotions.

Maiken can spar she just chooses not too, but she can for Sovereign.

Maiken watched with unreadable eyes as the youngling moved with an energy that she knew well. A guardian, a fighter as her mother had been, as her family had been and a small part of Maiken sighed at the implications it would bring. She looked around and then with genteel purpose she strode towards the cliff. The darkness giving her an advantage.

She pressed quietly to the ground. Stalking, unhurried, wondering if the girl would notice or not. There was a reason for this. Clearly Sovereign had energy to burn. Maiken could offer a chance to do so, probably at the expense of her hide, she was not large, but she could use her speed where her size failed.

<333!!!

Sovereign did not take immediate notice of Maiken's stalking form. 
The night was the dark healer's friend, aiding in masking Maiken from view.

The girl was unaware of any approach at this moment, wrapped in the tendrils of her emotions as she let out a grit-teeth whine as she whispered to the stars in Icelandic- 
"I miss you, mama..." 
A tongue she had not spoken in ages, it felt, especially where she was learning the Sandtongue of Tikal now.
A Shieldmaiden, she aspired to be, once. 
A legend of her home, a respected warrior, guardian, tactician...
But Holcan, she chose to train towards now, with the scattering of Hildibrandr. 

Striking Sovereign harshly from her wallowing was a gust of wind that brought with it Maiken's strengthening scent.
Dazed for a moment, the yearling blinked and shook her head a bit to adjust to the present once more. 

She smiled softly for a brief beat, attempting to feign obliviousness despite the alert perk and swivel of her ears.

Maiken knew the girl was sad, and it hurt to hear the sadness in her voice. But she didn't know how to help exactly. So she continued on her downward slink. Finally, making it with a few feet. Sov was obviously paying attention her ears moving about. owever, Maiken wasn't sure if she knew where she was or just trying to find out.

So she feinted right and went left and leapt at the girl with a soft growl of friendliness. She hoped she knew she wasn't really attacking her, merely playing.

The girl was trying to figure out where Maiken was coming from, but she couldn't tell even as the Medic got closer. 
The enclosing paw steps upon the dirt-covered stones told Sov that Maiken was behind her, so she went for where the shadow feigned, only to hear a friendly rumble at her other side, and then the force of smaller paws upon her mass!

Sovereign turned to meet her with a playful growl of her own, ears slanted slightly as she ducked into a loose play-bow.
Get out of your head, get out of your head, get out of your head! She hissed to herself inwardly, though her emotions still swirled within, thick and toxic like tar. 
Or so the yearling felt in this moment. 
She knew her thoughts were clouded, that she was not thinking clearly, and so angering it was-!

Sovereign awaited Maiken's reaction.

The former princess couldn't tell where she was at first. Though she moved towards the sound. Maiken was please that she had been able to fool for even just a moment.

Dipped down, down into playbow. A weave of her tail and a sharp toothed smile. She shifted her tiny paws, and circled. She'd defend, unless Sovereign wanted to do so. Maiken just found it easier to defend, because that is what she had been taught the most to do, if you want to call it teaching.

Sovereign melted into an offensive stance as Maiken began to circle; and she watched, analytical and calculating.

Waiting for the right moment...

She allowed the Medic to circle for a few moments before the pale yearling lunged for her.
She did not add all her might to the movement, attempting to be careful to not hurt the smaller shadow.
Sov was bigger, heavier, in contrast to the healer's smaller, daintier form, thus she would need to be smart too, and not all brawn! 
In her lunge, the behemoth aimed an outstretched paw to try and pap Maiken across the back or shoulder, firm yet not a full-on effort to strike. 

Careful. Considerate.

The way that Sovereign watched and yet held herself back even in play. Endeared her more so to the dark wolf that was tiny and thin. She felt the touch and quickly used the speed of her size to move and lunge to one side only to move around back track and nip at her otherside.

It would open her side to the girl, but if she was quick enough which was her hope she'd land a small nip, nothing hard to hurt. However, she also hoped in her own way that the girl would readjust and meet her nip for nip.

Sovereign moved as Maiken darted in for a strike, but not fast enough.
The small shadow was able to land a nip to the pale yearling, who attempted to circle inward  in hopes to land an equal nip to Maiken's ruff.

Slowly but surely, Sovereign was coming back to the present moment.

A tight nip to her ruff and she growled and shifted, back pedaling and trying to pull her rough from the girl, while she snapped at her shoulders and haunches, but not to wound only play.

Sovereign as always was formidable.

Apologies for the holdup
The princess let go of Maiken's nape as the healer began to pull away.
Teeth snapped for haunches and shoulders, to which Sovereign responded by parrying with her own teeth, nipping for Maiken's cheeks as the teenager made a gentle attempt to wrap a thick foreleg around the shadow's shoulders - an effort to try and pin her, though not too forceful. 
She still did not seek to harm the medic after all!

The Only Thing They Fear Is You

no worries love

Her luck ran out and with the princesses size she was pressed to the geound. She gavw a soft geunt and then chuckled as she lay panting. It had been nice to work out muscles she hadn't in sometime.

With a grunt, the Healer went to the ground under Sovereign's foreleg.
A beat later, the yearling released the small shadow and backed up a pace or two, allowing Maiken room to stand.

Sovereign smiled softly to the Medic with a rumble of gratitude and gentle swaying of her tail, a show of the friendly nature she felt for the former-Thegn of Hildibrandr. 
Even if that was in the past now, it was still freshly bittersweet and a deeply felt sting to the young warrior's heart. 

Briefly, that pain flashed over Sovereign's face again before she made a small, sharp shake of her head in an attempt to push it away.
She was training to be a Holcan...someone else's sword to wield, and therefore so, so bluntly uncertain if she could afford to keep grieving over what used to be, and no longer was.

Maiken studied her and spoke softly. Forgive me if I overstep. But it isn't wrong to feel your grief. YOu can still grieve and change into a better version of yourself. It actually may help you, grow I mean. Never forget you ar edoing well and for what it is worth. I am proud of you.

Then the healer swayed gently and shook the dirt from her fur with a small smile. That was nice. Thank you for letting me use muscles i hadn't in a long while.

Sovereign blinked with mild surprise as Maiken poke her thoughts.
The yearling figured by the healer's words, that she was not yet skilled in the art of masking her feelings, like her mother had been.

Still a long way to go...

And for what it is worth, I am proud of you.

Those words hit deep in the pale princess's heart, making her eyes begin to wet at the edges.
"Even after everything...?" She murmured with a low whimper, implying the fall of Hildibrandr had been just as much Sovereign's fault as it had been her own mother's, if not in entirety.

"Anyway...um...thank you, as well." The youth offered in an awkward attempt to swipe the conversation away for another time. 
Another time, that she couldn't place when it would come...

The pale yearling shuffled on her paws for a moment, unsure how to continue their interaction.
Not that she didn't want to talk and bond with Maiken; a familiar face in an otherwise unfamiliar place, so on so forth, she just wanted to talk and bond without her inner demons and grief getting in the way-!

It wasn't easy to guard one's inner most thoughts. Especially if you were raised with love as Sovereign had been. Her mother had been harsh, but she had loved her. Unlike Maiken's father who had hurt her every chance he had.

She nodded. Even after everything.

Maiken chuckled. Do you hunt for pictures in the stars?

Do you hunt for pictures in the stars?

Sovereign's brow furrows slightly at the question, but eventually, slowly, her amber gaze turns upward to the night sky as if to see shapes in that vast cosmos...

Her face after a few moments would return to Maiken's own. 
"Yeah, sometimes..." She answered, though her tone indicated a lack of skill on the matter.

She trqc3d a muzzle along the skyline. Orions belt. That is Orion. The little dipper, big dipper. And i don't know it in the tongue it is, but it means bear.

She had often looked to the stars with an appreciative look.

Sovereign followed Maiken's muzzle, watching as she named the constellation and a couple others. 

The yearling would spend the night hours with the Healer, talking about the stars until the sunrise came. 

By then, her mind eased for now, the Princess would be sleeping soundly under the rising sun.